History

From the one-volume biography of the Prophet to the universal chronicles that unfold the history of the Muslims century by century, the history section of My Maktaba brings together works in Arabic devoted to the sira, the caliphates, the dynasties and the great figures, from early chronicles to modern studies, in their original editions. For each title, the listing states the historical genre, the period covered, the level and the vocalisation. Everything is new, everything is in Arabic, and everything ships with tracking to the whole world.

Sira: the classical sources Sira: modern studies Sira in one volume Virtues of the Prophet ﷺ Stories of the prophets Lives of the companions History of the caliphs and of Islam Biographies of scholars Historical geography The salaf

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Islamic history books in Arabic: how this section is organised

What you will find here: works in Arabic on the history of the Muslims, from the biography of the Prophet to recent times, in their original editions and all new.
Four historical genres: the sira, the chronicle, collective biographies and the modern study. The genre is stated on every listing, since it governs how the book is read.
Every period: the prophetic era, the rightly guided caliphs, the Umayyads, the Abbasids, al-Andalus and the Maghreb, the Ottomans, the contemporary age.
Three levels: beginner, intermediate, advanced, indicated on the listing according to the density of the text, its apparatus of notes and its vocalisation.
From single volume to full set: history books are among the longest in the catalogue, and one-volume abridgements almost always exist.
What you will not find: translations or bilingual editions. The catalogue is entirely in Arabic.
Information on every listing: publisher, year, number of volumes, format, binding, vocalisation, genre, period, level.

Sira, tarikh, tabaqat: three ways of writing history

Muslim historians did not write in one manner, and the three forms they settled on still stand side by side in this section.

The sira is the biography of the Prophet, with the expeditions and the events of his life. It is the most read genre, the one through which almost every reader enters this section, and it exists in every format, from the single volume to the annotated set.

The chronicle, or tarikh, unfolds events year by year or reign by reign. It is the genre of the great universal works, which begin at the creation of the world and run to their author's own time. One looks in them for a fact, a date, a sequence, rather than reading them through.

Collective biographies, or tabaqat, arrange men by generation or by field: companions, scholars, transmitters, rulers. They answer a different question from the chronicle: not what happened, but who such a person was, what he transmitted, who his teachers were. They are the working instrument of anyone reading hadith or fiqh.

To these three early forms is added the modern study, written in the twentieth century or after, which takes up the sources and arranges them into a continuous narrative, with maps and chronologies. Every listing states which genre a work belongs to.

The periods the section covers

Islamic history runs across fourteen centuries and three continents. Here is how this section divides it.

The prophetic era

The sira, from the beginnings of revelation to the end of the Prophet's life, with the expeditions and the treaties. It is the best documented period in the section, and the one with the most titles.

The rightly guided caliphs

The three decades that follow, with the conquests, the administrative organisation and the troubles that open at the end of the period. The subject of many specialised works, because the events are debated and the sources compared.

Umayyads and Abbasids

Damascus then Baghdad, from the first to the seventh century AH: expansion, the administration of the provinces, the sciences, then the weakening of central power and the regional dynasties.

Al-Andalus and the Maghreb

Eight centuries of presence in the Iberian peninsula, with the taifa kingdoms, the dynasties that came from the Maghreb, and the fall of Granada. It is the period for which readers ask most often.

The Ottomans

From the fourteenth to the twentieth century, the Ottoman state, its administration, its Arab provinces and its end. A period abundantly treated by contemporary works, with widely differing readings according to the author.

The contemporary age

Colonisation, movements of reform, national states. These works belong as much to political analysis as to history, and the listing says so.

Early chronicles and modern works: which to choose

Both are sold here, and they are not used in the same way.

An early chronicle is a source. It reports the accounts with their chains of transmission, often several versions of the same event, without deciding between them. Its value lies precisely in that: one goes to it to see what the early authorities reported. But it is not read like a modern history book, and a reader who takes it for a continuous narrative loses his way in it.

A modern work does the reverse: it compares the sources, sets some aside, arranges them, and produces a continuous narrative with maps, a chronology and an index. That is what is needed to understand a period, before opening the chronicles to check a precise point.

The order that works is therefore almost always the same: a modern work on the period, then the early chronicle that covers it. Every listing states whether a title is a source or a study.

The works found at the head of the section

Here are the most widely circulated titles in each genre, as they circulate in the Arab world.

Sira

Al-Rahiq al-Makhtum by Safi al-Rahman al-Mubarakfuri, a modern account in one volume, the most widespread today. Sirat Ibn Hisham, the transmitted version of the earliest biography preserved. Zad al-Ma'ad by Ibn al-Qayyim, which starts from the sira to draw its legal lessons.

Chronicles

Al-Bidaya wa al-Nihaya by Ibn Kathir, a universal chronicle in several volumes, the most read. Al-Kamil fi al-Tarikh by Ibn al-Athir, more compact. Tarikh al-Tabari, the earliest of the great chronicles preserved, and the largest.

Biographies and historiography

Siyar A'lam al-Nubala by al-Dhahabi, the largest collection of biographies, in many volumes. And the Muqaddima of Ibn Khaldun, which is not a historical narrative but a reflection on how history is written and on the cycles of power.

Three buying mistakes in history, and how to avoid them

We see them come round again, and they all rest on the same misunderstanding about the genre of the work.

The first is buying an early chronicle as a first book on a period. These are sources, not narratives: without a modern study read beforehand, the sequence of events does not emerge.

The second is buying a complete set when one volume is enough. Most of the great chronicles exist in abridgements of one or two volumes covering the same ground. The complete set is a library investment, not a first purchase.

The third is overlooking the edition. In history as in hadith, annotation, indexes and tables of names make the difference between a work one can consult and a work one no longer opens. In a ten-volume set without an index, finding a fact becomes an expedition.

The ten sub-sections of history

Three entry points for the sira, depending on what you want: Sira: the classical sources for the original material, Sira: modern studies for a sifted and mapped narrative, Sira in one volume for the thread in a single book. Then Virtues of the Prophet ﷺ for the description of his person, Stories of the prophets for the earlier accounts, Lives of the companions for the first generation, History of the caliphs and of Islam for what followed, Biographies of scholars for the tarajim and the tabaqat, Historical geography for places and maps, and The salaf for the accounts of conduct of the first three generations.

Buy Islamic history books in Arabic from My Maktaba

Every work in this section is in Arabic, in its original edition, and every one is new. For each title, the listing states the publisher, year, number of volumes, format, type of binding, vocalisation, historical genre, period covered and level. On sets, check that indexes and tables of names are present.

If you do not know where to start, write to us stating your level of Arabic, the period that interests you and what you are looking for, a continuous narrative or a source to consult. We will suggest two or three titles, no more, in the order in which to read them. And if the work you are looking for does not appear in the catalogue, send us the title and the publisher you want: our network of booksellers covers most of the editions in circulation.

What does this Islamic history section hold?

Works in Arabic on the history of the Muslims, from the beginnings of Islam to the contemporary age: the biography of the Prophet, the rightly guided caliphs, the Umayyads, the Abbasids, al-Andalus and the Maghreb, the Ottomans. It holds early chronicles, collections of biographies and studies written in the twentieth century.

What is the difference between a sira and a history book?

The sira is the biography of the Prophet: it covers one life and ends with it. The history book, or tarikh, unfolds the events of the following centuries, by year or by reign. The two follow one another in time, but are not read in the same way, and every listing states the genre.

What are the tabaqat?

Collections of biographies arranged by generation or by field: companions, scholars, transmitters of hadith, rulers. They do not recount events but inform about men, their teachers and what they transmitted. They are the working tool of anyone reading hadith or fiqh.

Which book should I start with in Islamic history?

With a modern one-volume work on the period that interests you, not with an early chronicle. The modern work gives the continuous narrative, the maps and the chronology; the chronicle is consulted afterwards, to check a fact or to read what the early authorities reported.

Which sira should I choose?

Al-Rahiq al-Makhtum if you want a modern account in one volume, the most widespread today. Sirat Ibn Hisham if you want the early source itself. Zad al-Ma'ad if you are looking for the legal lessons drawn from the Prophet's life rather than the narrative alone.

Should I buy the great chronicles in full?

Rarely at the start. Al-Bidaya wa al-Nihaya, al-Kamil fi al-Tarikh and Tarikh al-Tabari exist in abridgements of one or two volumes covering the same ground. The complete set is a library purchase, useful when you consult it regularly.

Are there works on al-Andalus and the Ottomans?

Yes, these are two abundantly treated periods, in specialised works as well as in the general chronicles. On the Ottomans in particular, readings differ markedly from one contemporary author to another, and the listing states the approach of the work where it is pronounced.

What is Ibn Khaldun's Muqaddima?

It is not a historical narrative but a reflection on how history is written, on the formation of societies and on the cycles of power. It reads as a work of method, and it is demanding: better to have read some history before approaching it.

Are history books vocalised?

Rarely, except works meant for school teaching. This is a section of continuous reading, where the vocabulary is rich and the proper names many. The state of vocalisation and the level expected are stated on every listing.

Do you ship multi-volume sets abroad?

Yes, worldwide, with a tracking number. Sets are distributed within the parcel and each volume is braced to avoid pressure on the spines during long-haul transport. Outside the European Union, any local customs duties remain payable by the recipient.