al-Maqdisi, Muhammad ibn Abd al-Malik
- Died
- 521 AH
- Born in
- Baghdad
Muhammad ibn Abd al-Malik al-Maqdisi (463–521 AH / 1071–1127 CE) was a Baghdad-based historian, best known for his historical continuation Takmilat Tarikh al-Tabari (The Completion of al-Tabari's History) .
Origin and Early Life
He was Abu al-Hasan Muhammad ibn Abd al-Malik ibn Ibrahim ibn Ahmad al-Hamadhani al-Maqdisi, also known as al-Faradi . He was born in the middle of Sha'ban 463 AH . His father, Abu al-Fadl Abd al-Malik (d. 489 AH), was a scholar of inheritance law (fara'id) originally from Hamadhan who had settled in Baghdad, where his son grew up . His father was known for religious scruple and declined repeated appointments to serve as chief judge (qadi al-qudah), though he was also accused of Mu'tazilism . Recalling his upbringing, he recounted that whenever his father intended to discipline him, he would take a stick and say, "I intend to strike my son for discipline as I have been commanded," allowing the boy time to flee before his father could finalize formulating his ritual intention .
Education and Scholarly Standing
In hadith, he studied under Abu al-Husayn Ahmad ibn Muhammad ibn al-Naqqur al-Bazzaz and the naqib Abu al-Fawaris Tirad al-Zaynabi, among others . The Damascene historian Ibn Asakir transmitted from him and included him in his dictionary of teachers . Ibn al-Jawzi noted that he came from a family of hadith scholars and religious leaders .
He gained renown primarily for his extensive knowledge of dynastic annals, rulers, and political events . Ibn al-Najjar remarked that the craft of history in his era was concluded with him . His historical output included Takmilat Tarikh al-Tabari, an annalistic chronicle designed as a direct sequel to the universal history of al-Tabari, as well as Dhayl Tarikh al-Wazir Abi Shuja', which continued the chronicle of Abu Shuja' al-Rudhrawari, and Unwan al-Siyar .
Death
He died suddenly in Baghdad on Saturday, 7 Shawwal 521 AH (another report gives Shawwal 526 AH) . He was buried beside his father near the tomb of the jurist Abu al-Abbas Ibn Surayj .
Answer updated
List of Works
Takmilat Tarikh al-Tabari is an annalistic chronicle composed as an explicit sequel (dhayl) to Abu Ja'far Muhammad ibn Jarir al-Tabari's universal chronicle, Tarikh al-Rusul wa-al-Muluk. The work records political, military, and administrative events of the Islamic world across the fourth century AH.