Iranian Studies

The Role of the Stars in Hamza al-Isfahani’s Historiography: A Comprehensive and Determining Cause, or a Consolatory Antidote

Document Type : Research Paper

Authors

Maryam Azizian 1
Seyed Alireza Hosseini 2

1 Assistant Professor, Department of History, Faculty of Letters and Humanities, Ferdowsi University of Mashhad, Mashhad, Iran

2 M.A. Graduate in History, Faculty of Letters and Humanities, Ferdowsi University of Mashhad, Mashhad, Iran.

https://doi.org/10.22059/jis.2026.416205.1417
Abstract
The principal subject of Hamza al-Isfahani’s History is chronology and the harmonization of the timelines of various nations. However, the work also contains numerous reports related to astrological judgments, which introduce a distinctive layer of complexity. The present study investigates how and why astrological prognostications are interwoven with historical narratives in Hamza’s text. The findings suggest that Hamza al-Isfahani resorted to the influence of celestial bodies and prognostication as causal forces in both the recent past and his own contemporary context. Through this approach, he sought, first, to alleviate the anguish caused by Arab domination over Iranians; second, to convey a message of hope to his contemporaries by anticipating the collapse of the prevailing ineffective order, the end of recurrent instability, and the imminent emergence of a more favorable era; and third, to shield himself from potential repercussions arising from his views on contemporary history. The astrological predictions in Hamza’s History stand in a compelling tension with a traditionist, God-centered framework and an eschatological outlook

Keywords

Hamza al-Isfahani, Historiography, astrology, astronomy, Ta&‌rsquo
rikh sinī mulūk al-arḍ wa al-anbiyā &‌rsquo
, Historiography
Subjects
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Iranian Studies
Volume 16, Issue 2
Summer 2026
Pages 83-105

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