MUSLIM HISTORIOGRAPHYPart 2

HIST 3750DR ELMIRA AKHMETOVA

DEPT OF HISTORY AND CIVILISATIONIIUM

Features of Muslim Historiography

Isnad

Chronology

Theological View of History

Periodization

Habar History

Isnad Muslim historiography begins with the biographies of the Prophet SAW

Historians used the collected hadith – traditions, so you need to examine critically – should be traced on original eyewitness

This using of isnad for history helped Muslims to develop history as science with critical method from the early times

Prerequisites of Historian to write seerah books:

1. The spirit of independent inquiry

2. Critical insight

So isnad was used to write seerah or maghazi books

Traditions were tested and examined through isnad system, which means the chain of authorities by which a narrative can be traced to the original eye-witness who narrated it

Isnad Each narrative, in order to be trustworthy, should be traceable through a known series of transmitters to its source pervades historical composition till quite late time.

Provided a spirit of inquiry and critical insight to the Muslim mind

Problem of weak hadiths, fabricated ones

Isnad was used until al-Tabari (9th century)

Chronological trend Important feature of Muslim historiography

History up to al-Tabari is written around dates and years

From Mas’udi – already began writing about dynasties (10th century)- began topical method

Theological Viewpoint Muslim history was always interpreted from theological viewpoint (!)

History was interpreted in the light of Divine plan

Also was sociological viewpoint like in Ibn Khaldun (but started by Mas’udi)

Mainly was a study of ummah – later, larger scope as they began focusing on Greek, Roman, Chinese and Indian history

Geography became a part of history from Mas’udi, writing about animal life, plant life, geographical features

Also, Muslim historiography had developed with freedom from all political biasness. Ibn Ishaq, Ibn Hisham and al-Tabari wrote history without being influenced by political parties.

Periodization What we study today is Eurocentric

Ancient

Medieval

Modern

Judaic Graeco-Roman

Western European Christian

Europeanized World

Periodization .. Now we have

Ancient Ancient Near East

Judaic Graeco-Roman

Middle Ages Indian Western European Christian Byzantine Russia

Muslim

Chinese

Modern Europeanized World

Periodization .. Islamic

ARABIAN PERSIAN JUDAIC

MUHAMMAD SAW

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MUSLIM

ISLAMIC WORLD

Basic forms of Muslim Historiography

Khabar History The Oldest form of Muslim history writing, a direct continuation of the battle-day narratives

A well-rounded description of a single event, usually no more than a few pages

It is also used in larger historical works under the title of khabar

Its character is a self-contained unit is stressed by the chain of transmitters which precedes each khabar

It has three features:

1. by its nature, it does not admit of establishment of a causal nexus between two or three events

each khabar is complete in itself, no any explanation is needed or added

Khabar … If historical work is made up from more than one habar as necessary – the juxtaposition (comparison, contrast, connection) of the individual habars (if they are not much different versions of the same story) may occasionally indicate a transfer of the historical locale from one geographical region to another, but as a rule it indicates progress in time – chronological continuity

It looks that no historical penetration or critical thinking is allowed in this form It is suitable for happenings within a short time Unmanageable to explain continuous long stories

Khabar .. 2. since it was continuation of the Battle day narratives, it remained the character of vividly told short story

The action usually is presented in the form of a dialogue between the principal participants

So historian should follow this real task, leaving the analysis to the reader

The frequent battle scenes make reading khabar enjoyable but actual fact reminds under a cloud

Language has high literary quality

Later historians began entering khabar as chapters in their universal history books

3. the nature of mixed blessing

It required the presence of poetical insertions and artistic form of expression

Khabar .. Entering poetry becomes a rule (tradition) in history writing as well later, but sometimes even not having relation to the topic – just as a stylistic law or type of self-expression

Khabar was in existence in pre-Islamic Arabia – entered to Muslim narration of history Who was the first writer of khabar – we do not know, did not survive Should be in the first year of hijrah as private works (oral transmissions as well) But elements are found in seerah books – blended with genealogy Occurs in many forms of later historical works but already well-blended with other styles – not in its pure form

Example From Ali who heard from Luqman ibn Umar from Uthman ibn Abdullah from Abi Bakr from

Musa ibn Ali who witnessed that ISNAD

A Report On Those Companions Who Suffered from Fever Aisha RA said: “when the Prophet SAW arrived at Madinah, it was the most place plagued with fever on the earth.

It affected his companions as well. Yet, Allah kept it from his Prophet. Abu Bakr’s mawlas, Amir ibn Fihayrah and Bilal,

were with him in one house when fever attacked them. I went to nurse them… I asked from my father how he was doing. He answered:

Any man might be greeted by his family in the morning Khabar

While death was nearer than the thong of his sandal.

Then I answered…..”

The Annalistic form Another earliest form of history writing in early Islam

A specialized form of chronological historiography

It is some writing like “In the year n… “ or “when there was the year of n..”

Relation between the year (time) and event

But how to interpret details – the author decides

Developed during the period of al-Tabari (first decade of the 10 century), so all happenings were narrated until 914-915 CE

He was not first to apply this form - so Muslim historians began to use data at the very early age of Islamic history

Lesser Forms Dynastic historiography

About reigns of caliphs or rulers

Contains a list of children, wives, parents, officials and other statistic material

Separate section for each caliph

Example: al-Quda’I’s Muqtabis gives a detailed information about of caliphs and rulers of the Muslim Andalusia, the list of officials, scholars, poets and opponents of the ruler

Ibn Ishaq “History of the Caliphs”

Perhaps was the influence of Persian historiography (Rosenthal)

Pre-Islamic history was also presented in the form of nations and dynasties

Lesser Forms … TABAQAT

Means layer

Was used in the meaning of generation

Such tabaqat division is genuinely Islamic – contributed to Muslim critical thinking

Comparing different tabaqat

It was the natural consequence of the concept sahabah, tabi’in, tabi’in al-tabi’in

Also was used for different classes or professions

Examples: Tabaqat al-Atibba, Tabaqat al-Fuqaha (al-Shirazi) – practical for religious sciences

Early Historical Writings

Maghazi Military expeditions of the Prophet SAW, began in Madinah with conjunction with the study of hadith, some scholars wanted to study more beyond the limitations of the juridical aspect of the subject

Rich material about the wars, participants, small details of the battles, aims, list of casualties, leader of the army,

Short description

Usually pioneers are scholars of hadith, isnad

Also the popular tales passed by word of mouth – storytelling, folklore – isnad was not required because this was he early age of history writing, historians were flexible and the exact form of rules of using isnad was not established yet

Some information from the Qur’an, hadith and eye-witnesses

It began with ‘Urwah bin Zubayr, later –Ibn Ishaq – al-Waqidi

They paid a special attention to the career of the Prophet as a military leader

Maghazi Main foundation for later seerah books

Main writers: Aban b. Uthman (20-100H), ‘Urwah b. Zubayr (23-94H), al-Zuhri (51-124H), ‘Abdullah al-Waqidi (?).

It covers various aspects of the Prophet’s life: the beginning of revelation, some personal affairs and not only about battles

Free from exaggerations,

Some writers like ‘Urwah ibn Zubayr even extended it into later khulafa al-Rashidun time and spoke about the battle of Yarmuk

Then seerah works began to appear

SIYAR (sirah, seerah) Biographical details of the Prophet Muhammad SAW, his actions, sayings and practices

From the birth until his death

Firstly –oral

Reason?

Spread to Yemen, Syria and Iraq in the 2nd century H (Duri)

By the end of the third century , the lines of the seerah were laid and the bulk of basic material was collected

First writers: Abān b. ‘Uthmān, ‘Urwa b. al-Zubair b. al-`Awwām, Ibn Shihāb al-Zuhrî, Ibn Ishāq, Zayyat al-Bakkā’i.

Al-Zuhri was among the first writers (51-124H) from Madinah school

Nature: in chapters, based on hadith and emphasis on isnad

Futuhat From fath

Deal with the time of four caliphs and the large-scale openings of new places outside Arabian peninsula to Islam during their times

Syria, Palestine, Egypt, Iraq/Iran, Armenia, Jurjan, Tabaristan

Time-scale: first decades of Muslim history after the death of the Prophet SAW

5o books are known by names today

Speak about great battles, entering to cities,

Some are thematically strict like Futuh al-Sham by al-Azdi (d.190) – about opening of Syria only

Futuh Misr wa Akhbaruha by Ibn Abdul Hakam (d.257)

Ansab (Geneologies) Important since pre-Islamic period

Islam brought equality to all, yet, Arabs remained being proud of their backgrounds

Usually described within the framework of ridda, futuh and fitnah

High nobility: caliphs, governors and the Prophet’s family

Ansab al-Ashraf by al-Baladhuri talks about the importance of ansab-related matters in society

Another forms:

Sirat al-Khulafa Futun Ridda Wars