Takmilat Siyar Alam al-Nubala
- Author died
- 748 AH
- Editions
- Dar al-Risala al-Alamiyya
Takmilat Siyar Alam al-Nubala (The Continuation of the Biographies of Eminent Nobles) is a biographical supplement compiled by Shams al-Din al-Dhahabi (d. 748 AH / 1348 CE) to extend his major biographical compendium, Siyar A'lam al-Nubala, up to his own era .
Scope and Composition
Unlike an earlier published supplement (al-Tatimma) that consisted merely of abridged biographies extracted from al-Dhahabi's Tarikh al-Islam (History of Islam) ending around 700 AH, this Takmila extends biographical coverage to the time of al-Dhahabi's death in 748 AH . The text covers two distinct chronological periods:
- From 654 AH to 700 AH .
- From 701 AH to the death of the author in 748 AH .
Scholarly Debate and Classification
Scholars have differed over whether this text constitutes an integral part of the original Siyar, a formal appendix (dhayl) to it, or a supplement to Tarikh al-Islam . A note recorded by al-Qurashi in his manuscript copy quotes al-Dhahabi describing it as an appended volume to Tarikh al-Islam resembling a dhayl . However, several pieces of internal and historical evidence affirm its structural unity with Siyar A'lam al-Nubala:
- Taqi al-Din al-Fasi noted in Ta'rif Dhawi al-'Ula that al-Dhahabi concluded Siyar A'lam al-Nubala with the biography of the traditionist Jamal al-Din al-Mizzi, which is the closing biography of this work .
- Al-Shawkani cited al-Dhahabi's entry on Tankiz, the viceroy of Damascus (entry no. 932 in this work), explicitly noting in Al-Badr al-Tali' that it appears near the end of Siyar A'lam al-Nubala .
- Ibn al-Wazir quoted the biography of Ibn Taymiyya in Al-'Awasim wa-al-Qawasim verbatim, stating that he transmitted it directly from al-Dhahabi's al-Nubala' .
- Manuscript copies contain a section heading before the biography of al-Kahhal (entry no. 818) marking "the Fortieth Class" (al-Tabaqa al-Arba'un), indicating that al-Dhahabi completed the generational structure of the Siyar up through forty classes .
Manuscripts and Publication
The text is preserved in primary manuscripts, including the copy of al-Qurashi and a Dublin manuscript that contains a reading certificate (thabat qira'a) before al-Dhahabi . It was edited by 'Adil Murshid and Ahmad Barhum, who reconciled the classification debate by publishing it under the comprehensive title Takmilat al-Hafiz al-Dhahabi 'ala Kitabayhi Siyar A'lam al-Nubala wa-Tarikh al-Islam (Amman, 1435 AH / 2014 CE), observing that while the first period (654–700 AH) unquestionably completes the Siyar, the second period (701–748 AH) effectively serves as a continuation to both Siyar A'lam al-Nubala and Tarikh al-Islam simultaneously .
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