masoum ali pajeh

The history of the Fatimids can be found in various works, from pro-Ismaili sources to anti-Sunni and Shia sources of Twelver Imams. This article focuses on one of the Sunni sources, Mufarij al-Kuroob fi Akhbar Bani Ayyub, and with a "descriptive-analytical" approach and based on library studies, it pursues the question of how the image of the Fatimids is represented in this book? The importance of the issue is that Mafarj al-Karub is basically the dynastic history of the Ayyubids, therefore, the analysis of the representation of Fatimids' image in the dynastic history of their enemies and successors can be an accurate benchmark for measuring Ibn Wasil's impartiality. What Ibn Wasil brought about the Fatimids includes some historical events, the Fatimids' opinions and mentioning some poems written about them. In the issue of the Fatimids' lineage, Ibn Wasil's view is to reject their attribution to the Alawites. But in mentioning the historical narratives related to the Fatimids, he has done a little the value judgment and mentioned the events without favoring the Ayyubids. However, in the course of mentioning Fatimids' opinions and beliefs, his narration takes the shape of writing refutation and includes dispraising of the Fatimids.

Tarikh Al-Ya’qubi, written by Ahmad ibn Abi Ya’qub (d. 284 AH), is one of the general histories that has been compiled in a combined method; that is it presents a whole coherent account of a historical event by removing the chain of narrators as well as integrating several records of a same event.There are some factors in Tarikh Al-Ya’qubi that make it necessary to retrieve its resources as well as evaluate the authenticity of its narrations: the removal of the chain of narrators, the inconsistency of some reports with the accounts of other well-known contemporary resources (Al-Maghazi, Al-Sirah Al-Nabawiyyah, Al-Tabaqat Al-Kubra, etc.) and specifically including unheard and Shii-like narrations.The main questions of this research include: What are the resources of Tarikh Al-Ya’qubi? Are these resources sufficiently credible? And finally, what was Al-Ya’qubi’s criterion in authenticating the narrations?According to the research findings, although Al-Ya’qubi’s accounts on the role of Imam Ali (as) in the Prophet-led battles of Uhud, Khandaq, Bani Qurayzah, Bani Jazima, Hunayn and the Conquest of Mecca are valid and in line with other resources, his history - influenced by his Shiite attitudes - sometimes includes different and rare accounts, the resource of which is not known.