History of the caliphs | At-Tabari, Ibn al-Athir, Ibn Kathir

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What this shelf covers

History after the sira: the rightly guided caliphs, the Umayyad period, the Abbasid state, Al-Andalus, the successive dynasties down to the later eras. Two families of works sit side by side here: the universal chronicles, unrolling events year by year, and the histories by period or by dynasty, treating one segment with a narrative thread.

The reference works

Tarikh ar-rusul wa al-muluk by At-Tabari: the standard chronicle, in volumes, built on transmission with the chains. It is the source the others draw from.
Al-Kamil fi at-tarikh by Ibn al-Athir: takes up At-Tabari and extends him, dropping the chains for readability.
Al-Bidaya wa an-nihaya by Ibn Kathir: a complete chronicle, from creation to the events of his own time, with a sifting of the reports.
Tarikh al-khulafa by As-Suyuti: shorter and centred on the caliphs, useful as a way into the shelf.
The histories of Al-Andalus and of the regional dynasties, along with contemporary studies by period.

Chronicle or narrative: which to take

A year-by-year chronicle is a research instrument: you look up a dated event in it, not a story to follow. To understand a period, a contemporary work arranged by theme will be more useful and far shorter. Take At-Tabari if you want the source, take a study by period if you want to understand. The two add up.

What to check

The editor and the volume count, since At-Tabari and Al-Kamil exist in sets of very different sizes depending on the edition. The period covered, to confirm before ordering on the partial histories. The presence of indexes, which makes a chronicle usable. And the binding on a volume set.

Related shelves

For the earlier period, Sira: the classical sources. For the actors of the first generation, Lives of the companions. For the scholars of those centuries, Biographies of scholars. For the places and provinces, Historical geography. Overview: History.

Order and shipping

Real stock displayed, dispatch within 24 to 48 working hours, delivery to France, Europe and the rest of the world. For a set of At-Tabari, write to us: we confirm the editor and the volume count in stock.

At-Tabari or Ibn al-Athir?

At-Tabari is the source: he reports with the chains of transmission, which makes him indispensable for verification but heavy to read. Ibn al-Athir takes up At-Tabari in Al-Kamil and drops the chains for readability, while extending the chronology. The first for research, the second for reading.

Is a year-by-year chronicle meant to be read?

Not really. It is an instrument: you look up a dated event in it. To understand a period, a contemporary work arranged by theme will be more useful and far shorter. Take a chronicle if you want the source, a study by period if you want to understand.

What exactly does Al-Bidaya wa an-nihaya cover?

It is a complete chronicle, from creation to the events of the author's own time, with a sifting of the reports. Its biographical part also circulates separately as a four-volume sira. Before ordering, check on the product page whether it is the whole chronicle or the extract: the prices are nothing alike.

Is the history of Al-Andalus available?

Yes, the shelf gathers the histories of the regional dynasties, Al-Andalus included, along with contemporary studies by period. On these partial works the period actually covered varies a great deal from title to title: confirm it on the product page or ask us before ordering.

Why does the volume count vary so much?

Because At-Tabari and Al-Kamil exist in editions of very different sizes depending on the editor, the type size and the layout: the same text can run to eleven volumes with one publisher and twenty with another. We confirm the volume count and the editor of the copy in stock before dispatch.

History of the caliphs and of Islam