Kitab al-Futuh

Kitab al-Futūh () is an important hadith and akhbari collection, compiled by Sayf ibn Umar. It is al-Tabari's main source for the Ridda wars and the early Muslim conquests. It also contains important information on the structure of early Muslim armies and government.

Currently, a facsimile edition of the fragments preserved in the Al-Imam University in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

 Etymology 
The Arabic word Kitab (), literally means 'book' or 'revelation'. It is derived from the Semitic root K-T-B () which is related to writing. The Arabic definite article al- usually means 'of' or 'the'. Futuh ()  is the plural noun of the Arabic word Fatah () which means 'conquest'.

 History 
Sayf ibn Umar, the compiler of the book, was from Kufa and lived in Baghdad. He traveled throughout Iraq during the rule of the Abbasid Caliphate.

 Contents 
The book primarily discuss the early Muslim conquests and wars. It also features information about the assassination of the third caliph Uthman. Abdullah ibn Saba and his followers are mentioned in the book as well. The work also contains a brief account, on the authority of Ibn Abbas, of the way in which Paul corrupted Christian doctrines by persuading three of his followers, Yaqūb, Nasṭūr and Malkūn, of the divinity of Īsā (Jesus).

 Reliability 
Sayf ibn Umar is considered reliable. W. F. Tucker and Ella Landau-Tasseron note that although Sayf may have been an unscrupulous hadith collector, this should not detract from his general reliability as a transmitter of historical information (akhbārī). Tucker adds that accusations of bias could equally be leveled at other akhbārīs contemporary to Sayf, including the Shi'a historian Abu Mikhnaf. Fuat Sezgin, Albrecht Noth, and Martin Hinds have also challenged Wellhausen's views and placed Sayf on an equal footing with other traditionalists. Linda D. Lau and A. R. Armush also regard Sayf ibn Umar as reliable and accept his accounts and the role of the Saba'iyya at the Battle of the Camel.

 Reference 

Category:Arabic literature
Category:9th-century works