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Sayf ibn Umar

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Sayf ibn Umar
Personal life
Born
Kufa, Arabia
DiedDuring 786-809
EraMedieval era
RegionUmayyad Caliphate
Notable work(s)Kitab al-Futuh
Religious life
ReligionIslam
DenominationSunni

Sayf ibn Umar (Template:Lang-ar) was an early Islamic historian and compiler of reports who lived in Kufa. He wrote Kitāb al-futūh al-kabīr wa 'l-ridda, which is al-Tabari's main source for the Ridda wars and early Muslim conquests. It also contains important information on the structure of early Muslim armies and government. According to al-Dhahabi, Sayf died during the reign of Harun al-Rashid (786-809).[1] Sayf has contributed much about Bani Amr's heroic deeds.[2]

Life

According to many sources, Sayf's full name was Sayf ibn Umar al-Usayyidi al-Tamimi (Template:Lang-ar).[3][4] According to other sources, his name was ‘Amr ibn Tamimi.[2] Sayf was a descendent of Bani Amir.[2] He was from Kufa and lived in Baghdad.[2] Sayf belonged to the tribe of Banu Tamim.[5]

Reliability

Historian views

The reliability of his hadiths has long been contested.[1] Since he was the sole transmitter of many of his historical narrations, especially pertaining to the conquest of Iraq, some historians have accused him of fabrication, most notably Julius Wellhausen.[6] His narrations are said to be influenced by the tribal traditions of Banu Tamim.[7] However, he also collected accounts that highlight other tribes.[7]

However, recent scholarship suggests that Sayf is reliable.[8][9] W. F. Tucker and Ella Landau Tasseron note that although Sayf may have been an unscrupulous hadith collector, this should not detract from his general reliability as a transmitter of historical information (akhbārī).[9] Tucker adds that accusations of bias could equally be leveled at other akhbārīs contemporary to Sayf, including the Shi'a historian Abu Mikhnaf,[9] Fuat Sezgin, Albrecht Noth, and Martin Hinds have also challenged Wellhausen's views and placed Sayf on an equal footing with other traditionalists.[10] Linda D. Lau and A. R. Armush also regard Sayf ibn Umar as reliable and accept his accounts and the role of the Saba'iyya at the Battle of the Camel.[10]

Modern Shia views

Shia researcher Arzina Lalani suggests that Sayf is the first person who mentions Abdullah ibn Saba in his writings. His claim that a former Yemeni Jew was allegedly the founder of Shia Islam, was picked on by al-Tabari. She states that his account of early Islamic history was heavily influenced by later Sunni historiography.[11]

Shia researcher Murtaza Sharif in his book titled Abdullah bin Saba (Template:Lang-ar) claims that the 12 the most popular Rijali scholars, believed Sayf was not reliable. They are as follows: Yahya bin Moein, Al-Nasa'i, Abu Dawood, Ibn Sakan, Abu Hatim Muhammad ibn Idris al-Razi Ibn Hibban, Al-Daraqutni, Al-Hakim Nishapuri, Firoozabadi,[who?] Ibn Hajar al-'Asqalani, Al-Suyuti, and Safi al-Din.[who?][12] It has been recorded in Tahdib al-Kamal, that Yahya bin Moein held this view.[13]

Works

Kitab al-Futuh al-Kabir wa 'l-ridda

Sayf ibn Umar's most important book is Kitab al-Futuh al-Kabir wa 'l-ridda (Template:Lang-ar). The book primarily discuss the Muslim conquests and the Ridda wars.[14] It also features topics information about the assassination of the third caliph Uthman and Abdullah ibn Saba's roles in it.[14] The work also contains a brief account, on the authority of Ibn Abbas, of the way in which Paul corrupted Christian doctrines by persuading three of his followers, Yaqūb, Nasṭūr and Malkūn, of the divinity of ʿĪsā (Jesus).[14]

Kitab al-Jamal wa masir Aisha wa Ali

Sayf's second book Kitab al-Jamal wa masir Aisha wa Ali primarily discuss the Battle of the Camel. Sayf transmitted his report through Shoayb ibn Ibrahim.[citation needed]

Notes

  1. ^ a b Donner, Fred (1995). "Sayf B. ʿUmar". Encyclopaedia of Islam. Vol. 9 (2nd ed.). Brill Academic Publishers. pp. 102–103. ISBN 90-04-10422-4.
  2. ^ a b c d "Investigation concerning Saif and his Narrations". www.al-islam.org. 2014-02-19. Retrieved 2021-10-04.
  3. ^ Tabari, volume 1, page 1749
  4. ^ Lobabul Ansab, volume 1, page 49
  5. ^ Donner, Fred (1995). "Sayf B. ʿUmar". Encyclopaedia of Islam. Vol. 9 (2nd ed.). Brill Academic Publishers. pp. 102–103. ISBN 90-04-10422-4.
  6. ^ History of al-Tabari Vol. 11, The: The Challenge to the Empires A.D. 633-635/A.H. 12-13. SUNY Press. 2015-06-15. p. xvi. ISBN 978-0-7914-9684-8.
  7. ^ a b Donner, Fred (1995). "Sayf B. ʿUmar". Encyclopaedia of Islam. Vol. 9 (2nd ed.). Brill Academic Publishers. pp. 102–103. ISBN 90-04-10422-4.
  8. ^ Kennedy, Hugh (2010-12-09). The Great Arab Conquests: How the Spread of Islam Changed the World We Live In. Hachette UK. ISBN 978-0-297-86559-9. Medieval and modern historians have suspected that he fabricated some of his accounts, but the most recent scholarship suggests that he is more reliable than previous authors had imagined.
  9. ^ a b c Tucker, William Frederick (2008). Mahdis and millenarians: Shī'ite extremists in early Muslim Iraq. Cambridge University Press. pp. 10–12. ISBN 978-0-521-88384-9.
  10. ^ a b Landau-Tasseron, Ella (January 1990). "Sayf Ibn 'Umar in Medieval and Modern Scholarship". Der Islam. 67: 1–26. doi:10.1515/islm.1990.67.1.1. ISSN 1613-0928. S2CID 164155720.
  11. ^ "Ghadir Khumm - Islamic Studies - Oxford Bibliographies - obo". Archived from the original on 2017-08-02.
  12. ^ Abdullah bin Saba(عبدالله بن سبا), by Murtaza Askari[need quotation to verify]
  13. ^ Tahdib al-Kamal, Volume 25 page 101[verification needed]
  14. ^ a b c Thomas, David (2010-03-24), "Kitāb al-futūḥ al-kabīr wa-l-ridda", Christian-Muslim Relations 600 - 1500, Brill, retrieved 2021-10-04

Further reading

  • Landau-Tasseron, Ella (January 1990). "Sayf Ibn 'Umar in Medieval and Modern Scholarship". Der Islam. 67: 1–26. doi:10.1515/islm.1990.67.1.1. ISSN 0021-1818. S2CID 164155720.
  • Linda D. Lau (1978). "Sayf b. 'Umar and the battle of the Camel". Islamic Quarterly. 20–23: 103–10.
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