Isaf al-Ayan fi Ansab Ahl Oman
- Author died
- 1414 AH
- Editions
- al-Maktab al-Islāmī
Isaf al-Ayan fi Ansab Ahl Oman (Relief of the Notables Concerning the Genealogies of the People of Oman) is a treatise on the genealogy of Omani tribes authored by the Omani Ibadi scholar, historian, and poet Salim ibn Hammud al-Siyabi (1326–1414 AH / 1908–1994 CE) .
Background and Composition
Al-Siyabi completed the manuscript of the book on 25 Shawwal 1382 AH . The composition arose after Sheikh Muhammad ibn Said ibn Ghabbash—then residing in Qatar and previously a judge in Ras al-Khaimah and al-Khobar—requested material on the genealogies of Omani tribes or the genealogical treatise of al-Awtabi from Sheikh Ibrahim ibn Said al-Ibri . Finding existing references such as al-Awtabi's Kitab al-Ansab and Kashf al-Ghummah insufficient for the purpose, al-Ibri learned that al-Siyabi had already begun gathering tribal records into a separate volume and urged him to finish the work .
Upon completing the draft, al-Siyabi sent the text to al-Ibri for review, correction, and additions, granting him permission to amend it . Al-Ibri incorporated certain additions directly into the main text, placed others in marginal glosses labeled qawluhu, and composed a preface highlighting the book's standing as a standalone reference on Omani lineages, while noting that it omitted certain tribes such as the Nu'aym, the Shawamis (Al Bu Shamis), and Bani Hiya . The author designated the work as the third section of his broader historical project, al-Unwan fi Tarikh Ahl Oman, referencing it for broader biographical and historical details .
Contents and Scope
The book is structured as a survey of both Adnanite and Qahtanite Arab lineages settled in Oman, detailing their origins, clans, migrations, settlements across regions such as al-Batinah and al-Dakhiliyyah, and prominent historical and scholarly figures . Al-Siyabi opened the text with a preliminary section on the virtues and characteristics of the Arabs (Fadl al-Arab) .
The author acknowledged in his introduction that the compilation was arranged to satisfy the inquiry of the petitioner rather than following a strict formal classification . Editors noted that the narrative shifts between tribal groups without a uniform genealogical tree, moving between clans of Mudar, Hawazin, Ghatafan, and Rabiah before returning to earlier groupings .
Publication and Editorial History
The work was presented to the ruler of Qatar, Sheikh Ahmad ibn Ali Al Thani, who funded its initial publication as an endowment (waqf) . Abd al-Badi Saqr, the director of Dar al-Kutub al-Qatariyya, conducted an initial review and punctuation of the manuscript .
The editorial preparation was supervised by Zuhayr al-Shawish and corrected with annotations and indices by Muhammad Said al-Tantawi at al-Maktab al-Islami . The hadith narrations cited in the treatise were verified and documented by Muhammad Nasir al-Din al-Albani in a dedicated appendix completed in Damascus on 26 Sha'ban 1384 AH . The edition was printed in Beirut on Thursday, 26 Ramadan 1384 AH (28 January 1965 CE), accompanied by comprehensive indexes of verses, poetry, cited books, locations, and subjects .
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