al-Inbah fi Dhikr al-Qabail al-Ruwat
- Author died
- 463 AH
- Editions
- T al-Turki
al-Inbah fi Dhikr al-Qabail al-Ruwat (also referred to as al-Inbah ala Qabail al-Ruwat) is a genealogical treatise by the Andalusian traditionist Ibn Abd al-Barr (368–463 AH / 978–1071 CE), written as an introductory companion to his biographical dictionary of the Companions, al-Isti'ab fi Ma'rifat al-Ashab .
Purpose and Scope
Ibn Abd al-Barr composed the book to establish the lineages of the Arab tribes whose members transmitted traditions from the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ, including Quraysh, the Ansar, and the broader tribal divisions of the Arabs . He noted that placing these genealogical classifications in a dedicated introductory volume spared him from repeatedly tracing full ancestral lineages in al-Isti'ab, thereby fulfilling his aim of conciseness and accessibility in that work .
Contents and Method
The work focuses on the overarching structure of Arab genealogy, organized around the two primary roots of Adnan and Qahtan . Ibn Abd al-Barr records both consensus views and differing transmissions concerning early ancestral lines. He discusses the scholarly disagreements surrounding the number of ancestors between Adnan and Ishmael, as well as the variant opinions regarding Qahtan—whether his lineage traces back to Aram, Eber (Abir), or Ishmael . In presenting these genealogies, he cites earlier authorities and transmitters, including the genealogist Muhammad ibn Abda ibn Sulayman, Ibn Ishaq, and Ibn Hisham .
Transmission and Reception
The book was transmitted through several Andalusian chains. Ibn Khayr al-Ishbili documented receiving it via a chain that included Abu Ali al-Ghassani, who read the text directly to Ibn Abd al-Barr at his home in Játiva (Shatiba) in 453 AH, as well as by written authorization (ijaza) from Abu Muhammad ibn Attab and Abu al-Hasan Ali ibn Abd Allah ibn Mawhab . Later scholars made extensive use of the treatise; Ibn Kathir referenced it when discussing early Arab genealogies, and Ibn Fadl Allah al-Umari listed it among his primary sources in Masalik al-Absar .
Manuscripts and Editions
Manuscripts of al-Inbah are preserved in several collections, including a complete copy in the Hagia Sophia library (Ayasofya) and another in the al-Asad National Library in Aleppo (MS 13581) . The work was published in Cairo by Maktabat al-Qudsi in 1350 AH (1931–1932 CE), printed alongside Ibn Abd al-Barr's other genealogical treatise, al-Qasd wa-l-Amam . It was subsequently edited by Ibrahim al-Ibyari and published by Dar al-Kitab al-Arabi in Beirut in 1405 AH (1985 CE), and has also been published as an introductory volume prefixed to editions of al-Isti'ab .
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