al-Muntakhab fi Dhikr Nasab Qabail al-Arab
- Author died
- 1364 AH
- Editions
- al-Muntakhab fi Dhikr Nasab Qabail al-Arab
al-Muntakhab fi Dhikr Nasab Qabail al-Arab (The Selected Account Concerning the Lineage of Arab Tribes) is a genealogical treatise composed by the Najdi historian and genealogist Abd al-Rahman ibn Hamad al-Mughayri (d. 1364 AH / 1944 CE), focusing on the ancestral lines, branches, and historical settlements of Arab tribes .
Composition and Sources
The author, Abd al-Rahman ibn Hamad ibn Zayd al-Mughayri al-Lami al-Tai—a Hanbali scholar hailing from the town of Marat in the al-Washm region of Najd—states in his introduction that he composed the book in response to requests from colleagues to compile a summary of Arab origins . He was motivated by what he perceived as a widespread decline of interest in genealogy among his contemporaries, despite its foundational status in classical Arab scholarship .
Al-Mughayri drew upon classical genealogical and historical compilations, including Qala'id al-Juman (which he attributes to al-Suyuti), Saba'ik al-Dhahab by al-Suwaydi, Wasaya al-Muluk, al-Iqd al-Farid, and the chronicle of Ibn al-Athir . In addition to written sources, he incorporated contemporary oral reports gathered directly from trustworthy informants among both nomadic Bedouin and settled communities in the Arabian Peninsula .
Structure and Content
The work begins with an overview of the origins of humanity, descending from Adam through Noah and his sons (Shem, Ham, and Japheth) . Al-Mughayri outlines the geography of the Arabian Peninsula, dividing it into eight distinct regions: al-Hijaz, Yemen, Hadramawt, Mahra, Oman, al-Ahsa, Najd, and al-Ahqaf .
The genealogical discourse categorizes Arab tribes into historical tiers:
- The ancient, extinct tribes (al-Arab al-Ba'ida or al-Ariba), comprising nine groups such as Ad, Thamud, Tasm, Jadis, and Jurhum .
- The surviving branches stemming from Qahtan and Adnan, detailing their major confederations, offshoots, migrations, and clan alliances across central, northern, and southern Arabia .
A substantial portion of the text traces late and contemporary Arabian tribes, detailing branches of groups such as Banu Lam (including Al Mughira, Al Fadul, and al-Zafir), Banu Khalid, Banu Hajir, and the tribes of Asir .
Reception and Editions
The work has been utilized as a primary regional reference for central Arabian tribal history and lineage, though subsequent scholars and editors have scrutinized certain tribal attributions . Genealogists such as Abu Abd al-Rahman Ibn Aqil al-Dhahiri noted tensions between certain oral traditions transmitted by al-Mughayri and earlier historical documentation, such as his conflicting statements on the descent of Banu Hajir . Similarly, the editor Dr. Ibrahim ibn Mahmud al-Zayd provided critical annotations on al-Mughayri's classifications of southwestern tribes, including Asir and Balqarn .
Al-Muntakhab has been printed multiple times, with later printings incorporating an extensive biography of the author . An academic edition edited by Dr. Ibrahim ibn Mahmud al-Zayd was published in a second edition in 1407 AH / 1985 CE . Printed editions of the book also append two historical treatises authored by Muhammad ibn Abd al-Aziz ibn Mani' concerning the rulers and judges of Unayzah, collectively titled al-I'lam bi-Man Waliya Unayzah min al-Umara' wa-l-Qudah al-A'lam .
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