Shams al-Din al-Dhahabi
al-Mukhtasar al-Muhtaj Ilayhi min Tarikh Ibn al-Dubaythi
- Author died
- 748 AH
- Editions
- al-Ilmiyya edition
al-Mukhtasar al-Muhtaj Ilayhi min Tarikh Ibn al-Dubaythi (The Essential Epitome from the History of Ibn al-Dubaythi) is a biographical reference work by the Syrian traditionist and historian Shams al-Din al-Dhahabi (d. 748 AH / 1348 CE), abridging the biographical history written by Abu Abd Allah Muhammad ibn Sa'id Ibn al-Dubaythi (558–637 AH / 1163–1239 CE) .
Composition and Scope
The source text by the Wasit-born traditionist Ibn al-Dubaythi was conceived as a biographical continuation (dhayl) to the supplement written by Abu Sa'd al-Sam'ani, which itself continued the monumental Tarikh Baghdad (History of Baghdad) of al-Khatib al-Baghdadi . Ibn al-Dubaythi's original four-volume work recorded biographies of scholars, hadith transmitters, and notable figures who lived in or visited Baghdad and surrounding regions such as Wasit, including individuals omitted by al-Sam'ani .
Al-Dhahabi compiled this selection to extract the essential historical and prosopographical data from Ibn al-Dubaythi's text, condensing the original work to roughly half its length .
Method and Structure
The abridgment follows an onomastic alphabetical arrangement, opening with entries for individuals named Muhammad whose fathers were named Ahmad . Each entry typically records the subject's lineage, nisbas, teachers from whom they transmitted, students who heard from them, places of study and residence, and verified dates of birth and death when available . Al-Dhahabi preserved Ibn al-Dubaythi's evaluations of narrators, his notes on whether transmitters had been overlooked by al-Sam'ani, and references to relevant chains of transmission and poetry .
Printed Editions
The work was first edited and published in Baghdad by Dr. Mustafa Jawad under the auspices of the Iraqi Academy of Sciences (al-Majma' al-'Ilmi al-'Iraqi), appearing in parts between 1951 and 1977 based on a manuscript preserved in Dar al-Kutub al-Misriyya . It was subsequently republished in Beirut by Dar al-Kutub al-'Ilmiyyah (1405 AH / 1985 CE), where it was incorporated into the supplementary volumes of their edition of Tarikh Baghdad as volume fifteen .
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