Jamharat Nasab Quraysh wa Akhbariha
- Author died
- 256 AH
- Editions
- Matba'at al-Madani
Jamharat Nasab Quraysh wa Akhbariha (The Compendium of the Genealogy of Quraysh and Their Traditions) is an early genealogical and historical work by the Meccan judge and scholar al-Zubayr ibn Bakkar (172–256 AH / 788–870 CE), dedicated to the lineages, biographies, and historical traditions of the tribe of Quraysh .
Scope and Contents
The work is recognized in classical bibliographic and biographical sources under various titles, including Kitab Nasab Quraysh wa Akhbariha, Jamharat Ansab Quraysh, and simply Kitab al-Nasab . The book compiles extensive records of the lineages of Quraysh, tracing their branches and notable figures, while embedding historical reports (akhbar), poems, and notable deeds (ma'athir) associated with each clan and individual .
Because of its extensive historical narrative alongside genealogical trees, the scholar and musician Ishaq al-Mawsili famously remarked to the author: "You have composed a work and named it Kitab al-Nasab (The Book of Genealogy), yet it is a book of historical narratives (Kitab al-Akhbar)!", to which al-Zubayr replied: "And you have composed a work and named it Kitab al-Aghani (The Book of Songs), yet it is a book of poetic motifs (Kitab al-Ma'ani)!" .
Transmission and Reception
Jamharat Nasab Quraysh wa Akhbariha became one of the fundamental references on the genealogy of Quraysh, with biographical and historical authorities describing it as the standard work upon which later scholars relied for determining Qurayshite lineages . Ibn Kathir characterized it as an exhaustive and comprehensive work, noting that both al-Daraqutni and al-Khatib al-Baghdadi authenticated al-Zubayr and praised his compilation . Al-Sam'ani referred to al-Zubayr principally as Sahib Kitab al-Nasab ("the author of the Book of Genealogy") .
The book was studied directly with the author during his lifetime; his student Ahmad ibn Sulayman recounted that al-Zubayr died just three days after his students had completed their reading of Kitab al-Nasab before him in Mecca . In modern times, the extant portion of the work was edited by the Egyptian scholar Mahmud Muhammad Shakir .
Answer updated