Abu Mikhnaf

Muslim historian Lut ibn Yahya ibn Sa'id ibn Mikhnaf Al-Kufi
Title	Abi Mekhnaf
Died	157 AH (774)
Maddhab	Shia
Main interests	History of Islam
Works	Kitab Al-Saqifa, Kitab Al-Ridda, Kitab Al-Shura, Kitab Al-Jamal, Kitab Al-Siffin, Kitab Maqtal Al-Hasan, Kitab Maqtal Al-Husayn, Sirat Al-Hussayn, ...
Influenced	Tabari

Part of a series on the Muslim scholars – a sub-group of Muslims

1st millennium AH

1st century AH: (719 – 816 CE) 2nd century AH: (622 – 719 CE) Qasim ibn Muhammad (d. 106 or 108) Abi Mikhnaf (d. 157) 3rd century AH: (816 – 913 CE) 4th century AH: (913 – 1010 CE) 5th century AH: (1010 – 1107 CE) 6th century AH: (1107 – 1204 CE) 7th century AH: (1204 – 1301 CE) 8th century AH: (1301 – 1398 CE) 9th century AH: (1398 – 1495 CE) 10th century AH: (1495 – 1592 CE)

2nd millennium AH

Abi Mekhnaf (Lut ibn Yahya ibn Sa'id ibn Mikhnaf Al-Kufi) (أبو مخنَف) was a classical Shia Muslim historian from the 8th century. He lived in Kufa and died in 157 AH (774) . He attributes to Shiism by some Rijal scholars but it's doubtful and not accepted with all of them. However his works represent great tendency to Ali and his sons Hasan and Husayn.

Style

In "Islamic Historiography", "Chase F. Robinson" has put him in the class of Ibn Ishaq and among the first Muslim historians. He was one of founder of Akhbari school in Historiography of early Islam. He wrote at least 13 monographs which later historians like Al-Tabari gathered them in one collection.

Works

Ibn Nadim in Al-Fihrist enumerates 22 and Najashi lists 28 monographs composed by him comprising :

• Kitab Al-Saqifa (The book of Saqifah)
• Kitab Al-Ridda (The book of Ridda wars)
• Kitab Al-Shura (The book of The election of Uthman)
• Kitab Al-Jamal (The book of Battle of Bassorah)
• Kitab Al-Siffin (The book of Battle of Siffin)
• Kitab Maqtal Al-Hasan
• Kitab Maqtal Al-Husayn (The history of Battle of Karbala)
• Sirat Al-Hussayn
• Kitab Khotba Al-Zahra
• Kitab Akhbar Al-Mukhtar

He was the first historian to systematically collect the reports dealing with the events of the Battle of Karbala. His work was considered reliable among later Shi'a and Sunni historians like Tabari. He has based his work on the eyewitness testimony of Muhammad ibn Qays , Harith ibn Abd Allah ibn Sharik al-Amiri , Abd Allah ibn Asim and Dahhak ibn Abd Allah Abu , Abu Janab al-Kalbi and Adi b. Hurmula , Muhammad ibn Qays.

References

• Robinson, Chase F. (2003), Cambridge University Press, ISBN 0-521-62936-5
• History of the Prophets and Kings by Muhammad al-Tabari; Volume XIX The Caliphate of Yazid b. Muawiyah, translated by I.K.A Howard, SUNY Press, 1991, ISBN 0-7914-0040-9