Narrating the Sacred Exodus: Literary Structures and Cultural Paradigm Shifts in Early Islamic Prose Narrative

Abstract

The Sirah Nabawiyah by Ibn Hisham/Ibn Ishaq has traditionally been scrutinized through the lenses of empirical historiography or theological validation. Such approaches frequently overlook the text’s status as a sophisticated narrative artifact that actively charts social transformation. This study aims to critically analyze the narrative structure, characterization dynamics, and linguistic shifts within the “Hijrah to Madinah” narrative to uncover how the text constructs the cultural transition from the tribal Jahiliyah system to the theo-political community of the Ummah. Utilizing a qualitative-descriptive method rooted in literary criticism, this research integrates theories of spatial narratology (Bakhtin, Turner, Foucault), character archetypes (Frye), and critical discourse analysis (Foucault, Barthes). The findings reveal three primary dimensions: First, space is architectured as a triadic transformation: Makkah as a stagnant tribal dystopia, the Desert (Cave of Thawr) as a liminal zone of identity dissolution, and Madinah as an inclusive social utopia. Second, the characterization of key figures (Prophet Muhammad, Abu Bakar, Ali, Abdullah bin Urayqith, Suraqah) is cast into universal archetypes that deconstruct blood-ties (asabiyah) in favor of alliances based on faith and professionalism. Third, the text records a radical discursive shift wherein the old clan-oriented vocabulary (fakhr, tha’r) is rhetorically subverted and replaced by a new theo-political lexicon (Ummah, Mu’akhah, Aman), institutionalized within the Constitution of Madinah. In conclusion, the Sirah Nabawiyah is not a passive mirror of history but an active agent of cultural definition that validates the establishment of a universal early Islamic social order.