Sayf ibn Umar
- Died
- 200 AH
- Born in
- -
Sayf ibn Umar (d. c. 180 AH / 796 CE) was an early Iraqi historical chronicler (akhbari) best known for his compilations on the early Islamic conquests and early civil strife, including Kitab al-Riddah wa-al-Futuh (The Book of Apostasy Wars and Conquests) .
Lineage and Background
His full attribution appears across sources as Sayf ibn Umar al-Tamimi al-Burjumi al-Kufi, and he was also referred to by the tribal nisbas al-Sa'di, al-Dabbi, and al-Usaydi (or al-Asadi) . He was originally from Kufa, though Ibn Hibban recorded him among the transmitters associated with Basra .
Transmission and Historical Narrative
Sayf transmitted historical reports and traditions from several prominent scholars and traditionalists, including Hisham ibn Urwah, Ubayd Allah ibn Umar al-Umari, Musa ibn Uqbah, Muhammad ibn Ishaq, and Muhammad ibn al-Sa'ib al-Kalbi, as well as a large number of unidentified narrators . Those who transmitted material from him include Shu'ayb ibn Ibrahim al-Tamimi, al-Nadr ibn Hammad al-Ataki, Abd al-Rahman ibn Muhammad al-Muharibi, Ya'qub ibn Ibrahim ibn Sa'd, and Jubarah ibn al-Mughallis .
His extensive historical narratives became an essential source for subsequent Muslim historians. The historian al-Tabari relied heavily upon Sayf's material—transmitted primarily through Shu'ayb ibn Ibrahim and al-Sari ibn Yahya—in covering the events from the apostasy wars up to the first civil war in Tarikh al-Rusul wa-al-Muluk, drawing upon Sayf's work Kitab al-Jamal wa-Masir A'ishah wa-Ali (The Book of the Camel and the March of Aisha and Ali) .
Critical Standing and Reception
In the field of hadith criticism, Sayf was widely discredited by traditionalists. Yahya ibn Ma'in classified him as weak (da'if) and remarked dismissively that "a single small coin is better than him" . Abu Hatim al-Razi characterized his transmissions as abandoned (matruk al-hadith), comparing his reports to those of al-Waqidi . Abu Dawud considered him "worthless" (laysa bi-shay'), while al-Nasa'i and al-Daraqutni judged him weak, with al-Daraqutni also describing him as abandoned . Ibn Adi noted that while a few of his reports were recognized, the majority were uncorroborated (munkar) . Furthermore, Ibn Numayr and Ibn Hibban accused him of fabricating hadith traditions and of heresy (zandaqah) . Al-Tirmidhi cited a narration from him and noted that it was objectionable (munkar) .
By contrast, biographical authorities recognized his stature in historical lore. Al-Dhahabi described him as a knowledgeable chronicler (akhbari 'arif) . Summarizing his mixed reputation, Ibn Hajar al-Asqalani wrote that Sayf was "weak in hadith, but an authority in history" (da'if fi al-hadith, 'umdah fi al-tarikh) .
Death
Sayf died during the reign of the Abbasid caliph Harun al-Rashid (r. 170–193 AH / 786–809 CE) , with specific reports placing his death around 180 AH or in 185 AH .
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List of Works
al-Fitna wa Waqat al-Jamal (The Civil Strife and the Battle of the Camel) is an early historical work that chronicles the events surrounding the first Islamic civil war, the assassination of Caliph Uthman ibn Affan, and the subsequent Battle of the Camel. It provides a detailed narrative of the political unrest and military confrontations in the early caliphate, drawing upon combined eyewitness accounts.