History of the Prophets and Kings

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Hadith collections


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Most famous

Sunni six major collections
(Al-Kutub al-Sittah):

  1. Sahih Bukhari
  2. Sahih Muslim
  3. al-Sunan al-Sughra
  4. Sunan Abu Da'ud
  5. Sunan al-Tirmidhi
  6. Sunan Ibn Maja/Al-Muwatta

Shi'a collections:

  1. Usul al-Kafi and Furu al-Kafi of Kulayni
  2. Man la Yahdhuruhu' l-Faqih of Shaikh Saduq
  3. Tahdhibu 'l-Ahkam by Tusi
  4. al-Istibsar by Tusi

Ibadi collections:

  • al-Jami' as-Sahih by al-Rabi' ibn Habib
  • Tartib al-Musnad by al-Warijlani
Sunni collections
Shi'a collections
Mu'tazili collections

The History of the Prophets and Kings (Arabic: تاريخ الرسل والملوك Tarikh al-Rusul wa al-Muluk, popularly Tarikh al-Tabari) is a history by Persian author and historian Ibn Jarir al-Tabari (838–923) from the Creation to AD 915, and is renowned for its detail and accuracy concerning Arab and Muslim history.

[edit] Editions

Various editions of the Annals include:

  • A version published under the editorship of M.J. de Goeje in three series, comprising thirteen volumes, with two extra volumes containing indices, introduction and glossary (Leiden, 1879-1901).
  • A Persian digest of this work, made in 963 C.E. by the Samanid scholar al-Bal'ami, translated into French by H. Zotenberg (vols. i.-iv., Paris, 1867-1874).
  • An English translation in thirty-nine volumes, published by the State University of New York Press from 1988 through 1998. Various editors.

Here is the list of titles for the 39-volume edition:

  • Vol. 01 General Introduction & from the Creation to the Flood
  • Vol. 02 Prophets & Patriarchs
  • Vol. 03 The Children of Israel
  • Vol. 04 The Ancient Kingdoms
  • Vol. 05 The Sasanids, the Byzantines, the Lakhmids, and Yemen
  • Vol. 06 Muhammad at Mecca
  • Vol. 07 The Foundation of the Community - Muhammad at al-Madina, A. D. 622-626
  • Vol. 08 The Victory of Islam
  • Vol. 09 The Last Years of the Prophet: The Formation of the State, A.D. 630-632-A.H. 8-11
  • Vol. 10 The Conquest of Arabia, A. D. 632-633 - A. H. 11
  • Vol. 11 The Challenge to the Empires
  • Vol. 12 The Battle of al-Qadisiyyah & the Conquest of Syria & Palestine
  • Vol. 13 The Conquest of Iraq, Southwestern Persia, & Egypt: The Middle Years of 'Umanr's Caliphate, A.D. 636-642-A.H. 15-21
  • Vol. 14 The Conquest of Iran, A. D. 641-643 - A. H. 21-23
  • Vol. 15 The Crisis of the Early Caliphate: The Reign of Uthman, A. D. 644-656 - A. H. 24-35
  • Vol. 16 The Community Divided: The Caliphate of Ali I, A. D. 656-657-A. H. 35-36
  • Vol. 17 The First Civil War: From the Battle of Siffin to the Death of Ali, A. D. 656-661-A. H. 36-40
  • Vol. 18 Between Civil Wars: The Caliphate of Mu'awiyah 40 A.H., 66 A.D.-60 A.H., 680 A.D.
  • Vol. 19 The Caliphate of Yazid B. Mu'awiyah, A. D. 680-683 - A. H. 60-64
  • Vol. 20 The Collapse of Sufyanid Authority & the Coming of the Marwanids: The Caliphates of Mu'awiyah II & Marwan I
  • Vol. 21 The Victory of the Marwanids, A. D. 685-693-A. H. 66-73
  • Vol. 22 The Marwanid Restoration: The Caliphate of 'Abd al-Malik: A.D. 693-701 - A.H. 74-81
  • Vol. 23 The Zenith of the Marwanid House: The Last Years of 'Abd al-Malik & the Caliphate of al-Walid A.D. 700-715-A.H. 81-95
  • Vol. 24 The Empire in Transition: The Caliphates of Sulayman, Cumar, & Yazid, A. D. 715-724-A. H. 96-105
  • Vol. 25 The End of Expansion: The Caliphate of Hisham, A.D. 724-738-A.H. 105-120
  • Vol. 26 The Waning of the Umayyad Caliphate: Prelude to Revolution, A.D. 738-744 - A.H. 121-126
  • Vol. 27 The Abbasid Revolution, A. D. 743-750 - A. H. 126-132
  • Vol. 28 Abbasid Authority Affirmed: The Early Years of Al-Mansur
  • Vol. 29 Al-Mansur & al-Mahdi, A.D. 763-786-A.H. 146-169
  • Vol. 30 The Abbasid Caliphate in Equilibrium: The Caliphates of Musa al-Hadj & Harun al-Rashid, A. D. 785-809 - A. H. 169-192
  • Vol. 31 The War Between Brothers, A. D. 809-813 - A. H. 193-198
  • Vol. 32 The Absolutists in Power: The Caliphate of al-Ma'mun, A.D. 813-33 - A.H. 198-213
  • Vol. 33 Storm and Stress Along the Northern Frontiers of the Abbasid Caliphate
  • Vol. 34 Incipient Decline: The Caliphates of al-Wathig, al-Mutawakkil & al-Muntasir, A.D. 841-863-A.H. 227-248
  • Vol. 35 The Crisis of the Abbasid Caliphate
  • Vol. 36 The Revolt of the Zanj, A. D. 869-879 - A. H. 255-265
  • Vol. 37 The Abbasid Recovery: The War Against the Zanj End
  • Vol. 38 The Return of the Caliphate to Baghdad: The Caliphate of al-Muctadid al-Muktafi & al-Mugtzdir, A.D. 892-915
  • Vol. 39 Biographies of the Prophet's Companions & Their Successors: al-Tabari's Supplement to His History

[edit] Content

The introduction states:

   
“
 Let the reader be aware that whatever I mention in my book is relied on the news that were narrated by some men. I had attributed these stories to their narrators, without inferring anything from their incidents ... [2].
   
”
   
“
 If a certain man gets horrified by a certain incident that we reported in our book, then let him know that it did not come from us, but we only wrote down what we received from the narrators [3]
   
”

The main purpose of Tabari was to write all traditions which he could lay his hands on, without deeming it necessary to express any opinion on their value or reliability. Thus one easily perceives that some of his traditions are less reliable than some others. We might perhaps excuse his use of a method that would not be acceptable today. At least he has provided others with a great deal of information. A careful scholar would be able to distinguish the sound traditions from the fabricated ones by studying the Isnad.

Among its content can be found:

[edit] References

  1. ^ http://islamicbookstore.com/b5377.html
  2. ^ [Tarikh Al-Tabari, 1/7-8]
  3. ^ [Tarikh Al-Tabari, 1/8].
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