Table Of ContentThe
History of al-Tabari
The First Civil War
Volume XVII
Translated by G. R. Hawting
Many of the events treated in this volume have become part of the historical con-
sciousness of Muslims. The first civil war of Islam, the Fitnah, is widely seen as of deci-
sive importance in dividing the Muslims into three major traditions, Sunnis, Shi`is, and
Kharijis, which have persisted until today. Although this division may be an over-simpli-
fication of a much more complex process of community formation, the events narrated
here are certainly of great importance in the early history of Islam.
The volume is focused on the struggle between the caliph `Ali and his rival and even-
tual successor as caliph, Mu awiyah, the first caliph of the Umayyad dynasty. About half
of the material is concerned with the confrontation between the two at the battle of
Siffin in 657, the fighting, the ending of the battle when the Syrian supporters of
Mu`awiyah are described as having attached Qu'ranic texts to their lances, and the subse-
quent negotiations between the two rivals which resulted in the dispute's being put to
arbitration. Much detail is also provided about `Ali's struggle against the Kharijis, his
former supporters who had turned against him as a result of his agreement with
Mu`awiyah to accept arbitration; the revolt against `Ali in regions of Iraq and Persia
around the northern edges of the Persian Gulf, which involved Christians, as well as
Muslims, Arabs, and such non-Arab groups as Kurds; the events in Egypt that led to the
burning of `Ali's representative there in the skin of a donkey; and the murder of `Ali by
lbn Muljam, the account of which sometimes reads as if it were a popular story.
AI-Tabari's text makes available a wealth of detail in narratives collected from the
now lost compilations of scholars of earlier generations. The bulk of the material is cited
from the famous Abu Mikhnaf, who died in A.D. 774, but there are also many reports
from other traditionists and narrators whose materials would be largely unknown to us if
it were not for the work of al-Tabari. The volume contains a number of speeches and let-
ters attributed to the Prophet's son-in-law and cousin `Ali, including his deathbed speech
to his sons, and there is also a version of the document drawn up by `Ali and Mu`awiyah
in which they agreed to appoint arbitrators.
The Arabic text of the Leiden edition of al-Tabari has been compared with the more
recent Cairo edition and with the substantial parallel passages in such other works as the
Waq`at Siffin of al-Mingari and the Sharp Nahj a1-Balaghahof Ibn Abi'l-H'adid, as well
as other sources, in an attempt to provide a secure text for translation. Individuals and
places are identified in the footnotes, further references to sources and secondary litera-
ture are provided, and textual problems and historical matters are discussed. The volume
contains a bibliography and index.
SUNY Series in Near Eastern Studies
Said Amir Arjomand, editor
PRESS 9
423943
State University
of New York Press
www.sunypress.edu
THE HISTORY OF AL -TABARI
AN ANNOTATED TRANSLATION
VOLUME XVII
The First Civil War
FROM THE BATTLE OF $IFFIN TO THE DEATH OF `ALI
A.D. 656-661/A.H. 36-40
e
The History of al-Tabarr
Editorial Board
Ihsan Abbas, University of Jordan, Amman
C. E. Bosworth, The University of Manchester
Franz Rosenthal, Yale University
Everett K. Rowson, The University of Pennsylvania
Ehsan Yar-Shater, Columbia University (General Editor)
Estelle Whelan, Editorial Coordinator
Center for Iranian Studies
Columbia University
SUNY
SERIES IN NEAR EASTERN STUDIES
Said Amir Arjomand, Editor
The preparation of this volume was made possible in part
by a grant from the National Endowment for the
Humanities, an independent federal agency.
Bibliotheca Persica
Edited by Ehsan Yar-Shater
The History of al-Tabari
(Ta'r kh al-rusul wa'l-muluik)
VOLUME XVII
THE FIRST CIVIL WAR
translated and annotated
by
G. R. Hawting
School of Oriental and African Studies,
University of London
State University of New York Press
Published by
State University of New York Press, Albany
©1996 State University of New York
All rights reserved
Printed in the United States of America
No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any
manner whatsoever without written permission. No part
of this book may be stored in a retrieval system or
transmitted in any form or by any means including
electronic, electrostatic, magnetic tape, mechanical,
photocopying, recording, or other wise without the prior
permission in writing of the publisher.
For information, contact State University of New York Press, Albany, NY
www.sunypress.edu
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Tabari, 838?-923.
[Ta'rikh al-rusul wa-al-mulilk. English. Selections]
The first civil war I translated and annotated by G. R. Hawting.
p. cm. - (The history of al-Tabari = Ta'rikh al-rnsul wa'1
multlk; v. 17) (SUNY series in Near Eastern studies) (Bibliotheca
Persica)
Tkanslation of extracts from: Ta'rikh al-rusul wa'l-mulilk.
Includes bibliographical references (p. ) and index.
ISBN o-7914-2393-X (alk. paper). - ISBN 0-7914-2394-8 (pbk. :
alk. paper)
i. Islamic Empire-History-622-661. 2. $iffin, Battle of, 657.
1. Hawting, G. R. (Gerald R.), 1944- . II. Title. III. Series.
IV. Series: Tabari, 838?-923Ta'rikh al-rusul wa-al-mulirk.
English ; V. 17. V. Series: Bibliotheca Persica (Albany, N.Y.)
DS38.2.T313 1996
96z'.oz-dczo 95-47957
CIP
10987654321
16
Preface
40
The history of prophets and kings (Ta'rikh al-rusul wa '1-mulitk) by
Abu Ja'far Muhammad b. Jarir al-Tabarl (839-923), here rendered as
the Historyof al-Tabarr,is by common consent the most important
universal history produced in the world of Islam. It has been
translated here in its entirety for the first time for the benefit of
non-Arabists,with historical and philological notes for those inter-
ested in the particulars of the text.
Al-Tabari's monumental work explores the history of the ancient
nations with special emphasis on biblical peoples and prophets,
the legendary and factual history of ancient Iran,and, in great detail,
the rise of Islam, the life of the Prophet Muhammad ,and the history
of the Islamic world down to the year 915. The first volume of this
translation contains a biography of al-Tabail and a discussion of
the method,scope, and value of his work. It also provides informa-
tion on some of the technical considerations that have guided the
work of the translators.
TheHistory has been divided here into 39 volumes,each of which
covers about 20o pages of the original Arabic text in the Leiden
edition. An attempt has been made to draw the dividing lines
between the individual volumes in such a way that each is to some
degree independent and can be read as such.The page numbers of
the Leiden edition appear in the margins of the translated volumes.
Al-Tabari very often quotes his sources verbatim and traces the
chain of transmission (isndd) to an original source. The chains of
transmitters are, for the sake of brevity, rendered by only a dash (-)
vi Preface
between the individual links in the chain. Thus, "According to Ibn
Humayd-Salamah-Ibn Ishaq" means that al-Tabari received the
report from Ibn Humayd, who said that he was told by Salamah,
who said that he was told by In Ishaq, and so on. The numerous
subtle and important differences in the orginal Arabic wording have
been disregarded.
The table of contents at the beginning of each volume gives a
brief survey of the topics dealt with in that particular volume. It
also includes the headings and subheadings as they appear in
al-Tabari"s text, as well as those occasionally introduced by the
translator.
Well-known place names, such as, for instance, Mecca,Baghdad,
Jerusalem, Damascus, and the Yemen, are given in their English
spellings. Less common place names, which are the vast majority,
are transliterated. Biblical figures appear in the accepted English
spelling. Iranian names are usually transcribed according to their
Arabic forms, and the presumed Iranian forms are often discussed
in the notes.
Technical terms have been translated wherever possible, but
some, such as "dirharrr" and "imam;" have been retained in Arabic
forms. Others that cannot be translated with sufficient precision
have been retained and italicized, as well as footnoted.
The annotation aims chiefly at clarifying difficult passages,
identifying individuals and place names, and discussing textual
difficulties. Much leeway has been left to the translators to include
in the notes whatever they consider necessary and helpful.
The bibliographies list all the sources mentioned in the annota-
tion.
The index in each volume contains all the names of persons and
places referred to in the text, as well as those mentioned in the
notes as far as they refer to the medieval period. It does not include
the names of modem scholars. A general index, it is hoped, will
appear after all the volumes have been published.
For further details concerning the series and acknowledgments,
see Preface to Volume I.
Ehsan Yar-Shater
1►
Contents
9
Preface I v
Abbreviations / ix
Translator's Foreword / xi
The Events of the Year 36 (cont'd) (656/657) /,r
The Departure of 'All b. Abi Tdlib for $iffin I i
'Al! Orders the Construction of the Bridge over the
Euphrates / 6
The Battle "by the Water" / n
'Ali Calls Mu'.4wiyah to Obedience and Unity / r6
The Events of the Year 37 (657/658) /.2.r
The Truce between 'Al! and Mu'awiyah 121
The Organization of the Military Units (Katd'ib) and
Preparation of the Troops for Battle / 29
The Intensity of the Fighting / 39
The Killing of 'AmmAr b. Ydsir / 64
HAshim b. 'Utbah al-Mirgal and the "Night of Howling"
The Raising of the Ma. aIif and the Call for Arbitration
'All Sends Ja'dah b. Hubayrah to KhurisAn / 99
