The Significance of the Work Tarikh al-Rusul wa al-Muluk in the Gradual Presentation of Islamic History

Abstract

This article analyzes the scholarly significance of Abu Ja‘far Muhammad ibn Jarir al-Tabari’s work Tarikh al-Rusul wa al-Muluk (“History of the Prophets and Kings”) in the gradual presentation of Islamic history. The study examines the position of the work as a historical source, the author’s method of presenting historical events on the basis of the narration (riwayah) and isnad system, as well as his methodological approach within Islamic historiography. In particular, the article analyzes al-Tabari’s systematic presentation of human history beginning from creation, in close connection with the history of the prophets, the emergence of Islam, the life of the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him), the period of the caliphate, and subsequent political developments. The article reveals the role of the work in shaping gradual historical thinking, its characteristics in systematically presenting the sequence of events, and its scholarly significance in understanding the history of Islamic civilization on the basis of an integrated conceptual framework. In addition, the value of the work as a primary source in the study of Islamic history, its contribution to preserving historical memory, and its role in the development of scholarly historiographical traditions are evaluated from a scholarly-analytical perspective. The findings of the study demonstrate that Tarikh al-Rusul wa al-Muluk is an important source for the periodized, systematic, and scholarly study of Islamic history.