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{{Short description|15-century Arabic book by Al-Suyuti}}
{{for|the work attributed to Ibn Qutayba (died 889)|al-Imama wa al-siyasa}}
{{Infobox book
| name           = History of the Caliphs
| title_orig     = تاريخ الخلفاء
| translator     = 
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| author         = [[Jalal al-Din al-Suyuti]]
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| language       = [[Arabic]]
| series         = 
| subject        = [[Islamic history]]
| genre          = Non-fiction
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| media_type     = Print (Hardcover & Paperback)
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}}

'''''History of the Caliphs''''' ({{Langx|ar|تاريخ الخلفاء |translit=Tārīkh al-Khulafāʾ}}) is a history book written by [[al-Suyuti]] (c. 1445-1505), the classic [[Sunni]] [[scholar]]. It provides biographies of the Caliphs starting from the Rashidun Caliphs and ending with the Abbasid Caliphs. It was translated and published in English in 1881 in [[Calcutta]] and republished in English at Oriental Press in 1970.

The book covers several periods:
* [[Rashidun Caliphate]]
* [[Umayyad Caliphate]]
* [[Abbasid Caliphate]]
* [[Fatimid Caliphate]]

==Chapters==
The book contains several chapters before commencing with the mention of the Caliphs, which Jalal al-Din al-Suyuti summarized as follows:

#Chapter on explaining that the Prophet did not appoint a successor and the reason for that.
#Chapter on explaining that the Imams are from the Quraysh tribe and that the Caliphate belongs to them.
#Chapter on the duration of the Caliphate in Islam.
#Chapter on the hadiths warning about the Caliphate of the Banu Umayya.
#Chapter on the hadiths heralding the Caliphate of the Banu Abbas.
#Chapter on the matter of the Prophet's cloak (al-Burda al-Nabawiyya) which the Caliphs passed down until the end of time.
#Chapter on scattered benefits that occur in biographies, but mentioning them in one place is more suitable and beneficial.

==Suyuti's references==
As the author mentioned at the end of the book, he relied on the following references:

*Tarikh al-Dhahabi (History of al-Dhahabi)
*Anba' al-Ghumr li-Ibn Hajar (News of the Unseen by Ibn Hajar)
*Tarikh Baghdad lil-Khatib (The History of Baghdad by al-Khatib al-Baghdadi)
*Tarikh Dimashq li-Ibn 'Asakir (The History of Damascus by Ibn 'Asakir)
*Al-Awraq lil-Suli (The Papers by al-Suli)
*Al-Tuyuriyyat
*Al-Hilya li-Abi Nu'aym (The Adornment/Beautification by Abu Nu'aym al-Asbahani)
*Al-Mujalasa lil-Dinawari (The Sessions/Conferences by al-Dinawari)
*Al-Kamil lil-Mubarrad (The Complete [Work] by al-Mubarrad)
*Amali Tha'lab (The Dictations/Literary Gatherings of Tha'lab)

==Translation==
''The History of the Khalifahs who took the Right Way'' is a partial translation of ''History of the Caliphs''. 
Its translator, Abdassamad Clarke, chose to translate the biographies of the first four "Rightly Guided Caliphs" adding to them Imam [[Hasan ibn Ali]], because of his action in healing the divisions in the early community and, according to Sunni Muslims' opinion, legitimately handing power over to [[Mu'awiyah ibn Abi Sufyan]].

==External links==
{{wikisourcelang|ar|تاريخ الخلفا|History of the Caliphs}}
*[http://consideredbookreviews.blogspot.com/2009/09/tarikh-al-khulafah-jalal-al-din-abd-al.html Review of Suyuti's Tarikh al-Khulafah (History of the Caliphs)]
*[https://www.scribd.com/doc/34889995/Tarikh-ul-Khulafa Urdu Translation of Suyuti's Tarikh al-Khulafa]{{Dead link|date=August 2024 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}

[[Category:15th-century history books]]
[[Category:Caliphs]]
[[Category:Sunni literature]]
[[Category:Books about monarchs]]
[[Category:Books by al-Suyuti]]


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