Annotated Translation of the "Maghazi" of Ma'mar ibn Rashid: An 8th-Century Biography of Muhammad

FAIN: FA-56552-12

Sean William Anthony
University of Oregon (Eugene, OR 97403-5219)

This project aims to provide the first annotated translation of one of the earliest extant biographies of the prophet Muhammad: the Kitab al-Maghazi (or, The Book of Expeditions) of the 8th-century Muslim scholar Ma'mar ibn Rashid (714-770 C.E.). Although the Arabic text of this early and important work has been available to scholars since 1972, no scholar has hitherto endeavored to translate this important, early work into a European language and, thus, to broaden its readership and accessibility. Other than the translation of this text, this project requires a revisitation of the unique manuscript of this Arabic text, imperfectly edited in its printed editions, preserved in Suleymaneya Library in Istanbul. It is the ultimate aim of this project to give this early work the wider readership it deserves.