Ibn Sa'd al-Baghdadi

Muhammad ibn Sa'd ibn Mani' al-Baghdadi or Ibn Sa'd (Arabic: ابن سعد‎), often called Katib ul-Waqidi, the scribe of Waqidi.

Biography

Ibn Sa'd was born in the year 784 CE (168 AH) and died in 845 CE (230 AH). He was a Sunni Muslim scholar of Islam and an Arabian biographer, received his training in the tradition from Al-Waqidi and other celebrated teachers. He lived for the most part in Baghdad, and had the reputation of being both trustworthy and accurate in his writings, which, in consequence, were much used by later writers.

Ibn Sa`d was from Basra, Iraq, then lived in Baghdad. He is said to have died at the age of 62 in Baghdad and was buried in the cemetery of the Syrian gate.

The Major Classes

The Book of The Major Classes (Arabic: Kitab Tabaqat Al-Kubra) is a compendium of biographical information about famous Islamic personalities. This eight-volume work contains the lives of Muhammad, his Companions and Helpers, including those who fought at the Battle of Badr as a special class, and of the following generation, the Followers, who received their traditions from the Companions. Ibn Saad's authorship of this work is attested in a postscript to the book added by a later writer. In this notice he is described as a "client of al-Husayn ibn `Abdullah of the `Abbasid family".

Contents

• Books 1 and 2 contain the sirah (biography) of Muhammad.
• Books 3 and 4 contain biographic notices of companions of Muhammad.
• Books 5, 6 and 7 contain biographic notices of later Islamic scholars.
• Book 8 contains biographic notices of Islamic women.

Published edition

Arabic

• This work was edited between 1904 and 1921 by Eduard Sachau (Leiden, 1904 sqq.); cf. O. Loth, Das Classenbuch des Ibn Sad (Leipzig, 1869).
• In 1968, Iḥsân Abbâs edited it (Beirut: Dâr Sâdir).

English

• Volumes 1 and 2 (of the Sachau edition) were translated in 1967 and 1972, respectively, by S. Moninul Haq, Pakistan Historical Society. Ibn Sa'd's Kitab Al-Tabaqat Al-Kabir Vols. 1&2. ISBN 81-7151-127-9
• Volumes 3, 5, 7 and 8 have been lately translated by Aisha Bewley and published under the titles of Companions of Badr, Men of Madina and Women of Madina.

See also

• List of Islamic scholars

References

1. ^ ^{a b} Ibn Hajar, Taqrib al-Tahdhib
2. ^ "USC-MSA Compendium of Muslim Texts". Usc.edu. Retrieved 2010-05-19. 
3. ^ ^{a b} MM. "Imamate". Al-islam.org. Retrieved 2010-05-19. 
4. ^ "Muhammad Ibn Sa'ad Ibn al-Hyder Abadee Blogspot". Ibnalhyderabadee.blogspot.com. 2006-04-20. Retrieved 2010-05-19. 
5. ^ Naveed S, PA. "Ibn Sa'd's Kitab Al-Tabaqat Al-Kabir Vols. 1 & 2". Islamicbookstore.com. Retrieved 2010-05-19. 

 This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). Encyclopædia Britannica (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. 

External links

• Muhammad Ibn Sa'ad