Al-Waqidi

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Abu Abd Allah Muhammad ibn Umar ibn Waqid al-Aslami
TitleAl-Waqidi
Personal
Bornc. 130AH / AD 747
Medina
Died207AH / AD 823
Religion
Islamic golden age
Main interest(s)History of Islam
Notable work(s)Kitab al-Tarikh wa al-Maghazi ("Book of History and Campaigns")
Muslim leader
Influenced

Abu Abd Allah Muhammad ibn Umar ibn Waqid al-Aslami (

al-maghazi genre), Ibn Sa'd.[2][3]

Biography

Al-Waqidi was born in Medina around 748

Harun ar-Rashid. He was appointed a judge of eastern Baghdad, and Harun ar-Rashid's heir al-Ma'mun later appointed him the qadi of a military camp at Resafa.[4]

Al-Waqidi concentrated on history, and was acknowledged as a master of the genre by many of his peers.

companions were considered reliable by most early Islamic scholars.[5] While still regarded as an important source for early Islamic history, later authors debated the reliability of his works. Western orientalists who enjoyed his writings include Martin Lings.[6]

Works

Al-Waqidi is primarily known for his Kitab al-Tarikh wa al-Maghazi (

battles fought by Muhammad, as well as Muhammad's life in the city of Medina.[8] The work draws upon the earlier sira of Ibn Ishaq, though it includes details not found in Ibn Ishaq's text.[9][10]

A number of works chronicling the

Khawlah bint al-Azwar, and Asma bint Abi Bakr.[16][17]

According to Ibn al-Nadim, al-Waqidi authored a book detailing the death of Husayn ibn Ali,[18] though this work has not survived. Other lost texts attributed to al-Waqidi include a book chronicling the last days of Muhammad's life. The works of al-Waqidi's student Ibn Sa'd may contain some excerpts from these texts.[19]

Published editions

English

  • Translated, edited by Rizwi Faizer and published in the USA and Canada by Routledge 270 Madison Avenue, New York.online link

Criticism

Comparison with earlier commentaries

Historian Patricia Crone gives al-Waqidi as an example of the phenomenon whereby the farther an Islamic commentary on Muhammad's life was removed in time from his life and the events in the Quran, the more information it provided.

If one storyteller should happen to mention a raid, the next storyteller would know the date of this raid, while the third would know everything that an audience might wish to hear about.[20]

This was despite the fact later commentaries depended on the earlier sources for their content, which suggested that if later commentaries differed in length from earlier work they should be briefer as some facts about the early days were lost or forgotten. (Crone attributed the phenomenon to storytellers' embellishment.) Commentary works of Al-Waqidi were much larger than those of the oldest prophetic biography Ibn Ishaq (died 767) despite the fact that al-Waqidi's later works covered a shorter period of time (only Muhammad's period in Medina).[20]

Waqidi will always give precise dates, locations, names, where Ibn Ishaq has none, accounts of what triggered the expedition, miscellaneous information to lend color to the event ... But given that this information was all unknown to Ibn Ishaq, its value is doubtful in the extreme. And if spurious information accumulated at this rate in the two generations between Ibn Ishaq and al-Waqidi, it is hard to avoid the conclusion that even more must have accumulated in the three generations between the Prophet and Ibn Ishaq.[20][21]

Historian Michael Cook gives an example of the difference in accounts of the death of Muhammad's father Abdullah ibn Abd al-Muttalib. Ibn Ishaq relates that some say he died while Muhammad's mother was pregnant with Muhammad was born and some while Muhammad was 28 months old; another commentator (Ma'mar ibn Rashid) says that he died in Yathrib after being sent there to lay stores of dates.[22] About a half a century later al-Waqidi relates that

'Abdallah had gone to Gaza on business, had fallen ill on the way back, and died in Yathrib after leaving the caravan he was with to be nursed by relations there. Waqidi was further able to specify Abdallah's age at death and the exact place of his burial. ...[that the death] took place ... while Muhammad was still in the womb,

and that while there were "other accounts of the matter" his was the best.[22]

Critics

Waqidi has faced criticism regarding his scholarly reliability from many later Sunni Islamic scholars, including:

  • al-Shafi’i (150-204 A.H.) said "All the books of al-Waqidi are lies. In Medina there were seven men who used to fabricate authorities, one of which was al-Waqidi."[23]
  • Yahya ibn Ma'in (158-233 A.H.) said "He is weak. He is nothing. Not reliable!"[24]
  • Ali ibn al-Madini (161-241 A.H.)said "He fabricates Hadith"[24]
  • Ishaq ibn Rahwayh (161-238 A.H.) said "According to my view, he is one of those who fabricate Hadith"[23]
  • Ahmad ibn Hanbal (164-241 A.H.) said "He is a liar, makes alternations in the traditions"[24][additional citation(s) needed]
  • Abu Zur’a al-Razi (193-264 A.H.) said "(Waqidi's writing) Abandoned, Weak"[23]
  • Al-Bukhari (194-256 A.H.) said "al-Waqidi has been abandoned in hadith. He fabricates hadith"[24][additional citation(s) needed
    ]
  • Abu Hatim Muhammad ibn Idris al-Razi (195-277 A.H.) said "He fabricates hadith. We have abandoned his hadith"[25]
  • Abu Dawood (202-275 A.H.) said "I do not write his hadith and I do not report (hadith) on his authority. I have no doubt that he used to make up hadith"[25]
  • al-Baladhuri (207-278 A.H.) said "al-Waqidi is matruk (known as a liar).[26]
  • Al-Nasa’i (214-303 A.H.) said "The liars known for fabricating the hadith of the Messenger of Allah are four. They are: Ibn Abi Yahya in Medina, al-Waqidi in Baghdad, Muqatil ibn Sulayman in Khurasan and Muhammad ibn Sa'id in Syria."[25][additional citation(s) needed
    ]
  • Ibn ‘Adi (277-365 A.H.) said "His traditions are not safe and there is danger from him (in accepting his traditions)"[24]
  • Al-Daraqutni (306-385 A.H.) said "There is weakness in him (in his reporting)"[24]
  • Al-Nawawi (631-676 A.H.): said "Their (muhaddithin scholars) consensus is that al-Waqidi is weak"[25]
  • Al-Dhahabi (675-748 A.H.) said "Consensus has taken place on the weakness of al-Waqidi"[24][additional citation(s) needed]
  • Ibn Hajar al-Asqalani (773-852 A.H.)said "He has been abandoned in spite of vastness of his knowledge"[27]
  • Muhammad Nasiruddin al-Albani (1914-1999 C.E.) said that al-Waqidi is a liar.[28]

Even among those who questioned his authenticity many still considered him a pillar in history and accepted his narrations in this regard. Ibn Hajar Asqalani records: "He is acceptable in the narrations of the battles according to our companions and Allah knows the best."[29]

All of his criticisms are written in books written centuries later even though the claimed criticisms are made by people who were born around his time.

Early Islamic scholars

Early Islamic scholars
Muhammad, The final Messenger of God(570–632 the Constitution of Medina, taught the Quran, and advised his companions
Abu Hurairah
(603–681) taught
Urwah ibn Zubayr (died 713) taught by Aisha, he then taught
Said ibn al-Musayyib (637–715) taughtAbdullah ibn Umar (614–693) taughtAbd Allah ibn al-Zubayr (624–692) taught by Aisha, he then taught
Umar ibn Abdul Aziz
(682–720) raised and taught by Abdullah ibn Umar
Hammad bin ibi Sulman taught
Farwah bint al-Qasim
Jafar's mother
Ja'far bin Muhammad Al-Baqir (702–765) Muhammad and Ali's great great grand son, jurisprudence followed by Shia, he taught
Malik ibn Anas (711–795) wrote Muwatta, jurisprudence from early Medina period now mostly followed by Sunni in Africa, Sunni Sufi and taughtAl-Waqidi (748–822) wrote history books like Kitab al-Tarikh wa al-Maghazi, student of Malik ibn AnasAbu Muhammad Abdullah ibn Abdul Hakam (died 829) wrote biographies and history books, student of Malik ibn Anas
Al-Risala, jurisprudence followed by Sunni, Sunni sufi and taught
Ismail ibn IbrahimAli ibn al-Madini (778–849) wrote The Book of Knowledge of the CompanionsIbn Hisham (died 833) wrote early history and As-Sirah an-Nabawiyyah, Muhammad's biography
Jami` at-Tirmidhi hadith books
Al-Baladhuri (died 892) wrote early history Futuh al-Buldan, Genealogies of the Nobles
Sunan Abu Dawood
Hadith Book
Muhammad ibn Jarir al-Tabari (838–923) wrote History of the Prophets and Kings, Tafsir al-Tabari
Abu Hasan al-Ash'ari (874–936) wrote Maqālāt al-islāmīyīn, Kitāb al-luma, Kitāb al-ibāna 'an usūl al-diyāna
Diwan-e Shams-e Tabrizi
on Sufism
Key: Some of Muhammad's CompanionsKey: Taught in MedinaKey: Taught in IraqKey: Worked in SyriaKey: Travelled extensively collecting the sayings of Muhammad and compiled books of hadithKey: Worked in Persia

References

  1. ^ a b c d Islamic Conquest of Syria A Translation of Futuhusham by al-Imam al-Waqidi Archived 2013-10-12 at the Wayback Machine, pgs. x-xi. Trans. Mawlana Sulayman al-Kindi.
  2. ISBN 9781610691789
  3. ISBN 9781461673149
  4. ^
    ISBN 9781351668132
    .
  5. ^ Al-Dhahabi, Siyar A'lam al-Nubala, vol. 9, pg. 462.
  6. ^ Muhammad ibn Umar Waqidi at Let Me Turn the Tables.
  7. ISBN 9780521465540
    .
  8. ^
    ISBN 9781136921148
    .
  9. ISBN 9781850434702
    .
  10. S2CID 162540387
    .
  11. ISBN 9780674975927
    .
  12. ISBN 9781780765648
    .
  13. doi:10.3989/alqantara.2000.v21.i2.431
    .
  14. ^ Merlet, Shukrieh R. "Arab historiography". Islamic Quarterly. 34 (1): 22.
  15. ISBN 9789004231948
    .
  16. ^ Islamic Conquest of Syria A translation of "Futuh al-Sham" by al-Imam al-Waqidi Translated by Mawlana Sulayman al-Kindi Page 325-332 "Kalamullah.Com | the Islamic Conquest of Syria (Futuhusham) | al-Imam al-Waqidi". Archived from the original on 2013-10-12. Retrieved 2013-09-24.
  17. ISBN 0-275-98101-0
    , p. 30
  18. ISBN 9781135983949
    .
  19. ISBN 9780812205138
    .
  20. ^ a b c Crone, Patricia (1987). Meccan Trade and the Rise of Islam. Oxford University Press. p. 223.
  21. ISBN 9781481783637
    . Retrieved 18 October 2019.
  22. ^ a b Cook, Michael (1983). Muhammad. Oxford University Press. pp. 63–64. Retrieved 27 October 2019.
  23. ^ a b c Ibn Abi Hatim, vol.4 pt.1 p.21
  24. ^
    Muhammad ibn Ahmad Al-Dhahabi
    ,Mizan al-I`tidal fi Naqd al-Rijal, vol. 3 page 110
  25. ^
    Ibn Hajr al-‘Asqalani
    , Tahdhib al-Tahdhib, volume 9 page 366 No.604, [Hyderabad, 1326 A.H.cf. Yusuf ‘Abbas Hashmi, Zaynab bint Jahash, ‘Islamic Culture’ vol.XLI, No.1, Hyderabad (India), 1967]
  26. ISBN 9789795926993
    . Retrieved 5 January 2022.
  27. Ibn Hajr al-‘Asqalani
    , Tahdhib al-Tahdhib, volume 2 page 194, [Cairo, 1960]
  28. ^ al-Albani, Silsalat al-Hadith ad-Da'ifa, number 6013
  29. ^ Talkhis al-Habir, Volume 7 page 57

External links

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