Majlis dar qissa-yi rasul (salawat Allah ?alayhi)

In Persian literature, so-called 'majalis' works typically evoke the atmosphere of a religious gathering. In such a gathering, a chronicler relates parts of the history of Islam and the lives and times of its prominent representatives, often referring to trustworthy sources. Besides, questions may be asked, while teachings or sermons may also be given. Examples are Jalal al-Din Rumi's (d. 672/1273) Majalis-i sab?a and Sa?di's (d. 691/1292) Majalis-i panj-ganah. Judging by its title, the present work by an unknown author from the 5th/12th century-it is not known if it was originally written in Persian or translated from Arabic-would seem to belong to this same type of writings. Only, on closer inspection this is not the case. Being mostly inspired by Ibn Ishaq's (d. 150/767) al-Sira al-nabawiyya and Abu Hatim al-Razi's (d. 322/933-4) A?lam al-nubuwwa, only its last five chapters are called majlis, but then lack the characteristics of a typical majalis work.