THE BEGINNING OF MUSLIM HISTORICAL RESEARCH*

(M) S.D.F. Goitein, "Introduction" to vol. V of Al-Baliidhuffs
Kitdb al-Anrdb d-Asrhrdf (1936). 14-24; Jamharat an-Nasab: Dm Geneah-
&he Werk des Hishdm bin M~cunmad al-Kpbi. Band I, Einleitung Von.
W. Caskel. Die Tafeln von Gert Strenzick, 1-132; 1-334. Band I1 ErIau-
tenmgen zu den Tafeln: Begonen von Gert Strenzick, Vellcndet von. W.
Caskel, 1-616. (1966). F. Rosenthal, A History of Muslim Historiography,
95-100; see al-Mas'iidl, Mwij a&-Dhahab wa Ma %din aEJawdhir, IV,
112, 118, 119, 292, 323; V, 150, 181 for the views of the Prophet
on the subject and the book of genealogy compiled by Zubayr ibn
BakkP. Muhammad BamidullZth, "Les Livres des genealogie d'al-
Balidhuri" in Bulletin D' Etudes Orientdes, ( 1952-54), XIV. A
fragment of the Amish of al-Baltidhuri concerning the reign of 'Abdul
Malik was edited end published by W. Ahlwardt from a Berlin MS
in 1883. It is difticult to agree with JuIian Obermann who remarks
" . . . . . genealogy and poetry must be seen to enjoy far greater popularity
in the early Islamic era than Koran and IJadfth." See "Early Islam", in
The Idea of History in the Ancient Near East, 289 and ibid., 290-305 where
it is stated that Dagfal and Ibn Sharya headed the list of the genealogists
of early Islem. The vast literature on the genealogy of the Arab tribes
has been studied thoroughly by F. Wiistenfeld in his two works Genealo-
ghche Tabellen und Register. The value and importance of the science of
genealogy ('ilm al-AnsrSb) has been discussed by SaltiJ$uddh al-Munaijid
in his introduction (3-31) to the edition of Turfat al-AshrSb fi Ma'rifat al-
AnsGb by 'Umar ibn Yiisuf ibn Rasiil, edited by K.W. Zettersteen (13691
1949). Text 1-248. The Arabs were so much interested in this science that
they have compiled works on the genealogy of horses. See al-Kalbi's
KitrSb Nasab al-Khayl, pp. 141. Books on mdb in Arabic are legion but
the two outstanding works are to be mentioned here: The al-lkmdl by
Ibn Makiilti (d. 47511095) and al-And of as -Sarn6Bni (d. 56211 166). The
text editions of both these works edited by Ash-Shaikh 'Abdur R+mb
ibn Yahyii al-Mu'allami al-Yamtini were being published by the Dri'iratu'l-
Ma.'&@'l-'Osmiinia of Hyderabad but only six volumes of each have been
published so far and they have stopped publication due to the death of
the said editor. Sam'tini's al-Ans6b published in fasc. edition by D.S.
Margoliouth (1912) is available.
(N) Ayyh al-'Arab, by E. Mittwoch in the Encyclopedia of Islam, new
cd. I, 793-94; W. Caskel, Aijh al-'Arab in the Islamica, 111, (1931), 1-99;
E. Meyer, Der historische Gehcllt der a @h d-'uab, (1971). pp. VII + 132.