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Abu Abd Allah Muhammad ibn Umar ibn Waqid al-Aslami () ( – 207 Islamic calendar; commonly referred to as al-Waqidi (Arabic: الواقدي; c. 747 – 823 Anno Domini) was an early Arab Muslim historian and biographer of the Islamic prophet Muhammad, specializing in his military campaigns. His surname is derived from his grandfather's name Waqid, and thus he became famous as al-Imam al-Waqidi. Islamic Conquest of Syria A Translation of Futuhusham by al-Imam al-Waqidi , pgs. x-xi. Trans. Mawlana Sulayman al-Kindi. He served as a judge ( qadi) for the Abbasid caliph al-Ma'mun. Several of al-Waqidi's works are known through his scribe and student (in the field of the al-maghazi genre), Ibn Sa'd.
Al-Waqidi concentrated on history, and was acknowledged as a master of the genre by many of his peers. His books on the early Islamic expeditions and conquests predate much of the Sunni and Shia literature of the later Abbasid period. His works regarding the battles of Muhammad and his Sahaba were considered reliable by most early Islamic scholars.Al-Dhahabi, Siyar A'lam al-Nubala, vol. 9, pg. 462. 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. Muhammad ibn Umar Waqidi at Let Me Turn the Tables.
A number of works chronicling the Islamic conquests have been attributed to al-Waqidi, though most of these attributions are now believed to be mistaken. Futuh al-Sham (Arabic: كتاب فتوح الشام, "Book of the Conquests of Syria"), a novelization of the Islamic army's conquests of Byzantine Syria, has traditionally been ascribed to al-Waqidi. Modern scholars generally classify Futuh al-Sham as a Pseudepigrapha later work, dating it to around the time of the Crusades, though some scholars believe a small portion of the text may be traced back to al-Waqidi.
According to Ibn al-Nadim, al-Waqidi authored a book detailing the death of Husayn ibn Ali,
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."Talkhis al-Habir, Volume 7 page 57
Some 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.
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. About a half a century later al-Waqidi relates that
Works
Al-Waqidi is primarily known for his Kitab al-Tarikh wa al-Maghazi (Arabic: كتاب التاريخ والمغازي, "Book of History and Campaigns"), which is the only part of his corpus that has been fully preserved. (1994). 9780521465540, Cambridge University Press. ISBN 9780521465540 It describes the Ghazwah fought by Muhammad, as well as Muhammad's life in the city of Medina. The work draws upon the earlier sira of Ibn Ishaq, though it includes details not found in Ibn Ishaq's text. (2025). 9781850434702, I.B. Tauris. ISBN 9781850434702
(2025). 9780674975927, Harvard University. ISBN 9780674975927 (2025). 9781780765648, IB Tauris. ISBN 9781780765648 (2025). 9789004231948, Brill. ISBN 9789004231948 In addition to depicting the battles of the Islamic armies, the work also details the valor of various Muslim women, including Hind bint Utbah, Khawlah bint al-Azwar, and Asma bint Abi Bakr.Islamic Conquest of Syria A translation of "Futuh al-Sham" by al-Imam al-Waqidi Translated by Mawlana Sulayman al-Kindi Page 325-332 Walton, Mark W (2003), Islam at War, Greenwood Publishing Group, , p. 30
(2025). 9781135983949, Routledge. ISBN 9781135983949 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. (2025). 9780812205138, University of Pennsylvania Press. ISBN 9780812205138
Published editions
English
Islamic criticism
Waqidi has faced criticism regarding his scholarly reliability from many later Sunni Islamic scholars, including:
Western criticism
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.
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).
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.
'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 took place ... while Muhammad was still in the womb,
and that while there were "other accounts of the matter" his was the best.
Early Islamic scholars
See also
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