al-Suluk fi Tabaqat al-Ulama wa al-Muluk
- Author died
- 732 AH
- Editions
- Maktabat al-Irshād
al-Suluk fi Tabaqat al-Ulama wa al-Muluk (The Path Regarding the Generations of Scholars and Kings) is a biographical chronicle composed by the Yemeni Shafi'i historian and judge Baha' al-Din al-Jundi (d. 732 AH / 1332 CE), documenting the lives of scholars, jurists, and political rulers of Yemen from the dawn of Islam through the early eighth century AH.
Background and Purpose
Al-Jundi compiled the work out of patriotic devotion to Yemen and at the prompting of his teacher, Abu al-Hasan al-Asbahi, aiming to preserve the historical memory of the region's prominent figures and inspire later generations to emulate earlier righteous scholars. Although the initial design was centered on the biographies of scholars—giving them precedence based on their religious standing—the author incorporated concise accounts of political rulers and prominent notables to provide a comprehensive record of both religious and temporal leadership.
Methodology and Sources
The book is structured around biographical entries (tabaqat) organized regionally and chronologically. Al-Jundi focuses predominantly on jurists who engaged in legal instruction and judicial rulings, covering figures involved in both legal understanding (diraya) and hadith transmission (riwaya). In each entry, he systematically records the subject's birth date when available, personal traits, scholastic lineage, public appointments—notably judicial offices—and concludes with the date and circumstances of death.
For earlier historical periods, al-Jundi drew primarily upon earlier written authorities:
- Tabaqat Fuqaha' al-Yaman by Ibn Samurah al-Ja'di for the earliest eras up to the late sixth century AH.
- The surviving third volume of the history of Sanaa by Ahmad ibn Abd Allah al-Razi, covering figures up to around 460 AH.
- Tarikh San'a by Ishaq ibn Yahya ibn Jarir al-San'ani al-Zuhri.
- Al-Mufid fi Akhbar San'a wa Zabid by the poet and historian 'Umara al-Yamani.
- Wafayat al-A'yan by Ibn Khallikan for non-Yemeni figures or shared historical backgrounds.
For the period from the 680s AH up to the year 722 AH, during which al-Jundi was actively writing, he relied on first-hand observation, personal acquaintance, and oral accounts transmitted directly by contemporary scholars and their families.
Reception and Editions
Also known as Tabaqat al-Jundi, the work is considered one of the primary historical sources for the political and intellectual history of medieval Islamic Yemen. It was widely consulted and cited by later regional chroniclers, including the Rasulid-era historian Ali ibn al-Hasan al-Khazraji in al-'Uqud al-Lu'lu'iyya.
The text has been published in a modern two-volume critical edition edited by the Yemeni scholar Muhammad ibn Ali al-Akwa' al-Hiwali.
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