A Study on Junābadhī (d. 611/1214)'s Lost Book Ma ālim al- Itrat al-Nabawiyya

Historiography by Sunnīs on the subject of the purified Imams (A.S.)’s life started along with the Shī‘as’ and has continued ever since. The evolutionary development of this trend, which has had its ups and downs proportionate to the cultural vicissitudes of the Muslim world, requires undergoing serious studies. Despite addressing such issues as the why, the how, and the context of the production of these writings, this article intends to examine on a case by case basis the lost and less known Ma‘ālim al-‘Itrat al-Nabawiyya, authored by Junābadhī, the 6th /11th century Sunnī scholar. Most of Junābadhī’s reports have found their way into the book Kashf al-Lugha fī Ma‘rifat al-A’imma of Irbalī (d. 692/1292), the credible Shī‘a scholar. Junābadhī’s historiography and his status in subsequent sources are dealt with in this article so as to attain a more clarified climate concerning the interaction between the Sunnī and Shī‘a sources.