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