Abi Mekhnaf (Lut ibn Yahya ibn Sa'id ibn Mikhnaf Al-Kufi) (أبو مخنَف) was a classical Shia Muslim historian from the 8th century. He lived in Kufa and died in AH 157 (773/774) . He attributes to Shiism by some Rijal scholars but it's doubtful and not accepted with all of them. However his works represent great tendency to Ali and his sons Hasan and Husayn.

In "Islamic Historiography", "Chase F. Robinson" has put him in the class of Ibn Ishaq and among the first Muslim historians. He was one of founder of Akhbari school in Historiography of early Islam. He wrote at least 13 monographs which later historians like Al-Tabari gathered them in one collection.

Ibn Nadim in Al-Fihrist enumerates 22 and Najashi lists 28 monographs composed by him comprising :

He was the first historian to systematically collect the reports dealing with the events of the Battle of Karbala. His work was considered reliable among later Shi'a and Sunni historians like Tabari. He has based his work on the eyewitness testimony of Muhammad ibn Qays , Harith ibn Abd Allah ibn Sharik al-Amiri , Abd Allah ibn Asim and Dahhak ibn Abd Allah Abu , Abu Janab al-Kalbi and Adi b. Hurmula , Muhammad ibn Qays.