Nawadir al-Khulafa = Ilam al-Nas bima waqa lil-Baramika ma Bani al-Abbas
- Author died
- 1150 AH
- Editions
- Dar al-Kutub al-Ilmiyyah
Nawadir al-Khulafa (also known as I‘lam al-Nas bima Waqa‘a lil-Baramika ma‘a Bani al-‘Abbas) is an Arabic collection of historical anecdotes and literary narratives compiled by the Egyptian storyteller and historian Muhammad Diyab al-Itlidi (d. after 1100 AH / 1689 CE) .
Background and Composition
al-Itlidi, a native of Minya (Iqlim Minyat al-Khasib) in Egypt, completed the work around 1100 AH (1689 CE) . In the introduction, the author states that he compiled the book in response to the request of an associate who asked him to assemble accounts of events that took place during the reigns of the early Umayyad Caliphate and Abbasid Caliphate rulers . He formally titled the work I‘lam al-Nas bima Waqa‘a lil-Baramika ma‘a Bani al-‘Abbas ("Informing the People of What Befell the Barmakids with the Abbasids"), though it also circulated under the title Nawadir al-Khulafa ("Anecdotes of the Caliphs") .
Content and Structure
The book opens with accounts of the second caliph, Umar ibn al-Khattab, whom the author placed at the beginning seeking blessing . It then proceeds to recount anecdotes, literary exchanges, and historical narratives involving Umayyad and Abbasid rulers, such as Harun al-Rashid and al-Ma'mun . A substantial portion of the work is dedicated to the history of the Barmakids, detailing their renowned generosity, their political standing, and the circumstances surrounding their downfall and execution under Harun al-Rashid .
Transmission and Reception
Manuscript copies of the book are preserved in several collections, including a manuscript at the Austrian National Library transcribed by Muhammad al-Sanjarji in 1150 AH (1737 CE), as well as copies held at the King Faisal Center for Research and Islamic Studies in Riyadh . The work was published in Cairo across multiple editions (including 1297 AH, 1301 AH, 1310 AH, and 1339 AH) and was later issued in Beirut by Dar Sader in 1990 .
While popular as a compendium of historical entertainment and court lore, modern scholars have noted that certain accounts and poems cited within it—such as the anecdote and verses of Sawt Safir al-Bulbul attributed to al-Asma'i—lack reliable historical transmission and are historically inaccurate .
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