Reflection of Shiʿite Beliefs and Attitudes in the Tarīḵ al-Mūṣel by Abū Zakarīya Azdī (d.334 AH.)

Abstract

The surviving part of the Tarīḵ al-Mūṣel by abū Zakarīya Azdī (d. 334 AH.), contains reports of the late Umayyad caliphs and notes from the ʿAlids and Shiʿite Imams, in addition to mentioning local accounts and events in Mosul and the Jazīra (Northern Mesopotamia). This article focuses on these reports and remarks to answer the question of how Azdī's beliefs and attitudes were reflected in the Tarīḵ al-Mūṣel and where did they originate? An analysis of Azdi's reports and memoirs of the Alids and Umayyads reveals the author "s Shiʿite leanings. We can see the positive image of the ʿAlids and the Umayyads' negative image through the Azdī reports. The Commemoration of Shiʿite Imams, from Imam ʿAlī (A.S.) to Imam Reżā (A.S.), according to Shiʿite tradition and belief, has been accompanied by the disdain of the Umayyads. Also, the comparison of the Umayyads to the House of Pharaoh (āl-e Ferʿon) in the Tarīḵ al-Mūṣel is a reflection and repetition of the discourse that was explained by the Shiʿite Imams, especially Imam Sajjād (A.S.) after the event of ʿĀšūrāʾ, and was propagated by the Shiʿites.

Keywords

• tarīḵ al-mūṣel by azdī
• shiʿite tendencies
• ʿalids
• umayyads
• the house of pharaoh (āl-e ferʿon)