The History of al-Tabari :
Vol XVI,
New,
The Community Divided : The Caliphate of 'Ali,
*[A5] Paperback - 229 pages,
by Imam Abu Jafar al-Tabari [d.310h],
Transl. & Annotated by Adrian Brockett,
Edited by Ehsan Yar-Shater,
Published by SUNY Press, USA.
Description :
Ta'rikh al-Rusul wa'l-Muluk : The History of The Prophets & Kings by Imam al-Tabari, rahmatullahi ta'ala 'alayhi.
The Community Divided : The Caliphate of the Commander of the Faithful - Sayyiduna Ali ibn Abi Talib, may Allah be pleased with him. This volume of Imam al-Tabari's history deals with the traumatic breakup of the Muslim community following the assassination of the Caliph Sayyiduna 'Uthman, may Allah be pleased with him.
It begins with the first seriously contested succession to the caliphate, that of 'Ali, and proceeds inexorably through the 'rebellion' of Sayyidah 'A'ishah, T'alhah, & al-Zubayr, may Allah be pleased with them, to the Battle of the Camel, the first time Muslim army faced Muslim army. It thus deals with the very first violent response to the two central problems of Muslim history: who is the rightful leader, and which is the true community? It is a section with the weightiest implications for the Muslim interpretation of history, wide open to special pleading.
There are the Shi'a who depict Imam 'Ali, may Allah be pleased with him, as a spiritual leader fighting against false accusations and the worldly ambitious. Conversely, there are those who would depict him or his followers in a negative light. There are also the 'Abbasid historians, who, though anti-Umayyad, must balance a reverence for the Prophet's household (ahl al-bayt) with a denunciation of 'Alid antiestablishmentarianism.
All these points of view, and more, are represented in Imam al-Tabari's compilation, illustrating the difficulty the Muslim community as a whole has faced in coming to terms with these disastrous events.
About Imam al-Tabari :
He
is Abū Jaʿfar Muhammad b. Jarīr al-Tabarī (d. 310/923). Imam al-Tabari, rahmatullahi ta'ala 'alayhi,
is one of the most famous Muslim scholars of the classical Islamic
civilisation. He composed numerous books in Arabic in the fields of
Islamic law, Qur’ān commentary, and history.
The only two of the larger works of
Al-Tabari's to survive are his 'History of Messengers and Kings' (Tarikh al-Rasul wa al-Muluk) also referred to as 'History of al-Tabari' and his Qur’ānic
commentary, 'The Comprehensive Exposition of the Interpretation of the
Verses of the Qur’ān' (Jami` al-Bayan `an ta'wil ay al-Qur'an).
Imam at-Tabari died at the age of 85 in the year 923 A.C. (310 H).
Dr Adrian Brockett, is a Senior Fellow of the Higher Education Academy of the Middle East. A principal lecturer in international development, Dr Brockett also specialises in Learning, Teaching and Assessment and has expertise in Middle Eastern and Islamic Studies.
Table of Contents :
---Preface,
---Abbreviations,
---Editor's Foreword,
---Translator's Foreword.
The Caliphate of the Commander of the Faithful 'Ali b. Ali Talib,
---The Events of the Year 35 Hijri (Cont'd) (655/656);
------An account of the Allegiance - Who Gave it and When,
------The Settlement of the Affair by Giving of Allegiance to 'Ali b. Abi Talib,
------The Expedition of Qustantin, King of Rum, against the Muslims,
---The Events of the Year 36H (656/657);
------'Ali Sends Out His Governors to the Garrison Cities,
------Talhah and al-Zubayr Ask 'Ali If They Can Leave,
------'Ali Leaves for al-Rabadhah on His Way to al-Basrah,
------The Buying of the Camel for 'A'ishah & the Report of the Dogs of al-Haw'ab,
------'A'ishah's Remark "By Allah! I Will Seek Vengeance for the Blood of 'Uthman!" & Her Departure for al-Basrah with Talhah and al-Zubayr & Their Followers,
------Their Entry into al-Basrah and the Battle between Them & Uthman b. Hunayf,
------An Account of 'Ali b. Abi Talib's Advance toward al-Basrah,
------The Commander of the Faithful Dismounts at Dhu Qar,
------'Ali b. Abi Talib Sends His Son al-Hasan & 'Ammar b. Yasir from Dhu Qar to Get the Kufans to Mobilise with Him,
------'Ali Sets Up Camp at al-Zawiyah of al-Basrah.
---The Battle;
------Another Account of the Battle of the Camel,
------The Severity of the Battle on the Day of the Camel & the Account of A'yan b. Dubay'ah's Looking into the Howdah,
------The Killing of al-Zubayr b. al-'Awwam,
------Those Routed on the Day of the Camel Who Hid & Went into the Surrounding Towns,
------'Ali's Grief over Those Killed at the Battle of the Camel, Their Burial, and His Gathering What Was in the Camp and Its Despatch to al-Basrah,
------The Number of Fatalities at the Battle of the Camel,
------'Ali's Visit to 'A'ishah & the Punishment He Ordered for Those Who Offended Her,
------The Basrans' Allegiance to 'Ali & His Division of the Contents of the Treasury,
------'Ali's Conduct toward Those Who Fought Him on the Day of the Camel,
------Al-Ashtar sends 'A'ishah a He-Camel He Had Bought, & Her Exit from al-Basrah,
------What 'Ali b. Abi Talib Wrote about the Victory to His Governor of al-Kufah,
------'Ali Accepts Allegiance from the People & the Account of Ziyad b. Abi Sufyan and 'Abd al-Rahman b. Abi Bakrah,
------The Appointment of Ibn 'Abbas as Governor of al-Basrah & Ziyad over the Kharaj Tax,
------'Ali Equips 'A'ishah to Leave al-Basrah,
------Accounts of the Carnage on the Day of the Camel,
------What 'Ammar b. Yasir Told 'A'ishah When the Battle of the Camel Was Over,
------The End of the Account of the Battle of the Camel.
---The End of the Account of the Battle of the Camel;
------'Ali b. Abi Talib Sends Qays b. Sa'd b. 'Ubadah to Be Ruler of Egypt,
------Muhammad b. Abi Bakr's Governorship of Egypt,
------'Ali Despatches Khulayd b. Tarif to Khurasan,
------'Amr b. al-'As Gives Allegiance to Mu'awiyah,
------'Ali b. Abi Talib Sends Jarir b. 'Abdallah al-Bajali to Call Mu'awiyah to Acknowledge 'Ali's Authority over Him,
---Bibliography of Cited Works,
---Index.
*Dimensions : 23 x 15.2cm.
