al-Tarikh al-Kabir li-Ibn Abi Khaythama - al-Safr al-Thani
- Author died
- 279 AH
- Editions
- T al-Faruq
al-Tarikh al-Kabir li-Ibn Abi Khaythama – al-Safr al-Thani (The Great History by Ibn Abi Khaythama – Second Volume) is the second major volume of the extensive biographical and historical compendium al-Tarikh al-Kabir, authored by the Baghdadi hadith master and historian Abu Bakr Ahmad ibn Abi Khaythama (d. 279 AH / 892 CE) .
Scope and Methodology
al-Tarikh al-Kabir is designed as an encyclopedic biographical source on hadith narrators, incorporating narrator criticism (al-jarh wa-l-ta'dil), prophetic traditions, historical reports, and biographical notices . Ibn Abi Khaythama drew together several branches of early Islamic scholarship under authoritative teachers: hadith and narrator evaluations from Ahmad ibn Hanbal and Yahya ibn Ma'in, genealogical records from Mus'ab al-Zubayri, historical narratives from Abu al-Hasan al-Mada'ini, and literature and poetry from Muhammad ibn Sallam al-Jumahi . He was also aided in the compilation of the history by his son, the hadith scholar Abu Abd Allah Muhammad ibn Ahmad .
Describing the comprehensive nature of the work, Ibn Abi Khaythama remarked:
"Whoever takes this book has taken the essence of my knowledge. I extracted it from a house filled with books; it contains sixty thousand traditions—ten thousand traced back with chains to the Prophet ﷺ, while the remainder consists of mursal narrations and historical reports (hikayat)" .
According to the bibliographer Ibn Khayr al-Ishbili, the complete work was divided into thirty parts (ajza'), arranged across multi-volume codices or travel volumes (asfar) .
Reception and Scholarly Standing
The work was held in high regard among classical scholars for its breadth and accuracy. Al-Khatib al-Baghdadi noted that Ibn Abi Khaythama composed it superbly and observed: "I know of no work richer in benefits than the book of history compiled by Ahmad ibn Abi Khaythama" . Ibn Kathir similarly noted that his history contained abundant unique insights and scholarly benefits .
Ibn Abi Khaythama maintained strict transmission standards, refusing to grant authorization or transmit his history except through direct audition and verified reading ('ala al-wajh), attracting major senior scholars who heard it directly from him, including Abu al-Qasim al-Baghawi .
Manuscripts and Publication
Only parts of Ibn Abi Khaythama's large compilation have survived down to modern times . The manuscript of the second volume (al-Sifr al-Thani) is preserved in the National Library in Rabat (al-Khizana al-Amma) under shelf mark number 138 .
This volume was edited across three master's degree theses at the Islamic University of Madinah under the supervision of Marzuq ibn Hayyas al-Zahrani . It was subsequently edited by Salah ibn Fathi Halal and published in Cairo by al-Faruq al-Haditha lil-Tiba'a wa-l-Nashr in 1427 AH / 2006 CE .
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