In this Book
Virtues of the Imam Ahmad ibn Ḥanbal: Volume One
Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal (d. 241/855), renowned for his profound knowledge of hadith—the reports of the Prophet’s sayings and deeds—is a major figure in the history of Islam. Ibn Ḥanbal’s piety and austerity made him a folk hero, especially after his principled resistance to the attempts of two Abbasid caliphs to force him to accept rationalist doctrine. His subsequent imprisonment and flogging became one of the most dramatic episodes of medieval Islamic history. Ibn Ḥanbal’s resistance influenced the course of Islamic law, the rise of Sunnism, and the legislative authority of the caliphate.
Virtues of the Imam Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal is a translation of the biography of Ibn Ḥanbal penned by the Baghdad preacher, scholar, and storyteller, Ibn al-Jawzī (d. 597/1201). It includes insights into Ibn Ḥanbal’s childhood, travels, and teachings, as well as descriptions of his way of life. Volume One presents the first half of the text, offering insights into Ibn Ḥanbal’s childhood, education, and adult life, including his religious doctrines, his dealings with other scholars, and his personal habits. Set against the background of fierce debates over the role of reason and the basis of legitimate government, Virtues of the Imam Ahmad ibn Ḥanbal tells the formidable life tale of one of the most influential Muslims in history.
A bilingual Arabic-English edition.
Table of Contents
Cover
Title Page, Letter From the Editor, Copyright
Letter from the General Editor
Table of Contents
Introduction
Note on the Text
Notes to the Frontmatter
VIRTUES OF THE IMAM AHMAD IBN HANBAL
Chapter 1: Ibn Ḥanbal's Birth and Family Background
Chapter 2: His Lineage
Chapter 3: His Childhood
Chapter 4: The Beginning of His Search for Knowledge and the Journey He Undertook for That Purpose
Chapter 5: The Major Men of Learning Whom He Met and on Whose Authority He Recited Hadith
Chapter 6: His Deference to His Teachers and His Respect for Learning
Chapter 7: His Eagerness to Learn and His Single-Minded Pursuit of Knowledge
Chapter 8: His Powers of Retention and the Number of Reports He Knew by Heart
Chapter 9: His Learning, His Intelligence, and His Religious Understanding
Chapter 10: Praise of Him by His Teachers
Chapter 11: Teachers and Senior Men of Learning Who Cite Him
Chapter 12: All the Men of Learning Who Cite Him
Chapter 13: Praise of Him by His Peers, His Contemporaries, and Those Close to Him in Age
Chapter 14: Praise of Him by Prominent Successors Who Knew Him Well
Chapter 15: A Report That the Prophet Elijah Sent Him Greetings
Chapter 16: Reports That al-Khadir Spoke in His Praise
Chapter 17: Praise of Him by Pious Strangers and Allies of God
Chapter 18: Allies of God Who Visited Him to Seek His Blessing
Chapter 19: His Fame
Chapter 20: His Creed
Chapter 21: His Insistence on Maintaining the Practices of the Early Muslims
Chapter 22: His Reverence for Hadith Transmitters and Adherents of the Sunnah
Chapter 23: His Shunning and Reviling of Innovators and His Forbidding Others to Listen to Them
Chapter 24: His Seeking of Blessings and Cures Using the Qur'an and Water from the Well of Zamzam, as Well as Some Hair and a Bowl That Belonged to the Prophet
Chapter 25: His Age When He Began Teaching Hadith and Giving Legal Opinions
Chapter 26: His Devotion to Learning and the Attitudes That Informed His Teaching
Chapter 27: His Works
Chapter 28: His Aversion to Writing Books Containing Opinions Reached through the Exercise of Independent Judgment at the Expense of Transmitted Knowledge
Chapter 29: His Forbidding Others to Write Down or Transmit His Words
Chapter 30: His Remarks on Sincerity, on Acting for the Sake of Appearances, and on Concealing Oneâs Pious Austerities
Chapter 31: His Statements about Renunciation and Spiritual Weakness
Chapter 32: His Remarks on Different Subjects
Chapter 33: Poems He Recited or Had Attributed to Him
Chapter 34: His Correspondence
Chapter 35: His Appearance and Bearing
Chapter 36: His Imposing Presence
Chapter 37: His Cleanliness and Ritual Purity
Chapter 38: His Kindness and HisConsideration for Others
Chapter 39: His Forbearance and His Readiness to Forgive
Chapter 40: His Property and Means of Subsistence
Chapter 41: His Refusal to Accept Help Even in Distress
Chapter 42: His Generosity
Chapter 43: His Accepting Gifts and Giving Gifts in Return
Chapter 44: His Renunciation
Chapter 45: His House and Furniture
Chapter 46: His Diet
Chapter 47: His Indulgences
Chapter 48: His Clothing
Chapter 49: His Scrupulosity
Chapter 50: His Shunning Appointment to Positions of Authority
Notes
Glossary of Names and Terms
Index
About the NYU Abu Dhabi Institute
About the Typefaces
About the EditorâTranslator
| ISBN | 9780814745397 |
|---|---|
| Related ISBN(s) | 9780814771662 |
| MARC Record | Download |
| OCLC | 864851751 |
| Pages | 592 |
| Launched on MUSE | 2014-03-10 |
| Language | English |
| Open Access | No |
Copyright
2013
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