Hilal al-Sabi'
Encyclopedia
Abū'l-Ḥusayn Hilāl b. Muḥassin b. Ibrahīm al-Ṣābi' (969-1056) ابو حسين هلال بن محسن بن ايبراهيم الصابئ) was a historian, bureaucrat, and writer of Arabic
. Born into a family of Sabian
bureaucrats, al-Ṣābi converted to Islam in 1012 AD. First working under the Buyid amir Ṣamṣām al-Dawla, he later became the Director of the Chancery under Baha' al-Daula
's vizier
Fakhr al-Mulk.
Perhaps his most famous book is the Rusum dar al-khilafa which is a manual for behavior and work in the Abbasid
court of late Buyid Baghdad. Though it is designed as a set of instructions and advice, the book contains numerous statistics, anecdotes and historical asides.
Only of the beginning of this work has survived, which deals with the viziers of the caliph
Al-Muqtadir
.
This too survives only in fragmentary form, but its fragments fill a much needed gap in the chronicles of the late Buyid era, up to the year 393 hijri
(1003 AD).
Arabic language
Arabic is a name applied to the descendants of the Classical Arabic language of the 6th century AD, used most prominently in the Quran, the Islamic Holy Book...
. Born into a family of Sabian
Sabians
The Sabians of Middle Eastern tradition were a monotheistic Abrahamic religious group mentioned three times in the Quran: "the Jews, the Sabians, and the Christians." In the Hadith they are nothing but converts to Islam, while their identity in later Islamic literature became a matter of...
bureaucrats, al-Ṣābi converted to Islam in 1012 AD. First working under the Buyid amir Ṣamṣām al-Dawla, he later became the Director of the Chancery under Baha' al-Daula
Baha' al-Daula
Baha' al-Daula was the Buyid amir of Iraq , along with Fars and Kerman . He was the third son of 'Adud al-Daula....
's vizier
Vizier
A vizier or in Arabic script ; ; sometimes spelled vazir, vizir, vasir, wazir, vesir, or vezir) is a high-ranking political advisor or minister in a Muslim government....
Fakhr al-Mulk.
Works
Hilal al-Sabi' is the author of numerous books, not all of which have survived. Bureaucratic matters and matters of the court were his main themes, along with history.- The Rules and Regulations of the Abbasid Court - (Arabic: رسوم دار الخلافة Rusum dar al-khilafa)
Perhaps his most famous book is the Rusum dar al-khilafa which is a manual for behavior and work in the Abbasid
Abbasid
The Abbasid Caliphate or, more simply, the Abbasids , was the third of the Islamic caliphates. It was ruled by the Abbasid dynasty of caliphs, who built their capital in Baghdad after overthrowing the Umayyad caliphate from all but the al-Andalus region....
court of late Buyid Baghdad. Though it is designed as a set of instructions and advice, the book contains numerous statistics, anecdotes and historical asides.
- The Book of Viziers - (Arabic: كتاب الوزراء Kitab al-wuzara)
Only of the beginning of this work has survived, which deals with the viziers of the caliph
Caliph
The Caliph is the head of state in a Caliphate, and the title for the ruler of the Islamic Ummah, an Islamic community ruled by the Shari'ah. It is a transcribed version of the Arabic word which means "successor" or "representative"...
Al-Muqtadir
Al-Muqtadir
Al-Muqtadir was the Abbasid Caliph in Baghdad from 908 AD to 932 AD .After the previous Caliph, al-Muktafi, was confined for several months to his sick-bed, intrigue was made for some time as to his successor...
.
- History of Hilal al-Sabi' - (Arabic: تاريخ ابي الحسين هلال بن المحسن بن ابراهيم الصابي Tarikh Hilal al-Sabi)
This too survives only in fragmentary form, but its fragments fill a much needed gap in the chronicles of the late Buyid era, up to the year 393 hijri
Islamic calendar
The Hijri calendar , also known as the Muslim calendar or Islamic calendar , is a lunar calendar consisting of 12 lunar months in a year of 354 or 355 days. It is used to date events in many Muslim countries , and used by Muslims everywhere to determine the proper day on which to celebrate Islamic...
(1003 AD).
See also
- List of Muslim historians
- Islamic scholars