Akhbar Fakh wa Khabar Yahya ibn Abd Allah wa Akhihi Idris ibn Abd Allah

Akhbar Fakh wa Khabar Yahya ibn Abd Allah wa Akhihi Idris ibn Abd Allah (Reports of Fakh and the Account of Yahya ibn Abd Allah and His Brother Idris ibn Abd Allah) is an early Zaydi historical monograph by the 4th-century AH historian Ahmad ibn Sahl al-Razi (d. c. 325 AH / 937 CE) documenting the Alid uprising of al-Husayn ibn Ali (Sahib Fakh) at the Battle of Fakh and the subsequent movements of the brothers Yahya ibn Abd Allah and Idris ibn Abd Allah Akhbar Fakh wa Khabar Yah…+1.

Purpose and Background

In his introduction to the work, al-Razi explains that he opened his historical account with the rebellion of al-Husayn ibn Ali because Yahya ibn Abd Allah's political movement and the Abbasid authorities' pursuit of him originated from his participation alongside al-Husayn at Fakh Akhbar Fakh wa Khabar Yah…. Detailing the battle and its immediate aftermath was therefore necessary to provide a continuous, unified narrative that connects the defeat at Fakh to Yahya's later activities Akhbar Fakh wa Khabar Yah….

The text focuses specifically on the missionary activity (da'wa) and armed uprisings of these leaders without addressing their early biographies prior to their revolts, which indicates that it was composed primarily for adherents of the Zaydi movement, particularly in Daylam where Zaydi rule had become established Akhbar Fakh wa Khabar Yah….

Structure and Content

The core historical material of the book is arranged across four main divisions Akhbar Fakh wa Khabar Yah…:

1. The Battle of Fakh in 169 AH, detailing the conflict, the death of al-Husayn ibn Ali, and the killing or capture of his companions Akhbar Fakh wa Khabar Yah…+1.
2. The escape of several Talibids to Abyssinia, followed by the return of Yahya and Idris and their period in hiding Akhbar Fakh wa Khabar Yah…+1.
3. The mission of Idris ibn Abd Allah through Egypt and Ifriqiya to Tangier and Volubilis (Walila), where he received the allegiance of the Berbers before being assassinated with poison Akhbar Fakh wa Khabar Yah…+1.
4. Yahya ibn Abd Allah's movements through Baghdad, Yemen, and Tabaristan until his appearance in Daylam, followed by the safe-conduct (aman) negotiated with the Abbasid caliph Harun al-Rashid, the subsequent violation of that pledge, Yahya's imprisonment, and his death Akhbar Fakh wa Khabar Yah…+1.

In addition to narrative chronicles, the work preserves early speeches (khutab), texts of pledges (bay'a), and political-theological letters sent to regional populations, documenting the ideological discourse of the early Zaydi leadership Akhbar Fakh wa Khabar Yah…+1.

Sources and Method

Al-Razi constructs his account using chains of transmission (isnads) that rely largely on 3rd-century AH Zaydi narrators, sharing source material and narrative conventions with other early histories, including works by al-Tabari and Abu al-Faraj al-Isfahani Akhbar Fakh wa Khabar Yah…+1. His accounts are drawn principally from three earlier written sources:

• A text by Abd Allah ibn Muhammad ibn Ibrahim al-Jafari on the uprising and death of the leader of Fakh Akhbar Fakh wa Khabar Yah….
• A compilation on Talibid uprisings by al-Hasan ibn Abd al-Wahid al-Kufi Akhbar Fakh wa Khabar Yah….
• Narratives transmitted through Umar ibn Shabba, who preserved reports from al-Mada'ini and Ibn Zabala Akhbar Fakh wa Khabar Yah….

In its thematic focus and structure, the text closely mirrors the genre of maqatil (accounts of martyrdoms and persecutions of the descendants of Ali ibn Abi Talib) Akhbar Fakh wa Khabar Yah….

Transmission and Modern Publication

Passages from al-Razi's text were cited in later Zaydi historical literature, notably in Kitab al-Masabih by Abu al-Abbas Ahmad ibn Ibrahim al-Hasani (d. 352 AH / 964 CE, completed by Ali ibn Bilal) and in al-Hada'iq al-Wardiyya by Humayd ibn Ahmad al-Muhalli Akhbar Fakh wa Khabar Yah…+1.

An early manuscript copy of Akhbar Fakh was transcribed by Humayd ibn Ahmad al-Muhalli in 638 AH / 1240 CE from an earlier exemplar Akhbar Fakh wa Khabar Yah…+1. Other manuscripts include two copies preserved in the al-Khizana al-Mutawakkiliyya of the Great Mosque in Sanaa (copied in 614 AH / 1217 CE and 1337 AH / 1918 CE) and a manuscript discovered in the Berlin State Library Akhbar Fakh wa Khabar Yah…+1.

The work was edited by Maher Jarrar and published in one volume by Dar al-Gharb al-Islami in Beirut in 1995 Akhbar Fakh wa Khabar Yah…. The printed edition includes a critical introductory study, extensive indexes, and the related biographical entries from Kitab al-Masabih Akhbar Fakh wa Khabar Yah…+1.