Qisas min al-Tarikh
- Author died
- 1420 AH
- Editions
- Dar Al-Manarah for Publishing and Distribution
Qisas min al-Tarikh (Stories from History) is a historical-literary work by the Syrian Islamic scholar and writer Ali al-Tantawi (d. 1420 AH / 1999 CE), presenting expanded literary retellings of episodes and vignettes drawn from Islamic history.
Composition and Development
The chapters of the book were not written all at once, but rather over distant intervals spanning several years. Many of the stories were composed between 1929 and 1936 CE, and the collection was first published in book form in 1939 CE under the title Min al-Tarikh al-Islami (From Islamic History). It was later reissued and expanded under the title Qisas min al-Tarikh, with subsequent editions reflecting its established standing among al-Tantawi’s literary corpus. In his introduction to later editions, al-Tantawi stated that he held this work in uniquely high regard, nearly preferring it over all his other books.
Method and Style
Al-Tantawi described his approach as preserving the factual core of historical reports while exercising his literary pen on the external details and descriptions, thereby producing narratives that were neither dry historical recordings nor pure literary inventions. He did not bind himself strictly to conventional short-story structures; instead, he took brief historical reports—often comprising only a few lines tucked away in footnotes or neglected corners of classical chronicles—and expanded them into vivid depictions. The resulting chapters alternated between short story form, reportage-style presentation (reportage), and psychological character analysis.
Because the pieces were composed across different stages of his early literary career, their prose styles varied. Al-Tantawi acknowledged the influence of contemporary literary figures on some of the narratives: his stories concerning al-Hajjaj—namely "Hijrat Mu‘allim" (A Teacher's Emigration), "Laylat al-Wada‘" (The Night of Farewell), and "Yawm al-Liqa’" (The Day of Encounter)—reflected the style of Ma'ruf al-Arna'ut, while the story "‘Alim" (A Scholar) was influenced by Mustafa Sadiq al-Rafi'i, with the remaining chapters composed in his own characteristic style.
In the overarching theme of the work, al-Tantawi emphasized that the grandeur of Islamic history lay not merely in the political annals of palaces and rulers, but primarily in its intellectual history, the sacrifices of scholars travelling vast distances in search of knowledge, and the independence and moral fortitude of judges who upheld justice without fear of rulers.
Critical Reception and Publication
The book was reviewed and analyzed by several literary critics. Al-Tantawi cited the critical treatments by Shaker Mustafa in his study al-Qissah fi Suriya (The Short Story in Syria) and by Anwar al-Jundi as being among the most comprehensive evaluations of the book.
Qisas min al-Tarikh underwent multiple printings through various publishing houses. Early editions were issued by publishers including Zuhayr al-Shawish (al-Maktab al-Islami) and Adnan Salim (Dar al-Fikr). In 1411 AH (in Mecca), al-Tantawi prepared a fifth edition, exclusively assigning the publication rights of his books to Dar al-Manara. Subsequent releases by Dar al-Manara were edited, reviewed, and annotated by the author's grandson, Mujahid Ma'mun Dayraniyyah.
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