Philosophical and social aspects of al Ya'qubi's history

Ya'qubi, the great 9th century Muslim historian and geographer, left significant works behind. However, his innovative approach to exploring history is what he is particularly famous for. He decided to correct, substantially and seriously, the historiographical method advocated by many generations of historians before him, as well as by some of his contemporaries, such as al-Tabari. He deemed that history could not be viewed in isolation from other related scientific disciplines. In his opinion, a historian must be well aware of geographical and natural features of the region he wants to write about, to obtain thorough information of the conceptual and cognitive platform on which its inhabitants based their beliefs, the culture and demographic specificities of the people, and many other details. Only then will he be able to recognize the essence of historical events, and, above all, the purpose and direction of social trends. Ya'qubi paid close attention to political, financial, military and other social turmoil in history. He reported on them very accurately. Yet, he still believed that all those elements were in fact the consequence of a more serious and fundamental factor, cultural history. That is why cultural, thought and spiritual development in the history of different peoples, both before and after the advent of Islam, was the core and mainstay of his research.