Muhammad ibn as-Sā'ib al-Kalbī

Muhammad ibn al-Sā'ib al-Kalbī, also known as Abū n-Nadr, was an Islamic scholar and polymath from Kufa. Born around 675 AD, al-Kalbī is well-regarded for his contributions to Islamic historiography, tafsir (Qur'anic exegesis), and genealogical literature. His works have been foundational to later Islamic traditions and historical chronicles. However, according to Al-Dhahabi, his hadith was considered non-trustworthy since he was a Shia. Among his famous students were his son, Sufyan al-Thawri and the prominent historian Ibn Ishaq.

Al-Kalbi lived at a time when most scholars were preoccupied with the "science" of Hadith. As a result, the bulk of Muslim historians, who lived and wrote much later, documented the early history of the Muslim community while ignoring anything that came before Islam. Al-Kalbi was a prominent exception to his time's intellectual norms, focusing much of his efforts on the study of pre-Islamic religion and Arabian history.