This work was intended as an abridgment of the Annuals of the Early Caliphate, with continuation to the fall of the Abbassides; but I found, as I went on, the matter less compressible that I had hoped. The result, therefore, is much larger than anticipated. I trust, however, that its length notwithstanding, the narrative may be found not uninteresting; and I now offer it as a contribution towards the history of a period for which there are, as yet, but scanty materials in the English language.
The authorities, excepting for the later portions, are purely Arabian; indeed for the earlier there are no other. After Tabari, who died in the fourth century A.H., Ibn Athir (d. 630), a singularly impartial annalist, has been my chief guide. Towards the close, and especially for the brief guide. Towards the close, and especially for the brief chapter on the Caliphate under the Mameluke dynasty, I have drawn largely on Weil's admirable Geschichte der Chalifen, which indeed has been my constant companion throughout. I gratefully acknowledge my obligations to the late Dr. Weil. The more his great history in studied in connection with the original authorities, the more one is impressed with the vast research, the unfailing accuracy, and the dispassionate judgement of the author.
