Background
Hishām ibn al-Kalbi was born in 737 in Kufa, Iraq. Hishām’s father was a distinguished scholar of Kūfah who endeavoured to put into writing oral traditions gathered from Bedouins and professional reciters.
( Here, in the translation and edition of Nabih A. Faris ...)
Here, in the translation and edition of Nabih A. Faris of the American University at Beirut, is the text of the unique Arabic source on the idols and worship of pagan Arabia. The influence of pagan Arabia on the development of Islam is increasingly recognized by modern scholars, and this is an important key to its understanding. Princeton Oriental Studies, No. 14. Originally published in 1950. The Princeton Legacy Library uses the latest print-on-demand technology to again make available previously out-of-print books from the distinguished backlist of Princeton University Press. These editions preserve the original texts of these important books while presenting them in durable paperback and hardcover editions. The goal of the Princeton Legacy Library is to vastly increase access to the rich scholarly heritage found in the thousands of books published by Princeton University Press since its founding in 1905.
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Hishām ibn al-Kalbi was born in 737 in Kufa, Iraq. Hishām’s father was a distinguished scholar of Kūfah who endeavoured to put into writing oral traditions gathered from Bedouins and professional reciters.
Hishām ibn al-Kalbi spent much of his life in Baghdad. Like his father, he collected information about the genealogies and history of the ancient Arabs. According to the Fihrist, he wrote 140 works. His account of the genealogies of the Arabs is continually quoted in the Kitab al-Aghani. Hisham established a genealogical link between Ishmael and Mohammed and put forth the idea that all Arabs were descended from Ishmael. He relied heavily on the ancient oral traditions of the Arabs, but also quoted writers who had access to Biblical and Palmyran sources.
( Here, in the translation and edition of Nabih A. Faris ...)
