Lubab al-Ansab wa al-Alqab wa al-Aqab
- Author died
- 565 AH
- Editions
- Lubab al-Ansab wa al-Alqab wa al-Aqab
Lubab al-Ansab wa al-Alqab wa al-Aqab (The Core of Genealogies, Titles, and Progenies) is a genealogical treatise by the Khurasanian historian and scholar Zahir al-Din Abu al-Hasan Ali ibn Zayd al-Bayhaqi, commonly known as Ibn Funduq (d. 565 AH / 1169–1170 CE) . The work focuses primarily on the lineages, branches, honorific titles, and historical records of the descendants of the Prophet's household (Ahl al-Bayt) and the regional leaders (nuqaba') of the Alid nobility .
Composition and Context
Ibn Funduq began drafting the book on a Saturday late in Jumada al-Akhirah 558 AH . Having left Nishapur due to civil strife, he spent nearly ten years residing in Bayhaq under the patronage of the local Alid leadership . The compilation was commissioned by the marshal of the Alid nobility (naqib al-sadat) in Bayhaq, 'Imad al-Din Abu al-Hasan Ali ibn Muhammad ibn Yahya ibn Hibat Allah of the Zubara lineage . Ibn Funduq completed the first volume in Ramadan 558 AH, but continued adding material and entries through 559 AH .
Structure and Contents
The work opens with a prologue praising the Prophet's lineage and an introduction addressing the nature, virtue, and necessity of genealogical knowledge ('ilm al-ansab), followed by an overview of earlier authorities who wrote on genealogy across various regions, such as Ibrahim ibn Isma'il al-Tabataba, Yahya ibn al-Hasan al-Husayni, Abu Nasr al-Bukhari, and Ahmad ibn Faris .
The body of the text is organized into thematic chapters and alphabetical sections:
- Alphabetical Titles and Genealogies: A compilation of names and honorific titles associated with descendants of the Prophet Muhammad, arranged alphabetically, along with the historical causes or explanations behind specific titles where known .
- Alid Revolts and Leadership: A section chronicling Alid figures who rose in political and military opposition and claimed religious leadership, identifying them with the early Zaydi imams, alongside discussions on the preeminence of Banu Hashim within Quraysh .
- Genealogical Branches and Tables: Comprehensive records of the lines of descent from the Shi'i Imams and their progeny, supplemented by structured tables detailing the martyrdoms of Talibid figures (maqatil al-Talibiyyin), their executioners, ages at death, and burial sites .
- Syndicates and Regional Lineages: Detailed genealogies of regional marshals (nuqaba') in territories such as Nishapur, Ghazna, and Khwarazm, including notices on fraudulent claimants whose genealogical claims were rejected and publicly punished by local syndicates .
- Patron's Lineage: A concluding genealogical exposition and panegyric dedicated to the patron, Sayyid Abu al-Hasan Ali ibn Muhammad ibn Yahya .
Transmission and Modern Editions
Although Ibn Funduq cross-referenced material intended for a second volume within the text, only the first volume is known to be extant across surviving manuscripts, with seven manuscript witnesses recorded by bibliographers .
An early edition published in Qom in 1400 AH suffered from pervasive typographical errors and misreadings . A later critical edition was edited by Mahdi al-Raja'i and published by the Mar'ashi Najafi Library in Qom in 1410 AH (1989/1990 CE) .
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