The History of al-Tabari

“The History of the Prophets and Kings” was written in Arabic By Muhammad ibn Jarir al-Tabari(838-923 AD) History from the Creation to AD 915

THE ORIGINAL 40 VOLUME OF BOOK WAS TRANSLATED IN ENGLISH WITH TITLE: “The History of al-Tabari”

published by the State University of New York Press from 1985 through 2007.

Here is the list of titles for the 40-volume edition:

Vol. 01 General Introduction & from the Creation to the Flood (trans. Franz Rosenthal) Vol. 02 Prophets & Patriarchs (William Brinner) Vol. 03 The Children of Israel (William Brinner) Vol. 04 The Ancient Kingdoms (Moshe Perlmann) Vol. 05 The Sasanids, the Byzantines, the Lakhmids, and Yemen (C.E. Bosworth) Vol. 06 Muhammad at Mecca (W.M. Watt and M.V. McDonald) Vol. 07 The Foundation of the Community - Muhammad at al-Madina, A. D. 622-626 (M.V.

McDonald) Vol. 08 The Victory of Islam (Michael Fishbein) Vol. 09 The Last Years of the Prophet: The Formation of the State, A.D. 630-632-A.H. 8-11

(Ismail Poonawala) Vol. 10 The Conquest of Arabia, A. D. 632-633 - A. H. 11 (Fred M. Donner)

Vol. 11 The Challenge to the Empires (Khalid Blankinship) Vol. 12 The Battle of al-Qadisiyyah & the Conquest of Syria & Palestine (Yohanan Friedmann) Vol. 13 The Conquest of Iraq, Southwestern Persia, & Egypt: The Middle Years of 'Umar's

Caliphate, A.D. 636-642-A.H. 15-21 (Gautier H.A. Juynboll) Vol. 14 The Conquest of Iran, A. D. 641-643 - A. H. 21-23 (G. Rex Smith) Vol. 15 The Crisis of the Early Caliphate: The Reign of Uthman, A. D. 644-656 - A. H. 24-35 (R.

Stephen Humphreys) Vol. 16 The Community Divided: The Caliphate of Ali I, A. D. 656-657-A. H. 35-36 (Adrian

Brockett) Vol. 17 The First Civil War: From the Battle of Siffin to the Death of Ali, A. D. 656-661-A. H.

36-40 (G.R. Hawting) Vol. 18 Between Civil Wars: The Caliphate of Mu'awiyah 40 A.H., 66 A.D.-60 A.H., 680 A.D.

(Michael G. Morony) Vol. 19 The Caliphate of Yazid B. Mu'awiyah, A. D. 680-683 - A. H. 60-64 (I.K.A. Howard) Vol. 20 The Collapse of Sufyanid Authority & the Coming of the Marwanids: The Caliphates

of Mu'awiyah II & Marwan I (G.R. Hawting)

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

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ismail_Poonawala

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/State_University_of_New_York_Press

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 Vol. 40 Index

The History of al-Tabari Vol. 1General Introduction and From the Creation to the Flood

Summary

Volume I of the thirty-eight volume translation of Tabari's great History begins with the creation of the world and ends with the time of Noah and the Flood. It not only brings a vast amount of speculation about the early history of mankind into sharp Muslim focus, but it also synchronizes ancient Iranian ideas about the prehistory of mankind with those inspired by the Qur'an and the Bible. The volume is thus an excellent guide to the cosmological views of many of Tabari's contemporaries. The translator, Franz Rosenthal, one of the world's foremost scholars of Arabic, has also written an extensive introduction to the volume that presents all the facts known about Tabari's personal and professional life. Professor Rosenthal's meticulous and original scholarship has yielded a valuable bibliography and chronology of Tabari's writings, both those preserved in manuscript and those alluded to by other authors. The introduction and first volume of the translation of the History form a ground-breaking contribution to Islamic historiography in English and will prove to be an invaluable source of information for those who are interested in Middle Eastern history but are unable to read the basic works in Arabic.

Table of Contents

Translator's Foreword

Sigla

The Caliphate of al-Mu`tadid

Appointments of high officials

Relations with the Saffarid Àmr b. al-Layth

Tulunid embassy in Baghdad to arrange dynastic marriage

Dulafite routs Rafi` b. Harthamah at al-Rayy

The Events of the Year 280 (893-894)

Shaylamah's arrest and execution

Campaign against the Shayban

Ibn Abi al-Saj's conquest of al-Maraghah

Death of Dulafite

Conquest of Ùman

Campaign against Byzantines

Earthquake in Dabil


Tughj leading raid against Byzantines

Expedition to al-Jibal

and to Mosul against Hamdan b. Hamdun


The Mu`tadidi New Year

Wedding of al-Mu`tadid and Qatr al-Nada

Continuation of campaign against Hamdan

The Caspian Zaydite's annual subsidy to his followers and al-Mu`tadid's dream about his attitude toward Àlids

Murder of Khumarawayh


Continued campaign against .Husayn b. Hamdan and Kharijites

Reform of inheritance

Egyptian officers arriving in Baghdad after defection

Relations between Byzantines and Slavs

Murder of Jaysh b. Khumarawayh

Ransom negotiations with Byzantines

Relations with Dulafites

Àmr b. al-Layth defeats Rafi` b. Harthamah


Fighting in Tarsus

Christian eunuch accused of slandering Prophet

Populace harassing black eunuchs

Edict against Umayyads

"Specter" in the palace

Escape of Dulafite Abu al-Layth from detention and his subsequent death

Wrong astrological predictions of rain


Al-Ta'i's attack on pilgrim caravan

Atmospheric fallout in southern Mesopotamia

Naval raid against Byzantines

Negotiations with Harun b. Khumarawayh

Raid against Byzantines


Relations with Ibn Abi al-Saj

Expedition to Amid against Ibn Shaykh

Agreement with Harun b. Khumarawayh

Gifts from Àmr b. al-Layth

Appearance of Qarmatians under al-Jannabi

Raids of the Shayban against al-Anbar

The Events of the Year 287 (900)

Arrest of Ibn Shaykh

Bedouin attacks on the pilgrim caravan

Growing Qarmatian danger

Troubles in Tarsus

Àmr b. al-Layth's defeat and capture by the Samanid

Al-Ghanawi's unsuccessful expedition against al-Jannabi

Expedition against Wasif, mawla of Ibn Abi al-Saj

Death of the Caspian Zaydi ruler

Badr's expedition against the Qarmatians


Death of Ibn Abi al-Saj

Àmr b. al-Layth in Baghdad

Gifts sent to Samanid

Troubles in .Santa

Fighting among Sajids

Military encounters with Byzantines


Execution of Qarmatian Ibn Abi al-Qaws

Death of al-Mu`tadid

The Caliphate of al-Muktafi bi-llah

Death of Àmr b. al-Layth

Downfall of Badr

Samanid victory in Tabaristan

Zikrawayh and his sons


More Qarmatian trouble in Syria

Al-Muktafi's failed attempt to move to Samarra

Death of Yahya b. Zikrawayh and Syrian raids by his brother Husayn, the Man of the Mole

A mother searching for her son in the Qarmatian camp

Qarmatians near Aleppo

Successful attacks from al-Bahrayn on al-Jannabi's relatives and lieutenant

Letter of the Man of the Mole to an official

and letter of an official to him

Ransom negotiations with Byzantines


Al-Muktafi in al-Raqqah

Capture of the Man of the Mole

Muhammad b/ Sulayman's battle with Qarmatians

Execution of Qarmatian leaders

Al-Qasim b. Sima and the remnants of Qarmatian Ùllays

Preparations for campaign against Harun b.Khumarawayh

Samanid victory over Turks

Byzantine campaigns

Appointment of al-Àbbas b. al-Hasan


Seizure of insurgents in the Basrah region

Byzantine raid on Maràsh

Muhammad b. Sulayman in Egypt, Harun b. Khumarawayh killed

Revolt of al-Khaliji in Egypt

Byzantine-Muslim ransom negotiations

Flood in Baghdad

Byzantine preparations for raid against Tarsus


Al-Khaliji's revolt

Saffarid Tahir and events in Fars

Qarmatian move on Damascus

Unrest in the Yemen

Qarmatian Àbdallah b. Saìd and the Qarmatian attacks against various cities (Hit, Tiberias, al-Kufah), defeat of government forces

Zikrawayh

Battle at al-Saw'ar

Al-Khaliji's defeat and transfer to Baghdad

Byzantine raid on Qurus


Raid into Byzantine territory

Qarmatian attacks on pilgrim caravans

Zikrawayh's death

Patrikios Andronikos defects to Muslims, raid on Konya

Qarmatian remnants defeated

Byzantine-Muslim ransom negotiations

Sufyani appearing in Syria


Al-Mismaì's rebellion

Death of Samanid Ismaìl

Events in the Yemen

Embassy of Aghlabite Ziyadatallah

Completion of ransom negotiations

Death of al-Muktafi

The Caliphate of al-Muqtadir bi-llah

Riot of soldiers during pilgrimage


Rebellion of Ibn al-Mu`tazz

Husayn b. Hamdan in Baghdad


Mu'nis al-Khadim's campaign against Byzantines

in Fars to fight Saffarid al-Layth


Further developments in Fars


Raids against Byzantines by Rustum

Samanid activities


Fatimid expedition against Barqah


Al-Hallaj

Husayn b. Hamdan's campaign against Byzantines

Samanid ruler killed, quarrels about succession

Fatimid general Habasah in Barqah

Death of al-Jan-nabs


Campaign against Byzantines

Al-Utrush seizing power in Tabaristan

Habasah's invasion of Egypt

Defeated

Battle against bedouins in Northern Mesopotamia

Bedouin attacks on pilgrim caravan

The History of al-Tabari Vol. 2Prophets and Patriarchs

Summary

This volume records the lives and efforts of some of the prophets preceeding the birth of Mohammad. It devotes most of its message to two towering figures--Abraham, the Friend of God, and his great-grandson, Joseph. The story is not, however simply a repetition of Biblical tales in a slightly altered form, for Tabari sees the ancient pre-Islamic Near East as an area in which the histories of three different peoples are acted out, occasionally meeting and intertwining. Thus ancient Iran, Israel, and Arabia serve as the stages on which actors such as Biwarasb, the semi-legendary Iranian king, Noah and his progeny, and the otherwise unknown Arabian prophets Hud and Salih appear and act.

In the pages of this volume we read of the miraculous birth and early life of Abraham, and of his struggle against his father's idolatry. God grants him sons--Ishmael from Hagar and Isaac from Sarah--and the conflicts between the two mothers, the subsequent expulsion of Hagar, and her settling in the vicinity of Mecca, all lead to the story of Abraham's being commanded to build God's sanctuary there. Abraham is tested by God, both by being commanded to sacrifice his son (and here Tabari shows his fairness be presenting the arguments of Muslim scholars as to whether that son was Ishmael or Isaac) and by being given commandments to follow both in personal behavior and in ritual practice. The account of Abraham is interlaced with tales of the cruel tyrant Nimrod, who tried in vain both to burn Abraham in fire and to reach the heavens to fight with God. The story of Abraham's nephew Lot and the wicked people of Sodom also appears here, with the scholars once again arguing--this time over what the exact crimes were for which the Sodomites were destroyed.

Before proceeding to the story of Joseph, which is recounted in great detail, we linger over the accounts of two figures associated with ancient Arabia in Muslim tradition: the Biblical Job, who despite his trials and sufferings does not rail against God, and Shu'ayb, usually associated with the Biblical Jethro, the priest of Midian and father-in-law of Moses. Finally we meet Joseph, whose handsome appearance, paternal preference, and subsequent boasting to his brothers lead to his being cast into a pit and ending up as a slave in Egypt. His career is traced in some detail: the attempted seduction by Potiphar's wife, his imprisonment and eventual release after becoming able to interpret dreams, and his rise to power as ruler of Egypt. The volume ends with the moving story of Joseph's reunion with his brothers, the tragi-comic story of how he reveals himself to them, and the final reunion with his aged father who is brought to Egypt to see his son's power and glory.

This is proto-history told in fascinating detail, of us in different contexts, as well as of others completely unknown to Western readers.

.

Table of Contents


An Account of Biwarsb, that is, al-Azdahaq

Noah and his Progeny

An Account of Events Between Noah and Abraham

Àd and the Prophet Hud—Thamud and the Prophet Salih

Abraham, the Friend of the Merciful

The Command to Build the House

God's Testing Abraham with the Sacrifice of His Son

Concerning Those Who Said It was Isaac

As for Those Who Said it was Ishmael

The Story of the Sacrifice of Isaac

The Story of the Sacrifice of Ishmael

God's Testing Abraham with Commandments

Nimrod b. Cush

Lot b. Haran

The Death of Sarah and of Hagar

The Death of Abraham

The Account of the Descendants of Ishmael and Isaac>

Job

Shu'ayb

Joseph

Bibliography

Index

The History of al-Tabari Vol. 3The Children of Israel

Summary

This volume continues the stories of the Israelite patriarchs and prophets who figured in Volume II, as well as of the semi-mythical rulers of ancient Iran. In addition to biblical, Qur'anic, and legendary accounts about Moses, Aaron, and the exodus of the Children of Israel from Egypt; of the Judges, Samuel and Ezekiel; and of Saul, David, and Solomon, it includes a version of Iranian prehistory that emphasizes the role of Manuchihr (Manushihr in Arabic) in creating the Iranian nation and state.

Woven into these accounts are stories about figures belonging to the very earliest literatures of the Middle East: the mysterious al-Khidwith echoes from the epic of the Sumero-Akkadian hero Gilgamesh; the legendary exploits of Dhu l-Qarnayn, mirroring the ancient romance of Alexander; and incorporating elements about the encounter of King Solomon and Bilqis, the Queen of Sheba, of Jewish midrash and South Arabian lore.

The Islamic empire was at its political and economic height during the tenth and eleventh centuries, and a new civilization was forged at the caliphal court and in society at large. One of the literary triumphs of that civilization was this rich and colorful tapestry belonging to the Islamic genre of "tales of the prophets." The tales in this volume show how threads from all the ancient civilizations of the Middle East were incorporated, absorbed, and Islamized in the brilliant fabric of that new civilization.

Table of Contents

Preface

Abbreviations


The Tale of Al-Khidr and His History; and the History of Moses and His Servant Joshua

Manushihr

The Genealogy of Moses b. Amram, His History, and the Events That Took Place in His Era and That of Manushihr b. Manushkharnar

The Deaths of Moses and of Aaron, the Sons of Amram

The Affair of Korah b. Izhar b. Kohath

The Mention of Those among Our Past Scholars Whose Reports about That Have Reached Us

The Persians Who Ruled in Babylon after Manushihrs

The Israelites and the Chiefs Who Were Over Their Affairs after Joshua

Elijah b. Yasin b. Phineas b. Eleazar b. Aaron b. Amram

The History of Samuel b. Bali b. Elkanah. . . and of Saul and Goliath

The Account of David b. Jesse. . .

The History of Solomon b. David

What We Have Heard about Solomon's Campaigns, among Them His Raid during Which He Corresponded with Bilqis

Solomon's Campaign against the Father of His Wife, Jaradah, and the Story of the Devil Who Took Solomon's Signet Ring

Bibliography of Cited Works

Index

The History of al-Tabari Vol. 4The Ancient Kingdoms

Summary

In this volume Tabari takes up the history of the ancient world, focusing on the Iranians and the Israelites after the time of Solomon. He establishes a comparative chronology between the two nations; viewing Bahman, the Persian king, as the son of Esther, and his daughter, Khumani, the mother of Darius. Tabari's synchronization also leads him into a discussion of North and South Arabia, in which stories about King Jadhimah, Queen Zabba, and the tribes of Tabari and Jadis appear.

Falling outside the general scheme of the volume, are other details. These are concentrated in five chapters on the biblical stories of Samson and Delilah, and on Jonah, commentary on a Quranic passage concerning three divine envoys, and on two stories of Christian antiquity, the Seven Sleepers and the martyr Jirjis.

Tabari presents a mass of Iranian, Jewish, Christian, and Arabian lore in order to create a unified view of the material. His treatment of the mythical Iranian kings, as they battle Turanians and other foes, extends beyond the time of Alexander and his successors to the era of the Gospels, John the Baptist, and Jesus. Tales of the Israelites include the story of Asa and Zerah the Indian, remarkable for its development of the Biblical nucleus and variants of the history of the destruction of Jerusalem by Nebuchadnezzar.

Table of Contents Acknowledgements

Preface


An Account of the Persian kings who ruled the region at Babylonia and the East after Kayqubadh

Kaykhusraw

The Children of Israel after Solomon the son of David

The Story of Asa b. Abijah and Zerah the Indian

The story of Isaiah's friend; the kings of the Children of Israel and Sennacherib

Account of Luhrasb and his son Bishtasb; the expedition of Nebuchadnezzar against the Israelites and how he destroyed Jerusalem

The Reason why Nebuchadnezzar destroyed Jerusalem

The story of Nebuchadnezzar's raid against the Arabs

Returning to the story of Bishtab, his reign and its events, initiated by him as well as others, such as his governors; also the deeds of Nebuchadnezzar

The kings of the Yaman in the days of Qabus and after him to the Age of Bahman b. Isfandiyar

Ardashir Bahman and his daughter Khumani

The history of the Israelites and the synchronization of their chronological data with those of the Persian kings

The account of Darius (Dara) the Elder and his son Darius the Younger. The account of Alexander (Dhu al-Qarnayn)

The Persians after Alexander

The Arsacid (Ashaghan) kings

The events that occurred during the rule of these regional princes

The story of Jesus son of Mary and his mother

The Roman rulers

Hirah and Anbar

'Amr b. Zarib

Al-Zabba

Tasm and Jadis

The Story of the Men of the Cave

Jonah son of Amittai

The sending by God of His three envoys

The story of Samson

The story of Jirjis


Index

The History of al-Tabari Vol. 5The Sasanids, the Byzantines, the Lakhmids, and YemenSummary

This volume of al-T'abari's History has a particularly wide sweep and interest. It provides the most complete and detailed historical source for the Persian empire of the Sasanids, whose four

centuries of rule were one of the most glorious periods in Persia's long history. It also gives information on the history of pre-Islamic Arabs of the Mesopotamian desert fringes and eastern Arabia (in al-Hira and the Ghassanid kingdom), and on the quite separate civilization of South Arabia, the Yemen, otherwise known mainly by inscriptions. It furnishes details of the centuries'-long warfare of the two great empires of Western Asia, the Sasanids and the Byzantine Greeks, a titanic struggle which paved the way for the subsequent rise of the new faith of Islam. The volume is thus of great value for scholars, from Byzantinists to Semitists and Iranists. It provides the first English translation of this key section of al-T'abari's work, one for which non-Arabists have hitherto relied on a partial German translation, meritorious for its time but now 120 years old. This new translation is enriched by a detailed commentary which takes into account up-to-date scholarship.

Table of Contents

PrefaceAbbreviationsTranslator's ForewordTables

1. The Sasanid Emperors2. The Roman and Byzantine Emperors, from Constantine the Great to Heraclius3. The Lakhmid Rulers4. The Chiefs of Kindah5. Rulers in South Arabia during the Sixth and Early Seventh Centuries

Maps1. The Sasanid Empire2. The Roman-Byzantine and Persian Frontierlands3. The Northeastern Frontier of the Sasanids4. The Arabian Peninsula: the lands of the Lakhmids, Kindah, etc.5. Southwestern Arabia

[The Kings of the Persians]

[Ardashir I][The History of al-Hirah]

Mention of the Holders of Power in the Kingdom of Persia after Ardashir b. Babak

[Sabur I, called Sabur al-Junud][Hurmuz I][Bahram I][The History of al-Hirah][Bahram II][Bahram III][Narsi][Hurmuz II][Sabur II Dhu al-Aktaf][The History of al-Hirah][Ardashir II][Sabur III][Bahram IV][Yazdajird I][The History of al-Hirah][Bahram V Jur][Yazdajird II][Fayrus I]Mention of Events in the Reigns of Yazdajird (II), Son of Bahram (V), and Fayrus, and the Relations of Their Respective Governors with the Arabs and the People of Yemen[Balash][Qubadh I]Mention of What Has Been Recorded Concerning the Events Taking Place Among the Arabs in Qubadh's Reign in His Kingdom and Involving His Governors[Kisra I Anusharwan][The History of al-Hirah]

[The History of Yemen]Mention of the Rest of the Story of Tubba` in the Days of Qubadh and the time of Anusharwan and the Persians' Dispatch of an Army to Yemen in Order to Combat the Abyssinians, and the Reason This Last[Resumption of the History of Kisra Anusharwan]

Mention of the Birth of the Messenger of God

[The Remainder of Kisra Anusharwan's Reign and the Last Sasanid Kings]

[Hurmuz][Kisra II Abarwiz]

Mention of Those Who Say That (i.e., those who say that the words of Surat al-Rum refer to Abarwiz's defeat of Hiraql)

Mention of the Account Concerning the Events That Happened when God Wished to Take Away from the people of Persia Rule over Persia, and the Arabs' Overrunning It by Means of God's Favoring Them with His Prophet Muhammad, Involving the Prophethood, the Caliphate, the Royal Power, and the Dominion, in the Days of Kisra Abarwiz

[The Encounter at Dhi Qar]

Mention of Those Vassal Rulers Set over the Desert Frontier of the Arabs at al-Hirah as Appointees of the Monarchs of Persia, after 'Amr b. Hind

The Story Returns to the Mention of al-Maruzan, Who Governed Yemen on Behalf of Hurmuz and His Son Abarwiz, and His Successors[Qubadh II Shiruyah][Ardashir III][Shahrbaraz]Buran[Jushnas Dih][Azarmidukht][Kisra III][Khurrazadh Khusraw][Fayruz II][Farrukhzadh Khusraw][Yazdajird]

[The Chronology of the World]

Mention of Those Who Say That (i.e., that there elapsed ten centuries from Adam to Noah, a further ten from Noah to Abraham, and a further ten from Abraham to Moses)

Bibliography of Cited WorksIndex

The History of al-Tabari Vol. 6Muhammad at Mecca

Summary

The sixth volume of the translation of al-Tabari's History deals with the ancestors of Muhammad, with his own early life, and then with his prophetic mission up to the time of his Hijrah or emigration to Medina. The topics covered mean that this volume is of great importance both for the career of Muhammad himself and for the early history of Islam. Al-Tabari was familiar with, and made use of, the main early source of these matters, the Sirah or life of Muhammad by Ibn Ishaq, a work which is still extant. Although his own treatment is briefer than that of Iban Ishaq, it complements the latter in important ways by making use of other sources. Where Ibn Ishaq gave

only the version of an event which he preferred, al-Tabari includes any variants which he considered of value. Thus he mentions the dispute about the first male to become a muslim--'Ali or Abu Bakr or Zayd--and has also several variant accounts of the call to hostility toward Muhammad from many of the leading Meccans and their attempts to put pressure on his family to stop his preaching. The negotiations with the men of Medina which eventually led to the Hijrah are fully described, and there is then an account of how Muhammad escaped an assassination attempt and arrived safely in Medina. A concluding section discusses some chronological questions. This volume does not merely give a straightforward account of the earlier career of Muhammad and the beginnings of Islam, but also contains valuable source-material not easily accessible otherwise, or not accessible at all.

Table of Contents

Preface


The Lineage of the Messenger of God

Àbdallah (His Father)

Àbd al-Muttalib (His Grandfather)

Hashim

Àbd Manaf

Qusayy

Kilab

Murrah

Ka`b

Lu'ayy

Ghalib

Fihr

Malik

Al-Nadr

Kinanah

Khuzaymah

Mudrikah

Ilyas

Mudar

Nizar

Maàdd

Àdnan

Àdnan's Descent from Ishmael, Abraham, and Adam

The Account of the Messenger of God and His Life

The Messenger of God Is Recognized by the Monk Bahira

The Messenger of God Is Protected by God from Participating in Pagan Practices

The Prophet's Marriage to Khadijah

Events of the Life of the Messenger of God

The Rebuilding of the Ka`bah

History of the Ka`bah

The Rebuilding of the Ka`bah (Continued)

The Beginning of the Prophetic Mission

The Day and the Month on Which the Messenger of God Became a Prophet, and the Accounts Concerning This

First Revelation of the Qur'an

Signs of the Approach of Prophethood

Predictions of the Appearance of the Prophet

Proofs of Prophethood

The Manner in Which the Qur'an Was First Revealed

Khadijah the First to Believe in the Messenger of God

The First Rituals of Islam Are Prescribed

The Prophet Ascends to the Seventh Heaven

The First Male to Believe in the Messenger of God

Events of the Life of the Messenger of God (Continued)

The Messenger of God Begins to Preach Openly

Other Events up to the Hijrah

Quraysh Begin to Oppose the Messenger of God

The Emigration to Abyssinia

Quraysh Show Increased Hostility to the Messenger of God

Hamzah Accepts Islam

Àbdallah b. Masùd Recites the Qur'an Aloud to Quraysh

Quraysh Boycott the Banu Hashim and the Banual-Muttalib

Quraysh Attempt to Induce the Messenger of God to Cease His Attacks on Their Gods

Satan Casts a False Revelation on the Messenger of God's Tongue

The Boycott Is Repealed

The Messenger of God Is Subjected to Further Insults

The Deaths of Abu Talib and Khadijah

The Messenger of God Goes to al-Ta'if

The Messenger of God Returns to Mecca

The Messenger of God Preaches to the Arab Tribes

The First Madinans Said to Have Accepted Islam

The First Deputation from al-Madinah

The First Pledge of al-Àqabah

Islam Begins to Spread in al-Madinah

The Second Pledge of al-Àqabah

The Messenger of God Commands the Muslims to Emigrate to al-Madinah

The Quraysh Plot to Kill the Messenger of God

The Messenger of God Escapes from the Attempt to Kill Him

The Messenger of God Emigrates to al-Madinah

The Messenger of God Arrives in al-Madinah

The Beginning of the Prophetic Mission (Continued)

The Institution of the Islamic Calendar

The Date of the Institution of the Islamic Era

Reports on This Subject

Summary of Meccan Chronology

Abbreviations


Index

The History of al-Tabari Vol. 7The Foundation of the Community: Muhammad At Al-Madina A.D. 622-626/Hijrah-4 A.H.

Summary

The contents of this volume are extremely significant: The specific events in this earliest period set precedents for what later became established Islamic practice. The book deals with the history of the Islamic community at Medina during the first four years of the Islamic period--a time of critical improtance for Islam, both as a religion and as a political community. The main events recounted by Tabari are the battles between Muhammad's supporters in Medina and their adversaries in Mecca. Tabari also describes the rivalries and infighting among Muhammad's early supporters, including their early relations with the Jewish community in Medina.

Table of Contents Acknowledgments

Preface



The First Friday Prayer

The Sermon of the Messenger of God at the First Friday Prayer

The Choice of a Site for Mosque and House

Deaths and Minor Events

The Marriage with À'ishah

Further Reports Concerning This

Muslim Women Brought to Medina

Prayers of Travellers

Births

Expedition Led by Hamzah

Expedition Led by Ùbayadah

Expedition Led by Sa`d b. Abi Waqqas

Expedition Led by Muhammad to al-Abwa'

Further Details About Expeditions

Expeditions Led by Muhammad

Affair of Abu Qays


Expeditions Led by the Messenger of God

Àli and the Name Abu Turab

A Variant Account

Àli Marries Fatimah

Expedition to Nakhlah

Questions After the Return to Medina

Expedition of Nakhlah—Another Account

Further Details About the Expedition of Nakhlah

Other Events of the Second Year of the Hijrah

The Change of Qiblah

Arrangements About Fasting

The Battle of Badr—the Date

The Account of the Greater Battle of Badr in the Letter of Ùrwah

Another account

Account of Badr by Ibn Ishaq

The Dream of Àtikah, and the Relief Force

The Number of Muslims at Badr

The Advance of the Muslims to Badr

Abu Sufyan Takes Evasive Action

The Advance of Quraysh

Preparations and Discussions of Quraysh

The Fighting Begins

Abu Jahl and Other Meccan Dead

The Division of the Booty

The Return of the Muslims to Medina

News of Defeat Reaches Mecca

The Treatment of the Captives

The Release of Zaynab's Husband

Zaynab's Journey to Medina

The Conversion of Abu al-Às

The Conversion of Ùmayr b. Wahb

Discussions About the Lawfulness of Taking Captives

The Campaign Against the Banu Qaynuqa`

Celebration of the First Ìd al-Adha

Minor Expeditions—Dating

The Expedition of al-Sawiq (the Barley-Meal)

Other Events of the Year


The Story of Ka`b b. al-Ashraf

The Expedition to al-Qaradah

The Killing of Abu Rafi` the Jew

The Prophet Marries Hafsah

The Expedition to Uhud

The Fighting Begins

The Muslims Retreat

Mutilation of the Muslim Dead

Various Accounts Concerning Uhud

The Expedition of Hamra' al-Asad

The Sons of Àli


The Expedition of al-Raji`

The Mission of Àmr b. Umayyah Against Abu Sufyan

Muhammad's Marriage to Zaynab bt. Khuzaymah

The Story of Bi'r Maùnah

The Expulsion of the Banu al-Nadir

Other Events

The Expedition of Dhat al-Riqa`

The Expedition of al-Sawiq (or Badr al-Mawìd)

Other Events

Abbreviations


Index

The History of al-Tabari Vol. 8The Victory of Islam: Muhammad at Medina A.D. 626-630/A.H. 5-8

Summary

Volume VIII of al-Tabari's great 40-volume history of the Arabs covers the history of the Muslim community and the biography of Muh'ammad in the middle Medinan years. During this period,

Meccan resistance to Islam collapsed, Muh'ammad returned triumphantly to his native city, and the Muslim community weathered controversy in Muhammad's private life.

This volume covers the history of the Muslim community and the biography of Muhammad in the middle Medinan years. It begins with the unsuccessful last Meccan attack on Medina, known as the

battle of the Trench.

Events following this battle show the gradual collapse of Meccan resistance to Islam. The next year, when Muhammad set out on pilgrimage to Mecca, the Meccans at first blocked the road, but eventually a ten-year truce was negotiated at al-Hudaybiyah, with Muhammad agreeing to

postpone his pilgrimage until the following year. The Treaty of al-Hudaybiyah was followed by a series of Muslim expeditions, climaxing in the important conquest of Khaybar. In the following year

Muhammad made the so-called Pilgrimage of Fulfillment unopposed.

Al-Tabari's account emphasizes Islam's expanding geographical horizon during this period. Soon after the Treaty of al-Hudaybiyah, Muhammad is said to have sent letters to six foreign rulers

inviting them to become Muslims. Another example of this expanding horizon was the unsuccessful expedition to Mu'tah in Jordan.

Shortly afterward the Treaty of al-Hudaybiyah broke down, and Muhammad marched on Mecca.

The Meccans capitulated, and Muhammad entered the city on his own terms. He treated the city leniently, and most of the Meccan oligarchy swore allegiance to him as Muslims.

Two events in the personal life of Muhammad during this period caused controversy in the community. Muhammad fell in love with and married Zaynab bt. Jahsh, the divorced wife of his

adopted son Zayd. Because of Muhammad's scruples, the marriage took place only after a Qur'anic revelation permitting believers to marry the divorced wives of their adopted sons. In the Affair of

the Lie, accusations against Muhammad's young wife 'A'ishah were exploited by various factions in the community and in Muh'ammad's household. In the end, a Qur'anic revelation proclaimed

'A'ishah's innocence and the culpability of the rumormongers.

This volume of al-Tabari's History records the collapse of Meccan resistance to Islam, the triumphant return of Muhammad to his native city, the conversion to Islam of the Meccan

oligarchy, and the community's successful weathering of a number of potentially embarrassing events in Muhammad's private life.

Table of Contents

Preface

Abbreviations


The Events of the Year 5 (626/627)

Muhammad's Marriage to Zaynab bt. Jahsh

The Expedition to Dumat al-Jandal and Other Events

The Battle of the Trench

The Expedition against the Banu Qurayzah


The Expedition against the Banu Libyan

The Expedition to Dhu Qarad

The Expedition against the Banu al-Mustaliq

An Account of the Lie

The Prophet's Lesser Pilgrimage from Which the Polytheists Turned Him Back: The Story of al-Hudaybiyah

A Report That Khalid b. al-Walid Was Already a Muslim

The Missions to Foreign Rulers


The Expedition to Khaybar

The Expedition of the Messenger of God to Wadi al-Qura

The Affair of al-Hajjaj b. Ìlat al-Sulami

The Division of the Spoils of Khaybar

Various Notices

The Lesser Pilgrimage of Fulfillment


The Expedition against the Banu al-Mulawwih

Other Notices

Àmr b. al-Às and Khalid b. al-Walid Go to Medina as Muslims

Other Events of the Year 8 of the Hijrah

The Expedition of Dhat al-Salasil

The Expedition Known as al-Khabat

Expeditions Involving Ibn Abi Hadrad and Abu Qatadah

The Expedition to Mu'tah

The Conquest of Mecca

The Destruction of Idolatrous Shrines

The Expedition against the Banu Jadhimah


Index Index of Qur'anic Passages

The History of al-Tabari Vol. 9The Last Years of the Prophet: The Formation of the State A.D. 630-632/A.H. 8-11

Summary

This volume deals with the last two and a half years of the Prophet's life. In addition to the three major expeditions to Hunanyn, Ta'if, and Tabuk, it describes in detail the circumstances surrounding the illness from which he died and the subsequent crisis of leadership faced by the nascent Muslim community. The author depicts with admirable fairness all the various opinions and divisions that existed within the community. He also presents a vivid picture of the Prophet's physical appearance, his personal life, and his marriages. Among other topics discussed in this volume are all the deputations that came to Medina; a summary of all the expeditions and raiding parties; and his scribes, freedmen, horses, camels, goats, swords, coats of mail, and so on. It also covers the apostasy of Musaylimah, Aswad, and Tulhahah and the Prophet's attempts to deal with them.

The translation not only preserves the original lively flavor of al-Tabari but also, in its annotations, draws extensively on both parallel Arabic sources and the intensive research of recent years. Readers who seek a deeper understanding of the Prophet's personality and of the reasons for antagonisms engendered among various factions will find this volume most informative.

Table of Contents

Preface


The Events of the Year 8 (cont'd) (629/630)

An Account of the Messenger of God's Expedition against the Hawazin and the Battle of Hunayn

[The Siege of al-Ta'if]

[The Division of the Booty Captured at Hunayn and Gifts of Conciliation]


An Account of the Military Expedition to Tabuk

[An Account of the People Who Accepted Islam]


The Deputation of the Banu Àmir b. Sa`saàh

Disagreement about the Number of the Armies and the Raiding Parties (Saraya) Sent by the Messenger of God

Report about the Messenger of God's Pilgrimages

Report about the Messenger of God's Wives, Those Who Survived Him, Those Who Left Him, the Reason for Which They Left, and Those Who Died before Him

The Reason Why the Messenger of God Asked for the Hands of Both À'ishah and Sawdah in Marriage and the Received Reports as to with Whom He First Contracted the Marriage

An Account of Those Women to Whom the Prophet Proposed But Did Not Marry

An Account of the Messenger of God's Slave Concubines


An Account of the Messenger of God's Freedmen

An Account of the Messenger of God's Scribes

The Names of the Messenger of God's Horses

The Names of the Messenger of God's Mules

The Names of the Messenger of God's Camels

The Names of the Messenger of God's Milch Camels

The Names of the Messenger of God's Milch Sheep (Mana'ih)

The Names of the Messenger of God's Swords

The Names of the Messenger of God's Bows and Lances

The Names of the Messenger of God's Coats of Mail

The Names of the Messenger of God's Shields

The Messenger of God's Names

The Messenger of God's Characteristics

The Seal of Prophethood Which He Had

His Bravery and Generosity

The Description of His Hair and Whether He Used to Dye It or Not

Report about the Beginning of the Messenger of God's Illness in Which He Died, and What He Did

Just Prior to It When He Was Bewailed [for His Approaching Death]


An Account of the Day on Which the Messenger of God Died and His Age

An Account of the Saqifah

The Disagreements about His Age When He Died

The Day and the Month in Which the Messenger of God died


Index

Index of Qur'anic Verses

The History of al-Tabari Vol. 10The Conquest of Arabia: The Riddah Wars A.D. 632-633/A.H. 11

Summary

Volume X of al-Tabari's massive chronicle is devoted to two main subjects. The first is the selection of Abu Bakr as the first caliph or successor to the Prophet Muh'ammad following the Prophet's death in 632 C.E. This section of the History reveals some of the inner divisions that existed within the early Muslim community, and sheds light on the interests and motivations of various parties in the debates that led up to Abu Bakr's acclamation as caliph.

The second main subject of Volume X is the riddah or "apostasy"--actually a series of rebellions against Muslim domination by various tribes in Arabia that wished to break their ties with Medina following the Prophet's death. The History offers one of the more extensive collections of accounts about this early sequence of events to be found in the Arabic historical literature. It provides richly detailed information on the rebellions themselves and on the efforts made by Abu Bakr and his Muslim supporters to quell them. It also tells us much about relationships among the tribes of Arabia, local topography, military practice, and the key personnel, organization, and structure of the early Islamic state.

The successful suppression of the riddah marked the transformation of the Muslim state from a small faith community of importance only in West Arabia to a much more powerful political entity, embracing all of the Arabian peninsula and poised to unleash a wave of conquests that would shortly engulf the entire Near East and North Africa. The riddah era is, thus, crucial to understanding the eventual appearance of Islam as a major actor on the stage of world history.

Table of Contents Preface

Abbreviations


Maps 1. Western Arabia at the Time of the Riddah Wars

2. Eastern Arabia at the Time of the Riddah Wars


What Took Place between the Muhajirun and the Ansar over the Matter of Leadership at the Portico of the Banu Saìdah

Remainder of the Account Regarding al-Ànsi the Liar

[Abu Bakr's Letter to the Apostates]

The Remainder of the Account about Ghatafan at the Time of Their Joining with Tulayhah and Other Things Relating to the Affair of Tulayhah

The Apostasy of Hawazin, Sulaym, and Àmir

Banu Tamim and the Affair of Sajah bt. al-Harith b.Suwayd

Continuation of the Account of Sayf

Al-Butah and Its Story

Remainder of the Story of Musaylimah the Liar and His Tribe of the People of al-Yamamah

The People of al-Bahrayn, the Apostasy of al-Hutam, and Those Who Joined With Him in al-Bahrayn

The Apostasy of the People of Ùman and Mahrah and the Yemen

The Account of Mahrah in the Uplands

Account of the Apostates in the Yemen

The Wicked People of Àkk

Apostasy of the People of the Yemen a Second Time

The Story of Tahir When He Marched to Reinforce Fayruz

The Account of Hadramawt during Their Apostasy

Continuation of the Report of Sayf


Index

The History of al-Tabari Vol. 11The Challenge to the Empires A.D. 633-635/A.H. 12-13

Summary

Although this volume deals with the part of al-Tabari's History covering the years 12 and 13 (633-35), in the caliphates of Abu Bakr al-Siddiq and 'Umar b. al-Khattab, the narratives contained in it, which are lengthy and detailed, are concerned with the first Muslim conquests in Iraq and Syria. Although it might be expected, therefore, that this volume would be a basic source for these conquests, the actual value of the bulk of the reported traditions is in considerable doubt because most of the material is derived from a later Kufan traditionist, Sayf b. 'Umar (d. 170-93/786-809), who apparently exaggerated and distorted his material considerably. Indeed, Sayf's transmissions

clearly reveal the tendency of his party, an anti-Shi'ite faction based on the Arab Mudar tribal group in al-Kufah that had lost out with the fall of the Umayyads and the coming of the 'Abbasids to power. Although Sayf's transmissions thus have limited value as far as the earliest conquests themselves are concerned, they are of the utmost value in revealing the content and character of Islamic historical debates in the late 2nd/8th century. In addition, they permit us to elucidate and reconstruct an early harmonizing tendency in Islam that undoubtedly had a significant effect on the way later Muslims viewed their earliest history.

The translation is preceded by an introduction analyzing the tendencies of Sayf and his party as revealed in this volume. Extensive notes accompany the text for the benefit of historians in other fields, as well as of Islamic specialists.

Table of Contents

Preface

Abbreviations


Genealogical Table of the Later Sasanians as Represented by Sayf b. Ùmar

Genealogical Table of the Later Sasanians as Attested in Sources Other than Sayf b. Ùmar

Maps 1. Iraq at the Time of the Muslim Conquest

2. Syria at the Time of the Muslim Conquest

The Caliphate of Abu Bakr al-Siddiq


The Battle of al-Madhar

The Battle of al-Walajah

About Ullays, Which Is on the Euphrates Itself

The Affair of Amghishiya

The Day of al-Maqr and the Mouth of Furat Badaqla

What Happened after al-Hirah

Al-Anbar, Which Is Dhat al-Ùyun, and Kalwadha

About Àyn al-Tamr

Dumat al-Jandal

Husayd

Al-Khanafis

Al-Musayyakh of the Banu al-Barsha'

Al-Thani and al-Zumayl

Al-Firad

Khalid's Pilgrimage

Those Who Say Abu Bakr Led the Pilgrimage

Those Who Say Ùmar Led the Pilgrimage


Al-Yarmuk

Continuation of the Report of Ibn Ishaq

Continuation of the Report of Abu Zayd

[Abu Bakr's Illness and Death]

Who Washed Abu Bakr, His Shroud, Who Prayed over Him, the Time of His Funeral Prayer, and the Time at Which He Died

Abu Bakr's Appearance

Abu Bakr's Genealogy, His Name, and What He Was Known by

The Names of Abu Bakr's Wives

The Names of His Judges, Secretaries, and Tax Officials

[His Appointment of Ùmar b. al-Khattab as His Successor]

The Caliphate of Ùmar b. al-Khattab


[The Expedition of Fihl and the Conquest of Damascus]

The Report about Damascus According to Sayf

The Affair of Fihl According to Sayf

Baysan

Tiberias

Al-Muthanna b. Harithah and Abu Ùbayd b. Masùd

Al-Namariq

Al-Saqatiyyah in Kaskar

The Battle of al-Qarqus, Which Is Also Called al-Quss, Quss al-Natif, the Bridge, and al-Marwah. ah

Lesser Ullays

Al-Buwayb

Al-Khanafis

What Stirred Up the Matter of al-Qadisiyyah


Index

The History of al-Tabari Vol. 12The Battle of al-Qadisiyyah and the Conquest of Syria and Palestine A.D. 635-637/A.H. 14-15

Summary

The present volume of the History of al-Tabari deals with the years 14 and 15 of the Islamic era, which correspond to A.D. 635-637. The nascent Islamic state had just emerged victorious from the crisis that followed the Prophet's death in 632 and had suppressed what was known as the riddah ("apostasy") rebellion in the Arabian peninsula. Under the leadership of 'Umar b.'al-Khattab, the second caliph, or successor to the Prophet Muhammad, the Muslims embarked on the conquests that would soon transform the whole of the Middle East and North Africa into an Arab empire. Most of the present volume describes the battle of al-Qadisiyyah, which took place on the border between the fertile Iraqi lowlands (al-sawad) and the Arabian desert and resulted in the decisive defeat of the Persian army. The Muslim victory at al-Qadisiyyah heralded the downfall of the Sasanian dynasty, which had ruled Persia and Mesopotamia since A.D., the third century; it also paved the way for the conquest of Iraq and facilitated Islamic expansion in Persia and beyond.

The volume also deals with the conquest of Syria and Palestine and the Expulsion of the Byzantines from those regions. Particular attention is devoted to the traditions related to the conquest of Jerusalem at the hands of 'Umar b. al-Khattab, the first Muslim prayer on the Temple Mount, and its transformation into an Islamic sanctuary.

The volume contains colorful descriptions of the various battles, expatiations on the bravery of the Muslim warriors, and portrayals of the futile negotiations between the parties before the beginning of hostilities. It thus provides the reader with a fascinating insight into the later Muslim traditions related to those crucial events of early Islamic history.

Table of Contents

Preface

Abbreviations


The Caliphate of Ùmar b. al-Khattab (cont'd)


The Day of Armath

The Day of Aghwath

The Day of Ìmas

The Night of al-Qadisiyyah

The Account of Ibn Ishaq

An Account of the People of the Lowlands (ahl al-sawad)

The Building of al-Basrah


The Battle of Marj al-Rum

The Conquest of Hims

The Story of Qinnasrin

The Departure of Heraclius for Constantinople

The Conquest of Caesarea and the Siege of Gaza

The Conquest of Baysan and the Battle of Ajnadayn

The Conquest of Jerusalem

The Introduction of the Pay System (àta') and of the Military Register (diwan)


Index

The History of al-Tabari Vol. 13The Conquest of Iraq, Southwestern Persia, and Egypt: The Middle Years of 'Umar's Caliphate A.D. 636-642/A.H.15-21Summary

This volume deals with the aftermath of the decisive battle at al-Qadisiyyah described in the previous volume. First, the conquest of southern Iraq is consolidated; in rapid succession there follow the accounts of the battles at Burs and Babil. Then in 16/637 the Muslim warriors make for the capital al-Mada'in, ancient Ctesiphon, which they conquer after a brief siege. The Persian king seeks refuge in Hulwan, leaving behind most of his riches, which are catalogued in great detail. In the same year the Muslim army deals the withdrawing Persians another crushing blow at the battle of Jalula'.

This volume is important in that it describes how the newly conquered territories are at first administered. As the climate of al-Mada'in is felt to be unwholesome, a new city is planned on the Tigris. This is al-Kufah, which is destined to play an important role as the capital city of the fourth caliph, 'Ali. The planning of al-Kufah is set forth in considerable detail, as is the building of its main features--the citadel and the great congregational mosque.

After this interlude there follow accounts of the conquests of a string of towns in northern Mesopotamia, which bring the Muslim fighters near the border with al-Jazirah. That region is conquered in 17/638. The history of its conquest is preceded by an account of the Byzantines' siege of the city of Hims. Also in this year, 'Umar is recorded to have made a journey to Syria, from which he is driven back by a sudden outbreak of the plague, the so-called Plague of 'Amawas.

The scene then shifts back to southwestern Iran, where a number of cities are taken one after another. The Persian general al-Hurmuzan is captured and sent to Medina. After this, the conquest of Egypt--said to have taken place in 20/641--is recorded.

The volume concludes with a lengthy account of the crucial battle at Nihawand of 21/642. Here the Persians receive a blow that breaks their resistance definitively.

This volume abounds in sometimes very amusing anecdotes of man-to-man battles, acts of heroism, and bizarre, at times even miraculous events. The narrative style is fast-moving, and the recurrence of similar motifs in the historical expose lends them authenticity. Many of the stories in this volume may have begun as yarns spun around campfires. It is not difficult to visualize an early Islamic storyteller regaling his audience with accounts that ultimately found their way to the file on conquest history collected by Sayf b. 'Umar, al-Tabari's main authority for this volume.

Table of Contents

Preface

Abbreviations


The Events of the Year 15 (cont'd) (636/637)The Battle of BursThe Battle of BabilThe Story of Bahurasir in the Month Dhu al-Hijjah of the Year 15 (January 637) as Related by Sayf

http://www.sunypress.edu/pdf/50402.pdf

The Events of the Year 16 (637/638)The Remainder of the Account of the Muslims' Entering the City of BahurasirThe Report Concerning al-Mada'in al-Quswa, That Is, That Part (on the East Bank of the Tigris) in Which the King Had His ResidenceMention of the Booty Amassed from the People of al-Mada'inHow the Booty Acquired at al-Mada'in Was Distributed among the People Present at Its Conquest, Who Numbered, as Sayf Claims, in All Sixty ThousandThe Report about the Battle of Jalula' al-Waqi'ahThe Account of the Conquest of TakritThe Account of the Conquest of MasabadhabThe Account of the Battle That Took Place at Qarqisiya

The Events of the Year 17 (638/639)The Reason Why Those Muslims Who Moved from al-Mada'in to al-Kufah Did So, and the Reason for Their Planning of al-Kufah, According to SayfThe Account Is Resumed Once More by SayfThe Redivision of the People into 'IrafahsThe Conquest of al-Mada'in before the Founding of al-KufahThe Story of Hims When the Byzantine Commander Marched on Its Muslim OccupantsThe Conquest of al-Jazirah'Umar's Journey to SyriaVariant Features of the Story of the Plague of 'Amawas and the Uncertainty as to the Year That It OccuredSayf's Account of 'Umar's Last Trip to Syria and How He Introduced New Ideas for the Well-Being of the MuslimsAn Account of the Campaign of Khalid and 'IyadAn Account of the Circumstances Leading to the Conquest of al-Ahwaz and of Him Who Carried It OutThe Conquest of TustarThe Raid into FarsThe Conquest of Ramhurmuz, al-Sus, and TustarThe Conquest of al-SusWhat Happened between the Muslims and the Inhabitants of Jundaysabur



The Events of the Year 20 (640/641)The Campaigns of the Muslims and Other MattersThe Conquest of Misr and Alexandria

The Events of the Year 21 (641/642)The Battle of the Muslims and the Persians at NihawandThe Account Is Resumed Once More by Sayf

Appendix I. The Poetry and Saj' in This Volume

Appendix II. A Modern Description of Tustar


The History of al-Tabari Vol. 14The Conquest of Iran A.D. 641-643/A.H. 21-23Summary

This volume covers the years 21-23/641-43 of the caliphate of 'Umar b. al-Khattab. It can be divided into two distinct and almost equal parts: the first concerning the Muslim conquests in Iran and the east, and the second concerning 'Umar himself, his assassination, and an assessment of

the caliph and the man.

The volume begins with the caliphal order to the Muslim troops, recently victorious at the famous battle of Nihawand in 21/641, to penetrate farther into infidel lands in the east. The might of the Persian empire had been broken, and a golden opportunity offered itself to the Muslim community to expand its territories. The territorial gains thus achieved are recounted in this volume. Moving out of the garrison towns of al-Kufah and al-Basrah, the Muslim forces' conquests of Isfahan, Hamadhan, al-Rayy, Qumis, Jurjan, Tabaristan, Azerbaijan, Khurasan, parts of Fars province, Kirman, Sijistan and Makran as far as the Indus, are all described in these pages.

Contained in these accounts of far-reaching conquests are the peace documents, which are of considerable historical importance. They are typically the documents issued by the victorious Muslim commanders on the ground to the subjugated local inhabitants, laying out in precise terms the obligations of the latter toward their Muslim conquerors in return for safe conduct.

Leaving the Muslim forces on the bank of the Indus, Tabari switches his account to Medina, where in 23/643 'Umar b. al-Khattab was assassinated by a Christian slave. After full accounts of this deed, the reader is provided with details of the caliph's genealogy, his physical description, his birth date and age, the names of his children and wives, and the period of time he was a Muslim. A lengthy section follows, in which the deeds of 'Umar are recounted in anecdotal form. There are also quotations from his addresses to his people and some poetic eulogies addressed to him.

The volume ends with 'Umar's appointment of the electoral council, five senior figures in the Islamic community, to decide on his successor, and the fascinating and historically greatly important account of the workings of the council with all the cut and thrust of debate and the politicking behind the scenes. Thus was 'Uthman b. 'Affan appointed to succeed 'Umar

Table of Contents

Preface

Abbreviations


Map 1. The Area of the Conquests of Iran, 21-23/641-44

The Events of the Year 21 (cont'd) (641-642)

What Happened in This Year, 21—Ùmar's Previously Mentioned Orders to the Two Armies

Isfahan

The Account of [the Attack on Isfahan]


The Conquest of al-Rayy

The Conquest of Qumis

The Conquest of Jurjan

The Conquest of Tabaristan

The Conquest of Azerbaijan

The Conquest of al-Bab

Information on [Ùmar's Division of the Conquered Lands

The Reason for [the Dismissal of Àmmar]

Yazdajird's Journey to Khurasan and the Reason for It


The Conquest of Tawwaj

The Conquest of Istakhr

The Conquest of Fasa and Darabjird

The Conquest of Kirman

The Conquest of Sijistan

The Conquest of Makran

Bayrudh in al-Ahwaz

Salamah b. Qays al-Ashja'i and the Kurds

Ùmar's Assassination

The Sources of [the Conflicting Report of Ùmar's Death]

Ùmar's Genealogy

The Sources of [the Report that Muhammad First Called Ùmar al-Faruq]

The Sources of [the Report that the People of the Book Did That]

A Description of Ùmar

His Birth and Age

Some of the Sources of [the Report that He Was Fifty-Five Years Old]

The Sources of [the Report that He Was Fifty-Three Years Old]

The Sources of [the Report that He Was Sixty-Three Years Old]

The Sources of [the Report that He Was Sixty-One Years Old]

The Sources of [the Report that He Was Sixty Years Old]

The Names of His Children and Wives

When He Became a Muslim

The Sources of This Report

Some of His Memorable Deeds

Relevant Information on [Ùmar's Night Visits]

Ùmar's Being Called Commander of the Faithful

Information on This Matter

His Institution of the [Islamic] Dating System

[Ùmar's] Carrying a Whip and His Instituting the State Registers

Some Excerpts from His Addresses

Another Address

Another Address

Another Address

Those Who Have Lamented and Elegized Ùmar—Some of the Elegies Written about Him

Some of Ùmar's Meritorious Deeds Not Previously Recorded

The Account of the Electoral Council

Ùmar's Governors in the Garrison Towns

Bibliography

Index

The History of al-Tabari Vol. 15The Crisis of the Early Caliphate: The Reign of 'Uthman A.D. 644-656/A.H. 24-35

Summary

Before the caliphate of the 'Uthman b. 'Affan, the Muslim community had grown from strength to strength in spite of a series of major crises--the Hirah, the death of the Prophet, the Riddah wars, the assassination of 'Umar by a Persian slave. But 'Uthman's reign ended in catastrophe. His inability to manage the social and political conflicts that were now emerging among various factions within the community led to his death at the hands of Muslim rebels. The consequences of this tragic event were bitter: not only a century of civil war, but also political and religious schisms of such depth that they have not been entirely healed even now. Most medieval Muslim historians told this story in an overtly partisan manner, but al-Tabari demands more of his readers. First of all, they must decide for themselves, on the basis of highly ambigous evidence, whether 'Uthman's death was tyrannicide or murder. But, more than that, they must ask how such a thing could have happened at all; what had the Muslims done to bring about the near-destruction of their community?

Al-Tabari presents this challenge within a broad framework. For, even while the internal crisis that issued in 'Uthman's death was coming to a head, the wars against Byzantium and Persia continued. The first expeditions into North Africa, the conquest of Cyprus, the momentary destruction of the Byzantine fleet at the Battle of the Masts, the bloody campaigns in Armenia, the Caucasus, and Khurasan are all here, in narratives that shift constantly between hard reporting and pious legend. Muslim forces retain the offensive, but there are no more easy victories; henceforth, suffering and endurance will be the hallmarks of the hero. Most evocative in the light of 'Uthman's fate is the moving account of the murder of the last Sasanian king, Yazdagird III--a man betrayed by his nobles and subjects, but most of all by his own character


Abbreviations



Transliteration and Editorial Conventions

Table I. 'Uthman's Lineage

The Events of the Year 24 (644/645)The Sermon of 'Uthman and the Salying of al-Hurmuzan by 'Ubaydallah b. UmarThe Governorship of Sa'd b. Abi Waqqas in KufahThe Letters of 'Uthman to His Official and Governors and to the Common PeopleThe Campaign of [al-Walid b. 'Uqbah in Adharbayjan and Armenia]The Gathering of Byzantine Forces against the Muslims and the Muslims' Call for Aid from the KufansThe Account of That Event


The Events of the Year 26 (646/647)The Reason Why 'Uthman Removed Sa'd from Kufah and Named al-Walid His Governor There

The Events of the Year 27 (647/648)The Conquest [of Ifriqiyah] and the Reason for the APpointment of 'Abdallah b. Sa'd b. Abi Sarh as Governor of Egypt and 'Uthman's Removal of 'Amr b. al-'As from [That Province]

The Events of the Year 28 (648/649)Mu'awiyah's Attack on Cyprus

The Events of the Year 29 (649/650)The Reason for'Uthman's Removal of Abu Musa {al-Ash'ari] from Basrah['Uthman's Alterations to the Pilgrimage Rites]

The Events of the Year 30 (650/651)The Campaign of Sa'id b. al-As in TabaristanThe Reason for 'Uthman's Removal of al-Walid and His Appointment of Sa'id as Governor [in Kufah]How the Signet Ring Fell from'Uthman's Hand into the Well of ArisThe Reports Concerning Abu Dharr [al-Ghifari][The Flight of Yazdagird from Fars to Khurasan]

The Events of the Year 31 (651/652)The Account of the Battles [of the Masts and against the Blacks]The Reason Why (Syria) Was Unified under [Mu'awiyah]Return to al-Waqidi's Account of the Two Battles Mentioned AboveThe Cause of [Yazdagird's] Murder['Abdullah b. 'Amir's Campaign in Khurasan]

The Events of the Year32 (652/653)[The Disaster at Balanjar]The Account of the Death of [Abu Dharr al-Ghifari]['Abdallah b. Amir's Conquests in Northeastern Iran][The Peace between al-Ahnaf and the People of Balkh]

The Events of the Year 33 (653/654)The Exile of the Kufans Whom ['Uthman] Sent [to Syria]'Uthman's Exile of Certain Basrans to Syria

The Events of the Year 34 (654/655)The Character of the Meeting [to Confront 'Uthman] and [the Day of] al-Jara'ah

The Events of the Year 35 (655/656)An Account of the Egyptians Who Went to Dhu Khushub, and the Reason Why Certain Iraqis Went to Dhu al-MarwahThe Account of the Murder [of 'Uthman]The Conduct of 'Uthman b. 'Affan - May God Be Pleased with HimThe Reason Why 'Uthman Ordered 'Abdallah b. 'Abbas to Lead the Pilgrimage in This Year'Uthman's Burial Place, and Those Who Led the Prayer for Him and Took Charge of His Funeral RitesThe Date of 'Uthman's Murder

'Uthman's Life Span'Uthman's Personal AppearanceThe Date of His Conversion to Islam and of His Seeking RefugeThe Kunyah of 'Uthman b. 'Affan'Uthman's LineageHis Children and WivesThe Names of 'Uthman's Provincial Governors during This YearCitations from 'Uthman's SermonsThose Who Led the People in Prayer in the Mosque of the Messenger of God while 'Uthman Was under SiegeThe Threnodies Composed for "Uthman


The History of al-Tabari Vol. 16The Community Divided: The Caliphate of 'Ali I A.D. 656-657/A.H. 35-36Summary

This volume 16 of Tabari's great 40-volume history of the Arabs treats the Caliphate of 'Ali I, 656-651

This volume of al-Tabari's history deals with the traumatic breakup of the Muslim community following the assassination of the Caliph 'Uthman. It begins with the first seriously contested succession to the caliphate, that of 'Ali, and proceeds inexorably through the rebellion of 'A'ishah, T'alhah, and al-Zubayr, to the Battle of the Camel, the first time Muslim army faced Muslim army. It thus deals with the very first violent response to the two central problems of Muslim history: who is the rightful leader, and which is the true community? It is a section with the weightiest implications for the Muslim interpretation of history, wide open to special pleading.

There are the Shi'a who depict 'Ali as a spiritual leader fighting against false accusations and the worldly ambitious. Conversely, there are those who would depict him or his followers in a negative light. There are also the 'Abbasid historians, who, though anti-Umayyad, must balance a reverence for the Prophet's household (ahl al-bayt) with a denunciation of 'Alid antiestablishmentarianism. All these points of view, and more, are represented in al-Tabari's compilation, illustrating the difficulty the Muslim community as a whole has faced in coming to terms with these disastrous events

Table of Contents

Preface

Abbreviations

Editors' Foreword


The Caliphate of the Commander of the Faithful Àli b. Abi Talib


An Account of the Allegiance—Who Gave It and When

The Settlement of the Affair by Giving of Allegiance to Àli b. Abi Talib

The Expedition of Qustantin, King of Rum, against the Muslims


Àli Sends Out His Governors to the Garrison Cities

Talhah and al-Zubayr Ask Àli If They Can Leave


Àli Leaves for al-Rabadhah on His Way to al-Basrah

The Buying of the Camel for À'ishah and the Report about the Dogs of al-Haw'ab

À'ishah's Remark "By Allah! I Will Seek Vengeance for the Blood of Ùthman!" and Her Departure for al-Basrah with Talhah and al-Zubayr and Their Followers

Their Entry into al-Basrah and the Battle between Them and Ùthman b. Hunayf

An Account of Àli b. Abi Talib's Advance toward al-Basrah

The Commander of the Faithful Dismounts at Dhu Qar

Àli b. Abi Talib Sends His Son al-Hasan and Àmmar b. Yasir from Dhu Qar to Get the Kufans to Mobilize with Him

Àli Sets Up Camp at al-Zawiyah of al-Basrah

The Battle

Another Account of the Battle of the Camel

The Severity of the Battle on the Day of the Camel and the Account of A`yan b. Dubayàh's Looking into the Howdah

The Killing of al-Zubayr b. al-Àwwam

Those Routed on the Day of the Camel Who Hid and Went off into the Surrounding Towns

Àli's Grief over Those Killed at the Battle of the Camel, Their Burial, and His Gathering What Was in the Camp and Its Despatch to al-Basrah

The Number of Fatalities at the Battle of the Camel

Àli's Visit to À'ishah and the Punishment He Ordered for Those Who Offended Her

The Basrans' Allegiance to Àli and His Division of the Contents of the Treasury among Them

Àli's Conduct toward Those Who Fought Him on the Day of the Camel

Al-Ashtar Sends À'ishah a He-Camel He Had Bought for Her and Her Exit from al-Basrah to Mecca

What Àli b. Abi Talib Wrote about the Victory to His Governor of al-Kufah

Àli Accepts Allegiance from the People and the Account of Ziyad b. Abi Sufyan and Àbd al-Rahman b. Abi Bakrah

The Appointment of Ibn Àbbas as Governor of al-Basrah and Ziyad over the Kharaj Tax

Àli Equips À'ishah to Leave al-Basrah

Accounts of the Carnage on the Day of the Camel

What Àmmar b. Yasir Told À'ishah When the Battle of the Camel Was Over

The End of the Account of the Battle of the Camel

Àli b. Abi Talib Sends Qays b. Sa`d b. Ùbadah to Be Ruler of Egypt

Muhammad b. Abi Bakr's Governorship of Egypt

Àli Despatches Khulayd b. Tarif to Khurasan

Àmr b. al-Às Gives Allegiance to Muàwiyah

Àli b. Abi Talib Sends Jarir b. Àbdallah al-Bajali to Call Muàwiyah to Acknowledge Àli's Authority

over Him


Index


Abbreviations

Editors' Foreword


The Caliphate of the Commander of the Faithful Àli b. Abi Talib


An Account of the Allegiance—Who Gave It and When

The Settlement of the Affair by Giving of Allegiance to Àli b. Abi Talib

The Expedition of Qustantin, King of Rum, against the Muslims


Àli Sends Out His Governors to the Garrison Cities

Talhah and al-Zubayr Ask Àli If They Can Leave

Àli Leaves for al-Rabadhah on His Way to al-Basrah

The Buying of the Camel for À'ishah and the Report about the Dogs of al-Haw'ab

À'ishah's Remark "By Allah! I Will Seek Vengeance for the Blood of Ùthman!" and Her Departure for al-Basrah with Talhah and al-Zubayr and Their Followers

Their Entry into al-Basrah and the Battle between Them and Ùthman b. Hunayf

An Account of Àli b. Abi Talib's Advance toward al-Basrah

The Commander of the Faithful Dismounts at Dhu Qar

Àli b. Abi Talib Sends His Son al-Hasan and Àmmar b. Yasir from Dhu Qar to Get the Kufans to Mobilize with Him

Àli Sets Up Camp at al-Zawiyah of al-Basrah

The Battle

Another Account of the Battle of the Camel

The Severity of the Battle on the Day of the Camel and the Account of A`yan b. Dubayàh's Looking into the Howdah

The Killing of al-Zubayr b. al-Àwwam

Those Routed on the Day of the Camel Who Hid and Went off into the Surrounding Towns

Àli's Grief over Those Killed at the Battle of the Camel, Their Burial, and His Gathering What Was in the Camp and Its Despatch to al-Basrah

The Number of Fatalities at the Battle of the Camel

Àli's Visit to À'ishah and the Punishment He Ordered for Those Who Offended Her

The Basrans' Allegiance to Àli and His Division of the Contents of the Treasury among Them

Àli's Conduct toward Those Who Fought Him on the Day of the Camel

Al-Ashtar Sends À'ishah a He-Camel He Had Bought for Her and Her Exit from al-Basrah to Mecca

What Àli b. Abi Talib Wrote about the Victory to His Governor of al-Kufah

Àli Accepts Allegiance from the People and the Account of Ziyad b. Abi Sufyan and Àbd al-Rahman b. Abi Bakrah

The Appointment of Ibn Àbbas as Governor of al-Basrah and Ziyad over the Kharaj Tax

Àli Equips À'ishah to Leave al-Basrah

Accounts of the Carnage on the Day of the Camel

What Àmmar b. Yasir Told À'ishah When the Battle of the Camel Was Over

The End of the Account of the Battle of the Camel

Àli b. Abi Talib Sends Qays b. Sa`d b. Ùbadah to Be Ruler of Egypt

Muhammad b. Abi Bakr's Governorship of Egypt

Àli Despatches Khulayd b. Tarif to Khurasan

Àmr b. al-Às Gives Allegiance to Muàwiyah

Àli b. Abi Talib Sends Jarir b. Àbdallah al-Bajali to Call Muàwiyah to Acknowledge Àli's Authority over Him


Index

The History of al-Tabari Vol. 17The First Civil War: From the Battle of Siffin to the Death of 'Ali A.D. 656-661/A.H. 36-40

Summary

This volume 17 of al-Tabari's great 40-volume history of the Arabs treats the first Civil War, 656-661.

Many of the events treated in this volume have become part of the historical consciousness of Muslims. The first civil war of Islam, the Fitnah, is widely seen as of decisive importance in dividing the Muslims into three major traditions, Sunnis, Shi'is, and Kharijis, which have persisted until today. Although this division may be an over-simplification of a much more complex process of community formation, the events narrated here are certainly of great importance in the early history of Islam.

The volume is focused on the struggle between the caliph 'Ali and his rival and eventual successor as caliph, Mu'awiyah, the first caliph of the Umayyad dynasty. About half of the material is concerned with the confrontation between the two at the battle of Siffin in 657, the fighting, the ending of the battle when the Syrian supporters of Mu'awiyah are described as having attached Qu'ranic texts to their lances, and the subsequent negotiations between the two rivals which


resulted in the dispute's being put to arbitration. Much detail is also provided about 'Ali's struggle against the Kharijis, his former supporters who had turned against him as a result of his agreement with Mu'awiyah to accept arbitration; the revolt against 'Ali in regions of Iraq and Persia around the northern edges of the Persian Gulf, which involved Christians, as well as Muslims, Arabs, and such non-Arab groups as Kurds; the events in Egypt that led to the burning of 'Ali's representative there in the skin of a donkey; and the murder of 'Ali by Ibn Muljam, the account of which sometimes reads as if it were a popular story.

Al-Tabari's text makes available a wealth of detail in narratives collected from the now lost compilations of scholars of earlier generations. The bulk of the material is cited from the famous Abu Mikhnaf, who died in A.D. 774, but there are also many reports from other traditionists and narrators whose materials would be largely unknown to us if it were not for the work of al-Tabari. The volume contains a number of speeches and letters attributed to the Prophet's son-in-law and cousin 'Ali, including his deathbed speech to his sons, and there is also a version of the document drawn up by 'Ali and Mu'awiyah in which they agreed to appoint arbitrators.

The Arabic text of the Leiden edition of al-Tabari has been compared with the more recent Cairo edition and with the substantial parallel passages in such other works as the Waq'at Siffin of al-Mingari and the Sharh Nahj al-Balaghah of Ibn Abi' l-Hadid, as well as other sources, in an attempt to provide a secure text for translation. Individuals and places are identified in the footnotes, further references to sources and secondary literature are provided, and textual problems and historical matters are discussed. The volume contains a bibliography and index.

The History of al-Tabari Vol. 18Between Civil Wars: The Caliphate of Mu'awiyah A.D. 661-680/A.H. 40-60

Summary

This volume presents for the first time in English Tabari's complete account of the twenty-year long reign of the fifth caliph, Mu'awiyah (661-680). The importance of this account lies partly in Tabari's quotation of major portions of the work of earlier authors, such as Abu Mikhnaf and other eighth-century compilers. It is also significant because Tabari's selection of themes has had a decisive influence on modern interpretations of this period, particularly on the identification of what the important issues were in the works of Henri Lammens and Julius Wellhausen. Here one can read the exciting account of the Khariji revolt of Mustawrid ibn Ullifah, the impressive but controversial record of the governorship of Ziyad b. Abihi, the entertaining escapades of the poet Farazdaq in his youth, and the tragic story of Hibn 'Adi. Tabari's presentation of different points of view about these and other events makes his account an indispensable source for early Islamic history.

Table of Contents


Between Civil Wars: The Caliphate of, Muàwiyah


The Rendering of Allegiance to al-Hasan b. Ali


Al-Hasan's surrender of al-Kufah to Mucawiyah

The departure of al-Hasan and al-Husayn for al-Madinah

The Kharijites at Shahrazur

Mucawiyah's order to kill the sons of Ziyad

Whyc Abdallah b.c Amir was put in charge of al-Basrah and some events during his Activity there


What happened to the Kharijites


The killing of al-Mustawrid b.c Ullifah



Ziyad's governorship over al-Basrah


The death ofc Abd al-Rahman b. Khalid b. al-Walid





Al-Faradzaq's flight from Ziyad

Al-Hakam b.c Amr raids al-Ashall


Hujr b.c Adi's execution

Those whom Ziyad sent to Mucawiyah

Hujr's companions who were killed

Hujr's companions who were saved



How Ziyad b. Sumayyah perished

How al-Rabic b. Ziyad al-Harithi died


Why Mucawiyah dismissed Sacid and appointed Mawan as governor over al-Madinah

Howc Ubaydallah b. Ziyad became governor over Khurasan

The Events of the Year 55 (/674/675)

Why Mucawiyah dismissedc Abdallah b.c Amr b. Ghaylan and appointedc Ubaydallah over al-Basrah


Why Mucawiyah made his Son, Yazid, heir apparent



Whyc Ubaydallah b. Ziyad killed the Kharijites


Why Mucawiyah appointedc Abd al-Rahman b. Ziyad as governor of Khurasan

How Mucawiyah dismissed and re-appointedc Ubaydallah as governor of al-Basrah

Why Yasid b. Mufarrigh ridiculed the sons of Ziyad


The length of Mucawiyah's reign

Mucawiyah's last illness

Who led the prayer over Mucawiyah when he died

Mucawiyah's lineage and his Agnomen

Mucawiyah's wives and children

Some of Mucawiyah's Affairs and Conduct

Bibliography

Index

Documents

The History of al-Tabari