INTRODUCTION
Arabic Historiography with Special Reference to al-Balâdhuri
Although rudimentary elements of historiography can be traced back to the description of the "days", i.e., the battles between the tribes, and such stories as the "Ma’rib dam", "the owners of the elephant" and the digging of the "Zamzam well"—all of pre-Islamic antiquity—, yet Arabic historical writing, in the strict sense of the term, is a branch of Islamic literature. Interest in Muḥammad necessitated the compilation of traditions (Ar. ḥadîth) relating to the life and campaigns of the Prophet and his companions. The communistic theocracy of warriors under the early caliphs, and particularly ‘Umar's system of assigning state pensions to Moslems according to their kinship to the Prophet, gave impetus to the study of genealogy in which even pagan Arabs, who attached special importance to descent, were interested. The elucidation of passages in poetry, one of the earliest and most fully-developed modes of expression among the Arabs, and the necessity of determining persons and places referred to in their religious literature made philologists apply themeselves to historical research. The three sources of Arabian history therefore are: (1) pre-Islamic stories, (2) traditions relative to the life and campaigns of the Prophet and the companions, and (3) genealogical lists and poetical compositions. The earliest books of history are: biography (sîrah), books of campaigns (maghâzi), and books of genealogy and classes (ansâb wa-ṭabaḳât).
