C – The Mamluk State (656–768 AH)

This third division of al-Bidāyah wa al-Nihāyah is the broadest in chronological span, the largest in size, and the richest in material. It is filled with events, external and internal wars, and the tribulations that befell the Muslims.

It safeguards for the Muslim community the history of eight centuries, together with the diverse cultural legacies they contained—ḥadīth, literature, poetry, wisdom—and the accumulated expertise of scholars and the experiences of nations.

The first of those centuries particularly commands our attention. In it Ḥāfiẓ Ibn Kathīr compiled his historical material from the collections of the ḥadīth masters and from early historical works that have never reached us in print. His own opinions and remarks are plainly present: they enrich the various topics, reveal the truth, expose falsehood, and stir emotions that reflect the positions of Ahl al-Sunnah wa-l-Jamāʿah.

He follows the annalistic method, recording events year by year. Each year is divided into two parts: first he writes, “Then the year such-and-such commenced,” and reports the occurrences, the external wars, and the internal strife; then he adds, “Those who died therein from among the notables.”

• It should be noted that this annalistic scheme breaks off a given incident at the end of the year, so that it is not presented in full within the year in which it happened. During the Abbasid period he also became more attentive to natural phenomena—earthquakes, diseases, epidemics, famines, and soaring prices. Nor did he shy away from recounting marvels. From the time of Sultan al-Ẓāhir Baybars (658–676 AH) he showed keen interest in judges, their appointments and dismissals; and since the era of the vizier Niẓām al-Mulk (456–485 AH) he has reported on the madrasahs and the news of their principals and professors.

• In the obituary notices he records biographies—brief or extended—of eminent figures and notables: scholars, traditionists, poets, men of letters, historians, princes, sultans, caliphs—indeed, anyone who left an imprint or achieved renown in society. In so doing he renders them their due and preserves their memory and legacy, though, formally speaking, this interrupts the chronological flow of events and occurrences.

• He relies on historical sources that preceded or were contemporary with him, abridging and paraphrasing the events, and referring the reader back to the original source to spare him prolixity and boredom. He chronicles his own age at close range, as an eyewitness, thereby providing later generations with an accurate portrait of the eighth century in which he lived.

The contents of this division are spread over ten volumes, as follows: