CONSTRUCTIVE CRITICS, HAADITH LITERATURE, AND THE ARTCULATION OF SUNNI ISLAM: The Legacy of the Generation of Ibn Sa?d, Ibn Ma' N, and Ibn Hanbal

441 Pages·2004·8.685 MB·English

by  Scott C. Lucas, S. C. Lucas

ISLAMIC HISTORY
AND CIVILIZATION
STUDIES AND TEXTS
EDITED BY
WADADKADI
AND
ROTRAUD WIELANDT
VOLUME 51

CONSTRUCTIVE CRITICS,
ljADITH LITERATURE,
AND 1,HE AR11CULA1,ION
OF SUNNI ISLAM
of of
The Legacy the Generation Ibn Sa' d,
Ibn Ma'fn, and Ibn /:lanbal
BY
SCOTT C. LUCAS
BRILL
LEIDEN ·BOSTON
2004

CONTENTS
Preface ........................................................................................ xi
List of Tables . . . . . ...... .. . . . . . . . ..... . . . . ...... .. . . . . ...... . . . . . ..... . . ...... . . . ...... . . . . xn1
Abbreviations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . xv
Chapter I. Introduction .......................................................... ..
The traditional theological and legal approaches to Sunnl
Islam .................................................................................... 2
Sunnl ~adith Literature: its nature and utility for this
project .................................................................................. 9
Methodology . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . 14
Conclusion ..... ..... . . . ............. ...... .. . . . . ...... ... . . ...... . . . .. ..... . . . ...... . . .. 21
PART ONE
THE CONSTRUCTION OF CONCEPTUAL AND
HISTORICAL FRAMEWORKS FOR INQUIRY
Chapter 2. Towards an initial framework: The
contributions of Ibn al-~alai:l and al-Dhahabl .................... 25
The conceptual framework: Ibn al-~ala!) and his
articulation of the ~adzth disciplines .. ...... .......... ............ .... 26
Towards a historical framework: The identification of
al-Dhahabi's favorite ~adith scholars .................................. 40
Conclusion .............................................................................. -61
Chapter 3. A Historical Narrative: Al-Dhahabl's Vision of
the First Seven Centuries of Sunnl ~adith Scholarship ...... 63
Phase I: Origins of ~adfth (c. 1-140/622-7 57) .................... 64
Phase 2: Early compilations and criticism
(c. 140-200/757-815) ........................................................ 67
Phase 3: The age of the "six books"
(c. 200-300/815-912) ........................................................ 73
Phase 4: The triumph of Baghdad and Iran
(c. 300-400/912-1 009) ...................................................... 86
Vlll CONTENTS
Phase S: The age of specialization
(c. 400-480/ I 009-1 087) ---------------------------------------------------- 94
Phase 6: Transition and the loss of the East
(c. 480-600/1 08 7- 1203) ... .. . . . . . ... .. . . .............. ... ............ .. .. .. I 0 I
Phase 7: The triumph of Syria (c. 600-720/ 1203-1320) ... I 09
Chapter {_ Identification and Analysis of the Master Sunnl
badfth Critics ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- 113
Sources ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 113
Analysis: Three periods and seven generations of Sunni
badfth critics ............................................................ ------------ 121
The origins of Sunni badfth criticism: An examination of
the first two generations of primary critics ---------------------- 127
What about ai-Shafi'i? ---------------------------------------------------------- 151
Conclusion . . . . . ........ ........ ......... ... . . . . . ......... ..... ........... .. .......... ... !54
Chapter S. The Generation of Ibn Sa'd, Ibn Ma'ln, and Ibn
J:lanbal: A Prosopographical Study -------------------------------------- 157
A prosopographical panorama of the first half of the
third/ninth century ------------------------------------------------------------ 159
The mibna and its impact upon Sunni badfth scholarship ... 192
Biographical sketches of Ibn Sa'd, Ibn Ma'in, and Ibn
J:lanbaf and their primary transmitter-pupils ------------------ 202
Conclusi6n -----------------------------------------------------------------------·---··· 217
PART TWO
THE THREE PRINCIPLES OF /fADlTH-SCHOLAR
SUNNI ISLAM: SA/fABA, /fADlTH-TRANSMITTER
CRITICISM, Ai'\TD HISTORY
Chapter 6. The $abiiba in Classical Muslim Theory and
Practice ..................................................... -----------------..... ......... 221
The problem: The intra-~·aM.ba conflicts of
11-40/632-661 -----------------·--------------·-·---·----·---------------------· 226
T"vo minority solutions: The Imam! Shi"a and
Zaydiyya/Bagdhadi Mu'tazila ----·----·-·-·------·--------·-----------· 237
Sunnl solutions ........ ... .. . . ........ ......................................... ........ 255
Conclusion . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. .. 282
CONTENTS lX
Chapter 7. A Comparative Study of the Methods of
badfth-transmitter Criticism of Ibn Sa'd, Ibn Ma'ln, and
Ibn J:lanbal .............................................................................. 287
Ibn Sa'd: Grades .................................................................... 290
Ibn Ma'in: Grades in al-Dur!'s Tii:rikh ................................ 298
Ibn J:lanbal: Grades in the 'Ilal of 'Abdullah b. AJ:imad 302
Reliable and unreliable transmitters in the eyes of Ibn
Sa'd, Ibn Ma'!n, and Ibn J:lanbal: A comparative
study .................................................................................... 308
Sectarian labels: Do they matter? . .. ............ ...... ... ....... .. ....... 320
Conclusion ... .... .. . . . .... ........ ........... ........ .. ......... .... ... .. ......... ...... 325
Chapter 8. The Sunnl Historical Vision of the First Two
Centuries of badith Transmission .......................................... 327
Before badfth: $ahiiba who died 11-40/632-660 ................ 331
Foundations: $ahiiba and senior tii.bi'urz who died
40-80/660-699 and their pupils who lived prior to
120/738 ·············································································· 332
The first compilers: The generation who died
120-150/738-767 .............................................................. 341
The demise of Medina and the rise of Iraq: The
generation who died 150-180/767-796 .......................... 352
The refinement of badith compilation and criticism:
The generation who died 180-220/796-835 .................. 358
Conclusion .............................................................................. 369
Chapter 9. Conclusion .............................................................. 371
Appendix A: Other Critics ........................................................ .377
Appendix B: Ibn Sa'd's Most Reliable Transmitters .............. 380
Appendix C: Ibn Ma'!n's Liars and Other Disgraceful
Transmitters ............................................................................ 382
Works Cited ................................................................................ 385
Index of Proper Names . . ........ ... .................... ........... ........... ..... 393
General Index . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 419