Muslim historian, born c. 704, died 767/773.
The author of the first complete history of the life of the prophet Muhammad, the Sirat Rasul Allah (usually known as the Sira of Ibn Ishaq). The original text of the Sira is lost, but a later redaction, by Ibn Hisham (d. 828/833), exists. As a source for understanding the early Islamic (8th century) tradition concerning Muhammad's life and works, it is second to none.
An excellent translation of the Sira into English, by A. Guillaume, was published in London 1955, under the title The Life of Muhammad.