Mukhtalif al-Qaba'il wa Mutalifiha

Mukhtalif al-Qaba'il wa Mutalifiha (The Dissimilar and Similar Tribal Names) is a concise genealogical treatise on homonymous and paronymous Arab tribal names by the Baghdadi genealogist and philologist Muhammad ibn Habib (d. 245 AH / 859–860 CE) al-Qirt ala al-Kamil+1. It is considered one of the earliest specialized compositions dedicated to distinguishing tribal names that share identical or similar Arabic orthography but differ in vocalization or diacritics (al-muʾtalif wa-l-mukhtalif) Athar Abd al-Rahman ibn Y…+1.

Title and Scope

The work is known under several titles in biographical and bibliographical literature. Ibn al-Nadim listed it as Kitab al-Muʾtalif wa-l-Mukhtalif fi al-Nasab, whereas Yaqut al-Hamawi and Ibn Khayr al-Ishbili recorded it as Kitab al-Muʾtalif wa-l-Mukhtalif fi Asmaʾ al-Qabaʾil al-Fihrist+1. Katip Celebi referred to it as Kitab al-Mukhtalif wa-l-Muʾtalif fi Asmaʾ al-Qabaʾil, while modern printings have frequently used the title Mukhtalif al-Qaba'il wa Mutalifiha al-Qirt ala al-Kamil+1.

The treatise is brief and focuses specifically on disambiguating the spelling and vocalization of tribal lineages al-Qirt ala al-Kamil+1. It arranges tribal branches that share an orthographic skeleton and provides their exact vocalizations across different confederations; for example, it opens by distinguishing Hudan (with a damma) in Azd, Hadan (with a fatha) in Banu Tamim, Jaddan (with a jīm and doubled dāl) in Rabi'a, Khaddan (with a khāʾ) in Banu Asad, and Dhu Hudan or Dhu Hadan in Hamdan Athar Abd al-Rahman ibn Y….

Reception and Adaptations

The book received particular attention among scholars in al-Andalus, who transmitted, explained, and refined it al-Qirt ala al-Kamil. The Andalusian scholar Abu 'Ubayd al-Bakri (d. 487 AH) produced an abridgment and refinement titled Tahdhib al-Muʾtalif wa-l-Mukhtalif, which Ibn Khayr copied from al-Bakri's own autograph al-Qirt ala al-Kamil+1. The judge Abu al-Walid al-Waqqashi (d. 489 AH) likewise compiled a revision titled Tahdhib al-Muʾtalif wa-l-Mukhtalif fi Asmaʾ al-Qabaʾil, transmitted by Ibn Khayr on the authority of Sufyan ibn al-ʿAsi al-Asadi al-Qirt ala al-Kamil+1. Later genealogists and traditionists drew upon these revisions; Ibn Nasir al-Din al-Dimashqi (d. 842 AH) frequently cited al-Waqqashi's recension in his Tawdih al-Mushtabih al-Taliq ala al-Muwatta f….

Manuscripts and Editions

Surviving copies of the original treatise are scarce Athar Abd al-Rahman ibn Y…. A primary manuscript was transcribed in Mecca by the historian al-Maqrizi (d. 845 AH), which included extensive marginal vocalizations and vocalization notes Athar Abd al-Rahman ibn Y…+1.

The German Orientalist Ferdinand Wüstenfeld first published the text in Göttingen in 1850 based on al-Maqrizi's transcript, appending a German introduction Mujam al-Matbuat al-Arabi…+1. The work was later reprinted in Pakistan under the title Mukhtalif al-Qaba'il wa Mutalifiha al-Qirt ala al-Kamil. In 1400 AH / 1980 CE, Hamad al-Jasir edited and reissued the text in Riyadh, published jointly with al-Inas fi 'Ilm al-Ansab by al-Wazir al-Maghribi al-Ima ila Atraf Ahadith …+1. It was also edited by Ibrahim al-Ibyari and published in Cairo and Beirut in 1980 Tahdhib Mustamir al-Awham….