The History of al-Tabari: Difference between revisions

{{Infobox Book  

'''The History of al-Tabari''' is an English translation of ''The History of the Prophets and Kings'' (تاريخ الرسلوالملوك ''Tarikh al-Rusul wa al-Muluk'', popularly known as ''Tarikh al-Tabari''). It is an historical and religious chronicle written by the Muslim historian Ibn Jarir al-Tabari (838-923), beginning with the [[Islam|Islamic]] [[Creation]] to the year 915 AD.

 

It forms one of Islam's [[Islam and Scripture|major religious sources]], containing the most complete recension of Ibn Ishaq's [[Sirat Rasul Allah]]<ref>According to Donner, the material in ibn Hisham's and al-Tabari's recensions are "virtually the same" (Ref: ''Donner, Fred McGraw (1998). Narratives of Islamic origins: the beginnings of Islamic historical writing. Darwin Press. p. 132. ISBN 978-0-87850-127-4''). However, some material found in al-Tabari are not preserved by ibn Hisham. For example, al-Tabari includes the episode of the [[Satanic Verses]], while ibn Hisham does not (Ref: ''Raven, Wim, Sīra and the Qurʾān – Ibn Isḥāq and his editors, Encyclopaedia of the Qur'an. Ed. Jane Dammen McAuliffe. Vol. 5. Leiden, The Netherlands: Brill Academic Publishers, 2006. p29-51.'')(Ref: ''Cf., Ibn Ishaq [Guillaume's reconstruction, at 165-167] and al-Tabari [SUNY edition, at VI: 107-112]'').</ref> (the most important biography of Prophet [[Muhammad]], partially forming his [[Sunnah]]), and is universally praised by Muslims for its detail and accuracy concerning Muslim and Middle Eastern history.  

Along with the Muslim Students Association's [[Compendium of Muslim Texts]], which include universally accepted translations of the [[Qur'an]] and major [[hadith]] collections, Tabari's History is used as a primary source at [[WikiIslam]].

{{Quote||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.<ref>[{{Reference archive|1=http://www.sunypress.edu/p-357-the-history-of-al-tabari-vol-7.aspx|2=2011-11-17}} The History of al-Tabari Vol. 7: The Foundation of the Community: Muhammad At Al-Madina A.D. 622-626/Hijrah-4 A.H.] - SUNY Press, accessed November 13, 2011</ref>}}