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Joukowsky Institute for Archaeology & the Ancient World
Brown University
Box 1837 / 60 George Street
Providence, RI 02912
Telephone: (401) 863-3188
Fax: (401) 863-9423
Joukowsky_Institute@brown.edu
The sira are the prophetic biographies. They are not contemporary with Muhammad's life, rather they are 9th century or later accounts. Together with the hadith, these accounts provide the basis for the sunna. They particularly provide information on Muhammed's life and the early days of Islam. The earliest surviving biography was written by Ibn Ishaq, nearly 150 after Muhammed's death.