Sayf ibn Umar

Sayf ibn Umar al-Usayyidi al-Tamimi was an 8th-century Islamic historian and compiler of reports, who also transmitted hadith. He lived in Kufa. He wrote the ('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).

Life

Little is known about Sayf, except that he lived in Kufa and belonged to the tribe of Banu Tamim. His narrations are said to be influenced by the tribal traditions of Banu Tamim. W. F. Tucker and Ella Landau-Tasseron note that although Sayf may have been an unscrupulous hadith collector, this should not detract from his general reliability as a transmitter of historical information (akhbārī).