Canon Status
Not canonical in any tradition. A work of popular piety and history.
Date & Provenance
Compiled in the 14th century CE (d. 774 AH).
Language & Manuscripts
Arabic manuscripts and printed editions. Translated into English by Rashad Ahmad Azami.
Why It Matters for Study
A comprehensive collection of the stories of the prophets from Adam to Muhammad, drawing on the Quran, Hadith, and Israiliyyat traditions.
" Adam was the first man, and the first prophet, and God created him from clay." — Ibn Kathir, Stories of the Prophets (paraphrase)
Read the Text & External Resources
Public-domain translations and scholarly databases where the text can be read online or downloaded.
- " Adam was the first man, and the first prophet, and God created him from clay." — Ibn Kathir, Stories of the Prophets (paraphrase) " Adam was the first man, and the first prophet, and God created him from clay." — Ibn Kathir, Stories of the Prophets (paraphrase)
External links open in a new tab. Sources are chosen for public-domain or open-access availability; always verify edition and translation when citing in academic work.
Further Reading
Ibn Kathir. Stories of the Prophets. Darussalam, 2003.
Ibn Kathir. Al-Bidayah wan-Nihayah. Dar al-Ma'arifah, 1966.
Stories of the Prophets — Internet Archive|https://archive.org/details/storiesoftheproph00ibnk|Full text and commentary.;; Ibn Kathir — Wikipedia|https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ibn_Kathir|Background and scholarly discussion.