Sayf ibn Umar
Sayf ibn Umar | |
|---|---|
| Born | Unknown date Kufa, Iraq |
| Died | c. 786–809 |
| Occupation | Historian |
| Era | Early Abbasid period |
| Known for | Being a source for al-Tabari ({839–923) |
| Notable work | The Great book of Conquests and Apostasy Wars (Kitāb al-futūh al-kabīr wa-l-ridda) |
Sayf ibn Umar al-Usayyidi al-Tamimi (Arabic: سيف بن عمر) was an 8th-century Islamic historian and compiler of reports who lived in Kufa. He wrote the Kitāb al-futūh al-kabīr wa-l-ridda ('The Great book of Conquests and Apostasy Wars'), which was the later historian al-Tabari's (839–923) main source for the Ridda wars and the early Islamic conquests. It also contains important information on the structure of early Muslim armies and government. According to al-Dhahabi, Sayf died during the reign of Harun al-Rashid (786–809).