Iranian Journal for the History of Islamic Civilization

Iranian Journal for the History of Islamic Civilization

Historiography and Legitimacy: The Construction of Political Wisdom in the Encounters of Abbas Ibn Abd Al-Muttalib and Abdallah Ibn Abbas with the First Three Shi‘i Imams

Document Type : Research Paper

Author
Ph.D in History and Civilisation of Islamic Nations, Faculty of Theology and Islamic Studies, Tehran University, Tehran, Iran
Abstract
The rise of the Abbasid Caliphate, alongside its political transformations, necessitated a redefinition of the dynasty’s relationship with the Prophetic legacy, Hashimite kinship, and the crisis of succession. Within this context, certain accounts concerning Abbas Ibn Abd Al-Muttalib and Abdallah Ibn Abbas in early Islamic historiographical texts transcend mere factual reporting, evolving into instruments of political meaning-making and legitimation. Employing a descriptive-analytical approach and drawing upon advances in narratology in Islamic historiography, this study critically examines the representation of these two figures in relation to Ali Ibn Abi Talib, Hasan Ibn Ali, and Hossayn Ibn Ali. This paper does not seek to dismiss the overall credibility of Islamic sources from a revisionist standpoint. Rather, its objective is to analyze these sources not merely as repositories of raw historical data, but as narrative, meaning-constructing texts that have integrated layers of ex post facto reinterpretation during the processes of transmission, compilation, and canonization. The findings suggest that in a significant portion of these reports, Abbas, and particularly Abdallah Ibn Abbas, is depicted as a figure endowed with political sagacity, foresight, and discernment. In various instances, this positions them as preeminent advisors, warners, and analysts of the crises of early Islam. Such a pattern cannot be reduced to simple conscious fabrication or a monolithic propaganda campaign; instead, it is more accurate to characterize it as the result of gradual processes of selection, emphasis, and the semantic rearrangement of narratives within the crucible of dynastic rivalries and the intellectual shifts of the early Islamic centuries
Keywords
Subjects

The Holy Quran
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Volume 59, Issue 1
(Spring & Summer 2026)
September 2026
Pages 45-72

  • Receive Date 13 April 2026
  • Revise Date 08 July 2026
  • Accept Date 21 July 2026