Arabic Historical Thought in the Classical Period [Hardcover]

A survey of an entire tradition of historical thought and writing across a span of eight hundred years.In a work which surveys an entire tradition of historical thought and writing across a span of 800 years, Tarif Khalidi examines how Arabic-Islamic culture of the pre-modern period viewed the past, how it recorded it, and how it sought to answer the fundamental questions asssociated with the discipline of history. 'The extent of Khalidi's reading is daunting, the subtlety and elgance of his exposition enviable. This is a book which is enjoyable as well as informative', Gerald Hawting, Times Literary SupplementIn a work which surveys an entire tradition of historical thought and writing across a span of 800 years, Tarif Khalidi examines how Arabic-Islamic culture of the pre-modern period viewed the past, how it recorded it, and how it sought to answer the fundamental questions asssociated with the discipline of history. 'The extent of Khalidi's reading is daunting, the subtlety and elgance of his exposition enviable. This is a book which is enjoyable as well as informative', Gerald Hawting, Times Literary SupplementIn a work that surveys an entire tradition of historical thought and writing across a span of eight-hundred years, Tarif Khalidi examines how Arabic-Islamic culture of the premodern period viewed the past, how it recorded it, and how it sought to answer the many complex questions associated with the discipline of history.l. The birth of tradition; 2. History and hadith; 3. History and adab; 4. History and hikma; 5. History and siyasa; Conclusion. The extent of Khalidi's reading is daunting, the subtlety and elegance of his exposition enviable. This is a book which is enjoyable as well as informative. Times Literary Supplement In a work as deftly written as it is erudite, Khalidi explores the intellectual context of the development of the practice of history in the central lands of Islam between the seventh and 15th centuries. Khalidi includes substantilc