Makers of the Muslim World: Ahmad Ibn Hanbal

0.0

In this pioneering biography, Christopher Melchert examines the forefather of the fourth of the four principal Sunni schools of jurisprudence, the Hanbali. Upholding the view that the Qur’an was uncreated and the direct word of God, Ahmad ibn Hanbal (780-855) thought that the holy text should be read literally, rejecting any possibility for metaphorical or revisionist interpretation. Showing that even in his own lifetime, ibn Hanbal’s followers were revising his doctrines in favour of a more commodious Islam, Melchert assesses the importance of ibn Hanbal’s teachings and analyses their relevance in modern Sunni Islam. About The Author Dr Christopher Melchert is a lecturer in Arabic and Islam at the Oriental Institute, Oxford University. He has written numerous published articles on Islam and specifically Ahmad ibn Hanbal. Table of Contents Introduction Life Religious knowledge Family man Ahmad's character The Inquisition The end Hadith The character of Hadith The age of collecting hadith Ahmad's quest for Hadith The Musnad Hadith criticism Law The spectrum of opinion in the ninth century Hanbali literature Ahmad's jurisprudence The Hanbali school of Law Correct Belief Who is in, who is not? What Ahmad believed Rejected theological parties Politics Ahmad the fundamentalist? Sunni theology after Ahmad Piety Ahmad and the renunciant tradition An ideal within the range of most men Ahmad's practice Conclusion.