Rules of identification of the sira traditions in the view of two Islamic sects

Sira or “Prophet Muhammad’s way of life” is considered to be one of the sources of Islamic rulings. The concept of sira is more specific than the action of an infallible and is more effective in deduction of religious decrees. Thus¡ it is important to understand the concept of sira¡ along with its main constituents¡ and then deduce the principles by which one would identify the same constituents in the traditions. In this paper an attempt has been made to analyze the concept of sira and identify its main constituents by surveying many different instances [of the sira] in the traditions and then deducing basic principles that may be used to identify the essential components of the sira. Upon investigation and analysis of the sira¡ we find that it consists of two key components: the continuity of an action and the support of pragmatic logic. Some of the means of identifying the continuity of an action in the traditions include: use of the present tense preceded by the word ‘kna’ (was/used to) and its derivatives¡ use of Arabic expressions such as ‘mzala’ (is still) and its derivatives¡ use of comparative and superlative forms of adjectives¡ use of intensives with ‘kna’ (was/used to)¡ the explicit use of the word of ‘sira’¡ emphatic words that signify continuity etc . Some of the ways of recognizing pragmatic logic [in the traditions] are as follows: explicit mention by the infallible Imam about the logic behind his way of life and behavior¡ the description of pragmatic logic by other contemporary infallible figures or their close companions¡ experimental knowledge¡ an unusual behavior that is repeated often¡ and application of rational reasoning.