Books on the biography of the Prophet of Islam: such as سیرة ابن هشام المتوفی 151 which is the revised version of the Seerah of Ibn Ishaq.
Seerah of ibn Ishaq is translated under ‘The Life of Muhammad’ by A. Guillaume, 1955.
Also, the work of Ayatollah Sobhani ‘The Message’ is a scholarly record of the life of Prophet Muhammad.
2. The history of the major Islamic cities: Such as “The History of Baghdad” written by Khatib Baghdadi, died in 463 A.H or ‘the History of Dameshq’ by Ibn Asakar, died in 571A.H.
3. Travel Accounts: Such as the travel account of Ibn Battuta, a Muslim traveler of the 14th century A.D. His travel lasted for about 30 years. He is the only medieval traveler who is known to have visited the lands of every Muslim ruler of his time. The mere extent of his travels is estimated at no less than 150,000 k. His book is of great historical value and is translated by Ross Dunn.
4. General History of Islam: Such as ‘The History of the Nations and the Kings’ by al-Tabari. ‘Cambridge History of Islam’ edited by P.H. Holt 2 vols. which is the most comprehensive book in English. And ‘Muslim History’ (570-1950) by Akram Zahoor.
5. Geographers such as Ibn Hawqal, the Muslim geographer of the 10th century and the author of المسالک و الممالک translated by H. Kramer as “The Legacy of Islam”.
6. Accounts of the Conquered countries, such as Futuh al-Buldan, by Balazuri; the Muslim historian of the 9th century.
