The History of the Prophets and Kings (Arabic: تاريخ الرسل والملوكTārīkh al-Rusul wa al-Mulūk), more commonly known as Tarikh al-Tabari (تاريخ الطبري) or Tarikh-i Tabari or The History of al-Tabari (Persian: تاریخ طبری) is an Arabic-language historical chronicle completed by the Muslim historian Muhammad ibn Jarir al-Tabari (225–310 AH, 838–923 AD) in 915 AD. It begins with creation, and charts Muslim and Middle Eastern history from the myths and legends associated with the Old Testament through to the history of the Abbasid era, down to the year 915. An appendix[1] or continuation,[2] was written by Abu Abdullah b. Ahmad b. Ja'far al-Farghani, a student of al-Tabari.[3][4]
Editions
Various editions of the Annals include:
An edition published under the editorship of M.J. de Goeje in three series comprising 13 volumes, with two extra volumes containing indices, introduction and glossary (Leiden, 1879–1901).
An edition published under the editorship of Muhammad Abu al-Fadl Ibrahim (1905-1981) in 10 volumes (Cairo: Dar al-Ma'arif, 1960–1969.)
Vol. 36 The Revolt of the Zanj, A. D. 869-879 - A. H. 255-265 (David Waines)
Vol. 37 The Abbasid Recovery: The War Against the Zanj Ends (Philip M Fields)
Vol. 38 The Return of the Caliphate to Baghdad: The Caliphate of al-Mu'tadid, al-Muktafi and al-Muqtadir, A.D. 892-915 (Franz Rosenthal)
Vol. 39 Biographies of the Prophet's Companions and Their Successors: al-Tabari's Supplement to His History (Ella Landau-Tasseron)
Vol. 40 Index (Prepared by Alex V Popovkin under the supervision of Everett K. Rowson)
Content
The main purpose of Tabari was to write history according to the science of narration. That is to say he quotes the narrator without interfering in any way.[6][7][non-primary source needed]
^Autonomous Egypt from Ibn Tulun to Kafur, 868-969, Thierry Bianquis, The Cambridge History of Egypt, Vol. 1, ed. M. W. Daly, Carl F. Petry, (Cambridge University Press, 1998), 98.
^History and Historians, Claude Cahen, Religion, Learning and Science in the 'Abbasid Period, 203
^History and Historians, Claude Cahen, Religion, Learning and Science in the 'Abbasid Period, ed. M. J. L. Young, J. D. Latham, R. B. Serjeant, (Cambridge University Press, 1990), 203.
^Ibn Jarir al-Tabari, The History of al-Tabari Vol. 1: General Introduction and From the Creation to the Flood, transl. Franz Rosenthal, (State University of New York Press, 1989), 7.
^Tarikh Al-Tabari. Vol. 1. pp. 7–8. Let the reader be aware that whatever I mention in my book is relied on the news that were narrated by some men. I had attributed these stories to their narrators, without inferring anything from their incidents
^Tarikh Al-Tabari. Vol. 1. p. 8. If a certain man gets horrified by a certain incident that we reported in our book, then let him know that it did not come from us, but we only wrote down what we received from the narrators
^Butts, Aaron M. (2011). "Julian Romance". In Sebastian P. Brock; Aaron M. Butts; George A. Kiraz; Lucas Van Rompay (eds.). Gorgias Encyclopedic Dictionary of the Syriac Heritage: Electronic Edition. Gorgias Press. Retrieved 1 December 2021.
