Shaping Community through Biographical Collections from South Arabia: A Comparison of Two Ṭabaqāt-works

This article investigates and compares the origins, intentions contents of two biographical collections from South Arabia. The first, al-Sulūk fī ṭabaqāt al-ʿulamā̉ wa-l-mulūk, was written by al-Janadī, who held important legal administrative positions for Rasūlid court during first part 8th/14th century. collection mainly emerges an earlier Yemeni historiographical work, which described lives religious figures in Arabia Islamic period, but sees new entries being added author’s own research time. It encompasses both learned men political dignitaries overall aimed to induce readers remember imitate exemplary found history al-Janadī’s beloved Yemen. second collection, Ṭabaqāt al-khawāṣṣ ahl al-ṣidq wa-l-ikhlāṣ, composed al-Sharjī, a 9th/15th-century scholar motivated his visitations graves Sufis Yemen as well observation that these individuals had been left out previous describing other parts world. As result, he utilised collections, including al-Janadī’s, put together representation Towards end this there is detailed comparison made between alternative biographies same man thus illustrating differences apparent respective foci historians.