Qisas al-Anbiya min al-Bidaya wa al-Nihaya

Qisas al-Anbiya min al-Bidaya wa al-Nihaya (Stories of the Prophets from The Beginning and the End) is the opening historical section of the universal chronicle al-Bidaya wa-al-Nihaya by the Damascene historian and exegete Ibn Kathir (701–774 AH / 1301–1373 CE), which has frequently been published as an independent work Qisas al-Anbiya min al-Bi…+1. It chronicles the origin of creation and the prophetic narratives from Adam to Jesus, concluding prior to the biography of the Prophet Muhammad al-Bidaya wa al-Nihaya.

Origin and Scope

Ibn Kathir composed al-Bidaya wa-al-Nihaya toward the end of his life, drawing substantially upon the material and cross-references established in his earlier work, Tafsir al-Qur'an al-Azim Qisas al-Anbiya min al-Bi…+1. In keeping with the tradition of early Muslim universal histories—such as those of al-Tabari and al-Mas'udi—the narrative begins with primordial cosmological events before proceeding to human history Qisas al-Anbiya min al-Bi….

As defined by Ibn Kathir in his preface, the scope of this section encompasses:

• The beginning of creation, including the Throne (al-'Arsh), the Footstool (al-Kursi), the Preserved Tablet (al-Lawh al-Mahfuz), the heavens and the earth, the angels, and the jinn al-Bidaya wa al-Nihaya.
• The creation of Adam and the accounts of early humanity al-Bidaya wa al-Nihaya.
• Sequential accounts of the prophets mentioned in Islamic tradition, extending through the biblical and post-biblical figures up to Jesus ('Isa) al-Bidaya wa al-Nihaya.
• Historical reports concerning past peoples and figures, such as Dhu al-Qarnayn, Gog and Magog, and pre-Islamic Arab communities such as Saba' and Rabi'a al-Bidaya wa al-Nihaya.

Structure

In printed divisions of the chronicle, the narrative is organized into two primary segments al-Bidaya wa al-Nihaya:

1. Cosmology and Early Prophets: Begins with the inception of creation and cosmological entities, followed by the creation of Adam, then relates the accounts of Idris, Noah (Nuh), Hud, Salih, Abraham (Ibrahim), Ishmael (Isma'il), Isaac (Ishaq), Jacob (Ya'qub), Joseph (Yusuf), Job (Ayyub), Dhu al-Kifl, the People of al-Rass, the People of Ya-Sin, and Jonah (Yunus) al-Bidaya wa al-Nihaya.
2. Later Prophets and Past Nations: Covers Moses (Musa), Joshua (Yusha'), al-Khidr, Elijah (Ilyas), Ezekiel (Hizqil), Elisha (al-Yasa'), Samuel (Shamwil), David (Dawud), Solomon (Sulayman), Zechariah (Zakariyya), John (Yahya), and Jesus ('Isa), followed by reports concerning Dhu al-Qarnayn, Gog and Magog, and early Arab history al-Bidaya wa al-Nihaya.

Method and Sources

Ibn Kathir employs a tradition-based methodology (al-riwaya) centered primarily on scriptural texts Qisas al-Anbiya min al-Bi…+1. At the beginning of each prophetic narrative, he gathers and arranges all relevant Quranic verses across the various suras Qisas al-Anbiya min al-Bi…. He supplements these verses with prophetic traditions from canonical hadith compendia, evaluating chains of transmission (asand) and ruling on the authenticity or weakness of specific reports Qisas al-Anbiya min al-Bi…+1.

A central feature of Ibn Kathir's approach is his critical treatment of extra-canonical biblical lore (Isra'iliyyat) Qisas al-Anbiya min al-Bi…+1. Following the principles outlined in his preface, he categorizes these traditions into three types:

• Narrations confirmed by the Quran or Sunnah, which are accepted as true, though rendered redundant by Islamic texts al-Bidaya wa al-Nihaya.
• Narrations explicitly contradicted by Islamic scripture, which are rejected as falsehoods and cited only for refutation Fiqh Ashrat al-Sa'a+1.
• Uncorroborated narrations neither confirmed nor denied by Islamic texts; these may be included merely for non-binding detail or illustration (al-tahalli bihi) rather than as authoritative evidence, in accordance with the prophetic permission وحَدِّثُوا عَنْ بَنِي إِسْرَائِيلَ وَلَا حَرَجَ ("Relate from the Children of Israel, and there is no harm") Marwiyat Ghazwat Bani al-…+1.

Publication History

The prophetic stories were originally printed as part of the complete text of al-Bidaya wa-al-Nihaya, including the early edition produced at Matba'at al-Sa'ada in Cairo (1348 AH) across 14 volumes Manhajiyyat al-Talif fi a…+1, as well as the 21-volume critical edition edited by Abdullah ibn Abd al-Muhsin al-Turki and published by Dar Hajar Manhajiyyat al-Talif fi a…. Owing to reader interest, editors and publishers also detached this section from the larger chronicle to issue it separately under the title Qisas al-Anbiya Qisas al-Anbiya min al-Bi….