Khalīfāb. Khayyāt's historiography method

Abstract

Khalīfa b. Khayyāt (d. 240/854-855) was an historian- muhaddith in the Abbāsid's period. There are references in sources to his competence in history and lineage rather than Hadīth. Two works of him have survived. The first one is al-Tabakāt which is about study of men and the second one is al-Tarīkh which chronologically narrates the events in the history of Islam until 232 AH. The latter is the most significant work to be applied for the historiography of ibn Khayyāt. In this article, Khalīfa b. Khayyāt's methodology in historiography is examined. In this study, the early period of Islamic histography is handled and the subject is discussed comparatively. The main characteristics of his historiography are his adoption of a chronological style that facilitates the follow-up of the book, his knowledge for the lineage of those who died in wars and the details about the wars. Also, among the characteristics are his application of isnād to his history book as a muhaddith, his knowledge for the previous resources via his teachers who belong to the schools of al-Madīna and Irāk and when required, his usage of ayah, hadīth and poems. These issues are dealed in the artcile with examples. Besides, a study in the West about Khalīfa b. Khayyāt asserts that he was a follower of Umayyad dynasty and so this affected his historiography. In this article, this assertion is tackled by analyzing the whole book and it concludes that it is not valid because of some narrations against this assertion.