ANALYSIS OF THE WORK AL-TABAQAT AL-KUBRA BY IBN SA’D ZUHRI

Abstract

This article covers the study of the life of the great historian, faqih, muhaddith Ibn Sa’d Zuhri, and his famous work “at-Tabaqat al-Kubra”. It tells about the scholar’s life, his scientific travels, fields of activity, his writings, and his respect in the eyes of scientists. The content, structure, narrations, modern editions of “at-Tabaqat al-Kubra” and, most importantly, its role in the study of Islamic history are also presented. “at-Tabaqat al-Kubra” is one of the oldest works written in its direction and has reached us. In the first two volumes of this book, Ibn Sa’d wrote a biography of the companions, then the followers, and then the scholars who lived up to his time, after covering the biographies of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him). Describing the biographies of thousands of individuals, this book spread widely in the Islamic world and became the most important and widely used source in Islamic history. Today, several modern research is being carried out on the work, which has been published in modern editions. After all, “Tabaqat” objectively covers the first three centuries of Islamic history, narrates the personalities of this period, important historical events, social life, and scientific environment uniquely. There are many aspects of Ibn Sa’d and “at-Tabaqat al-Kubra” that still need to be studied. This article will be one of the first steps taken in our country on this topic.