Lub al-Lubab fi Tahrir al-Ansab
- Author died
- 911 AH
- Editions
- Dār Ṣādir
Lub al-Lubab fi Tahrir al-Ansab (The Core of the Pith in the Verification of Genealogies) is a concise dictionary of genealogical and geographical attributions (nisbas) compiled by al-Jalal al-Suyuti (d. 911 AH / 1505 CE) .
Composition and Sources
Al-Suyuti designed the work as an abridgment and refinement of al-Lubab fi Tahdhib al-Ansab by Izz al-Din Ibn al-Athir (555–630 AH), which was itself an epitome and expansion of Abu Sa'd al-Sam'ani's extensive genealogical dictionary Kitab al-Ansab . In his introduction, al-Suyuti noted that he composed the book to provide hadith scholars with an accessible reference on nisbas that met their needs without unnecessary digressions . He completed the drafting of the work in the month of Safar 873 AH (1468 CE) .
Method and Structure
In condensing Ibn al-Athir's text, al-Suyuti removed the biographical details of individuals associated with each attribution, retaining primarily the definition and correct vocalization of each nisba . He also supplemented the work with many additional entries omitted by both al-Sam'ani and Ibn al-Athir, drawing most of these additions from Yaqut al-Hamawi's geographical dictionary Mu'jam al-Buldan . To differentiate his own contributions from the underlying text, he prefixed his additions with the formula qultu ("I say") and concluded them with intahā ("ended") .
Reception, Continuations, and Editions
The work was widely consulted and utilized by subsequent scholars:
- Katip Celebi incorporated the entirety of Lub al-Lubab into the second part of his biographical compendium Sullam al-Wusul ila Tabaqat al-Fuhul, adding further nisbas and highlighting al-Suyuti's additions .
- Ahmad ibn Ahmad al-'Ajami al-Wafa'i (d. 1086 AH) authored a supplement titled Dhayl Lub al-Lubab fi Tahrir al-Ansab .
- Abbas al-Madani compiled an abridgment of his own supplement on omitted genealogies, entitled Mukhtasar Fath Rabb al-Arbab bima Uhmila fi Lub al-Lubab min Wajib al-Ansab, completed in Jumada al-Ula 1345 AH .
Lub al-Lubab fi Tahrir al-Ansab was edited and printed in Leiden between 1840 and 1842 under the care of the orientalist Petrus Johannes Veth .
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