Genelogy in the Islamic Period

The Science of genealogy in concerned with determining people's genealogical lines and methods involved in such determination, with the basic objective of preventing inaccuracies in establishing such ancestral lines. Genealogy is considered to be among the pre ه requisite sciences for the historian and can be classified as a sub ه division of biography. The history of genealogy among Arabs dates back to pre ه Islamic period. After Islam, the Umayyid dynasty vehemently supported the promotion of the science of genealogy. In the Abbasid period, as well, the issue of proving, theologi ه cally and legitimately, the rightfulness of the Ghuraysh and the rejection of Umayyids led to newer and more serious arguments in the field of genealogy. In this article, while describing the science of genealogy and its various methodological schools; the invention, the objective, and the historical evolution of this branch of knowledge throughout the Islamic era and up to the present age are discussed. In the end, a selection of major sources of this endeavor including the general sources, the genealogy of the Noble Prophet, the genealogy of some Arab tribes, and a number of investigations by Orientalists are brought to your attention in brief.