al-Isami
- Died
- 1111 AH
- Born in
- Mecca
Abd al-Malik al-Isami (1049–1111 AH / 1639–1699 CE) was a Meccan Shafi'i historian and scholar, best known for his universal chronicle Simt al-Nujum al-Awali fi Anba al-Awail wa al-Tawali.
Biography and Education
His full name was Abd al-Malik ibn Husayn ibn Abd al-Malik al-Isami al-Makki. He was born in Mecca in 1049 AH (1639 CE) into an established family of learning; his paternal grandfather was the grammarian Abd al-Malik ibn Jamal al-Din al-Isami, known as Mulla Isam (d. 1037 AH / 1627 CE). Al-Isami received his education in the Holy Sanctuary from prominent scholars residing in the Hijaz. Among his primary teachers was the North African polymath Isa ibn Muhammad al-Tha'alibi (d. 1094 AH / 1683 CE), under whom he studied theology, legal theory, Arabic grammar, morphology, logic, and rhetoric.
Scholarly Contribution
Al-Isami was recognized primarily as a historian of Mecca and the broader Islamic world. His major work, Simt al-Nujum al-Awali fi Anba al-Awail wa al-Tawali ("The String of Sublime Stars on the Annals of Early and Later Peoples"), is an extensive four-volume universal history covering pre-Islamic prophets, the biography of the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ, the early caliphates, successive Islamic dynasties, and detailed regional annals of the sharifs and governors of Mecca up to his own era. In addition to his historical writings, he composed works on Arabic prosody, including al-Ghurar al-Bahiyyah, a commentary on the versified treatise al-Khazrajiyyah, as well as a compendium titled Qayd al-Awabid min al-Fawa'id wa al-Awa'id.
Death
Al-Isami died in Mecca in 1111 AH (1699 CE). Another report places his death in the year 1108 AH.
Answer updated
List of Works
Simt al-Nujum al-Awali fi Anba al-Awail wa al-Tawali (The String of Sublime Stars on the Annals of Early and Later Peoples) is a comprehensive universal Islamic history and Meccan chronicle.