Islamic Historiography: The Histories of Mas'udi

206 Pages·1975·3.953 MB·English

by  Tarif Khalidi

Islamic Historiography

ISLAMIC HISTORIOGRAPHY
THE HISTORIES OF MAS'ÜDÏ
hy
Tarif Khalidi
STATE UNIVERSITY OF NEW YORK PRESS
Albany 1975
Islamic Historiography
First published in 1975
State University of New York Press
99 Washington Avenue, Albany, New York 12210
(g) 1975 State University of New York*
All rights reserved
Printed in the United States of America
Library of Congress Cataloging in Publication Data
Khalidi, Tarif, 1938-
Islamic historiography.
Includes index.
1. al-Mas<üdî, d. 956? I. Tide.
DS37. 5. M35K45 907*. 2’024 [B] 75-5933
ISBN 0-87395-282-0
ISBN 0-87395-283-9 (microfiche)
To
A. S. K., A. S. K.
and the memory of
A. S. K.

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
This study grew out of a doctoral dissertation submitted to the Uni­
versity of Chicago in 1970. When I first began my studies there, I
was granted a generous fellowship from the Center for Middle Eastern
Studies which enabled me to work in pleasant and stimulating sur­
roundings. To the then director, Professor William R. Polk, I extend
my heartfelt thanks. This study owes most to Professor Muhsin Mahdi,
fprmerly of Chicago and now the James Richard Jewett Professor of
Arabic at Harvard. His incisive critical comments guided my research
and his interest and encouragement sustained my labours. It is a
pleasant privilege to have been his student. Professors Wilferd Made-
lung and Jaroslav Stetkevych of the Department of Near Eastern
Languages and Civilizations of the University of Chicago, also read
the entire work and encouraged me at every stage of writing. Pro­
fessor Madelung was particularly helpful on problems of Islamic
theology while Professor Stetkevych took great interest in the chapter
on adab and both amended and deleted much that would have made
this study more imperfect than it is. Professor Nabia Abbott of the
Oriental Institute, though not directly involved in this study, was a
constant source of inspiration throughout my years at Chicago.
The staff of the library of the Oriental Institute was invariably help­
ful and I would like in particular to thank the librarian, Miss Shirley
Lyon, for many hours of patience and courtesy.
In Beirut, my colleague, Professor Constantine K. Zurayk, read
the entire work and made numerous and pertinent suggestions for
improving it. My brother, Professor Walid Khalidi of the Institute
for Palestine Studies, while not directly involved in the present work,
has over the years been a stimulating intellectual mentor over a wide
spectrum of topics.
X ISLAMIC HISTORIOGRAPHY
In preparing this study for publication, I again received generous
help from many quarters. Mr. Norman Mangouni, Director of the
State University of New York Press, extended his interest and gracious
assistance at every stage and Mr. W. Bruce Johnson, copy-editor,
applied expert revision to the text. I am also deeply grateful for the
encouragement and advice of Professor George F. Hourani of the
Department of Philosophy of the State University of New York at
Buffalo. Mr. Zahi Khuri, Director-of Publications at the American
University of Beirut, gently shepherded the often bewildered author
through the intricacies of publication. My aunt, Mrs. Salwa Jeha
Khalidi, typed the manuscript with her usual loving care. Mrs. Suha
Tamim, godmother to many books already, compiled the index as a
task of friendship. No blame, however, can possibly attach to any of
these ladiei and gentlemen for my errors of omission or commission.
Their labor merits, alas, a more plenteous harvest.
Finally, to my wife, Amal Saidi Khalidi, I owe a debt of gratitude
which public acknowledgment does little to repay. She and I alone
can settle that account if indeed that account can ever be settled.
Tarif Khalidi
Department of History
American University of Beirut
CONTENTS
Acknowledgments ....................................................................... ix
Introduction xiii
List of Abbreviations ................................................................ xviii
1. SOURCES AND STYLE .................................................. 1
Range of Sources
The Historian’s Craft
History and adab
Mas‘üdï’s Style
The isnäd
2. REFLECTIONS ON HISTORICAL METHOD 2
Reasons for Reflecting on History
The Background: History, Theology and the Natural
Sciences
The Value of History
The Modes of Apprehension
Nature and the Supernatural
The Concept of bahth
3. DIVINE AND NATURAL FACTORS IN HUMAN
HISTORY ......................................................................... 55
Introductory Remarks
xii ISLAMIC HISTORIOGRAPHY
The Creation of the World
Prophecy and Prophets
Natural Religion: Reason and Revelation
Nature and Society
Religion and Kingship
The Sources of Mas‘üdî’s Views
4. THE ANCIENT NATIONS ............................................... 81
The Ancient Nations and Islam
Genealogy of Ancient Nations
The Seven Ancient Nations
Patterns in the History of Ancient Nations
The Problem of Progress
5. THE PRE-ISLAMIC ARABS AND ISLAM 114
General Problems
Pre-Islamic Arabia
The Prophet’s Life
The First Four Caliphs
The Umayyads
The Abbasids
Mu‘tazilism and ShFism
Conclusion 143
Appendixes
A. Fragments of a Biography 148
B. Reconstruction of lost works 153
Index 165