Dhayl al-Iraqi ala al-Ibar

Dhayl al-Iraqi ala al-Ibar (Continuation of al-Iraqi upon al-Ibar) is a biographical chronicle by the hadith scholar al-Hafiz Zayn al-Din Abd al-Rahim ibn al-Husayn al-Iraqi (d. 806 AH / 1404 CE), written as a supplement to al-Dhahabi's historical work al-Ibar fi khabar man ghabar al-Hafiz al-Iraqi wa Atha…+1.

Background and Scope

Al-Dhahabi originally concluded al-Ibar at the year 700 AH and later composed an initial continuation (Dhayl al-Ibar) covering the years 701 AH through 740 AH al-Hafiz al-Iraqi wa Atha…+1. In the introduction to his work, al-Iraqi relates that he had initially begun writing a continuation starting from the year 700 AH Dhayl al-Iraqi ala al-Iba…. However, after obtaining al-Dhahabi's own autograph continuation running up to 740 AH, which was followed by another continuation written by his contemporary al-Husayni (which al-Iraqi acquired from his estate and later misplaced), al-Iraqi decided to begin his chronicle from the start of 741 AH Dhayl al-Iraqi ala al-Iba…+1. The work spans approximately twenty-two years, concluding at the end of the year 763 AH al-Hafiz al-Iraqi wa Atha…+1.

Because it resumes precisely where al-Dhahabi's continuation ended, scholars have referred to the text variously as al-Dhayl ala Dhayl al-Ibar, al-Dhayl ala al-Ibar, or Dhayl Tarikh al-Islam (given that al-Ibar is an abridgment of al-Dhahabi's Tarikh al-Islam) al-Hafiz al-Iraqi wa Atha…. Later bibliographers such as al-Sakhawi and Haji Khalifa occasionally confused it with al-Iraqi's separate continuation on Ibn Aybak al-Dimyati's Wafayat, mistakenly describing the work on al-Ibar as a continuation on Ibn Aybak Kashf al-Zunun an Asami a…+1.

Method and Content

The book follows an annalistic structure, dividing entries by year al-Wafayat - lil-Iraqi. Al-Iraqi focused primarily on biographical notices (tarajim) of deceased scholars, hadith transmitters, and prominent figures rather than detailed narrations of political events (hawadith); in several years, historical events are omitted entirely in favor of obituaries al-Hafiz al-Iraqi wa Atha…. Because of this focus, contemporary scholars and early biographers frequently cited the book under the title al-Wafayat or Tarikh al-Iraqi al-Wafayat - lil-Iraqi+1.

Reception and Continuations

The work served as an authoritative reference for later Mamluk-era historians:

• Ibn Khatib al-Nasiriyyah (d. 843 AH) compiled an excerpted selection (Muntaqa) from the text across its entire chronology al-Wafayat - lil-Iraqi+1.
• Ibn Qadi Shuhba (d. 851 AH) drew upon it heavily for the obituaries in his chronicle al-I'lam (Tarikh Ibn Qadi Shuhba), routinely citing al-Iraqi's entries for each year between 741 AH and 763 AH al-Wafayat - lil-Iraqi+1.
• Taqiyy al-Din al-Fasi (d. 832 AH) received the work through authorization (ijazah) directly from al-Iraqi and listed it among his primary sources in al-Iqd al-Thamin Kashf al-Zunun an Asami a…+1.
• Shihab al-Din ibn Hijji (d. 816 AH) documented that this continuation ended with the close of 763 AH, while also noting that he examined and summarized quires from an additional autograph obituary text by al-Iraqi extending past that date al-Hafiz al-Iraqi wa Atha….

The text was itself continued by al-Iraqi's son, Wali al-Din Abu Zur'a Ahmad ibn Abd al-Rahim al-Iraqi (d. 826 AH), who authored a continuation beginning from the year of his own birth (762 AH) and extending to 786 AH Kashf al-Zunun an Asami a…+1. A further continuation was written by al-Murshidi (d. 833 AH), covering the period from 764 AH to 778 AH Dhayl al-Iraqi ala al-Iba….