The ''History of the Prophets and Kings'' ( ar, تاريخ الرسل والملوك ''Tārīkh al-Rusul wa al-Mulūk''), more commonly known as ''Tarikh al-Tabari'' () or ''Tarikh-i Tabari'' or ''The History of al-Tabari '' ( fa, تاریخ طبری) is an
Arabic
Arabic (, ' ; , ' or ) is a Semitic language spoken primarily across the Arab world.Semitic languages: an international handbook / edited by Stefan Weninger; in collaboration with Geoffrey Khan, Michael P. Streck, Janet C. E.Watson; Walter ...
-language historical
chronicle completed by the Muslim historian
Muhammad ibn Jarir al-Tabari
( ar, أبو جعفر محمد بن جرير بن يزيد الطبري), more commonly known as al-Ṭabarī (), was a Muslim historian and scholar from Amol, Tabaristan. Among the most prominent figures of the Islamic Golden Age, al-Tabari ...
(225–310
AH, 838–923 AD) in 915 AD. It begins with
creation
Creation may refer to:
Religion
*''Creatio ex nihilo'', the concept that matter was created by God out of nothing
*Creation myth, a religious story of the origin of the world and how people first came to inhabit it
*Creationism, the belief that ...
, and charts
Muslim
Muslims ( ar, المسلمون, , ) are people who adhere to Islam, a monotheistic religion belonging to the Abrahamic tradition. They consider the Quran, the foundational religious text of Islam, to be the verbatim word of the God of Abrah ...
and
Middle Eastern history
The Middle East, interchangeable with the Near East, is home to one of the Cradles of Civilization and has seen many of the world's oldest cultures and civilizations. The region's history started from the earliest human settlements and continue ...
from the myths and legends associated with the
Old Testament through to the history of the
Abbasid
The Abbasid Caliphate ( or ; ar, الْخِلَافَةُ الْعَبَّاسِيَّة, ') was the third caliphate to succeed the Islamic prophet Muhammad. It was founded by a dynasty descended from Muhammad's uncle, Abbas ibn Abdul-Mutta ...
era, down to the year 915. An appendix or continuation, was written by Abu Abdullah b. Ahmad b. Ja'far al-Farghani, a student of al-Tabari.
Editions
Various editions of the Annals include:
* An edition published under the editorship of
M.J. de Goeje in three series comprising 13 volumes, with two extra volumes containing indices, introduction and glossary (
Leiden
Leiden (; in English and archaic Dutch also Leyden) is a city and municipality in the province of South Holland, Netherlands. The municipality of Leiden has a population of 119,713, but the city forms one densely connected agglomeration w ...
, 1879–1901).
* An edition published under the editorship of Muhammad Abu al-Fadl Ibrahim (1905-1981) in 10 volumes (
Cairo
Cairo ( ; ar, القاهرة, al-Qāhirah, ) is the capital of Egypt and its largest city, home to 10 million people. It is also part of the largest urban agglomeration in Africa, the Arab world and the Middle East: The Greater Cairo metr ...
: Dar al-Ma'arif, 1960–1969.)
* A Persian digest of this work, made in 963 by the
Samanid scholar
al-Bal'ami, translated into
French
French (french: français(e), link=no) may refer to:
* Something of, from, or related to France
** French language, which originated in France, and its various dialects and accents
** French people, a nation and ethnic group identified with Franc ...
by
Hermann Zotenberg Hermann Zotenberg (1836, Silesia – 1894, Paris) was an orientalist and Arabist.
He worked for the Bibliothèque nationale de France in Paris. His most celebrated work is his edition of the ''Chronique de Tabari'' (Paris, 1867–1871)
Works
* ...
(vols. i.-iv.,
Paris
Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. Si ...
, 1867–1874).
* An English translation in 39 volumes (plus index), published by the
State University of New York Press from 1985 through 2007. Various editors and 29 translators. (hc), (pb), Author: Tabari (various translators), Publisher: SUNY Press
Volumes of the SUNY edition
* Vol. 01 General Introduction and from the Creation to the Flood (
Franz Rosenthal)
* Vol. 02 Prophets and Patriarchs (William Brinner)
* Vol. 03 The Children of Israel (William Brinner)
* Vol. 04 The Ancient Kingdoms (Moshe Perlmann)
* Vol. 05 The
Sassanids, the
Byzantines, the
Lakhmids, and
Yemen
Yemen (; ar, ٱلْيَمَن, al-Yaman), officially the Republic of Yemen,, ) is a country in Western Asia. It is situated on the southern end of the Arabian Peninsula, and borders Saudi Arabia to the north and Oman to the northeast and ...
(
C. E. Bosworth)
* Vol. 06 Muhammad at Mecca (
W. Montgomery 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 Battle of al-Qadisiyyah ( ar, مَعْرَكَة ٱلْقَادِسِيَّة, Maʿrakah al-Qādisīyah; fa, نبرد قادسیه, Nabard-e Qâdisiyeh) was an armed conflict which took place in 636 CE between the Rashidun Caliphate and th ...
and the
Conquest of Syria and Palestine (
Yohanan Friedmann)
* Vol. 13 The Conquest of Iraq, Southwestern Persia, and Egypt: The Middle Years of '
Umar's Caliphate, A.D. 636-642-A.H. 15-21 (
G.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
R. Stephen Humphreys is an American historian specializing in the history of Southwest Asia and North Africa. He was the 'Abd al-Aziz al-Sa'ud Professor at the University of California, Santa Barbara and is now an emeritus professor at that inst ...
)
* 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
Mu'awiya I ( ar, معاوية بن أبي سفيان, Muʿāwiya ibn Abī Sufyān; –April 680) was the founder and first caliph of the Umayyad Caliphate, ruling from 661 until his death. He became caliph less than thirty years after the deat ...
40 A.H., 66 A.D.-60 A.H., 680 A.D. (
Michael G. Morony
Michael Gregory Morony (born September 30, 1939) has been a professor of history at UCLA since 1974, with interests in the history of Ancient and Islamic Near East.Yazid ibn Mu'awiyah
Yazid ibn Mu'awiya ibn Abi Sufyan ( ar, يزيد بن معاوية بن أبي سفيان, Yazīd ibn Muʿāwiya ibn ʾAbī Sufyān; 64611 November 683), commonly known as Yazid I, was the second caliph of the Umayyad Caliphate. He ruled from ...
, A. D. 680-683 - A. H. 60-64 (I. K. A. Howard)
* Vol. 20 The Collapse of
Sufyanid Authority and the Coming of the
Marwanids: The Caliphates of
Mu'awiyah II and
Marwan I
Marwan ibn al-Hakam ibn Abi al-As ibn Umayya ( ar, links=no, مروان بن الحكم بن أبي العاص بن أمية, Marwān ibn al-Ḥakam ibn Abī al-ʿĀṣ ibn Umayya), commonly known as MarwanI (623 or 626April/May 685), was the fo ...
(G. R. Hawting)
* Vol. 21 The Victory of the Marwanids, A. D. 685-693-A. H. 66-73 (Michael Fishbein)
* Vol. 22 The Marwanid Restoration: The Caliphate of '
Abd al-Malik: A.D. 693-701 - A.H. 74-81 (
Everett K Rowson)
* Vol. 23 The Zenith of the Marwanid House: The Last Years of 'Abd al-Malik and the Caliphate of
al-Walid A.D. 700-715-A.H. 81-95 (
Martin Hinds
Martin Hinds (10 April 1941 in Penarth, Wales – 1 December 1988) was a British scholar of the Middle East and historiographer of early Islamic history.
Life
Dr. Hind's interest in Islamic culture began as early as the year 1960 when he was a ...
)
* Vol. 24 The Empire in Transition: The Caliphates of
Sulayman,
'Umar, and
Yazid, A. D. 715-724-A. H. 96-105 (Stephan Powers)
* Vol. 25 The End of Expansion: The Caliphate of
Hisham, A.D. 724-738-A.H. 105-120 (Khalid Blankinship)
* Vol. 26 The Waning of the Umayyad Caliphate: Prelude to Revolution, A.D. 738-744 - A.H. 121-126 (
Carole Hillenbrand)
* Vol. 27 The
Abbasid Revolution
The Abbasid Revolution, also called the Movement of the Men of the Black Raiment, was the overthrow of the Umayyad Caliphate (661–750 CE), the second of the four major Caliphates in early Islamic history, by the third, the Abbasid Calipha ...
, A. D. 743-750 - A. H. 126-132 (John Alden Williams)
* Vol. 28 The Abbasid Authority Affirmed: The Early Years of
al-Mansur
Abū Jaʿfar ʿAbd Allāh ibn Muḥammad al-Manṣūr (; ar, أبو جعفر عبد الله بن محمد المنصور; 95 AH – 158 AH/714 CE – 6 October 775 CE) usually known simply as by his laqab Al-Manṣūr (المنصور) ...
(
Jane Dammen McAuliffe)
* Vol. 29 Al-Mansur and
al-Mahdi, A.D. 763-786-A.H. 146-169 (
Hugh N. Kennedy)
* Vol. 30 The Abbasid Caliphate in Equilibrium: The Caliphates of
Musa al-Hadi
Abū Muḥammad Mūsā ibn al-Mahdī al-Hādī ( ar, أبو محمد موسى بن المهدي الهادي; 26 April 764 CE 14 September 786 CE) better known by his laqab Al-Hādī (الهادي) was the fourth Arab Abbasid caliph who succee ...
and
Harun al-Rashid
Abu Ja'far Harun ibn Muhammad al-Mahdi ( ar
, أبو جعفر هارون ابن محمد المهدي) or Harun ibn al-Mahdi (; or 766 – 24 March 809), famously known as Harun al-Rashid ( ar, هَارُون الرَشِيد, translit=Hārūn ...
, A. D. 785-809 - A. H. 169-192 (C. E. Bosworth)
* Vol. 31 The
War Between Brothers, A. D. 809-813 - A. H. 193-198 (Michael Fishbein)
* Vol. 32 The Absolutists in Power: The Caliphate of
al-Ma'mun, A.D. 813-33 - A.H. 198-213 (C. E. Bosworth)
* Vol. 33 Storm and Stress Along the Northern Frontiers of the Abbasid Caliphate (C. E. Bosworth)
* Vol. 34 Incipient Decline: The Caliphates of
al-Wathig,
al-Mutawakkil and
al-Muntasir, A.D. 841-863-A.H. 227-248 (Joel L Kraemer)
* Vol. 35 The
Crisis of the Abbasid Caliphate (
George Saliba)
* Vol. 36 The
Revolt of the Zanj, A. D. 869-879 - A. H. 255-265 (David Waines)
* Vol. 37 The Abbasid Recovery: The War Against the Zanj Ends (Philip M Fields)
* Vol. 38 The Return of the Caliphate to Baghdad: The Caliphate of
al-Mu'tadid,
al-Muktafi and
al-Muqtadir
Abu’l-Faḍl Jaʿfar ibn Ahmad al-Muʿtaḍid ( ar, أبو الفضل جعفر بن أحمد المعتضد) (895 – 31 October 932 AD), better known by his regnal name Al-Muqtadir bi-llāh ( ar, المقتدر بالله, "Mighty in God"), w ...
, A.D. 892-915 (Franz Rosenthal)
* Vol. 39 Biographies of the Prophet's Companions and Their Successors:
al-Tabari's Supplement to His History (Ella Landau-Tasseron)
* Vol. 40 Index (Prepared by Alex V Popovkin under the supervision of
Everett K. Rowson
Everett K. Rowson is an American scholar and Professor Emeritus of Middle Eastern and Islamic Studies at New York University. He is known for his works on the intellectual and social history of the medieval Islamic world. A ''festschrift'' in his ...
)
Content
The main purpose of Tabari was to write history according to the science of narration. That is to say he quotes the narrator without interfering in any way.
Among its content can be found:
*
Hadith of the pen and paper
The Hadith of Pen and Paper () refers to the incident in which the Islamic prophet Muhammad expressed a wish to issue a written statement shortly before his death, possibly on a Thursday, but was prevented from doing so. Muhammad's intentions a ...
* Information about
Zayd al-Khayr
Zayd al-Khayr (Arabic: زيد الخير) was a noted, significant companion of Muhammad, the prophet of Islam. Hailing from the tribe of Tayy in northern Nejd. He was originally known as Zayd al-Khayl ("Zayd of the Steeds", a reference to his c ...
* Information about
Utbah ibn Ghazwan
Utba ibn Ghazwan al-Mazini ( ar, عُتبة بن غَزْوان المازني, ʿUtba ibn Ghazwān al-Māzinī) (–638) was a well-known companion of the Islamic prophet Muhammad. He was the seventh person to convert to Islam and participated i ...
* Information about
Ka’b al-Ahbar
*
Muhammad ibn Abi Bakr being the first to attack in
the killing of Uthman.
* Some hadith regarding
Aisha’s age at marriage.
* Slave
Zanj rebellion.
Tabari at times draws on the Syriac ''
Julian Romance
The ''Julian Romance'' is fictionalized prose account of the reign of the Roman emperor Julian the Apostate. It was written sometime between Julian's death in 363 and the copying of the oldest known manuscript in the sixth century. It does not su ...
''.
See also
*
List of Muslim historians
*
List of Sunni books
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:History Of The Prophets And Kings
10th-century Arabic books
10th-century encyclopedias
10th-century history books
Middle Eastern chronicles
Biographical dictionaries
History of the Middle East
History of Islam
Iranian literature
Sunni literature
Universal history books
Works by Muhammad ibn Jarir al-Tabari