| Author | Ahmad ibn Abi Ya'qub |
|---|---|
| Original title | تاريخ الیعقوبي |
| Language | Arabic |
| Subject | World History,Islamic History |
| Genre | Historical |
Publication date | 9th century |
| Publication place | Abbasid Caliphate |
| Media type |
Tārīkh Ibn Wāḍiḥ (Arabic:تآريخ ابن واضح,lit. 'History of Ibn Wāḍiḥ') or popularlyTārīkh al-Yaʿqūbī (Arabic:تآريخ اليعقوبي,lit. 'History of al-Yaʿqūbī') is a well-known classicalIslamic history book, written byal-Yaʿqūbī.[1]
Like his contemporaryAl-Dinawari, Ya'qubi's histories, unlike those of their predecessors, aimed to entertain as well as instruct; they are "literary" productions.[citation needed] His history is divided into two parts.[1]
In the first he gives a comprehensive account of the pre-Islamic and non-Islamic peoples, especially of their religion and literature. For the time of the patriarchs his source is now seen to be the Syriac work published byKarl Bezold asDie Schatzhöhle. In his account of India he is the first to give an account of the stories ofKalila andDimna, as well as ofSindibad (Sinbad). When treating ofGreece he gives many extracts from the philosophers (cf. M. Klamroth in theZeitschrift der deutschen morgenländischen Gesellschaft, vols. xl. and xli.).[1]
The second part contains the Islamic history starting from the life of Mohammed, through the Caliphs, Imams and Monarchy down to 259/872 and is neither extreme nor unfair. The work is characterized by its detailed account of some provinces, such as Armenia and Khorasan, by its astronomical details and its quotations from religious authorities rather than poets. He discussed theUmayyad Caliphate andAbbasid Caliphate in detail.
One or more of the preceding sentences incorporates text from a publication now in thepublic domain: Thatcher, Griffithes Wheeler (1911). "Ya'qūbī". InChisholm, Hugh (ed.).Encyclopædia Britannica. Vol. 28 (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. p. 904.