Page:Baladhuri-Hitti1916.djvu/22

6 or reporter becomes now a chronicler. The annalistic method of aṭ-Ṭabari was followed by ibn-al-Athîr and abu-l-Fida.

Al-Mas‘ûdi inaugurated a new system of writing history. Instead of grouping events around years as center, he grouped them around kings, dynasties and races. His system was followed among others by ibn-Khaldûn, but did not win so much favor as that of aṭ-Ṭabari.

The first record we have regarding the life of al-Balâhuri is that of al-Fihrist. Other sources for his life are Yâḳût, Mu‘jam al-Udabâ’, (pp. 127–132), and al-Kutubi, Fawât al-Wafayât (Vol. I, pp. 8–9, Bûlâḳ, 1283). Ibn-Khallikân refers to him on more than one occasion but does not give his biography. From these sources we learn that Aḥmad ibn-Yaḥya ibn-Jâbir al-Balâdhuri was a native of Baghdâd descended from Persian stock. His grandfather, Jâbir, was secretary to al-Khaṣîb, minister of the finances of Egypt under the caliph ar-Rashîd. Aḥmad was an intimate friend of the caliphs al-Mutawakkil and al-Musta‘in and tutored ‘Abdallâh, the brilliant son of al-Mu‘tazz. He distinguished himself in poetry—especially satires, tradition and genealogy. The year 279/892 saw his death, mentally deranged as a result of drinking the juice of the anacardia (balâdhur); hence his surname al-Balâdhuri. Besides writing Futûḥ al-Buldân, which is a digest of a larger work that has been lost, he wrote Ansâb al-Ashrâf, of which only two volumes are preserved, one in the Schefer collection of the