Dhayl Mirat al-Zaman
- Author died
- 726 AH
- Editions
- Dar al-Kitab al-Islami
Dhayl Mirat al-Zaman (The Continuation of the Mirror of Time) is a multi-volume Arabic historical chronicle composed by the Syrian Hanbali scholar and historian Abu al-Fath Qutb al-Din Musa ibn Muhammad al-Yunini (640–726 AH / 1242–1326 CE) as an annalistic continuation of the universal history of Sibt Ibn al-Jawzi .
Composition and Purpose
Before writing the continuation, al-Yunini produced an abridgment of Sibt Ibn al-Jawzi's large chronicle, Mirat al-Zaman fi Ta'rikh al-A'yan (The Mirror of Time on the Histories of Notables), which he praised for its eloquence and scope . Upon completing the summary, he observed that the original work broke off in the year 654 AH (1256 CE), during which Sibt Ibn al-Jawzi died . Al-Yunini subsequently resolved to append a continuation beginning from 654 AH and carrying the historical record forward across subsequent decades .
Scope, Method, and Sources
The work is organized as a yearly chronicle detailing both political events (hawadith) and biographical obituaries (wafayat) . The author noted in his introduction that his material drew from reports directly conveyed to him by eyewitnesses, oral transmissions, and transcriptions from the manuscripts and notes of earlier scholars . Among his principal written sources for biographical entries was Silat al-Takmila li-Wafayat al-Naqala by Izz al-Din al-Husayni . Al-Yunini also occasionally digressed to mention earlier occurrences or individuals whose deaths preceded 654 AH when relevant . The text originally circulated in four manuscript volumes .
Reception and Continuations
Ibn Kathir commended the book as a well-ordered and beneficial chronicle, remarking that al-Yunini wrote in a lucid, accessible style characterized by fairness and discretion . Later historians of the Mamluk era, including Shams al-Din al-Dhahabi and Salah al-Din al-Safadi, relied heavily on al-Yunini's chronicle and incorporated substantial excerpts into their own historical works . The Damascene traditionist and historian ‘Alam al-Din al-Birzali composed a dedicated continuation to al-Yunini's work (Dhayl Dhaylih) .
Editions
Portions of Dhayl Mirat al-Zaman were published in Hyderabad at the Osmania Oriental Publications Bureau (covering the years 654–686 AH) . Subsequent sections covering later years, including the spans 687–696 AH and 697–711 AH, have been edited and published in separate volumes .
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