Ibn A’Tham Al-Kufi and His Kitab Al-Futuh

Author, Textual Tradition, and Ridda Narrative

By (author) Monika Schonleber

Book cover: Ibn A’Tham Al-Kufi and His Kitab Al-Futuh

Extent: 742 pages

Publisher: Gerlach Press

Subjects: Islamic & Middle Eastern Studies, Medieval Studies

Language: English

Hardback (Published)

(December 2024)

ISBN: 9783959941808

Price: $328.00

Out of stock

This two-volume set delves deeply into the life of the Muslim scholar Ibn A?tham al-K?f? and his monumental historical work, the Kit?b al-fut?? (Book of Conquests).


This two-volume study explores the life of the Muslim scholar Ibn A’tham al-Kūfī and his historical work, the Kitāb al-futūḥ (Book of Conquests). This study re-contextualises Ibn A’tham within the early fourth/tenth century, highlighting his contributions to Islamic historiography. Volume 1 examines his biography, refines the timeline of his life and work, and traces its reception across the Muslim world. It provides codicological descriptions of the surviving Arabic manuscripts, analyses the narratives of the ridda (‘apostasy’) wars, and includes critical editions of the Kitāb al-futūḥ’s collective isnāds, accompanied by translations and analyses. Volume 2 presents a new critical edition of the work’s opening sections, focusing on the saqīfa and ridda narratives, based on manuscripts kept at Forschungsbibliothek Gotha (Germany) and Khuda Bakhsh Oriental Public Library in Patna (India).

  • By (author) Monika Schonleber