Karbala Historical Resources

Account N. 10 : Al-waqidi

Unfortunately little or nothing survives of the monograph written by al-Waqidi. It is claimed by both Ibn Nadim and his secretary, Ibn Sa'd, that al-Waqidi was a Shi’i[^44].

However, Shaykh al-Mufid accuses him of being a member of the `Uthmaniyya[^45]. What al-Mufid means by that is that al-Waqidi had strong sympathies with the Zubayrid faction which had supported greater authority for Medina, and seen the family of Zubayr (and in particular his son, Ibn al-Zubayr) as the fittest people for the caliphate. If any of his account had survived, it would have been interesting to examine his treatment of Ibn al-Zubayr.

The `Uthmaniyya attitude to Ibn al-Zubayr with regard to this incident is clearly established in the work of Khalifa b. Khayyat, and there is also a similar report in al-Baladhuris Ansab al-Ashraf.

Notes:

[^44] E. L. Petersen, op. cit.. p. 89. [^45] Al-Mufid, Kitab al-Jamal.