The crisis of the early caliphate / translated and annotated by R. Stephen Humphreys.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Ṭabarī, 838?-923.

Contributor:

Humphreys, R. Stephen, translator, contributor.

Series:

Ṭabarī, 838?-923. English ; Tārīkh al-rusul wa-al-mulūk. v. 15.

SUNY series in Near Eastern studies

The history of al-Ṭabarī = Taʼrikh al-rusul wa'l mulūk ; v. 15

Bibliotheca Persica

SUNY series in Near Eastern studies.

Bibliotheca Persica (Albany, N.Y.)

Standardized Title:

Tārīkh al-rusul wa-al-mulūk. Selections. English

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

ʻUthmān ibn ʻAffān, Caliph, -656.

ʻUthmān ibn ʻAffān.

Islamic Empire--History--622-661.

Islamic Empire.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (312 p.)

Place of Publication:

Albany, New York : State University of New York Press, [1990]

Language Note:

English

Summary:

Before the caliphate of the ʿUthmān ibn ʿAffān, the Muslim community had grown from strength to strength in spite of a series of major crises—the Hirah, the death of the Prophet, the Riddah wars, the assassination of 'Umar by a Persian slave. But ʿUthmān's reign ended in catastrophe. His inability to manage the social and political conflicts that were now emerging among various factions within the community led to his death at the hands of Muslim rebels. The consequences of this tragic event were bitter: not only a century of civil war, but also political and religious schisms of such depth that they have not been entirely healed even now. Most medieval Muslim historians told this story in an overtly partisan manner, but al-Ṭabarī demands more of his readers. First of all, they must decide for themselves, on the basis of highly ambigous evidence, whether ʿUthmān's death was tyrannicide or murder. But, more than that, they must ask how such a thing could have happened at all; what had the Muslims done to bring about the near-destruction of their community?Al-Ṭabarī presents this challenge within a broad framework. For, even while the internal crisis that issued in ʿUthmān's death was coming to a head, the wars against Byzantium and Persia continued. The first expeditions into North Africa, the conquest of Cyprus, the momentary destruction of the Byzantine fleet at the Battle of the Masts, the bloody campaigns in Armenia, the Caucasus, and Khurasan are all here, in narratives that shift constantly between hard reporting and pious legend. Muslim forces retain the offensive, but there are no more easy victories; henceforth, suffering and endurance will be the hallmarks of the hero. Most evocative in the light of ʿUthmān's fate is the moving account of the murder of the last Sāsānian king, Yazdagird III—a man betrayed by his nobles and subjects, but most of all by his own character.

Contents:

Front Cover ; The History of al-Tabari: Editorial Board; The History of al-Tabari: Vol. XV; Copyright; Preface; Table of Contents; Abbreviations; Translator's Foreword; Tabari as Narrator and Interpreter of 'Uthman's Regime; The State of the Text; Transliteration and Editorial Conventions; Table 1. 'Uthman's Lineage; The Events of the Year 24 (November 7, 644 - October 27, 645); The Sermon of 'Uthman and the Slaying of al-Hurmuzan by 'Ubaydallah b. 'Umar; The Governorship of Sa'd b. Abi Waqqas in Kufah

The Letters of 'Uthman to His Officials ('ummal) and Governors (wulat) and to the Common People (al-ammah)The Campaign of [al-Walid b. 'Uqbah in Adharbayjan and Armenia]; The Gathering of Byzantine Forces against the Muslims and the Muslims' Call for Aid from the Kufans; The Account of That Event; The Events of the Year 25 (October 28, 645 - October 16, 646); The Events of the Year 26 (October 17, 646 - October 6, 647); The Reason Why 'Uthman Removed Sa'd from Kufah and Named al-Walid His Governor There; The Events of the Year 27 (October 7, 647 - September 24, 648)

The Conquest [of Ifriqiyah] and the Reason for the Appointment of 'Abdallah b. Sa'd b. Abi Sarh as Governor of Egypt and 'Uthman's Removal of 'Amr b. al-'As from (That Province)The Events of the Year 28 (September 25, 648 - September 13, 649); Mu'awiyah's Attack on Cyprus; The Events of the Year 29 (September 14, 649 - September 3, 650); The Reason for 'Uthman's Removal of Abu Musa [al-Ash'ari] from Basrah; ['Uthman's Alterations to the Pilgrimage Rites]; The Events of the Year 30 (September 4, 650 - August 23, 651); The Campaign of Sa'id b. al-'As in Tabaristan

The Reason for 'Uthman's Removal of al-Walid and His Appointment of Sa'id as Governor [in Kufah]How the Signet Ring Fell from 'Uthman's Hand into the Well of Aris; The Reports Concerning Abu Dharr [al-Ghifari]; [The Flight of Yazdagird from Fars to Khurasan]; The Events of the Year 31 (August 24, 651 - August 11, 652); The Account of the Battles [of the Masts and against the Blacks]; The Reason Why (Syria) was Unified under [Mu'awiyah]; Return to al-Waqidi's Account of the Two Battles Mentioned Above; The Cause of [Yazdagird's] Murder; ['Abdallah b. 'Amir's Campaign in Khurasan]

The Events of the Year 32 (August 12, 652 - August 1, 653)[The Disaster at Balanjar]; The Account of the Death of [Abu Dharr al-Ghifari]; ['Abdallah b. 'Amir's Conquests in Northeastern Iran]; [The Peace between al-Ahnaf and the People of Balkh]; The Events of the Year 33 (August 2, 653 - July 21, 654); The Exile of the Kufans Whom ['Uthman] Sent [to Syria]; 'Uthman's Exile of Certain Basrans to Syria; The Events of the Year 34 (July 22, 654 - July 10, 655); The Character of the Meeting [to Confront 'Uthman] and [the Day of] al-Jara'ah; The Events of the Year 35 (July 11, 655 - June 29, 656)

An Account of the Egyptians Who Went to Dhu Khushub, and the Reason Why Certain Iraqis Went to Dhu al-Marwah

Notes:

Translation of extracts from: Tārīkh al-rusul wa-al-mulūk.

Includes bibliographical references (pages [263]-266) and index.

Description based on print version record.

ISBN:

1-4384-0728-9

0-585-15394-9

OCLC:

1475836354