Review (PDF) The History Of Al-Tabari, Vol. 6: Muhammad At Mecca (SUNY Series In Near Eastern Studies)

                
              
Review (PDF) 
The History Of Al-Tabari, Vol. 6: Muhammad At Mecca (SUNY Series In Near Eastern Studies)
The sixth volume of the translation of al-Tabari's History deals with the ancestors of Muhammad, with his own early life, and then with his prophetic mission up to the time of his Hijrah or emigration to Medina. The topics covered mean that this volume is of great importance both for the career of Muhammad himself and for the early history of Islam. Al-Tabari was familiar with, and made use of, the main early source of these matters, the Sirah or life of Muhammad by Ibn Ishaq, a work which is still extant. Although his own treatment is briefer than that of Iban Ishaq, it complements the latter in important ways by making use of other sources. Where Ibn Ishaq gave only the version of an event which he preferred, al-Tabari includes any variants which he considered of value. Thus he mentions the dispute about the first male to become a muslim--'Ali or Abu Bakr or Zayd--and has also several variant accounts of the call to hostility toward Muhammad from many of the leading Meccans and their attempts to put pressure on his family to stop his preaching. The negotiations with the men of Medina which eventually led to the Hijrah are fully described, and there is then an account of how Muhammad escaped an assassination attempt and arrived safely in Medina. A concluding section discusses some chronological questions. This volume does not merely give a straightforward account of the earlier career of Muhammad and the beginnings of Islam, but also contains valuable source-material not easily accessible otherwise, or not accessible at all.
Paperback: 230 pages
Publisher: State University of New York Press (August 1, 1987)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0887067077
ISBN-13: 978-0887067075
Product Dimensions:  6 x 0.5 x 9 inches
Shipping Weight: 14.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
Average Customer Review:  3.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
Best Sellers Rank: #1,104,034 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)   #41 in Books > Religion & Spirituality > Islam > Mecca   #145 in Books > History > Middle East > Saudi Arabia   #861 in Books > Biographies & Memoirs > Historical > Middle East
SummaryThis following is pasted from the Publisher's website (since  does not seem to have any information on this book):The sixth volume of the translation of al-Tabari's History deals with the ancestors of Muhammad, with his own early life, and then with his prophetic mission up to the time of his Hijrah or emigration to Medina. The topics covered mean that this volume is of great importance both for the career of Muhammad himself and for the early history of Islam. Al-Tabari was familiar with, and made use of, the main early source of these matters, the Sirah or life of Muhammad by Ibn Ishaq, a work which is still extant. Although his own treatment is briefer than that of Iban Ishaq, it complements the latter in important ways by making use of other sources. Where Ibn Ishaq gave only the version of an event which he preferred, al-Tabari includes any variants which he considered of value. Thus he mentions the dispute about the first male to become a muslim--'Ali or Abu Bakr or Zayd--and has also several variant accounts of the call to hostility toward Muhammad from many of the leading Meccans and their attempts to put pressure on his family to stop his preaching. The negotiations with the men of Medina which eventually led to the Hijrah are fully described, and there is then an account of how Muhammad escaped an assassination attempt and arrived safely in Medina. A concluding section discusses some chronological questions. This volume does not merely give a straightforward account of the earlier career of Muhammad and the beginnings of Islam, but also contains valuable source-material not easily accessible otherwise, or not accessible at all.
Tabari's opus is magnificent indeed. His Taarikh (History of Prophets and Kings) is a great peace of early islamic historiography, earliest with the exception of Ibn Ishaq's Sira. SUNY did great job translating this 40-volume into English. The reder will find out how early Islam developed according to its official narrative, and how it conquered neighboring lands. I would suggest to the reader to also check historiographical works on early Islam by Hoyland, Crone, Cook, Ibn Warraq and particularly by B. Lewis and M. Sharon, which provide more context for Tabari's History and discuss historicity - or lack thereof - of its narrative.
Though it has load of info, not very well known; but I found very incoherent in arrangement of important topics.
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