Editing Abu al-Faraj al-Isfahani (section)

===Works===
Al-Isfahani is best known as the author of ''[[Kitab al-Aghani]]'' ("The Book of Songs"), an encyclopaedia of over 20 volumes and editions. However, he additionally wrote [[poetry]], an anthology of verses on the [[monastery|monasteries]] of [[Mesopotamia]] and [[Egypt]], and a genealogical work.<ref name="eb" />
*''[[Kitab al-Aghani|Kitāb al-Aġānī]]'' ({{lang|ar|كتاب الأغاني}}) 'Book of Songs', a collection of Arabic chants rich in information on Arab and Persian poets, singers and other musicians from the 7th to the 10th centuries of major cities such as [[Mecca]], [[Damascus]], [[Isfahan]], [[Rey, Iran|Rey]], [[Baghdad|Baghdād]] and [[Basra|Baṣrah]]. The Book of Songs contains details of the ancient Arab tribes and courtly life of the [[Umayyad Caliphate|Umayyads]] and provides a complete overview of the Arab civilization from the pre-Islamic [[Jahiliyya]] era, up to his own time.<!--{{sfn|Al-A'zami|p=192}}--><ref>''[[Chambers Biographical Dictionary]]'', {{ISBN|0-550-18022-2}}, page 5</ref> Abu ‘l-Faraj employs the classical Arabic genealogical device, or ''[[isnad]]'', (chain of transmission), to relate the biographical accounts of the authors and composers.<!--{{sfn|Al-A'zami|p=192}}-->{{citation needed|date=August 2021}} Although originally the poems were put to music, the musical signs are no longer legible.  Abu ‘l-Faraj spent in total 50 years creating this work, which remains an important historical source.
The first printed edition, published in 1868, contained 20 volumes. In 1888 [[Rudolf Ernst Brünnow]] published a 21st volume being a collection of biographies not contained in the Bulāq edition, edited from manuscripts in the Royal Library of [[Munich]].{{sfn|al-Isfahani|1888}}

*''Maqātil aṭ-Ṭālibīyīn'' ({{lang|ar|مقاتل الطالبيين}}), Tālibid Fights, a collection of more than 200 biographies of the descendants of [[Abu Talib ibn Abd al-Muttalib]], from the time of [[Muhammad]] to the writing of the book in 925/6, who died in an unnatural way.{{sfn|Günther|2007|p=13}} As Abul-Faraj said in the foreword to his work, he included only those [[Alī|Tālibids]] who rebelled against the government and were killed, slaughtered, executed or poisoned, lived underground, fled or died in captivity. {{sfn|Günther|2007|p=14}} The work is a major source for the [[Umayyad]] and [[Abbasid|Abbāsid]] [[Alid]] [[Alid revolt of 762–763|uprisings]] and the main source for the [[Hashimites|Hashimite]] meeting that took place after the assassination of the Umayyad Caliph [[Al-Walid II|al-Walīd II]] in the village of [[al-Abwa|al-Abwā]]' between [[Mecca]] and [[Medina]]. At this meeting, al-'Abdallah made the Hashimites pledge an oath of allegiance to his son [[Muhammad al-Nafs al-Zakiyya]] as the new [[Mahdi]]. {{sfn|Nagel|1970|pp=258–262}}
*''Kitāb al-Imā'āš-šawā'ir'' ({{lang|ar|كتاب الإماء الشواعر}}) 'The Book of the Poet-slaves', a collection of accounts of poetic slaves of the [[Abbasid Caliphate|Abbasid]] period.