forms - muslim historiography
TRANSCRIPT
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