T Y E M I N ROD U CTOR R ARKS .

The follo wing p ages contain the record o f the Imam ‘ Ahmed ibn Ha nbal a nd o f a struggle ) with which he stood connected , whose issu es were so gre at a s to wa rra nt a close stu dy o f all th at is involved in the movement . The history o f Dogma in Islam as written by Western writers has given u s an idea o f the qu estions which were being dispu ted at this time , a nd the o u tward history o f events has recorded in very meagre outline the most importa nt p ublic occ u rrences of our

narrative ; but there has been , so far , no u s e ma de o f the . rich opportu nity presented in the biogra phy o f Ahmed ibn Hanb al to see the theologic al controversies o f Isla m in their

f a connection with the o u tward history o the St te . This kind of historic al st u dy is the more interesting , becau se from it we ar e en abled to u ndersta nd the relation o f the State to gion at that time , a n d the place occ u pied by religion

5 teachers in the State .

m nin al ea fir n usa a F gvjl gfin ge _ ,

‘ cc _ - - - idents of for tu n e 01 Jhe ae do ns of me n ,. is ofte n u s e d ,

VI I I Form of the er s “ wi r e fe r e n l 1 iou s v b U ) th c e to a r e g - to .. obtai n ing asse nt tm s ome pa r ticu lari elieLa yst em of this s p e cial u s age l ar gel y ill u strat e d in the r e c or ds of the

the a f ccoun t o which is to app e ar in the s e qu el . It accou n t s of the O r thodo x in qu isition un der the Khal if M os t c ommonl y, the Whol e p e r se cu tion e xten ding fr om

2 A . H . is all e e 1 n a . 34 c d t . 2

' We h a ve referred a bove to the iss u es o f the M ihn a , as is c alm e

a a o f la for all f l win a a n d orthodox ch r cter wIs m o lg g ges , in t he pr e seWrva tion W s l a m l l itself , in ou r j u dgment . Ha d Ration a ism s u cceeded n bring ing a bo u t by persec u tion a general a b a ndonment o f ortho

doxy , it is proba ble th a t the principl e o f free tho u ght ,

witho u t recognition o f a u thority , wo uld h a ve ha d a d is in - t e g r ating e ffect within Islam itself , a nd wo u ld ha ve m a de - .it m u ch more s u sceptible to modifying a nd reforming in — ~fiu e nc e s from witho u t ; so th a t , in time , we sho ul d h a ve

seen sta nd a rds o f fa ith a nd l ife , which contr a vene o u r

re a son as the Koran a nd Tra dition do , given u p for some

thing more s a tisfying to re ason a nd moral j u dgment . We need not enter into the q u estion whether a ny good c a me

from the preserva tion o f orthodoxy , fu rther th a n to s ay

tha t if Islam was to contin u e to be Islam , to preserve

orthodoxy was the best wa y to a ccomplish s u ch a res ult . We o u ght to give Ra tion alism credit fo r h aving a sserted - the principl e , u n Islamic tho u gh it be , th a t tho u ght m u st - be free in the se arch fo r tr u th . The a b u se of free thinking , ’ however , in a love of spec ulation for spec ulation s s a ke , a nd

in a n inordin a te desire o f controversi al victory is , in the

history o f this period , a b u nd a ntly exemplified . Ahmed ibn H a nb al d u ring his whole c a reer s u bsequ ent to - c a of a al Shafi i 20 . . a s the mo st ar k the de th the Im m ( 4 A H ) w c znem

a l u th mm M — oxflmd e x b e fig re in e m t a m y , arid

stood ~

' ‘ ’ t afidirfig of fall rrf g bf orth odoxy in its time of tri al ;

a nd there is little exa ggera tion in the sta tement , m a de more ‘ tha n once concerning him , th a t all men were looking to

him for an ex a mple , th a t a s he decided on the test as to a ’ the Kor n being a pplied to him , so they might follow . We h a ve some interesting circ u msta nti al evidence of ’ Ahmed s position a nd infl u ence a mong the people from the ’ f - way in which he was treated by the Khali s . A l M a mun ha d made u p his mind to cite him to a ppear with the first seven men to whom he pu t the test , bu t even the violent bigot Ahmed ibn A bu D owad the Chief-Kadi a dvised his

master not to s u mmon him , do ubtless r e c ogn1z1ng tha t s u c cess with the seven men wo u ld be m u ch more diffic ult sho uld

Ahmed be with them , a nd feeling th at the res u lt o f their tri al wo u ld better determine whether or not it wo u ld be ’ ’ A I-M a f1 n s l wise to a ttack o ne gre ater tha n they . m etter to his governor in B aghdad a fter the l atter ha d exa mined the

doctors tre ats with gentleness Ahmed ibn H a nbal , when one re ads wh at he had to s ay a bo u t most o f the other ll doctors there a u ded to . {In W e L/ u bea a d id s c o u r éhmed nntil h e m st r in mind th t he not g eo

had au av J b i ht a r w um s a e ts exh sted every to _ s e n g n s a g D la ha d al M a ments a nd entre aties . He dec red tha t m u n not -W “ n u-01 ‘ ‘ ordered him to de al with 11 16?l s u ch as he , he wo u ld

have ha d nothing to do with the infliction o f the p u nishment . ” fi f ‘ a t “ fi -w “m fi - FuThEfihb r e , the scourging took place in the co u rt ya rd o f

the p ala ce u nknown to the m ass o f the peopl e , who stood ide wa iting for the a nno u ncement a s to how the trial

ended . As soon a s they s u spected that their Imam was g tortu red , there was a tremendo u s excitement ; a n d it ’ d a s if the Kh alif s p ala ce wo u ld become a n obj ect ‘ ’ - 3 It , when a l M u tas im ha d Ahmed s u ncle Ishak o u t , a nd ha d this man falsely intimate to them

ha d a not h rmed his nephew in the least . To ma ke still more sec u re against the da nger of a pop u la r c al-M u tas im kept Ahmed within the precincts o f the p alace u ntil the evening , a nd then dressed him u p in gala costu me a nd sent him u nder cover o f d u sk to his ll m ’ dwe ing . We ay consider it a s significa nt of Ahmed s standing a mong the people that there were no fu rther at tempts to coerce him d u ring the remaining fifteen ye a rs o f the Mihna , tho u gh we ar e a ssu red tha t he was a ctive in teaching a nd as pop u la r as he ever had been , or even more 4

’ - i s a fu so . Al Wath k tre tment rnishes some evidence to shew ’ l a how he regarded Ahmed s infl u ence . We ar e to d th t , despite the u rging of Ibn A bu D owad , he wo uld not cite

Ahmed fo r exa min a tion before him , but sent word to the Imam to remove from his co u ntry ; a good proof th a t Ahmed l a ha d gre at power with the peop e . The biogra pher a dds th t he does not know whether the Kh alif refra ined from de aling with Ahmed bec au se of a dmira tion for his ste a dfastness , or bec au se o f fe a r th a t evil consequ ences might come u pon him sho uld he l a y viol ent h a nds u pon so holy a m an . For - l al M ut awakkil we need s ay ittle here . His a ttention to Ahmed a nd the mess ages which he sent him point cle arly to his pop ularity a nd infl u ence . The religio u s sentiment in the M u slim pop u l a ce had not m u ch symp athy with the loose views a nd free living of the liberal tea chers . Hence it was th at they idolized as they did a m an like Ahmed ibn H a nb a l . His intense devotion to the things most venera ted a nd cherished by the pe O ple : Go d , the Prophet , the Koran , the Tra dition , the S u nn a of the

Prophet , a nd the Comm u nion of the F a ithful , ende ared him l to the m ass of the common folk . He was , also , a rem a rk ab e ex a mpl e of a n effort which alwa ys excited reverence in the ‘ bre ast of the M u slim , n a mely , the effort to bring himself ’ ne a r to Go d a nd th u s sec u re a good rewa rd from him . Those who a r e fa mili a r with the stock expressions of M oh a mmed a n piety will u ndersta nd wh a t this mea ns in the c a se of a sin cere a nd e a rnest religionist . Ju dging by the record of a host o f extra va ga nt visions o f blessedness in Pa ra dise which men had of the Imam Ahmed after his dep art u re from the world , one ca nnot do u bt th at all good M u slims believed him to h a ve obta ined even more th a n the good rewa rd for which h he a d hoped . Th at Ahmed ibn Ha nb al has come to be rega rded as the fo u nder of the H a nb alite M a dhhab , or School , is not to be wondered a t , tho u gh it is not bec a u se o f a ny intention on his p a rt , a s far a s I c a n see . He was a gre a t s aint a nd defender o f orthodoxy, a nd it is d u e to this fa ct th at his p u pils a nd a dmirers , a fter his death , so u ght to give form to their ’ master s tea chings a nd comp acted themselves into a sect l a or school o f theology . I do not be ieve th t Ahmed him a a l self ha d the idea that s u ch wo u ld occu r . Th t schoo wa s formed sponta neo u sly is a testimony to the powerfu l ’ impression o f the ma n s person ality u pon his own ag e a nd

M u l th at following . The things which the s ims reckon to ’ Ahmed s praise ar e his person al life , his intensely orthodox tea ching , and his m a inten a nce o f his tea ching in the fa ce

a of persec u tion . He wa s lea rned in only one direction , th t is , in the Koran , Tra dition , the Consensu s o f u sa ge a nd

O pinion a mong the F a ithfu l . These things he knew thoro u ghly; o f worldly le arning he does not a ppea r to have ha d a ny f l l great store . The kind o know edge he had , s u pp ementing great co u rage a nd firmness a nd m u ch n at u r al shrewdness , was his effective wea pon in the controversial wa rfa re which ’ d he ha d to wage . Ahmed s gre at book the M u s na is the best monu ment to tha t knowledge in which he especi ally excelled . It exercised s u ch a n influ ence , in itself a n d in the works derived from it , for the mainten ance of Tra dition in ’ its worthy pla ce a s a ba sis of theology, tha t its a u thor s ca reer o u ght to be known . We will then see the real life which was so stea dying in its effect u pon Moh ammed a n r e ligious tho ught , a nd which was but followed u p in its effect by the book which it prod u ced . Some na tive biogra phers a nd histori ans have noticed the man a nd the persec u tion in which he s u ffered for his faith ’ with too flattering recognition o f Ahmed s worth a nd ser vices . Others whose interest is more secular a nd who record , “ for the most p art , only the o u tward events o f civil history ’ ha ve often p assed over the religio u s movement of Ahmed s l l time with itt e or no notice . Bu t there is a signific a nce about the man a nd the movement which the greatest o f the

l s a chronic ers , su ch a Tab ri , have not been slow to recognize . ’ - Ab u l M ahasin , who professes to be writing the a nnals o f Egypt , bu t whose interest in religio us persons and events is evident on almost every p age of his work , has done fu ll 6 j u stice to the general co u rse o f events in connection with the Mihn a a nd to the p u blic c a reer o f Ahmed ibn H a nb al .

In the n arra tive which follows , I h a ve so u ght to g i ve the ’ connected story o f my s u bj ect s life from its beginning to

u a a t a its close . The a cco nt exp nds , however , th t point where his life becomes a fa ctor in the p u blic history o f the time , in order tha t we may h a ve a fa ir impression of the whol e co u rse o f religio u s events then tra nspiring , a nd may, also , see more cle arly Ahmed ibn H a nb al in the a ren a where he , more th a n elsewhere , won for himself th at gre a t fa me which has pl aced him a mong the chief heroes a nd sa ints of his faith . It sho uld be rem a rked th a t E u rope a n writers ha ve too o ften written their a cco u nts in a spirit of a ntip a thy towa rd the orthodox theol ogy of M oha mmed a nism , a nd h a ve given c more th a n a d u e sh a re o f commend ation to the M u t a zilit e s

(Ration alists) . They were , it is tru e , a dvoc ates of the freedom o f tho u ght , bu t were , none the less , in m a ny c ases , too self-ind ulgent a nd ple as u re -loving to be credited with the highest moral a ims or e arnestness . It is do ubtful whether , in most insta nces , their cha mpionship of free thinking was from a ny lofty conception of wha t constit u tes tru e freedom . It wo u ld a ppe a r to be ra ther the motive of convenience th a t moved them to ta ke the co u rse they took . They pre a ched the gospel of Freedom bec a u se they felt the Law a nd the

Comm a ndment to impose a n inconvenience u pon them , so tha t they co u ld not do as they wished . A ll pra ise is d ue to the sincere men who loved freedom a nd so u ght it as the right o f every ma n , but the seq u el will shew not m a ny o f s u ch men in that fiel d of history which it covers . ’ c - - The ch ara cters of the fo u r Kh alifs al M a mfin, al M u tas im , al -Wathik a nd al-M u t a wakkil will receive some a ddition al light from the n a rra tive which follows ; as a res ult , prob a bly tha t of the first a nd la st n a med will receive a different

u f j dgment rom th a t which has been p assed hitherto . A l ’ M a mun , the schola r a nd p a tron o f schol a rs , the first free thinking Khalif who took a re al interest in religion , will be more fully discovered a s a man intolera nt towa rd those who differed from him , even to the degree o f becoming an intense l l persec u tor . As to his liberal tendencies , it is not ike y we

had a shall find a ny rea son to cha nge o u r j u dgment . He q uick a nd very cap able mind , a nd h ated to be fettered . He believed he ha d the right to think to the f ull extent o f his opportu nity, a nd to make opport u nity for mental ra nging

u l where he had none . Had he stopped at this point , he wo d have presented to u s a record o f great service to his fellow men a ccomplished by moral mea ns ; bu t when he rej ected what he deemed a S piritu a l tyra nny, only to tu rn spirit u al and physic al tyra nt himself , the p u re qu ality of his early l aspirations is fo r u s sa d y spoiled . A l -M u tawakkil is a Khalif whose character c a nnot possibly be wha t E u ropea n histori ans ha ve ma de it o u t to be d arker tha n the plagu e o f d arkness itself. He was orthodox , bu t his tre atment o f liberals will easily bea r comp a rison with ’ his predecessors tre atment o f the orthodox theologi a ns ; while the attitu de he ass u med toward Ahmed ibn Ha nbal does

s m n u not present to u a a witho t redeeming qu alities . It is not to be u nderstood th a t we condone his terrible treatment of individ uals , a nd the glo ating sa tisfa ction with which he sometimes related his own barbarities . Nor wo u ld we soften terms over his treatment O f jews a nd Christi ans . Bu t the man was a fa natic al religionist , and ma ny of his deeds m u st be viewed from the religio u s standpoint to a greater extent than they have been heretofore .

It will be seen that , in rega rd to some other points , I have indicated in a footnote here a nd there a difference of Opinion from some o f the modern a u thorities whose works l have been consu lted . Bu t , none the ess , I a vail myself O f

' the present O pportu nity to s ay th at the bo oks o f schol ars like Steiner , von Kremer , Hou t s ma a nd G oldzihe r h ave been

o f grea t service to me , and that I a m fu lly a ppreci ative of the service their contrib u tions have rendered to ou r know ledge o f that period o f M oh ammeda n history with which my

sketch professes also to de al . In my work I ha ve derived most of the materi al u sed 8 from three m a n u scripts in the Libra ry O f the U niversity of

1 1 a a . 1 1 5 Leiden ; 1 ) Cod . 3 , which , with its comp nion Cod 3 , th th represents the 5 and 4 vols , respectively , O f a five vol c L l l M b M b o f A bu N u aim u me M s . o f the Lxfi or -° hani . 2 Ahmed ibn Abd all a h a l I s pa (d ) Cod . 7 3 a ,

l at which wa s not in the U niversity co lection o f M SS . the time th a t Dozy prep a red his C a talogu e , a nd is , therefore ,

a l u . 15 Gol . not described . Its comp nion vo me , Cod 7 3 , is

l u f however described . The two vo mes orm together one ’ ’ ’ tra nscript o f the work o f Téju d -Din Abd u l-Wa hhab ibnu l l l x s m wha le : . 1 1 S u bki (d . entit ed fi 3) Cod 9 7, which is likewise not described in the U niversity C a talogu e , bu t “ will be fo u nd in the C a talogu e of La ndberg , Ca t alogu e de ’ M a n u scrits a ra bes proven a nt d u ne Bibliotheq u e privée a e l l M Medin a e t a pp a rten a nt a a a ison E . J. Brill , Leide p .

88 e l -M a r izi 8 l aw 53 , Cod . 1 , Ahmed q (T 45) M M M ’ Autog r apke de l a a feur . c The biogra phy of Ahmed ibn H a nb al in A bu N u aim is

— - — 8 1 61 a nd al Su . 2 1 . a fo u nd pp . 1 3 in bki pp 13 4 3 I h ve m a de most extensive u s e o f the former Of these two , a s being the most det ailed a nd circ u msta nti al a c c o u/nt o f my _ ’ s u bj ect s life . It is the ol dest a cco u nt of the three ,and shews th a t fa ct in the a mo u nt of gossip and person al deta il which it records , and which the later a cco u nts ha ve omitted . The - n arra tive .in al S u bki affords a gre a t de al of m a tter to u ching ’ ’ Ahmed s p art in the Mihn a , but not so m u ch fo r the ’ - izi biogra phy before a nd after th a t time . A l M akr s c o ntr ibu tion is a l most s u re to be a portion o f his M okaffa , and is - a good piece of biogra phic al writing , well a rra nged , concise in expression , a nd covering fully the life a nd rela tions of

Ahmed . Considered as a litera ry prod u ction , it is a better c a cco u nt th a n th a t o f A bu N u aim , bec au se o f its comp a ct ness a nd system ; bu t , for one who is gathering m a teri als to ’ compose a sketch h a ving itself a simila r p u rpose to M akr izi s , c as might be expected ,the more diffu se n arra tive o f A bfi N u a im, with its a cc u m ulation of tra dition al a cco u nts be a ring on m a ny ’ minor points in Ahmed s c a reer , has m u ch more to offer . 9

As is pointed o u t in a footnote Ta ba r i s Ann ales h a ve ’ ll - been fo owed fo r the letters o f the Khalif al M a mun . The s ame so u rce , also , has a fforded some u sefu l inform ation to u ching m atters O f more p u blic interest d u ring the progress M o f the ihna . My ende a vor has been to u s e the m ateri als gathered from these a nd other so u rces in s u ch a way a s to m ake ma ny witnesses contrib ute e ach something complementa ry to the testimony o f his fellows , a nd yet h ave the whole convey the impression o f a contin u o us n arration .

To my greatly esteemed Professor , Doctor M . j. De G o eje ,

Professor o f Arabic in the U niversity o f Leiden , I a m in debted fo r direction , a d vice , a nd enco u ra gement witho u t which it wo u ld h ave been impossible to ha ve a ccomplished the res u lt that is here presented . I a m very tha nkfu l to him for this , as also for his great co u rtesy as I nt e r pr e s Lega ti

‘ War ne r iani in pla cing at my dispos al the t hr e e manu s c r ipts which h ave been u sed in the prep aration of the work .

th Le i d e n , Fe by 4 , 1 897 .

WA LTER M . PATTO N . A HMED IBN HANBALA ND THE MIHNA .

v a al was o f A mfl m , Ahmed ibn H nb born in the month c l B ir t h a d n Ra bi the first , 1 64 A . H . ) . The home o f his p arents Fa mil CO” y wa a a a M a Ha n s, in Khor s n His f ther oh mmed ibn ”M W ” bal was one of the descend a nts of a c a pta in 1n the Abb a side a rmy in Khora s a n which fo u ght to overthrow the Om ayya ds The fa mily left Khorasan to t ake u p residence

in B aghdad , however , a nd Ahmed was born a fe w d a ys or

4f months after their a rrival in the la tter city ) . We ar e not

informed wh at fa mily his pa rents had beside himself, a nd in none of the so u rces of inform ation to which I h a ve had f ’ ° a a ccess is there , excepting o a brother of his fathe”r s , Ish k 5 ibn H a nb al ) a nd a son O f this man , Ha nb a l ibn Ishak ibn G ’ Ha nbal ) , a ny mention o f a relative of his fa ther s or his 7 own genera tion . His line age was o f pur e ) from the fa mily of Sh a ihan o f the gre a t tribe of Bekr ibn ’ ‘ ’ Wéil . Ahmed is r a rely c alled ibn M oha mmed , the n a me

’ l ° l ° - 1 ) I bn Cha l . N . 1 9 , Dhah abi , Lib er C ass . 8 , N . 1 8 ,Abu l M ahas in 1 fi: ) 73 5 u 2) Jac t II , 7 77 .

c S l Abu Nu aim Le i en M s . 1 1 a 1 0 é O : LLJ 4 l ” K 3) , d 3 , 5 , f} 0 if t U ,

° ° - I bn Chall . N . 1 a a i Li er Cl ass . 8 N 1 8 Al N w i 4) 9 , Dh h b , b , , a aw ,Biog . ”m i l. D cty . p . A ’l -M 5) b u ah. I , 77 1 . ’ 6 A u l -M 6 r ) b ah. II , 7 ; cf. p . 2 6, inf a . - Al M a rizi Lei en M s 1 1 . 1 s u l: a ll mo t 7) k , d , 9 7, pp ,o ?w LS u w , I I

O f his p atern a l gra ndfather taking the place o f that o f his

fa ther , prob ably from the fa ct that the la tter died at thirty

years o f ag e while his son wa s still in infa ncy . On the death ’ o f the fa ther , the responsibility for Ahmed s c a re a nd tra ining

devolved u pon his mother , whose n a me a nd history we do not know l Yea r s of We a r e witho u t a ny deta ils o f his e ar y years a n d a nd know merely th at he continu ed to reside in 7 Tea /25m a . a Baghd d u ntil the year 1 79 A . H In this ye r,when fifteen years o f ag e he bega n the stu dy of the Tra dition - - He first went to the lectu re room of Abd alla h ibn al M u barak ,

who c a me to Baghdad for the last time in 1 79 A . H . He - was too l ate in going , however , as Ibn al M u barak had left the city to take p art in a n expedition to Ta rs u s M alik ibn ’ An as , too , died in the very yea r in which Ahmed bega n t o stu dy ; a nd the latter u sed to s ay th a t he had been deprived ’ o f Malik ibn Ana s a nd H ammad ibn Za id , bu t th at God ” c c had given him in their pl ace Sofyan ibn U yaina a nd I s mail C ibn Ulayya His first tea cher was Hu shaim ibn B ashir al

’ 1 ) That Ahme d s father did not die b efor e his boy was b or n will app e ar

w ) c ’ fr om the fol l owin : Abu Nu aim . 1 8 5 3 M - g , p 3 ,M 0 9 9

i o

’ ° 2 a a i Li N ) Dh h b , b. Cl ass . 8 , . 1 8 .

c Abu Nu aim 1 9 i m ” l 3) 3 8 a K 8 M M @ Ll ) K , , L9 3 3 P ) x 0 9 U )

4 M “ M ma £5 09

A - - ’ al l a ibn al M u arak . 1 8 1 A . H . l Na a i bd h b d ,a w w Biog . Dicty M o.

’ Al -M a r i zi “: 4 k . 2 ub “X-c 'L': di l.” ) , p , b i K r ( L5 U )

a g L s w et ms t ng as sa n s; an ant. 75 at . ( a w ) 0

5 al l) £ 5 5 el ite 5 LQ Ki te m KM L9 U , W ) c Ly , 1 2

s i S ula mi , to whom he went in the ye a r 1 79 . With Hu ha m

he st u died in this yea r a nd , then , to receive more p a rtic u la r

instr u ctions in diffic ult tra ditions , he contin u ed to st u dy with him three ye a rs lo nger and p a rt of a fo u rth yea r u p to the ’ time o f Hu shaim s de a th , which occ u rred in the ye a r 1 8 3 ’ Hu s ha im s a g a bli A . H . From dict tion he wrote the 6 c , f cont a ining a bo u t 1 000 tra ditions , a p art o the fi m fis , the

' fi lm s a nd some minor writings . He is s a id to h a ve le arned from this te a cher in all more th a n three tho u sa nd tra ditions

For the st u dy o f tra dition he visited Kufa a nd B asra ,M ecc a , 2 M edin a , Yemen , Syri a a nd M esopota mi a ) a nd a mong the other tea chers u nder whom he st u died were Sofyan ibn c ° ° c U yaina (1 Ibrahim ibn S a d (j Ya hya ibn Sa id c c a l-Ka ttan (j‘ Waki (T Ibn U layya (j Ibn M a hdi (T Abd al-Ra zzak (1' ja rir ibn Abd al c H a mid (j‘ al -Walid ibn M u slim ( ‘j' 1 94) A li ibn Hisham - c ibn a l B arid , M u t a m ar ibn S uleiman (j Gh u nd a r (j ’ - - Bishr ibn al M u fa dd al (j Ziyad al Bakai , Y a hya ibn ’ A bu Zaid a (j A bu Yus u f the Kadi (T Ibn N u mair (j Ya zid ibn Har fin (j al-Ha s a n ibn Mfis a a l ° ° C A s hyab (j‘ Ishak ibn Rahawa ih (1‘ A li ibn al c M a dini (j and Y a hya ibn M a in (j 2 3 3)

c ‘ l l 1 ) Abu Nu aim , 1 3 9 a , : u d , Q 65 [ 6W M ”65] 0 LS 6

2) O n the s ubj e ct of tr av el l ing ab ou t to acq u ir e a kno wl e dg e of t r adition s c f. G ol dzih r M oh S u ien I I . e , . t d , p 1 76. ‘ - - ’ Cf. al Nawawi io . i . lfl f al Su k i . 1 a a i 3) B g D ct , b ,p 3 3 ; Dh h b ,Lib. Cl ass . ° 3 ’ 8 N . 1 8 . a a i a s a r l - h k , Dh h b dd B h ibn As ad . Abu M a . I ,63 8 ,ma e s Kub ais a 1 3

c 3 He stu died with al-Shafi i the Fikh a nd the U s fil al Fikh We do not know mu ch o f the history o f Ahmed

u l nti the yea r 2 1 8 A . H . is rea ched . In that ye ar the M ihn a ’ was begu n by the Kh alif al -M a mun a nd Ahmed comes at

once into prominence . He m ust h ave been stu dying with

A bfi u u f ad f 1 2 . . A u u Y s the K i be ore 8 A H when b Y s u f died . c al l- ha i a His person interco u rse with a S fi beg n in 1 9 5 A . H .,

la a n la ll when the tter ca me to B aghd d , a d sted ti 1 97 A . H., c l- ha a wa s when a S fi i went to M ecc a . After a bre k it renewed

in M ecc a , a nd a fter tha t , prob ably, for a brief sp a ce of t ime ~ - c in Baghdad , when a l Shafi i retu rned there for a month in

1 98 A . H . before fin ally ta king his dep a rture from

We know th at Ahmed was in B aghdad in this ye ar . Wa k i ibn a l-Ja rrah he knew very intimately before his death in ’ 1 97 A . H . Ahmed ha d s u ch fa mili arity with this m an s t r a c ’ d itions th at he ga ve his son liberty to take a ny o f Waki s books th at he pleased , a nd told him that , if he wo u ld give him a ny tra dition whatever from it , he wo u ld give him the D ° I s nzi d fo r it , or , if he wo uld give him the Isnad , he wo u ld C give him the tra dition . Wa ki ha d his tra dition from Sofyan from S al am a , bu t Ahmed seems to h a ve been a ble to a dd ’ to his own teacher s knowledge in respect to the tra ditions C o f Sala ma With Sofyan ibn Uyaina he stu died in M ecc a

C ’ ibn Okba on e of Ahme d s t each e r s ; I,68 1 ,Khal af ibn Hisham al -Bazzar ; ° ° 3 c ma i ibn ra im ibn Bis tarn i I,7 1 5, I s l Ib h ; I . 73 4,Ku taiba ibn Sa d ibn Jamil . C Shahr tani Waki and Yazi ibn Harli n ar e l By as d c as se d as Shyite s ,Haarbr .

Tr an s . I . 2 1 8 .

) 1 al - zi m us M a ri . 2 e , ) k ,p , G r t

° 2 D e G oe M G . X LV . 1 1 bn ) je ,Z . D II ,p 5; I Chall . N . 569 .

- l al Su ki . 1 2 as 0.2l w lf b K M w 5 3) b , p 3 , g ,U 51 3

1111 5 Qs :>l§ L”k : é 1 l 5 4 ? " b il ha > — M m U a “ . b M 0 f

’ ’ s; 24“ l sill M : ; 5 3 v l—h -ll d ha x g M L5 C) [M ] U 51 2 é

W : n M S ; b o w 5 ld “ » M U o d 6 o w I 4

H . a S f a . a before 1 98 A . , in which ye r o y n died We h ve no u f a me a ns o f fixing the ex act d a te when he st died with S o y n .

It was no do u bt , on the occ a sion o f a pilgrim age fo r Ahmed performed the H ajj five times in a ll It was also d u ring - c the residence o f a l Shafi i in M ecc a , in a ll likelihood , fo r ° we h a ve it recorded tha t Ishak ibn Rahawa ih on two occ a s c ’ ions disp u ted there with a l -Shafi i d u ring Ahmed s residence

there , a nd it wo u ld seem also in his presence

a a The following incident is ch r cteristic of the m a n . While ’ in M ecc a , Ahmed s clothes a nd effects were stolen d u ring his a bsence from his lodgings in the ho u rs when he wa s enga ged a in st u dy with his te a cher (Sofy n) . On his retu rn , the wom a n ‘ o f the ho u se told him o f the theft , bu t his only enqu iry - l was a s to whether the writing ta b ets ha d been preserved .

l a ha d a fo r On e rning th at they , he sked nothing more .

Still , owing to the torn sta te o f his clothes , he was forced

1 3 [0 ]

' n ». at; a a t Js, ea se ,s

n $3 —3 c l W b 5 M y ‘ U L e 0 (5 o O 3 , Cf a

l M “: 0 tilp Qua y; W O B 19 ) mar . bl fil / U 5 5 ( g r )

2 9 1 l - 1 ) a Nawawi Biog . Dict .,p . “,1. 1 6.

' 2 al - u ki 1 l L l w l e A S . 1 8 S w u S ELL ) b ,pp 57, 5 ,6 3) W ) u , u w J

L : 5 LL: 8 , w 751 6 n 3 0

“ Lab é m i W 6 u W 1 5

- to rema in a way for several d ays from the lect u re room ,u ntil the a nxiety o f his fellow-stu dents l e d them to seek him o u t and pu t him in the wa y of e arning a little money to proc u re

f l a u l a cha nge o ga rments . Their proferred gifts or o ns he wo d not on a ny a cco u nt a ccept - o f Abd a l Ra zzak Ahmed first met in M ecca . On one his

- c ° 5 s n us u m 1 3 G 1 ) Abu N u aim , 1 43 a , 3 y Lg g [M J]

" us; t; m . > M s an M u : u s } a U [M 0 9] b b s JLS m . r s b m " b K m p 0 O , a . fie a c y U , 5

s s ms s L14 9 ”i al Lsis 3 s e u M 3 u , 3 M fi r) d ( ” s o K M a s s w fls um u se M a s ts p “ U , g )

; 53“ ”Lo s in s : as c s v s a a w a a 3 55 d r

u “ us.» 1 2 a to c s . u s; LhSl a ,D n ( 4 ) } ; w U ,a d

w » s m “ ue ssw um “ L. > L a s a s w sa s d { o r? as? ) / g LL f B LJé u m f fi mfié q w l h fi m J Q a fi w o u s u m s um m c m m ai j s u w cfi w g w fi

s s L s m p u s bs w : im ; sa s La g a eg 9 La ; 5 A J ?

Luis Lbl ss M l : bl s : o e » w uss M l List; W AS O , od ’r , a w w Qs ts u s n u u s u ms t é Q J r fi g g w t 1 6

c pilgrim ages Y a hya ibn M a in a ccomp a nied Ahmed and they l of l m ade u p their minds th a t,a fter the comp etion the pi grim age , c they wo uld go to S a n a in Yemen a nd st u dy Tra dition with Abd

- at M a a al Ra zzak . On a rriving ecc they met with the te cher , who ha d , like themselves , come to perform the H ajj . Y a hya c ibn M a in introd u ced Ahmed to him ,a nd ,a fter m aking known their wish to st u dy with him a n a ppointment wa s m a de by Ibn ‘ M a in in a ccord a nce with which they sho ul d receive his ins tr u c ca c l tions in M ecc a inste a d of going to Sa n . Ibn M a in to d Ahmed o f this a nd the la tter a sked him why he had m a de s u ch an ’ l was a ul a a a rra ngement . His rep y th t it wo d s ve month s

‘ j o u rney e a ch way a nd all the expenses o f the trip . Ahmed , however , decla red th a t he co u l d not allow s u ch considera tions to overcome his pio u s resolu tions , a nd , in the end , c n they did go to S a n a a d received there the tra ditions . He s u ffered gre a t h ardships on the wa y thither , fo r , tho u gh o ffered money s ufficient to en abl e him to tra vel in comp a r ative comfort , he refu sed to t ake it a nd hired himself to one of the c a mel drivers of a c ara va n going to the pla ce . c At S a n a, likewise , be lived in pen u ry and s u ffering , tho u gh help wa s tendered him s u ch a s wo ul d h a ve sec u red

— him a ga inst a nything of the kind . Abd al R s a id th a t Ahmed rem a ined with him al most two ye a rs , th a t when he c a me he offered him money, s aying th a t co u ntry was one where tra ding wa s diffic ult a nd to gain livelihood wo uld be impossible . Ahmed was inflexibl e ,

a h ever , s ying th a t he ad a s u fficiency for his needs . tra ditions which he ha d from this te a cher were those 0 Z ubri from Salim ibn Abd allah from his fa ther and the c d it ions o f a l -Z ubri from S a id ibn al-M u sayyib from

Hu raira . Ahmed was fortu n a te in h aving stu died with Abd - a f a l Ra zz k be ore the ye a r 200 A . H.,f or his rep u ta tion as

a a so u nd tr ditionist wa s i mp aired a fter th a t d a te . It is in ’ keeping with Ahmed s ch a ra cter th a t he sho ul d , as we a r informed , h a ve pu t into pra ctice every tra dition which h

’ 1 A -F a An n a e k u l l e d . ) b e d , e s ,R is e ,II 1 86.

1 8

With Ishak ibn Raha waih , who is c alled in the Kitab

- l a a al a l Fihr is t (I . 2 30) a e ding H nb ite , he corresponded for a length o f time , u ntil Ishak took a letter of r e c o m me nd ation which Y a hya ibn Ya hya ha d written for him to Abd allah ibn Tahir , and received from the latter bec au se of it both money a nd high position A kmmv, When still a yo u th Ahmed ibn H a nb al was held

iod o P er f in reverence as a n au thority on the Tra dition , Tf a t /157 k? a nd in the a ssemblies of the sheikhs was l ooked u p to with gre at respect We do not know when his most

L ms 9 ; - s M 355 w as M s 3 s m; L; [g ”59 0 9 a ] , y ;

Lu s ss m él e é ekm fii : m s w d b b gj é é

s s s w L. [as M fi L5s] 3 AL? c. w a

Luz» us ou rs i i s m . , w g 0 3 5)

al ”Lu » Lu l a Lm 5L> r /o b v W e g 3 M sss m s s w u w s w m ama fi ks ] N fi fl a ”y - sowXi m wu l £ ao sL Al l s l [ 1 j4 d gs M w s ,[ fi ] é

W W a wl a .s b fi s m w i s lfié q w y3 d dj g fi y o

L ? 1 m m ne m A u t d 3 8 , M w W “ - ' - él s 1 l i o h? ki . 1 6 l a ) a Nawaw Bi g . D ict . f. cf. al Sub ,p 5 ,W p ‘ s u £4l L l u l n ? aJJuli QLlo — ; 3 s U ?w 0 g j h o ) [j 0 3 ]

‘ Jls a j AL? .x . 5 L. Lsié /Q“gs .5 L; r 6 6 . J j ar 6

° l —g. iL$ l e l M l M M K M , u ni ,a m 3 O I 9

ive period of te aching a nd literary work occ u rred , bu t was established as the greatest tra ditionist o f his time - ’ when al M a mun introd u ced the Mihn a , a nd continu ed to teach u ntil shortly after al-Wathik c a me to the Khalifa te

when he was forced to give u p tea ching . He may h ave res u med tea ching for a yea r or so after al -M u ta wakkil c ame

a to power , bu t in 2 37 A . H . when he went to the c mp he took an o ath never to tell a tra dition in its integrity as long

as he lived , a vow which he appears to h a ve

a l His Wor ks . In reg rd to his books we know on the who e l l l a d l very little . He eft at his death twe ve o ds a n a ha f of books all o f which he had memorized The n ames which ’ u s a f ll : h ” have come down to re the o owing 3 0af u bi)

/ze M u s d f o ne a M us nad T n a . O book , his gre t work , the , we have more definite p artic ulars . It comprised the testimonies of more tha n 700 Comp a nions of the Prophet , a nd was selected a nd compiled from traditions (or a ccording to a nother a cco u nt from a nd conta ined (in some ac cou nts tra ditions . Ahmed bo asted th at whatever was in it was a reli able ba sis for a rgu ment , a nd that what was not conta ined in it was not to be rega rded a s a so und

s a n a was basis . He looked u pon this book a im m which to settle all differences of opinion a bo u t any S u nn a of the Prophet It has always had the greatest rep utation in M O

r the e nd C a er n ear the e innin . 1 ) Cf. Chapte r II n ea ; h pt III b g g “ - i i . i lfl . 2) al Nawaw ,B og D ct .

3) Kitab al-Fihr is t I ,W1 - ‘ s al Su ki . 20 M ass m» e . 8M n 4) b ,p , Ay 0 M 9 , La g. m m s s ‘ s 1. 2 . . W a s o ur us us at; 7 0 j 0 , o [f ] 20 hamme d a n theologic al circles , a nd has been u sed a s a basis o f m a ny sm aller works a nd a s a so u rce o f inform ation by

and ma ny a u thors . Its immense size the very inconvenient method of its a rra ngement h a ve , however , done a gre a t deal to prevent its becoming m u ch more u sed th a n it a ctu ally l has been . In fa ct , it has been rare y m astered by a ny one

s l i ndivid u al , a nd perh a ps a rare y tra nscribed by one person .

Hence it is th at , where a s there a r e a n u mber of p a rti al copies of the work , only one complete m a n uscript is known to -d ay The M us nad as compiled by Ahmed ibn H a nb al is no longer ext a nt nor does it seem to h a ve s u rvived his own ’ - age ; for A bu Abd al Ra hman Abd allah Ahmed s son , who edited , with some a dditions of his own , the work of his

— -l §ll M 5 K la *E &Ui 9 U O

; A” ) : s um s w M ans ; L3 Gu g 8 ) J a 3 U t

) st ” l Lu i s s ? db w oo C a W m M él as,u of a

M 8 d d S l 29 y g). JJLLo Cod . has e se oin s . R e a 2 1 ] j é [ th p t d $

» a n . ; 5 AB c : an a» m t im i ns; 0 $ an ) r ve w a s m u tw a m n m l /é dLfis i’l -l g, g P u U é

, ) : wl a y Lil li . LJi il l) 25 5 " a l 85 Q j 03q g w 5 0 g

n j ams s gs ge sfi s us és o sm d g v d w w fi fi gj) l l ow M la b“ i i all ) M u an l . x: M IA-l B f U J g, a 0 ( 5 3)

The sum 40000 for the tr aditions is that giv en in the Kitab al -Fihrist I , W1 , 1. 2 2 .

G ol dzih r D M I) e ,Z . . G .,L,466f.

2 G ol dzihe r . . M . G L ° ) ,Z D ) 4 73 fat he r after his death s pe aks o f wha t he heard from his father , what he rea d to his fa ther from his own c opy of

the origin al p age , a nd what he had gathered from books

and p apers belonging to his father , as being embodied in the edition which he had m ade In some c ases he says ‘ ’ tha t he thinks he had a tradition from his father in s u ch

a nd s u ch a form , in s u ch a n d s u ch a manner o f commu ni

a or u u and c tion , nder s ch s u ch a hea ding . These evidences seem to point to the absence o f any book which cou ld h a ve

u f a had been sed to veri y wh t he in mind . The M u s nad a s nowpreserved to u s is in the revised form given it by the

al l a u o f ll editori bo rs Abd a ah ibn Ahmed . It is mentioned , fu rther , that a n edition o f the M u s nad with certa in s u pple C mentary tra ditions by the editor was ma de by A bfi Omar Mohammed ibn Abd al -Wahid (T A commentary in

. eighty sections making together ten vol u mes was prep ared ° by A bu l -H asa n ibn Abd al -Hadi al-Sindi (1 a n epi tome called al -D u rr al-M unt aca d min M u snad Ahmed was - C compiled by Zain a d Din Omar ibn Ahmed al-Shamma al 3 Halabi ) a nd , fin ally , an edition of the M u s nad ordered alphabetic ally according to the n ames o f the Comp anions o f

P f a a was the rophet. rom whom the tr ditions t ke their origin a made by the Jer usalem scholar A bu Bekr M ohammed ibn - alla al M akdisi : d > : w b v» . " M l M M M ; Abd h 35 L} J U0 } A printed edition of the work , based chiefly on a c ma nu script in the Library of the Sad at Wafaiya at Cairo was issu ed in 1 896 The great work a ccording to the boast of Ahmed himself

was l a a im , as far as t r a intended , to be encyc op edic in its

la u o ions re ted to the S nna f the Prophet were concerned . a pp arently attempts to comprehend everything which in

Goldzihe r M I) ,Z . D . . G .,L,4 72 , 504

2 Gol dzihe r . M ) : Z D . . G .,L,497 .

H Hal . 3) aj. V , 534 f.

Gol dziher . . M . 4) ,Z D . G ,L,470 .

l dziher . M . 5) Go ,Z D . G , 2 2

’ the a u thor s j u dgment co uld possibly contrib u te to a com ll l pl e t e notion of wh a t the S u nn a was . A the re i a ble m ater ials coming down from the Comp a nions were me a nt to be l incl u ded within the book . Hence , on y the very bro a dest tests were a pplied to the tra ditions which were a ccepted by

was a a the au thor . The m a in criterion th t the Isn d m u st be ' so u nd ; th at is , no ma n whose rep u tation for tr u thfulness or religio u s ch ara cter was deemed u ns atisfa ctory co u l d be allowed l t o va lid ate a t r a dition ) . The test of conflict with cl e a r tea ching o f the Prophet elsewhere fo u nd was also a pplied ,but not with the most thoro u gh consistency a nd , fin ally, the d u plic ate ’ tra ditions were excl u ded , tho u gh here , also , Ahmed s pra ctice was not u niform In a work of s u ch a n aim we expect to find a nd in this work do find all kinds of tra ditions : those rela ting to rit u al , legal precedents , moral m axims , fa bl es , legends , historic al incidents a nd biogra phic al a necdotes

F u rthermore , we c a nnot find the s a me order which is ob - served in the gre at collections of al Bokhar i a nd M u slim . Their m ateri al was m u ch less in q u a ntity tha n Ahmed ibn ’ Hanbal s and m u ch n arrower in its scope . They had a pu r pose m u ch more speci al in V iew , which permitted of a real b ’ m system eing observed . But Ahmed s a i was simply to store up gen u ine tra ditions and nothing more

In s u ch a collection , too , as th at fo u nd in the M usnad any one a cq u ainted with the genesis of M oh a mmed a n tr a dition c an u ndersta nd th a t there wo ul d a ppe a r all sorts of inconsistencies and contra dictions . Su ch , in fa ct , ar e fo u nd in the book . S ayings ar e attrib u ted to the Prophet which l never co u d h a ve been u ttered by him . He is represented as ha ving prescience of events occ u rring long a fter his time , a nd as lending his co u nten a nce to views whos e later origin

ol dzih r 8 n o e . no e . 1 . 1 ) G e ,Z . D . M . G .,L,4 7 t v t 4 ,p 9

Gol dzih r 80 . n o . 1 . 2) e ,Z . D . M . G .,L,4 ; v t e 4 ,p 9

G ol dzih r 8 1 . 3) e ,Z . D . M . G .,L,4

G ol dzih 4) e r ,Z . D . M . G .,L,4 74 .

5) v . n ote 4 ,p . 1 9 . 2 3 is clea rly known ; opposite O pinions a nd p a rties a like find their s u pport in distinct tra ditions o f the M u s nad It might seem that there wa s room to q uestion the honesty o f the au thor who would th u s lea ve a ll kinds o f discrepa ncies in his work; but reflection will shew th at a dishonest m an wo u ld hardly a dmit or allow to rema in in his compilation s u ch things ,a nd that the aim o f Ahmed , comprehensive and u nscientific a s it was , su fficiently a cco u nts for wh atever of miscell a neou s or con l l t r a d ict o r y cha ra cter there a ppea rs . It is qu ite ike y, too , tha t the M u s nad was a collection bro ught together d uring m a ny ye ars , a nd one to which l abor was not continu o usly l devoted by the compi er . In the u s e of the work , also , after its completion there probably was no contin u ity observed . He wou ld rea d a portion now a nd a portion aga in , a portion to this one and a portion to th at one (only three persons l ar e s a id to h ave heard it comp ete from Ahmed himself) . These facts wo uld make it diffic ult for him to have in mind a nd eye the whole work at one time , so as to perceive the m u tu al h armony or discrep a ncy of the p arts o f which it was composed . He , thu s , might easily a dmit a nd with dif fic u lt y correct s u ch inconsistencies as those o f which we h ave spoken . With his aim , a s we conceive it , however , inc o n

is nc i s l s t e e m ade very litt e difference . He was bu t collecting so u nd tra ditions , and not su pporting p articu lar O pinions or movements . It was not his idea to constitu te himself a har

monist . Dishonesty in connection with any of the contents o f the M us nad lies properly with other a nd ea rlier a u thor ities tha n Ahmed . We h a ve no record of his ha ving been cha rged with fabric ating tra ditions d uring his lifetime His l great fau t was the u ncritical aim a nd method . Even in the

I s nad s , where he was s u pposed to be an excellent critic ,

zh . M . . L 8 8 f 1 ) Gol d i er ,Z . D G , ,4 7 ,4 9 . c 2) D u r in g the tr ial b efor e al -M u tas im it was n ot obj e cte d th at an y of his

h r tr adition al ar gume n t s we r e un sou nd . When e was cha g e d with pl agiar izing a tr adition ( which he ha d n ot the r e cit e d) ,he was an gr y and took p ains to pu t

his a r ri t o onfu i n . Cf. a a s in in dve s a e s c s o p s age the l ong A r abic n ote Chapt er II . 24

l he appears to h ave been rather libera . There ar e fo u nd lists of a u thorities with a nonymo u s individ u als even as the first so u rces of the tra ditions cited ; a few n a mes ar e given

credit , also , who do not st a nd as rep u table authorities in

the opinion of m a ny theologi a ns . In the c ases of most of

the latter Ahmed , however , m akes a speci al note to the effect th at he sees no re a son to refu se the tra ditions fu rnished

l a u at K us s as by them . And , la st y , he f vo rs times the , who , while not altogether disco u nten a nced as au thorities , were not held in gre at rep u te ’ Abd alla h , Ahmed s son , did his p art as editor with gre at conscientio u sness , noting c arefully his own a dditions to the m ateri als gathered by his father , and inserting corrections a nd glosses with explicit st atement of his own au thorship of

a M n them . The tra ditions which he dded to the us ad a ppe a r to h a ve been a fterwards bro ught together by him in a se

a a l d a l um A LM A p r te book which bore the tit e u r

i l . a alla M jh Al M M In some c ses where Abd h had hea rd a tra dition fo u nd in the M usnad from a nother te acher as well as his fa ther , he wrote a note to th at effect when p u tting in the tra dition concerned D u ring his lifetime Ahmed re a d the M us na d to his sons

Sélih a nd Abd alla h a nd to his u ncle Ishak ibn H anbal , a nd they alone formed the fa vo u red circle who he ard the com ple t e work from the lips o f its au thor

As may be inferred from what has been alre ady s a id ,

1 Gol dzihe r . . M . G . L 1 f ) ,Z D , ,47 ,4 78 f ; Cf. D e Goeje ,Gl oss . B eladhori w

d l os s Fra m . Hi . A r m . Th s s an G . g st . U e Ku as having as s t or yt ell e rs n o ve r y s er iou s aim we r e n atur al l y e nou gh in dis cr e dit with s e r iou s t r aditionis ts ,bu t it may well h av e b e e n th at su ch men a ctuall y fur nishe d s ome s oun d t r a di

i A or in t ons . cc d g to the cr itic al me th od th en in v ogu e ,the s oun dn e ss of s u ch t r a dition s woul d d e p e nd u p on th e ir c on t en ts to s ome e xt e n t ,but mor e u p on the I snad s .

2 Goldzihe r M ) ,Z . D . . G .,L,50 1 ff . Abdall ah is said to have made ad ’ ditions l ike wis e to his fa h r M l l u “ , , t e s j . 3) v . n ot e 4 ,p . 1 9 .

26

V ol . a nd ol . V ol . I , p . 206 to the end , II V III to p . 400 , - The well known Comp a nions .

— a o f M V ol . III , pp . 400 503 , Tr ditions ecc a ns .

2 — 88 a o f M e d ina ns V ol . IV, pp . , Tr ditions .

8 — 2 a o f V ol . IV , pp . 8 39 , Tr ditions Syri a ns .

2 — 1 a o f V ol . IV, pp . 39 4 9 , Tr ditions K fifa ns .

— ol . . 1 V ol . . 1 1 a B s V IV, p 4 9 V , p 3 , Tr ditions of a rans .

— V ol . . 1 1 V ol . . 2 a V , p 3 VI , p 9 , The Ans r .

— — l . 2 6 . V o . VI , pp 9 4 7 , The Women (In pp . 3 8 3 40 3 o f this section a r e pu t in some tra ditions ASL/gil l M It sho uld be c a refully borne in mind th at e a ch one o f the sections en u mera ted , as well a s the whol e work , is c alled a

M u s nad , e . g . The M u s nad of the M ecc a ns , the M u s nad of the Ansar etc . S u ch is a general description of the long

u M s n fa mo s u ad o f the Imam Ahmed . ’ zd s u il Alt fl e P p s . We h a ve the n a mes of some o f those who hear d the Tra dition from him , a mong whom were his te a chers Abd - n al Ra zzak , I bn M a hdi a d Ya zid ibn Harun . Other p u pils were ’ <: - - - Ab u l Walid , A li ibn al M a dini al Bokhar i, M u slim , A bu - c - c - Daud , al Dhuhli, A bu Zu r a al Ra z i, A bu Zu r a al Dimashki, - Ibrahim al H arbi , A bu Bekr Ahmed ibn M oh a mmed ibn Hani ’ - - - al Tai al A thr a m,al Baghawi,Obaid allah ibn Moh a mmed A bu ° l ~ as im la u l s l u a M a K (his st p pi fij Ibn Abi D ny , oh mmed - - ibn Ishak al Saghani, A bu Hatim al Razi , Ahmed ibn Abi ° - l Ha wari , M fis a ibn Harun , H a nb al ibn Ishak , Othman ibn c - - c - S a id al Darimi, H ajj aj ibn al Shair , Abd al M alik ibn Abd c - - - al H a mid al M a imun , Baki ibn M akhlad al And alu si ,Ya kub - ibn Sha ib a , D uhaim al Shami and his own sons Abd alla h a nd Salih His method o f te aching was to re a d the t r a

M G . L 0 . 1 ) G ol dziher ,Z . D . . , ,4 7

M L 2 . O n the M usnad cf. al s o Gol dziher 2) G ol dziher ,Z . D . . G ., ,4 7 , , ,

i 2 2 8 2 0 2 66 2 0 . M oh. Stu d en II , , 3 , , 7 ° 3) Dhahabi ,Lib er Cl as s . 8 ,N . 1 8 .

i ” - ht m M 3 - a awr lis s oul 4) al Nawawi , Biog . D ict . , The n a e in al N w s t h d

n o . ’ ’ be M d i h a ih amus an d A u l ; V . c Jong s e d . of Dhah ab s Mus c t b 74 ,K , b 2 7 d itio ns from a book ra ther tha n recite them He is not known to ha ve taught in a ny other wa y except in the c a se o f a bo u t one h u ndred tra ditions He a dopted this method notwithsta nding the fa ct th at he ha d everything committed to memory a n d was generally regarded as being almost the

a e li first hafi; o f his time . On one occ asion when he w s d v ering the tradition to some of his p u pils , after they ha d lea rned it by heart , and were preparing to write it , Ahmed ‘ ’ excla imed , the book is the best hafiz an d with that he started u p and bro ught a book His wish probably was to v erify his memoriter recitation . Ahmed does not appear to ha ve taken money from his disciples , either for his services as a tea cher or for the writing m ateri als etc . which he fu rnished - fiCi R el a t ions For al Sha he always enterta ined the mos t

wit/za l a ffection ate regard . His testimony to him was that S ’l‘d c" fi none in his d ay c arried an ink-bottle or to uched a pen but there was resting u pon him an obligation to al ° Shafi i For thirty years he decla red he ha d never prayed a pra yer withou t offering in it a petition for his friend , a nd ’ c on his son s a sking him wh at kind o f a man al-Shafi i was tha t he sho u ld pray fo r him so regularly, he replied tha t c al -Shafi i was like the s u n to the world and like good health - c to mankind A l Shafi i , t oo , seems to have had a great

N ’ l - M a asin . i l A . a d/fal e) a e a e from al Su ki . h II G W I h v dd d b ,p ‘ ° f a a i Li e r Cl ass . 8 N . 6 . 1 8 ,c . Dh h b b ,” 9 - i . lfl . 1 ) al Nawawi , Biog . D ct

c l” i " d; -3 A Abu Nu aim 1 a M " M 2) , 3 9 , (M 0 U ? ) ( 57

b mm w s h w m m g g W s f a m g y j

- ‘ lff f l r M 1 1 6 1 . 3) al Nawawi , Biog . Die t . ,c . Go dzihe , oh. Stud . 1 , 9 , 97 9 - ’ al Na i "0 l dzihe r M oh. S u . I I 1 8 1 . 4) wawi , B og . Dict . ,cf. Go , t d , " l -N wi If 5) a awa , Biog . Dict . . ‘ 6 - l L» l t al Nawawi io . i . v . al . 2 M u s ut ) ,B g D ct p , r o ,

" an}; o r aunt m an a l M t un a 3 G a n , w i b 28

respect and affection for Ahmed . He is sa id to h a ve decla red , ‘ O A bu Abd al lah , whenever a tra dition from the M essenger of God is so u nd in yo u r j u dgment, tell it to us that we may ’ c as a - conform to it . Ahmed is reported s ying th a t al Shafi i told him th at he (Ahmed) was more l e arned in the so u nd ’ - c tra ditions tha n himself , a nd tha t his (al Shafi i s ) desire was to know from him wh at he rega rded as so u nd th a t he might ’ al la la a dopt it . Ahmed s son Abd h dec red th a t , wherever al ‘ ‘ ’ ‘ Shafi i sa ys in his book a tr u stworthy person told me tha t ,or a ’ l a tru st“o rthy pe r son re ated th t to me , he refers to his father . c Abd allah sa id , fu rther , th at the book hich al Shafi i com posed in Baghd a d was more correct th a n the book which he

composed in Egypt , bec au se , when he was in Bag hdad , he as ked Ahmed and the l a tter s u ggested corrections to him , bu t when he was in Egypt a nd wa s inclined to a dopt a ‘ wea k t r a dition there was no one to correct him A l -Shafi i

! $L> l —a. ”Lofil 1 w m 3 “E ( 533 215 3 03 ) 3 S f

lw fi c t fi b u fi fi j v é / h”M u A U h é u ifil fl x l lfb d l g é q fi u w M Lg O d g '

C 1 Abu Nn aim 1 0 15 A n : G M l u s L3 » ) , 4 , w J 0 9 D n

d l éfi m l jgl h l o w W g fi w q w th p w 29

went to Egypt in the year 1 98 , stayed prob a bly two or

three months a nd then retu rned to M ecca , whence he took his final j o u rney to Egypt in the end o f 1 99 or the begin C o f a . ning o f 200 . In I r ak he composed the Book the H jj I His first visit to Baghdad was in the yea r 1 95 ; he l eft there for M ecc a in 1 97 a nd retu rned fo r a month to Baghdad in - ‘ ‘ A l Shafi i said , I l eft Baghdad a nd did not le a ve behind in it a ny one grea ter as a fa kih , or one more piou s , ’ - self denying , or lea rned tha n Ahmed ’ - 0m” A l Ha ith am ibn Ja mil , one of Ahmed s tea chers ' ’ Cont em l in Baghdad , tho u ght high y o f his p u pil s a u thority . . aw n “ P On one occ asion he was told th at Ahmed ibn Ha nbal differed from him in rega rd to a certain tra dition a nd his ‘ reply was , My wish is that it may shorten my life and ’ ’ may prolong Ahmed ibn Hanbal s life It is worthy o f note

l u ya zzd £5”that Ahmed ga ve a pp arent y nreserved credit to

Hfir f m Ya zid ibn Harfin as a tra ditionist . At one time M fis a ibn Hizam al -Tir midhi was on his wa y to A buS u leiman al -Jfizajani to a sk him some qu estion a bo u t the books o f M ohammed ibn al -Hasa n when Ahmed met him an d enq u ired

l a whither he was gomg . On e rning his obj ect Ahmed rem arked

‘ w ‘Li”i ii “ i ‘ G f> G ths 8 W ; J M fi

m LO

° 2 D . M . G . X LV . 1 1 Ibn C all . N . 6 . 1 ) D e Goeje , . II 5; h 5 9 - : 2 al Subki . 1 2 1. eg g 5 L“ o u l Ju d ya ) ,p 3 , 9 , } ? 5) s (

l ° c f. I bn Chall . N . 1 9 .

" c a , s : : A “ 3 3 Abfi Nu aim I 4 I a QM . ets S ) , , ”w Cf J C M 30 th at it was a very stra nge thing th a t Ibn Hizam sho ul d be rea dy to a ccept the testimony o f three persons l e a ding u p to A bu H a nifa , a nd yet refu se that of three au thorities form ing a cha in of tra dition to the Prophet . Ibn Hizam did not ’ grasp Ahmed s mea ning a nd asked for a n expl a n ation . Ahmed “ ‘ a nswering s a id , Y ou will not receive the Isnad Ya zid ibn

Harun in Wasit said , Homaid told me from An as , s aying , ’ the M essenger of God s a id ; a nd , yet , you receive the Isnad ‘ u M a al- a a l u s S ch a n one s aid , oh ”mmed ibn H s n to d from c Ya kfib from A bu H a nifa . M us a a dds tha t he was so im pressed by the force of wh at Ahmed s a id th at he engaged a bo at at once a nd went to Wasit to receive the Tra dition from Y azid ibn Har li n When Ahmed himself went to c stu dy with Ya zid , on the other h a nd , Y a zid ibn S a id al

K attan enqu ired for him , a nd , on lea rning where he had ‘ ’ gone , exclaimed , Wha t need has he of Y a zid ?This was interpreted to me a n th a t Ahmed was more fit to be the te acher tha n the scholar of Y a zid ibn Harun

c x Abu Nu aim 1 5 M , fil 5 } m » ) , 44 , ( y i { 5 u , s 1 w ar Cod . s 5 w as : w 5; [ s a ] 1 gl dtfis w m g W > i xmxmB -§ M g y é w o t5 U O e

i f “ u .s u n m 1 u “ 1 us g; r f A 9, D g 3 M

Lug g v m m y fi w s xm w g fi w, w g m

° ‘ ? l » -Q W P LL» 24 Jewe : 5 Al ow . w cJ 63 l) wp w wfi 15

‘ us . . h a m Jam i c s t u m . 1s mp 0 . ) 0 s , y 6 0 » )

c 2 Abu Nu aim 1 0 a w f 3 w All M 5 ) , 4 , L94 ( ) 6 3 1

c C - A ] ?ibn A li ibn al M a dini not only shewed grea t respect

a l o f r Ahmed , but received it , likewise , from him . It c is s aid that when A li c a me to Baghdad he took a lea ding pl ace among the tra ditionists , a nd at s u ch times as men c c like Ahmed a nd Ya hya ibn M a in and Kh alaf a nd al-M u a iti c were i n difference o f opinion on a ny point the voice o f A li w s a regarded as decisive . Ahmed o u t o f respect never called c ” A li by his proper n a me , bu t always by his ku nya A bu 1 H asan While Ahmed was regarded as the best fakih of - his time , Ibn al M a dini was sa id to have s u perior knowledge o f the different views held as to tra ditions a nd to be the c most le arned o f the doctors of his d ay, as Ya hya ibn M a in was the one who wrote the most , a nd A bu Bekr ibn A bu Shaiba was the greatest hafiz i c Ya zzya ibn Of Y ahya ibn M a in A hm e d s aid , tha t the hearing

of a f a a was al for u l M a m . Tr dition rom Y hy he ing tro b ed c bre asts . He said , also , that Ya hya ibn M a in was a man whom God created for the express p u rpose of exposing the lies of li ar s ; a nd any tra dition which Y ahya did not know w as no tra dition . When he died Y a hya left behind him one

u h u ndred and fou rteen cases a nd fo r c asks o f books . This is in harmony with what has j u st been s aid as to his ha ving written more traditions than any o f his

i . cf. G ol dziher M oh. S u . I . 2 6 . I ) Biog . D ct t d 7

- m : t 1 9 ; m > l é b 5 5 2 al Su ki . . ) b ,p Lg r j L54 $5;

fi e - “l . i . 3) al Nawawi ,Biog . D ct ‘ 4) e ; the Wor d u h; shoul d pr obabl y be r ead

‘ 3 4

s > vid . D e Goe e l oss . i l . e o . ja r s ,( sg . cg ) j , G B b G g 3 2

a o f A LHm a gfl One o f the contempor ries Ahmed ibn H a nb al 5 c C - a m 1 412a l wa s a l-H u s ain ibn A 11 ibn Y a zid A bu A li al K a K a r ‘W ’f ' man was ll r abisi (1 24 5 A . H .) This we known both a s a fa kih and as a tra ditionist . At first , he was a disciple ’ o f the Ra y school , bu t , l ater , inclined to the views o f al c Shafi i , bec a me a st u dent of his te a chings a nd received au thor ‘ l iz ation ) to te a ch wh a t he ha d ea rned . The Kh atib al

B aghdadi tells tha t he was m u ch disesteemed (lit . was very ra re) as a tr a ditionist bec au se he had a cqu ired a bad n a me with Ahmed ibn H a nb al . This wa s owing to his strong l a a al al l Alfil al e ning tow rd di ectic theo ogy (‘ in gener , a nd , more p artic ula rly, to his a pplica tion o f di alectics in order to come to his concl u sions to u ching the Koran . He was a professed believer in the u ncre ated existence of the

Koran , but co uld not s atisfy Ahmed ibn H a nb al by his profession of this doctrine , and m u ch less by his u ttera nces on the symbolic expression o f the Koran in artic ul ate hu m a n so u nds (viii)! He a ppea rs to h ave t r ifle d somewh a t in his tre a tment o f s u bj ects tha t were to minds s u ch as th a t of Ahmed in the highest degree sa cred a nd serio u s . For exa mpl e , his decl a red fa ith in the cre a ted n at u re of the - Lafz al Koran was on one occ a sion tol d to Ahmed , who , tho u gh the profession was in full a ccord with his own con viction , declared it heresy, be cau se the process by which it had been re a ched wa s th at of re a soning a nd not that o f ’ u s bmission to tra ditional au thority . Ahmed s j u dgment on

‘ - him was m ade known to al K ar abisi , who ch anged his d e cl a ration of fa ith a nd professed th at the Lafz al -Koran was u a as ll ncre ted we as the Koran itself. Na tu rally eno u gh ,

1 9 1 2 cf. G ol dziher M oh S . 11 . 1 8 . ) 5 , . tu d 9 2 f

2 For or i in and u s e of the er m w id H u tsm ) g t r v . o a , D e Stnjd o v e r he t ’ o m a 8 f. c f. Shahr a stani H r br . tr n l n D g , 7 ; , aa a s II . 3 88 f. - 3) The Lafzal Kor an is u s e d h e r e with r e fe r en ce to the e nun ciation of the Kor an in human s p e aking ; in the foll owing p aragraph we ha ve tak e n it to h av e a wider s c op e .

34

- /zér z a o f al A l B ok . We h ve interesting evidence the doctrin

-B okhér i a nd symp athy between al Ahmed ibn H a nb al . A j e alo u s riva l o f a l -B okhér i in Nis abfir ch arged the l a tter with - heresy on the point of the La fzal Koran , and the imp u t a tion ’ B u t l a - wa s ta ken u p by ma ny . it is c e r tha t al B okhér i s silence on the q u estion from rel u cta nce to be dra wn into a ny rea soning on a point for which there wa s so little evidence pro or

con in Tra dition , was the only gro u nd for s u specting his l f ll orthodoxy . His be ie , as we as th a t of Ahmed ibn H a nb al , l was th a t the Koran itself was not cre a ted , bu t the La fz - al Koran , by which he u nderstood the h u m a n a cts of writing ,

“ s 3 mus» a.5 a zs 5 out s g: sgss 3 mm 55 s 55 W s L5 fi U y , L

u n: was n o.) un i s s Lxm l 3 s x35 La ts o , a, 7 3

‘ 3 s c 5 ” s y s Am a w u s m . M 3 ( 3 U a

s s an; s. ts m s “ g n a u s e as mm ss fi fi , i s u f , ,

um “ o l at; L sa ; sass s ue s r r w 3 , Ur U

s ban i m A m i-40 x> L> ass . 3 u u mm “ , L5 3

s u oL> um; 9 " as jams s L. U , U 0 31 c U ,

; s a s s solfixs l : 3 am s u s Ow U ,» g U U 3 r U 9

: s 2. XSUiA las M s a s ay ”as. L 3 5 m a p 9 53 r

Le fi m g; ig s ss m ; SLiié 3 m j w U g .U L

m g um ag g o ufi u xo n f é n w; 3 , r r 3 , e

s Lass x; a s u - é ss rma . , fi w U p; u w s W Lg I 6 3 ..s

u w e saLa l i s n s uss A am ba a 3 f p. U i ,

M l M ‘ . a 6; 65 u 513 0 0 y ”3 5 p , t g

J AM l aw a S s w d él u é é fi " s U fi k f g fi

M 5 1 ” > O 53 3 9 9 3 “ “X5 54 L" 3 4 3 9 M » 0 5 0 9 8 } u 9 5 3 3 : 3

' 53 s M 3 s 3 5 reading , reciting a nd a ll other a c ts connected with the u s e or preservation o f the revelation , was

- 1 xa m w s ? m g a il o al Su ki . 2 u I ) b , p 4, e a as 0 0?G d

s w as m a s ku l l ; w as a . L“ ; a [w s as} w 2 3 ) , i oods a b 1> an w n n: ‘ an; uss g w y 3 M ja L5 (a o W , w

' as h? s o“: s l l s aa s 1013 a n M s ow ; 9, ; d 0 ? zfi J P , ‘ go h a x s 23> l Lm A S o , Ll aw l M x l . tc 5 j J’s ) 0 fi U

s r e w f m w a s c ag s su es ms sa o o ai x a s .Ls s ual: an> La b as e s b l f al Jaws b ?) n ( u j g ca O v;

g s s g n w t a u nt a a s b tas d a fi r fl d a o g g g g b d

M . ”as s o ai r: otc ls m w a 0s 3s a s , s, 0v as ; obzll awl as e s am a s l u as g a; } , w y [ o f , G a

“ 51” ? M M 9 d u — A 4S AB “ “ L$ ss o 6 95 n e o e 5 c; ® p

. 4 41”5 : 9 . x: s l M l.” JG 5( W s 6 5 0 $ ) 0 ’ a O (3 l

l ’ ‘ D L§ \a l Jls Xs ks s ha ll dlx él ‘ 5 9 ; Li Lfi l a l l a s La 691 L5) j C) 03 3 e t } 3 3.

ll t ts s ; ns 1 l u ga a u M m K n n a a 3 3 3 “ a J C h } g , 83 B 3 5 ,9 ?

s t - 35 s o wa m A -f s P 9 1 5 s y w s o w y( 3 u w ,,

als 55 » LJLQ s w s s as Lzzas di L5» , O w a J , a ga w Jg , / fi l l l fi l 5 S l fill a -l QLJ iil 55 a l fil a ha .“él “ M i -J Lu l M j , Hj ‘ o y 0 j ,

25 1s 5 am M l w a, usual usual s }; i s 9 , g 5 , , La , ,0 5 O 36

’ ' M ozza mmea Another o f Ahmed s comp a nions , whose highest

’ zé Ad a m. n compliment wa s th a t he resembled the gre a t Imam , was M oh ammed ibn Asl a m A bfi H u sa in al-Kindi al -Tfisi

m” W -z-é ef s as 5 5 5 m “53 8 9 3 M s 55 tl l U M 3 3;

O l : » t el l-Q ‘ » A M LJ w a s s as 55 M a n , L w e u J D . w a

03 L> c m ad w m ga ls as hi s ‘ c s ; ‘ d J . 6 , , 0 s 0

m 5 s e w ms L> a a s a 3 La st ans » a , , w s a , J ”, 3 A,

l il b as s ga s W w l M JG, q r ? w A a s a ) ” 5 ”: » l-fi 4 4 0 53 W 5 5 4 U W dz o ? 3 ga e s t; 9 » n m ; ! Ls l a ss s as a a ( a 3 a M a ”M , $ ( g w )

” ' s La s a m u ts Last as sw ig Jazzs : . s ; a mu t U y 5 g a; h O g

K b - 3 was 5 a mm m: a _ .il s la in c u 9 99 H w ) (3 ra

5 1 ” 5 c 9-6 “53 5 a h M b: 3 m l; a j A S MU s U , ( 2 , {H M

: a 5W s . M axis . L9 5 Lam s» a s L 3 53 U G 0 9 , ,r ) , - as ; has hit can: a n s s wa s s ar am a ; a £5} f , r

i o r M : l d i> 3 l l : [d tt g aphy ] N O B W u Ow fil m3 fifib M E 3 ( r

s: Ls xm o l t s g x Ck s l es tila ”a n 55 a m m ma n U j , fi / 8 9 6 ( 37

man was an a o f a (1 24 2 A . H”) This e rnest opponent the Jhmi 1 a nd M urj i ) sects , o f the former bec a u se they professed tha t

~ $ 4“ l M 9 5“ w" ‘ -5-4 J -5 m U“ ? o 6 é t s) 0 e t 3 m s r )

l l s -j as ai & ; t 5 La ss » a s al a “U cs 6 9 5) é , g p

‘ tas s . 3 J i m“ s as s afi ifi s ( ”g sp s ( 19 L) , j a

l a ss, t“ as s ia l! l S t Lsso Aw G; w a ll as! ass; g a , r M a ( , L5

" xx f L$ \Al LJSJ a s os s ? aaa s L g a ” LS ; a ; d j s P L5, G Us ) a l “ a s ” s h ”lid 3; - s s s s a a s m s — N S U J},s : ( Cs U s o e

a s a s s s o a ta> s ; s n rg o ; s s a s} a , a a U o , La L , “ ‘ l f ) M $ 55 3 u b 945 M -fi d ag e‘ c a o f . U 5 s u u s s

t s s 5 s as“ ; s s s a: 3 s Lo _s u L L9 5] w a , w U U 3 ”a s , a

' t in s tal l a i l s i m -ll a l old i i i o r a g , , fJ s p w, e, vm , [d tt g phy

'' u s t ys st al s i s s say s ? 5151 2515 ts J s a (9 U e as a } 0 5 ,6 ca

t - ° s a s [u s e .t St 5 ufl dl Ls as st; U L; b ULU l j a r , J M - s t w w aum u ; . sss s ss s s ) a g wp g r p j g U

t at s l Jus s a t: a s, 5 , La is as s aU was , am g ) a w r

fi as alia s a m s s ss s : sa ss ; sa s s s» a s c a n p s U U r , w

" ' i s s w s was a s x s s t lts a t a s . usas A s. , , ? U U ( ; a s L,

o ’ t : ts fl a s l u ha va i l 313 at : a a t as d ”3 g n s, A , f » j a

h s am; a m s Ja m ass a am a zs a , j gig 0 ,M U U s

wuss Jtss . t sls Jeans n as s w s as a j o La s “ , - s w> l was; a t s ajl a tes wuss Lassas a Q ”U 8 3 3, U s ,

‘ ‘ as 1-4 l re a-5 i o r a tSb db l m - sh s , 05 o ws U [d tt g phy ] fi e s La w ”t s os a, .s a s , s a 6 p 0 r w

For th r in o ahm ibn Safwa h h I) e doct e s f J n ,t e fou n de r of the Ja mia s e ct ,v . 3 8 the Koran wa s crea ted , o f the l atter bec au se they held th a t fa ith was mere profession witho u t the inwa rd tru st a nd e x pe r ie nc e o f the he a rt . The a rg u ment which he a dopted towa rd the Jahmia was th a t o f the Koran verses in which God spea ks in his own person to M oh a mmed a nno u ncing his M ission , a nd to M oses declaring himself to be his Lord a nd the Lord f o f the worlds . In the ormer c a se it is implied th at if the ’ wor d of the S pea ker be not that of God ,M oh a mmed s M ission is c alled in q u estion . I f it be the word o f God , then it is etern ally potenti al in him a nd insep ara ble from a ny tr u e conception of him , a nd , therefore , it m u st be u ncre ated .

In the c a se o f M oses , if the S pe aker to him be a cre at u re , then M oses himself and the worlds also , h a ve a second lord , for one Lord is a dmitted witho u t q u estion , a nd the professors o f s u ch a doctrine ar e at once convicted of

b t a all Shirk (ska) ; u , s u pposing Go d to h ve re y spoken , then we ha ve a ga in the proceeding forth of a word which we m u st not rega rd as created with its u ttera nce , bu t ra ther a s a n insep ara ble a dj u nct of the Divine Knowledge , for how otherwise co uld the Divine Knowl edge become efficient or comm u nic ative ?The sin o f the Jahmia is their Shirk ; this is the res ult of the re asoning , a nd witho u t re a soning , from the sta ndpoint of the orthodox a pologist , they ar e

u l as ll o f a lie a a d u l b g i ty , we , forging g inst God ( r ) y decla ring th at God did not spe ak to M oses tho u gh the Koran s a ys he did . ’ Against the K ar r amiya M u rji a I bn Asla m m a intained the

’ ’ ’ Shahr astani Haarbr u ck er s tr an sl n I , 89 ; Hou tsma , D e Str ljd o v er he t ’ m &c . . 1 02 1 sma D e tr i d &c . . D og a pp , 2 3 f. O n the M urji a v . Hou t , S j pp

' ’ ’ H. 0 hahr as tani H The M u r i e el ie f as 3 4 ,4 ; S , aar br uck e r s tr an sl n I , 1 56if . j t b

in H u m r M mm ibn p r e s e n t e d o ts a , p . 3 6, diffe r s fr om tha t s e t fo th by oh a e d A sl am , bu t agr e e s with the s e c on d cl as s o f the K ar r amite s e cts ( Hou tsma , ’ n d wi the H r nsl n p . 3 9) a th Sifatiya K ar r amiya ( Shahr as tani , aarb . tra I ,

iall . l r m m r c 1 1 9 ff.,e s p e c y p Ahme d ibn Hanbal , it wil be e e b e e d , om / se two w r § i LJO p o d o k s b e ar ing the titl e s , r e s p e ctiv el y ,M § o u n m d vid . a g , p . 1 9 . 39

doctrine tha t fa ith is a gift o f God to the hea rt , a gift o f

ill u min ation a nd o f spiritu al a dornment , by mea ns o f which

it is disposed to believe in God , his a ngels , his books , his

messengers , the res u rrection , the d a y o f j u dgment , the fin al

a cco u nt , in foreordination to good a nd evil , in p ara dise a nd

- in hell fir e . This fa ith is given only to those u pon whom God is

pleased to bestow it , a nd is not complete witho u t both the

testimony of the lips as , at once , its expression a nd its

confirm ation , a nd the a cts o f the bodily members a s the evidence th a t the confession o f the lips a nd the a ntecedent

fa ith o f the heart a r e gen u ine . The testimony o f the lips has

for its s u bj ects the things believed on by the heart . These

it decl ares to be tru e ; a nd , more specific ally , it gives the formal confession th at there is no God bu t Allah a nd th at

M oha mmed is his Prophet a nd his M essenger . The a cts o f the members lie in the perform a nce o f s uch things a s God prescribes a nd in the a bstention from su ch things as he

forbids . These points ar e su pported by a rgu ments from

the Koran a nd Tra dition ; bu t by this man , as by others

o f the strict orthodox p a rty , there is stress la id , as well , on

o a l argu ments o u tside f either o f these so u rces . For ex mp e ,

it is s a id by Moh ammed ibn Asl a m th at , shou ld the

M u rj ite view be proved correct , then the Prophet a nd the first Kh alifs , who ha d not spent their whole lives in the

confession of Isl a m , but who ha d had tru e faith , not with standing , might be held inferior to a ny mere babbler o f the s a cred form u las who had been occ u pied long eno u gh with ’ l all M u r i a 1 l a his task . Those (a so c ed j ) who he d th t works

were the meas u re a nd s u bsta nce o f fa ith a r e opposed , too , a nd the a rgu ment of disp a ragement to the early worthies

is a pplied here , likewise . M oha mmed ibn Asl a m was a believer in the etern al existence o f the Divine attrib u tes , bu t we ha ve no record

Call e e s e iall & y l fil . D e G oe e l oss . i l . I) d p c y j v j ,G B b G e og . 40 o f his method o f proving his position in this respect , nor h a ve we any exposition o f wh a t it i nvolved

l l t 1 Abu Nu aim 1 62 m u n ni sa . w ill Lot a a g 3L; ) , ,g U 3 , é w s l s a n a ? 14 a s 3 15 ists as g a “ s . a i fl l U ) 0 , £ g , a U w

‘ ’ c L: o l b .“a s“ a i tk g s aa l l Lal A55 wig /Q 5 M l 6 j e r 3 r é

s 3 . m r am 3 5, a s 3 as, wa s, 3 st”; w as 3 a i r m s s i s s am s t: a s s a ay a Ls as 3 a r a w y a , U wa lit 1 s t a : 1 s s a m 1 s at} w as 3 wa } 0 a ,U , 3 wa L,

s l > r s ass an, s s a ss M ax, a ass cars a a o a , a U a , ?)

n; a d ”s ss u n as ke 1 as; a r a a e m w a ,r ) J? , 3 L

s 3 m 131 1 > a s r ma a LL w igs r Ls m L.” 3 L5 x w 3 wa 3

M l s a n r s sass u n a as a s us 3 a, wa ra p J? 3 a

‘ ‘U’ ‘ s v i ‘ s é 4 l l &1-5 la le zw lfi —M I U wa 3 wa é U J d ?

25555 c “ 5 d A Q: a a n ig; All ‘ u z a s; 4 s g 3 ) G v f C) L) w 0 )

? - am ay as n, wus s as aUL a i as a a s ans p w L) o w Lr t

5555 } 5 ; 5555 ‘ fi t? Jr 3 $ 1 M l g Lif E C) J U )

4 2

them does not seem to h a ve ever been openly e ffected ; but there is a story to the e ffect tha t Ahmed took the o ppo r - t u nity o f secretly he a ring al Harith , when the latter with

s as s u es ! gas» a in a s e a s i an an al l s w G) : r w, w,

“ ic 0 l 5 ; ; M m - 5 ei — l fi . ”1 m i l L a u M L.) M O M a m 0 8

n L”am a s Le ; t; n mm Le mu 3 a 3 we , e w a

Lm }: e . as; e tfis e x; ) : e i e i H US e we w w, J 3 . we w

' . s : s am aw a a o All e e l as £ U ”3 e w r w , ( s 3 r a ” 5 7“ 1 15 l 4 a k .”a. ) 6 w ) 5 w e 5 6, 0 4 - 8 3 3 3 , q , b b W e 6,

B adj al l an a e ; e mu a xe an a e Q, 3 w we [ r )

an ” 3 : u u “ 5 e e e re m 3 U 6m we e , a 3 ” r w w

3 e il: A 9 5 ? “M 2 b m « 5 “ p 5 M o AM ; r) cm

m m s s ms ”3 m e a n b .x: 3 M u U 3 r ,w 3 0 3 5 , ) a s er 5 il, Q e t i ? a s e s ; as al 5 ,we M f g e w we we e/

a ; UL; Lw a e l : m m e m ay Lsi r 3 we J Ju a 3 w wej o we e re ags “ a: ia e a ie s e t fie sta }; w e ww a we we M

e s e gs s ” x n s s i e te ue u e a , w as ww M a ate s 3 x ? e ,ea ,

Gw w

l 55 e a l fill L x ; a » a ae e 0 &s he e l“ l m 3 ; e e , e o , t a

l M Lo : v iii) ?g u m ; ° 4 e es .e w W QLM 6 3 0 3 0 w 3

l ° v M LS VaJ sa e e as L.ssi , 3 0 sap M m sgss ) w 4 O , j

' = / - a > s uss fl t; e s 13 6 223 a re nis ,w f wa a w w a . 6 35 w wee ,

JLfi L‘ wuss M ul e m y awl,wuss we ue , 4 3 his comp a nions had been invited to a fea st , a nd th at he was then convinced that his ea rlier impressions o f the m a n , - however j u st when formed , did a l Harith some inj u stice at

' t s e . 3s Bass 3 s ; a. s , 3 215 3 k , 3 3 w 3 w 3 5 9 ; s w 0 ww )

ws e m s . Lu sss e a e lf s se ie ae 33 3 w 3 w w, w w w ww

ar s e s ea e s E: m re we ge u g e gs l m e ss e e ssss e a r e 3 m s ea m s e s fi 3 f w) , ; , , we , ” 9 ‘ ‘Lil a 2 m are M -4‘M 54 9 s fie e e e . 3 W fie 3 0 m

as re : 3 9 3 s a s a e t< e u e e a e x w we e e 3 ; w w g 3 3 9

Jw u lf l w w w ‘ m t i l fi f l ) y cr x fi a a e ee a f éw xe te e ss sal L; m a s s e s ; a s a suss , e m ssss e w e a U w r

ass n sap isa > e a se s {55> 5 m e ss BLALS wfll Lg we j w r 3 , g 3 , ’ . e aUl a e e Les l LXO JzJCJ m s e 3 H y aw,U T u w w)

9 s te s s e awe 3 e r e sa c Le u w, 3 : vo w, u 3 , 3 a ;

s an . e i s : xs se s L a s sass aims . 0 w wg w e wa w. nj w e U

' ” ' ’ l s/o . e o c t s : fi e Ee Ls s e _ e e Le s Le a e sa e e w w 3 5, l w

t s As u te sas w ssss a e s y e rs u u a e w we w wj

F - a mi L“ ; tu bs : 5555 M LsLs l 355 zsLLzs l ikx-A-S J e, 0 4 wefi O e al s ” s s s e us sas e u e , s u e},w N W w , 9 , 3 3 3

s “ e e. s e as a sp sss e ?3 3 i -U 3 ) w e p w Zr w , f e

' : xe Lzss ; ~Le s t sis s u e L: s ize 3 e we we u w s we

ae; : a il b ; : Jol —u .” M ” J M y é p” i / ‘ L:> 40 a b sate M gat s e ‘ L e a s 0 ”w U , e W J; ae w w { 44

’ a O th a t time . The ch nge in Ahmed s pinion does not seem to h a ve been complete or to h a ve s a ved a l-M u has ibi from loss

a fo r a t a 2 o f credit in B aghd d , , his de th in 4 3 A . H. , only

fo u r people a ttended his fu neral . It is possible th a t this may ,

however , be expl a ined a s the conseq u ence o f some pio u s wish which he had expressed

t as s w » L9 su m w » s n as w s a 59 s e , a s a - > s us t stes e s si e ta _ s sinew Ls a _ . , w e s e , s a ss ,a

“

‘ l W sli > a 5 75 31-4 u m fi é b “ L“ W ) J 5 M 3 f U ? C) )

i l M ? ” “ : 3 1? -5 &3‘ 9 ” l3 m 3 W » v ~ $ 5 M qr : J : W 63

M ” ”1”m ” ‘ ’ o M ” f 0M Q o 5 o ) U o rr o

s s m o as ; u s s xe s Le s ae e e , 3 3 w M w us

’ ’ ’ h hr tfin i Ha arbr iick e r s tr an sl n 8 . A iffe r n i w I ) v . S a as I ,9 7 , II , 3 9 d e t v e ’ m u ar r l i m n in on r m H r r h is giv e n of Ah e d s q e with th s a v K e e r , e sc . Ide e n ° - r i r 1bn al l . N . 1 1 . A k d e s I slams ,68 ,n o te I . Fo h s biog a phy v. Ch 5 l Su b 1 , n » om s m as e s us s s c ts . a z a p o e w w ) r w r

g a m s u gs 6 55 2 1 l b fim l s l fll s ww /5 0 f r r é r

l a ss a s : ga s am 3 s a M a s s u 3.4 .x: w e s; ‘ r , ; e w e o

s s 3s am 51W , , w use a s el g . s m a s x> L§ e r 3 0 w 3 { b w ,

M s M n» s s a n él l Lass e we W M w w t s ew ”

s a zs x l s sill as ag s ssss as s as o ? I ,s w w w g , W e r ,

X — ‘ k Abdallalr l bfi d r is 1 f hfii io n e d a r e (T 9 2) A bu Daud\ al H a fa r i a nd Ay u b al -N ajj a r c’ ‘ ' D a zm zén D a u d ibn A li, the fo u nder of the Z ahir it e school , CA /f ’ l (1 270) was one of Ahmed s p u pi s . There wa s m a de to Ahmed a very u nlikely report a ga inst him to the effect th a t he ha d been te a ching in Khora san th a t the Koran wa s cre ated (by fa shioning th a t which alre a dy existed a nd th a t his Lafzal -Koran wa s cre a ted (by being m a de from nothing This infl u enced Ahmed so th at he refu sed to receive him , a nd we h a ve no knowledge th a t he a fter wa rds ch a nged his decision ; bu t the Z ahir it e s a r e known to h ave been even more strict th a n Ahmed on the u ncre ated n at u re o f the Koran , a nd it m a y be a ssu med th a t D aud did not long contin u e to be s u spected by him . It is to be rem arked th a t the inform a nt of Ahmed wa s M oh a mmed ibn - Y a hya al Dhu hli , the s a me ma n who in j e alo u sy a cc u sed

- i o f al fz - al Bokhar heretic views on the La al Koran . F u rther, it sho ul d be noted th a t the incident is s a id to h a ve o c

l o f a Rahawa ih c u rred d u ring the ifetime Ish k ibn (1 2 38 A .

Dau u a a a a l u H .) when d m st h ve been comp r tive y yo ng u man . I f the a cco u nt be tr e his views m u st h a ve u ndergone

t ) K Lo f " > ob s Afi 9 g a . J c s » : Cod Low L—w U U 8 3 , 6 [ ) ]

lla flll a s h L 3 us; K mm . r 3 u d 3 92 3 U , 0 U U ,

_ i 47

ch ange d u ring the rem aining ye ars o f his l ife . He was born in 202 A . H . a nd died in 270 A . H .

In the yea r 2 1 8 A . H . there died in Egypt c c 15”f s mé il Ibrahim ibn I s mail A bu Ishak al -Basri al -Asa di c c a l M u t alizi, known as Ibn U l ayya . He wa s a professor o f the doctrine tha t the Kora n was cre a ted a nd - ha d disc u ssions a bou t Fikh with al Sha fi 1 in Egypt , a nd

with Ahmed ibn H a nbal in Baghd a d a bo u t the Koran . Ahmed rega rded him a s a d a ngero u s heretic The Ibn C Ul ayya a l-Akbar whose n ame figu res in the history o f the - ’ Mihna u nder al Ma mun , a ppea rs to ha ve been a different person , who was o f orthodox rep u tation hitherto . Ta ken together with the simila rity of the n a mes , the seeming c rea diness with which Ibn U layya al -Akbar complied with ’ the test as to the Koran s crea tion might suggest , however , tha t he was in some way related to the p arty here men

i d l . t one . But this is only hypothetic a

I I .

In the beginning o f the second centu ry of Islam M IHNA . c ' - Hzs ior ica l al Ja d ibn Dirham teacher o f the Khalif M arwan II ,

D ew /0 > 1 held the doctrine tha t the Koran was created , a nd , 7m m" a t that time , imagin ative a dversa ries o f the belief declared themselves to be able to tra ce the steps of Tra dition c by which the heresy was to be c a rried ba ck from Ja d to Le bid , a Je w , whom the Prophet had decla red to h ave bewitched him and thereby prod u ced in him a sickness However the c doctrine c a me to him , Ja d wa s put to dea th by Khalid ibn c Abd all ah , Governor o f I r ak , at the comm a nd o f the Khalif

Hisham . After this we hea r no more o f the doctrine u ntil the time o f the Abbaside Harli n al-Rashid The a cco u nt of the

- ’ Zahir iten . 1 Th i l f n in a u i I ) Gol dziher p 34 . e ncide n t is a so ou d l S bk ,p . 23 2 . ’ - 2) Abu l M ahasin I ,64 7 . 3) We il ,M ohamme d ,94 ,n ote 1 2 1

i d o er he o 4) Houtsma ,D e Str j v t D gma , 1 0 1 f. 48 historic al devel opment (o f the doctrine of the cre ation o f the 1 ’ Koran) ) which l e d u p to the inq u isition u nder al -M a mun ° - - a nd his s u ccessors is given by Ab u l F a raj ibn al Jau zi , - s f ll : M e n a ll (1 598 A . H .) a o ows did not ce se to fo ow the good r u le o f the fa thers o f Islam a nd their confession th at c the Koran wa s the u ncre ated Word of God , u ntil the M u t a 2 zilit e s (freethinkers) ) a ppe a red , professing the cre ation of

l u l - the Koran . This they did secret y nti the time of a l Ra

u shid . Then , they vent red to te a ch their view more O penly, ‘ u ntil al Ra shid s a id one d ay , I h a ve he a rd th a t Bishr al 3 M a ri 5 1 ) s ays th at the Kora n is cre ated , now ,verily , 1f God give him into my h a nd , I will kill him in s u ch a wa y a s ’ ll a I h a ve never yet ki ed nyone . On l earning this Bishr rem ained hidden for a bo u t twenty yea rs d u ring the d ays of

- l a a al Rashid . (This wo u d c rry b ck his p u blic pr ofe s s ron of

u l- the doctrine in q u estion to a bo t 1 7 3 A . H .) When a Ra shid

died , the m atter rem a ined in the s a me position d u ring the ’ - - time o f his son al Amin ; but when al M a mun s u cceeded , c some of the M u t a zilit e s l e d him a stra y a nd m a de the doctrine " o f the cre a tion of the Koran to a ppe a r plau sible to hi re )

f. We il Chal ife n 2 62 n o e 1 von Kr e m r H r r 1 ) O n this s ubj e ct c , II , , t ; e , e s ch.

n r n o o i al n o e 20 1 2 n h m k Ide en d e s I sl ams ,2 3 3 ff. a d ch o l g c t ,p . 7,i t e s a e wor . ‘ M u zil an d the r is e of the e vi i D 2) O n the n ame t a a s ct , d . St e n e r , ie c Hou tsma D e tr i d o e r he t o ma 1 n h M u tazil ite n , 2 5 f. ; , S j v D g ,5 . O t e his tor y

o z l ami m 1 8 8 of the s e ct , S te in e r ,48 H. ,D y ,He t I s s e , 3 , 1 4 . O n th eir d oc

in e M a u di VI 2 0 ff. S e ine r ff Hou tsma 8 0 8 t r s , go , t , 3 ; , 55, , 9 , 1 2 1 f. ; ’ ’ r r ii k r r n sl n o Shahr astan i 0. O n e ir o r ine of the r n Haa b c e s t a f. I ,4 th d ct Ko a

Hou tsma 1 0 f. Ste ine r , 75 ff. ; , 4 ’ - . i 0 h 6 3) V on Hammer ,Lit G e s ch chte III, 2 5; Abu l M a . I , 4 7 an d n ote 9 ; ° c M u azil it n 8 I bn Chal l . N . 1 1 4 ; St e in er , D ie t e , 7 . He is c al l e d by Hou tsma ,

n on f th l a in M r D e S tr ijd ov e r he t D ogma , 79 ( cf. ote e o e e d g u j it e s of his

m i ar h ll ti e . By Shahr as tan , Ha br . I , 94 , e is c a e d , as the r e sul t of fal s e p oin ting of the l e tter s , Bis hr ibn Attab , in s t e ad of Bishr ibn Ghiya th al ’ ‘ M r i i. For his ie ws vid . Shah1 a s ta n 1 Haarbr . 1 61 1 62 a s v , I , , , cf. I , 243 . “ - l al M akrizi . L» : 1 L0 Al “ LoBll xxs u n : 4) , p 3 , g C}, ) L5 ) r 3 J

1 1 ran g 1; ; 1 0 , , 3 L1

M 3 9 > ; x: all) “ ‘ u 1: ( 5 J) fi r 0 gy , L

50

this incident th a t the doctrine o f the cre ation o f the Koran ° ha d a lre a dy beg u n to m ake some stir when al Sha fi 1 wa s in

B aghd a d , a nd th at Ahmed was a t this e a rly stage a vig or o u s

opponent o f the tenet . ’ ’ A l - - M a mzin . The interest of al M a mun in theology is e mpha sized by all the histori a ns He ha d been thoro u ghly tr ained s in the knowledge o f Tr a dition , o f the Koran sciences , a nd - o f the Koran itself from e arly childhood , a nd ha d had

a mong his te a chers Malik ibn An a s , Hu s ha im ibn Bashir a nd his own father His a bility as a p u pil soon bro u ght him

l 0 2355 0 l . m m i d o c l .) id o u y

” 1 ‘ L; 1.q Lou a s 9 1 . 1 1 1 1 a . L xJLs L. J 6 6 n I ,

3 ) 1 5 1 3 L§5 L3 ? l, ” & i an 6 2 “ z- 6 U N L) } M D U

M l 10 “ M 35 “ to; as “AB 10 0 , M , 8 3 L9 )

4> K : ? ) : m ~5 4 y as » a W ”a 1M 3

D - - M a asin 6 Hammer P ur s all Lit . e s ch. al 1 ) Cf. Abu I h I , 44 ; g t , G III , 2 6; ’ k - hol afa C al u a 1 8 0 oz He t Suyfiti , Tari h al K , c tt , 57 , p . 3 1 ; D y , I sl amisme , ’ ’ 880 h n o i e s of al -M a mfin s ar a r foun in al -Su ki 1 , p . 1 52 . T e t c ch cte d b ,p . 1 44 ,

d al -M r in a or a n i h un i h an akrizi ,p . 3 , a e cc d c e w th t e a cc oun ts fo d n t e wor ks

m e j us t n tion e d . ’ 2) Hou tsma , D e Str 1jd o ve r het D ogma , 1 3 , s ays th at al -M a mun fir s t 51 to a foremost pla ce a s a theologi a n , bu t a mind li. s e ager for m u ch wider ra nging tha n wa s a fforded with he n arrow bou nds o f the orthodoxy of Islam , soon shewed its symp athy with the revived philosophy which ha d begu n to a » be pop ul ar u nder the dominion o f the Kh alifs , and with ll the different branches of Ara bic letters a nd sciences . Fo owing his bent o f he gathered to his co u rt from different p arts o f his empire , philosophers a nd men o f more liberal tendency of tho u ght th an ha d been fo u nd a mong the com ’ - p a nions of his predecessors A l M a mun , however , is not looked u pon as a m a n n atu rally impio u s nor wa s his interest

in s acred s u bj ects one merely controversi al in its ch ara cter . It is rela ted o f him th at he u sed to complete 3 3 recitations o f the Koran in the month of Ra m adan He a lso ga ve speci al gifts o f

money to relieve the needs o f the tea chers of Tra dition , a nd all a ccepted o f his be ne fic e nc e except Ahmed ibn Ha nb al ’ The letters written by al-M a mun in connection with the

Mihn a , however , do not give u s a fa vorable impression o f

his ch aracter . The orthodox histori a ns s ay that his com ’ ’ p anions at Co urt were wholly responsible for al -M a mfin s

att en de d the l e ctur e s of the M utakal lims an d l at er t ook an in t e r e s t in or tho

t i e his au or i for the r m r d oxy . He doe s n o c t th ty e a k ,an d it d oe s n ot har monize with what I h av e b e e n abl e to gathe r fr om the au thor itie s I have

onsul e . T e in er the or e r an d a e foll ow m i m c t d h y v t d , I h v ed the n y nar r ativ e . c M z n 6 e r e 1 ) St ein e r ( D ie u ta ilite ,p . 1 ) xp ss e s the O pin ion that the t e n den cy\ ' t owar d l ib er al the ol ogic al vie ws , which was s o s tr ongl y adv an ce d by the influ en e of the Gr e e k P il os o had al r e a s e t in e for e the Ar a s e ame c h phy dy b b b c .

i wi G r e ek il oso i al ou acqu a n t e d th ph ph c th ght . 2) For the p atr on age of l e tt e r s and phil os ophy by the Abb aside s ove r eign s with its dir e ct e ffe ct in the r is e of the me n of the K alam ,and its indir e ct or r e action ary e ffe ct in in cr e asin g the zeal in s tu dy of the me n of the Tr a

i ion vid . Hou tsm a D e Str i d o e r he t m 8 d t , , j v D og a , 6f.

G ol dziher M o . S u ien 8 V on r emer He h 3) , h t d II , 5 , 59 ; K , rr s c . Ide e n d . c ’ - I sl . 0 1 n o e 1 S e in er Die M u tazilite n 6 n o e Al Su ki 3 , t 5; t , , , t 5; b ,p . 1 44 ,

c l l i 4 Abu Nu aim 1 b u L§ b o l 14: M m g JLiié 55m ach-l c) ) , 43 , L5 ( E t

A fl 3 1 152 5 1 551 52: u w cfi 6 52

) X Y in theology , a nd fo r the conseq u ent persec u tion l a h stricter theo ogi ns on whic he entered . It wo uld

a ppe a r to be more in a ccord a nce with the facts , to s ay ’ ”th a t al -M a mun himself fo u nd the a tmosphere o f orthodoxy O ppressive a nd so u ght relief by s u rro u nding himself with / men whose minds were of his own liberal c a st Th a t these men sho u ld then put forth this or th at doctrine is

,not so m u ch to be considered as th a t the Khalif himself " fo u nd heterodoxy a more congeni al environment th a n ortho D owad - doxy . Th at Ahmed ibn Abi , the Chief Kadi , was responsible for the inq u isition known as the M ihn a may be sa id but it sho u ld not be forgotten th at before Ibn Abi ’ - D o wad obtained his a scendency over the mind of al M a mun , the la tter wo ul d himself h a ve set on foot the Mihn a for the

a had a a cre a tion of the Kor n he not been fr id to do so . The ’ ’ Khalif s p u blic a doption of the doctrine of the Koran s cre a tion c d ates from Ra bi I , 2 1 2 A . H . (8 27 A . D .) ’ ’ The following incident shews cle arly the sta te of al -M a mun s

mind previo u s to this d a te . Y a zid ibn Harun ,who is mentioned

in connection with the incident , died in 206 A . H., six ’ ye ars before al-M a mun p u blicly professed the doctrine tha t

the Koran was cre a ted , a nd twelve ye ars before the beginning “ ’ ktha m l - of the Mihn a . Y ahya ibn A re a ted ; A l M a mun sa id ‘ to u s , I f it were not for Y a zid ibn Harun I wo u ld a ss u redly m ake p u blic decla ra tion of the doctrine that the Koran is ’ ‘ cre a ted . On this one of his co u rtiers said , Nay ! bu t who is Y azid ibn Harun th a t the Comm a nder o f the F a ithful

Houtsma D e Str 1 d o e r he t o ma 1 0 8 . 1 ) Cf. , j v D g , ’ - - ' A u l M ah. D e G oe e Fr a m . His . Ar a . Al Su ki 2) Cf. b I ,73 3 ; j , g t b ,547 ; b ,

LQJZ l M l ” 1 6 M LS m 15 p . 3 , M 0 ,

1 1 91 5 M a r 1: 0 6 6

3) Tab. 111 , 9’ ‘ sho uld fear him His reply was , I a m a fra id ,

,C u l l , a ll u , a nd m e it p b ic y th t he wi retort pon me » ke h e at discord in their opinions , a nd th u s there will come t ; a bl , ’ to which I a m a verse . One of those who were present then ’ - ‘ s a id to al M a mu n , I will m ake tri al o f the matter with ’ o nd Y azid ibn Harun . S this ma n went down to Wasit a , ‘ coming u pon Ya zid in the Mosqu e , s aid to him , 0 A bu

Khalid , the Comm a nder o f the F a ithfu l greets thee a nd wo u ld inform thee th at he wishes to m ake p ublic decla ration ’ ‘ tha t the Koran is created . Y a zid a nswered , You lie a ga inst the Comm ander o f the F a ithfu l ! I f you speak the tr u th , l ’ wait here u nti the people come together to me . S o next ' ’ d ay when the people c a me to him , t he Kh alif s messenger ‘ repea ted what he had sa id the d a y before , a nd asked , Wha t ’ ‘ h a ve yo u to s ay abo u t the matter ?Ya zid retorted, Yo u ha ve lied a gainst the Comm ander o f the Fa ithful . The Comma nder o f the F a ithful will not force men to profess th a t which they ha ve not hitherto known , and which none o f them has ever ’ professed . After this p assa ge the ma n ret u rned to . the

Comma nder o f the F aithful , told him of the res ult , a nd ’ a cknowledged tha t al -M a mun had been more a cc u rate in ’ f a l - his orec a st th n he himse f had been . A l M a mun replied , ‘ ” He has made j est o f you

’ l l -M a rizi . Li l b o l ”5 1 a d 1 A S : 5 8 6 ) k ,p 3 , r 0 G 6 [( T 45 ) W ]

5 ' , f L”‘‘” “ 1535 9° “S - “ K” mm o f M f 0 71 o ar o ? 955 U or

a n s m ow -J‘ ug m ass u 0 9 s w J J ,

urs s o m a t p a s n 43 l a w, s ; i 54

The /pgblic a doption o f the doctrine th a t the Koran was C r f fi / lied wa s conj oined with the p u blic d e c lar at 1o n of the 1 ° C ’ i r it o f A li A bu a nd m ar - p s u pe r o y over Bekr O . A l M a mun -C - , was a pro A lyit e Kh alif even a s a l M u t awakkil , who ’ ”revoked the royal edict a nno u ncing the Koran s cre a tion , -C l was a n a nti A lyit e Kha i f. The Shyit e s were , in fa ct , ’ ° M u t a zilit e s in theologic al O pinio n , a nd it is not s u rprising th at the r u ler who ga ve ou t their tenet to u ching the Koran

4 ho u ld , a t the s a me time , prefer their gre at l e a der before

f t he orthodox A bu Bekr a nd his s u ccessor , even a s it is not

{ s u rprising th at the r u ler who revoked their tenet sho ul d

f r e s t o r e to the orthodox Kh ali fs their prim a cy . Politic al c a pital

was m a de o u t o f both events by p a rtis a ns , bu t in both c a ses - it seems to u s th at the intention o f the Kh alifs was prim a rily 3 - to effect a religio u s reform ’ For six yea rs a l -M a mun was u ndecided a s to whether or not he sho u ld m ake the tenet tha t the Koran was cre ated obligatory

u pon his s u bj ects ; fin ally , when he had deposed Y ahya ibn

14 11 l un 1: . 1 a s r ,1 U $ L) w o u

M ) L. v d .a on fg , M w ? us 1 1111 t ats , g . 1 a 1 C,5 fi L) s } 1

‘ un 3 » 1 r m 11 w o n d W t .1 3

’ cf. von Hamm r Lit . O e s . . 1 Y zi e , ch III ,p 59 , a d ibn Har fin . ’ Ho m tr i d - 1 ) u ts a ,D e S j e tc . 9 7 . Al M a mun ,who had h op e d t o effe ct s ome C thing by p olitic al al lian c e with the Al yite s ,foun d in time th at th e r e was n othing to be g aine d an d mu ch to be l os t by s u ch an all ian c e an d gav e it C u p , th ough s till fr ie n dly to the Alyite p ar ty an d favor abl e t o many of i i w H m ts v e s . ou ts a , 99 .

2 H ou t m D e Str i d e tc . f. O n i s f i l ) s a , j 99 th s ubj e ct c . We l , Cha ife n II ,

2 8 H. vo m r H r r s . e n ff 5 , n Kr e e , e ch Id e ,3 3 3 . 55

’ f - 1 A ktha m , in the ye a r 2 1 7 A . H . rom the Chief Kadi s office ) a n d a ppointed Ahmed ibn A bl D owad a s his su ccessor , he was enco u raged to take the step by his new favorite u ntil ,

o H. in the l ast ye ar f his life 2 1 8 A . , he ordered the ap plic ation o f the Mihn a , or test

1m A bi Ahmed ibn Abi D owad , who held a position o f ’ D owéd o - great power u nder the three Khalifs , al M a mun , - c - al M u tas im a nd al Wathik , a nd was the most vigoro u s a d vocate o f the M ihn a d u ring their reigns is pictu red in the a cco u nts given by the orthodox biogra phers o f Ahmed ibn

H anbal in mu ch too u nfa vorable a light . He was a learned man , gifted in the Kalam he stu died the Kalam with -C - Hayyaj ibn al A la a l S ula m l , a p u pil of wacil ia A t a a nd wa s the first who p u blicly employed it in S peaking before the Khalifs , tho u gh he refra ined from employing . it f - in the presence o Ibn a l Zayyat the V izier . The Kh alif a l c i as l l ad M u t as m w comp ete y u nder the power of Ibn Abi D ow .

Fr a m. His r 1 ) D e G oeje , g t . A ab . 3 76.

2) p . 52 ,n ot e 2 . c M tazil it n 3) Stein e r ,D ie u e , 78 . C c é il ibn Ata cf. oz H e t sl ami me 4) for W g D y , I s , 1 3 3 f. ; Steine r ,D ie M a ta c il i e n . 2 0 . Hou tsma D e tr i d fi i z t , pp 5,5 ( S j e tc . 1 0 3) s ays tha t W g l ibn Ata

to a e au th r do e s n ot app e ar h v t ght e c e ation o f the Kor an .

- l l al Su ki . 1 6 lm h l W3 a o M 1 911111 K b ,p 3 ,fi ,r 3 g 19 01 6 U s un: l ho ”! e t w A g } ? m s an Lu 0 9 M , W 0 ca , r {. ‘ at; Ls u u é 9 K, w ” 15 O ,

“ ’ 14151 s tw 1 - .Ia W Lo Cod . no oin s cf. A u l M a asin 1 6 p) ) [ p t ; b h , 4 75,73 3] g u m -si am m L9 11 “ L 5 U 0 41 14131 8 r ; , 05 D , ,

‘ ” t 1 55 w ? Lo o a M ts J 1.1 .0 » $ 3 } , g L9 9 & J L5

c d u fil hll i .) 1 0 b l ( 811 u , U M 6 5, v ,

’ od . M LS l - 11 6 8 rr a in e [C 5 Abu Fe da Ann . , 7 ,c o e ct s s t xt] 13 ” wil e 3 G M) 56

’ l-M u a 2 He entered the service o f a a m n in the ye r 04 A . H.,on the recommend ation o f Ya hya ibn A ktha m , and at this ’ Khalif s de ath was warmly recommended by him to his s u c c - o f al-M t cessor , al M u t as im . In the very beginning u awak ’ kil s reign Ahmed was p aralyzed , a nd his son M oha mmed wa s m ade Chief-Kadi in his pl a ce , but was deposed in the

D o wad was a n l u m an s a me ye ar , 2 3 2 A . H . Ibn Abi e oq ent a nd a poet whose praises were lo u dly celebrated by poets a nd

al a man la a nd a l others . He was , so , of rge generosity , over o f good living a nd enterta inment In contr a st to this e s tim at e of the man is the represent ation of him as a n impe t u ou s , ignora nt a nd n a rrow bigot , which we find in most

2 6 2 . of the orthodox a cco u nts . In 3 or 37 A H . Ibn Abi

D owad c a me into disfa vor at the Co u rt , a nd was imprisoned a nd his property confisc a ted ; la ter , he was sent to reside ll in Ba ghdad , where he lived ti his de ath . Both fa ther a nd son died in disgrace in the yea r 240 A . H., the son twenty d ays before his fa ther ’ a al -M a u u Fm,Lem , The first step t ken by m n to sec re con

of d l formity to the view which he ha d a dopted was to

M f mfifl f o send a letter to his lie u ten a nt at Baghdad , Ishak

B ag fidfid ‘ - ibn Ibrahim , co u sin of T ahir ibn al Ha s a n , ordering him to cite before him the kadis and tra ditionists, and to dem a nd of them a n a nswer to the test as to the

c l ife of the ief M u tazil a cf. Houtsma D r 1 1 ) O n the l u xur iou s ch , e St jd e tc . c zil iten 1 0 infr a . 8 1 f.; Ste in e r ,D ie M u ta ,

z h S u . M 2) Weil , Chal ifen II , 3 34 ; G ol d ihe r , M o . t d II , 58 ; agoudi VI , ° ’ - A u l M ah. D e G oe e Fr a m Hi 2 1 4 ; I bn Ch all . N . 3 1 ; b I , 733 ; j , g . s t . Ar ab .

c fi im 261 8 35 l w 0 1 a 47 Cf‘ Ab Nu a 1 5 5 a 5 1 0 3 9 o r“ ,

IS)

u 0 M du fi d - l - l -‘U U l a l w aj ug b u é o é G -B w fl fi dfi

m hxo ? x is MA ” C M a

8

“ me a s u re o f God , to know him a s he re ally is , a nd to dis f ting u is h between him a nd his cre a tion , bec a u se o f the we a k

/ness o f their views , the deficiency o f their u ndersta ndings , -a nd their t u rning a side from reflection a nd recollection ; for put on a n equ ality God a nd the Koran which he has r e

r e a ll a a nd a u u ll ve aled . They a greed st nd neq ivoc a y in a c

cord with one a nother th at it is etern al a nd primitive , and

th a t God did not cre ate it , prod u ce it , or give it being ; - while God himself s a ys in his well ordered Book , which he a ppointed as a he aling fo r wh a t is within the bre a sts a nd ‘ a s a mercy a nd right g u id ance for the believers , We h a ve m a de it a Koran in the Ara bic a nd everything ‘ which God has m a de he has cre a ted . He s ays , also , Pra ise be to God who cr ea ted the he a vens a nd the e a rth a nd ma de ’ ‘ the d a rkness a nd the light He spe a ks also th u s , We will ’ tell thee tidings of th a t which went before he s ays here th a t it is a n a cco u nt o f things af ter whose ha ppening he

f ll u l pr od uced it , a nd with it he o owed p their e a d . Then he ‘ - s a ys , A book whose verses were well ordered , a nd ,

then , were divided by order of a Wise a nd Knowing ’ One Now , fo r everything th at is ordered a nd divided there is one who orders a nd divides ; a nd God is the one

who orders well his Book a nd the one who divides it , there

fore , he is its cre ator a nd prod u cer . They , also , a r e those

who disp u te with false a rg u ments , and c all men to a dopt

their view . F u rther , they cl aim to be followers o f the S u nn a , ’ while in every ch a pter o f God s Book is a n a cco u nt , which

— may be re a d therein , th a t gives the lie to their position ,de

their invitation [to a dopt their O pinions] to be false , a nd thr u sts b a ck u pon them their view a nd their religio u s B pretentions . ut they give o u t , in spite o f th a t , th a t they a r e the peopl e o f the tr uth a nd the [re al] religion a nd the comm u nion of believers , all others being the peopl e o f false hood , u nbelief a nd schism ; a nd they bo ast themselves o f

1 or an . 2 . a ) K ,43 2) Kor n ,6. 1 .

an 20 . . 3) Kor , 99 4) Kor an , 1 1 . I . 59

over their fellows , so deceiving the ignora nt , u ntil per

o f the false way , who a r e devoted to the worship of

her God th a n All a h , a nd who mortify themselves fo r

her c a u se th an that o f the tru e religion , incline towa rd ment with them and a ccord a nce with their evil O pin by th at mea ns getting to themselves hono u r with a nd proc u ring to themselves a lea dership and a r e

ion a mong them fo r honorabl e dealing . Thu s they give 1 for their falsehood , and find a p a rt from God )

r t e r fo r their error . And , so , their testimony is r e

a u l of fal d , bec se they [s c . the ignora nt or peop e the se l a d l y] dec re them [s c . those who pr e ten to be the peop e the tru th] to be vera cio u s witnesses ; a nd the ordin a nces a the Kor n a r e exec uted by them [s c . those who pretend be the people o f the tru th] notwithsta nding the u nso u nd s s of their religion , the corru ption of their hono u r , and

depra vation o f their p u rposes a nd belief. Tha t is the

u nto which they a r e u rging others , a nd which they in their own pra ctice a nd in [their] lying aga inst their tho ugh the solemn coven a nt o f the Book is u pon them tha t they sho uld not spea k against God except that which is tru e , a nd thou gh they have l earned what the ‘ condition is of those whom God has made deaf a nd whose eyes he has blinded . Do they not reflect u pon the Koran ? ’ 2 or ar e there locks u pon their hea rts ?) The Comm a nder o f the F aithful considers , therefore , tha t those men ar e the worst and the chief in error , being deficient in the belief ’ in God s u nity, a nd h aving a n incomplete share in the fa ith vessels of ignorance , b a nners of falsehood , the tongu e o f

Iblis , who S peaks thro u gh his friends a nd is terrible to his ’ enemies who ar e o f God s religion ; the ones o f all others to be mistr usted as to their tru thfu lness ,whose testimony sho ul d be rej ected , a nd in whose word a nd deed one c a n pu t no f confidence . For one c a n only do good works a ter as as ion , and there [re ally] is ass u red pers uasion

— 6. 2 6 n ,9 . 1 2) Koran ,4 7 . 2 5 . 60 ” only a fter fully obta ining a real possession o f Islam , a nd / ’ sincere profession o f the fa ith in God s u nity . He , there for who is too blind to perceive his right co u rse a nd his s ha ' in the belief in God a n d in his u nity , is , in other respects ;

a s to his cond u ct a nd the j u stness of his testimony , still

more blind a nd erring . By the life of the Comm a nder o f ] /~ the F a ithfu l , the most likely of men to lie in speech a nd ” ] to fabric a te a false testimony is the m a n who lies a gainst ’ ‘ God a nd his revelation , a nd who does not know God as he

re ally is ; a nd the most deserving o f them all to be rej ected when he testifies abo u t wh a t Go d ord a ins a nd a bo u t his r e ’ ligion is he who rej ects God s testimony to his Book a nd

sla nders the tr u th of God by his lying . Now, gather together

the kadis u nder thy j u risdiction , re a d u nto them this letter

o f the Comm a nder o f the F a ithfu l to thee , a nd begin to test them to see wh a t they will s ay , a nd to discover wh a t they believe concerning the cre ation of the Koran by God l a nd its prod u ction by God . Tell them , a so , th at the Com ( 4 m a nder of the F a ithful will not ask a ssista nce in his govern ’ f l o f fa /ment o one whose re igion , whose sincerity ith in God s u nity, a nd whose [religio u s] pers u asion a r e not to be tru sted ; nor will he pu t confidence in s u ch a man in respect to wh a t God has l aid u pon him a nd in the m a tter o f those interests

o f his s u bj ects which he has given into his ch a rge . And a when they h ave confessed th a t [s c . th a t the Kor n is cre ated]

a nd a ccorded with the Comm a nder o f the F a ithful , a nd ar e

in the way of right g u id a nce and of s alva tion , then , bid

them to cite the lega l witnesses u nder their j urisdiction ,

to ask them i n reference to the Koran , a nd to le ave o ff a ccepting as valid the testimony of him who will not confess

th at it is cre a ted a nd prod u ced , a nd refu se tho u to l e t them a l [the k dis] co u ntersign it . Write , a so , to the Comm a nder of the F a ithful the reports th a t come to thee from the kadis of thy province a s to the res ult o f their inqu isition a nd their

a ordering th t these things be done . Get a cq u ainted with them ,; 1 a nd se a rch o u t their evidences , so th a t the sentences of Go d

may not be c a rried out , except on the testimo n y o f s u ch 61

as ha ve insight into real religion a nd ar e sincere in the belief ’ in God s u nity, a nd then , write u nto the Comm a nder of the

- ful o f Ff jth what comes o f it all . e v ’ l‘ l . ihis etter was writen in the month o f Rab1 I , 2 1 8 A H., ’ al -M a mun set o u t on his l ast expedition to the fron

a nd a u u bo t fo r months before his de ath . It m u st be

sed that the spirit o f the doc u ment is that o f the bigot,

a th n th at o f a bro a d a nd liberal mind . Nor c a n we ’ ’ ose that a m a n o f al-M a mfin s ch ara cter wo u ld l e t a ment o f this kind be composed in a ny spirit bu t his Its indic ations a ll point to arroga nt intellect ual self s u ffic ie nc y co u pled with a contempt o f O pinions different from

those held by himself. The contempt u o u s Khalif woul d a ppea r to ha ve been convinced by those a bo u t him that he co u ld

now s afely terrorize the orthodox , sec u ring a ssent to his own from s u ch as were we ak eno u gh to be frightened by

or tortu res , a nd blotting o u t the obstin ate ones

fa ce o f the ea rth , when they were fo u nd incorrigible .

This letter wa s sent to all the provinces . The T/ze B egm o f a was a a a fl gflg of me copy th t which ddressed to K id r , gov M i/ma e r nor of Egypt , is pra ctically the s a me a s th at

515 m m whose tra nslation has been given , bu t it did not Egyp rea ch Egypt u ntil the month of ju mada II . The Kadi in Egypt at this time was Harun ibn Abd allah al

Zu hr i. He gave in his assent on the test a s to the Koran being a pplied to him , as did also the constitu ted witnesses except some whose testimony was by their refusal rendered invalid . Ka id a r ha d m ade a beginning with the exa min ation c o f the fakihs a nd u la ma, bu t had evidently a dopted no harsh ’ ’ - meas u res , when the news o f al M a mfin s death c a me to him in the month after the receipt o f the order for the Mihna . On the receipt o f this news the inq u isition was There is mention o f some tri als for the sa ke o f the

Koran at D a masc u s , bu t there , a s well as in other pro vinces , l ittle appears to ha ve been done , for the notices ar e

’ - 6 6 . 1 ) Abu l M ah. 1 ,63 , 3 7 ’ ’ - very slight ; a nd , from the way in which Abu l M ahas in s record re a ds , one might infer th a t the order fo r the Mihn a C to pla ces o u tside of I r ak a nd Egypt c a me l a ter th a n to t h s e

u u pl a ces . I f this inference be j st the time o f the inq isit in these other p a rts m u st h a ve been short , at l e a st , in ’ - Kh a lifa te of a l M a mun . It is to be concl u ded , too , th at ’ s u ccess of the persec u tion a t Ba ghdad l e d al-M a mun to o

a general introd u ction o f the M ihn a thro u gho u t his e mp1r e . ’ - a 2 1 8 . H. al M a mfin D a ma s cu s . In the ye r A , went in person

to D a m asc u s , prob ably on his last expedition to Asi a M inor , a nd person ally cond u cted the testing o f the doctors there

concerning the freedom o f the will and the divine u nity , the second of which in his view involved a test a s to the creation of the Koran The governor of D a m a sc u s u nder ’ c - - al M a mun , as well as u nder his s u ccessors , al M u t as im a nd

c c ’ 1 ) al -Ja qfibi II , 57 1 , The M u t azil a c al l e d themsel ves the Ahl u t-Tau ’ C “ wa l -Adl , the men of the D ivin e Unity an d Right e ou sne s s , chiefly ’ the r e as on th at th e y , on the on e han d ,r ej e cte d the or tho dox vie w of the D ivin e a tt r ib u t e s an d of the Koran as ou t of har mony with the u n itarian faith of I sl am ; an d h el d , in s t e ad , th at the s o-c all e d a ttr ib u t e s wer e onl y e mpty n am e s , or wer e n ot r e al an d dis tin ct e xis t en c e s ,but p ar ticul ar p r e s en t ation s of the Divin e e s s en c e its el f : th a t is , G od a s wise ,G od as p owe r ful

the o e r an r e e e e tc . Th e y , on th h d , j ct d the or th o do x d octr in e o f the D ivin e for e or dina tion of the a ction s an d d e s tinie s of m e n as inc on sist e n t with the ab s ol u t e r ight e ou sne ss of G od , an d h e l d th at the human wil l was fr e e ,an d

m n us the e e rmin er of his o wn a th d t d e s tiny . He n c e it is th at in p ol emic ’ - ’ -c l it er atu r e Ahl u t Tau hid wa l Adl has a mu ch m or e s p e cial me aning than tha t in dicat e d in the b eginn in g of this n ote ,gen e r all y s t an ding for th os e - who b el ie v e , I ) in the n on e xis te n c e of the att r ib u t e s of G od or their id entity

wi his e s s e n e an d in the r e a ion of the oran l the th c , c t K p ) . 2) in l fr e e om of the will A x l l cf. Hou tsm D d (J M ) ; a , e Str ijd e tc . 55,9 2 , 1 3 3 ; c ’ e in r D M u z St e , ie ta iliten , 3 0, 50 an d n ote Shahr as tani ,Ha arbriick er s ’ tr ansl n I,3 9,4 2 . c ’ ’ I f a fibi be or r e Hou tsma s s a m n “ - Jq c ct , t te e t ( p . 1 08) dat hij [al M a mun] nie den vr i en wil ook m n wi h t j ” e te e [ th t e c r e ation of the Kor an] al s s t aa t s o ma vas ts tel d e mu s be mo i e Th d g t d fi d . e p rob abilitie s a r e in fav our of the ’ c ’ al if s a in on e w a fi i Kh h v g d h t Ja q b s ay s ,th ou gh we ,in g e ner al ,d o n ot fin d c a fibi a er sa isfa or au or i a s far as the M i Jq v y t ct y th ty hn a is c onc e r n e d . His

u su al a u r a in r e or in e en s is s e emin l wan cc cy c d g v t g y ting at this p oin t . 63

- al fa o f al Wathik , was Ishak ibn Ya hya . D u ring the Kh i te c - a l M u t as im , that Khalif wrote him a letter ordering him to u rge the M ihn a on the people u nder his a u thority . He , how ever , de alt leniently with them in rega rd to the order he

ma n was a omt e d ha d received . In 2 3 5 A . H., this pp gov e r nor of Egypt by a l -M u t awakkil

K fif a o When the order c a me to Kufa there was a great a ssembly o f the sheikhs in the genera l mosqu e o f the city , ’ a nd , on the Khalif s (the n a me o f the Khalif is not given) letter being re a d to them , the feeling was aga inst yielding c A bu N u a im al - a l D u kain to the order it conta ined . F d ibn , a a ha d a Kfifit e , who died in 2 1 9 A . H ., s id th t he met over - c 870 tea chers , from the a ged al A mas h to those who were yo u ng in years , who did not believe the Koran to be cre a ted, a nd tha t s u ch tea chers a s were inclined to the heterodox view were ch a rged by their fellows with being Zind iks c ( a theists) A bu N u aim ibn D u ka im wa s present at the

M f a u s a O pening o f the ihn a in Ku a . This f ct shews the p proximate d ate o f the event there , fo r this m an , as we have s a id , died in the year ’ u l o f l of al-M a u a a a t a xia”of The res t the etter m n to B ghd d

fie S ew fl t was to prod u ce , as we may j u stly conj ect u re , a Lea d?” feeling o f resista nce , the most ze alo u s inciter o f

’- 1 A u l M ah 1 1 f. ) b . I . 7

O n th or 1 1 f the nam n d it u mon the or o 2) e g u o e a s s e a g thod x v. Hou tsma ,

D e Str ijd e tc . 75. l ] ’ ] 3) al L5 5 M i l 3 fl i aalg Lo 2 , M ,

L; H “ e ? ) ? ] ] ? " 25 ” w m 6 M M 93 L5 U ar U U 67 J! ] ] ’ ° u m M 5 0 m ] ? ° “45 W I L" 5 8 ’ g 8 U 0 M ) 5 3 LS

’ l él) M A 9 1; XJlfil l 2; [M l I LA f L5 ( 53 W ) 64

’ - which wo ul d be Ahmed ibn H a nb al Still , al M a mun did

not yet vent u re to a pprehend the l a tter . His next step was one which was c alc ulated to shew him j u st how fa r he was

safe in going in his enforcement of con formity to his views . l a a i S econ d He wrote a secon d etter to Ish k ibn Ibr h m , c Lett er of the governor of I r ak , ordering him to send seven the le ading traditionists of Baghdad th at he might

was a a a u test them himself. For his p u rpose , this s g cio s

l u ll - a move . Awa y from the mora s pport of their fe ow tr dition

is ts , a nd face to fa ce with the st ate of the Co u rt a nd the terrors which the Kh alif bro u ght to be a r u pon their minds , resista nce was m u ch more diffic ult th a n it wo uld h ave been

at Ba ghdad . And the compli a nce of these l e a ders being se

c u red , sm aller men needed not to be fe ared . The n a me of

Ahmed ibn H a nb al wa s , at first , u pon the list be aring the n a mes of the seven referred to , but was era sed at the insta nce

o f Ibn Abi D owad , a t le ast , so the l atter cl aimed 3 Those now s u mmoned ) to the Co u rt were M oh a mmed c - ibn S a d the secreta ry of al Wakidi, A bu M u slim the a m a n c u e ns is of Y a zid ibn Harun , Y a hya ibn M a in , Z u h air ibn c c H a rb A bu Khaithama , I s mail ibn Daud , I s mail ibn Abi c d - M as fid a n Ahmed ibn Ibrahim al D au raki. These seven ’ men a ll yielded a ssent u nder the press u re which al-M a mun

u sed with them . H a ving O bta ined his desire , the Kh alif sent

the men b ack to B a ghdad , where Ishak ibn Ibrahim , a cting ’ ’ - u nder al M a mfin s orders , ha d them repe at their confession before the fakihs a nd tra ditionists

“. [ 13 E176 The fall of these s e ven men from orthodoxy was

u u a so rce of m ch grief to Ahmed ibn H a nbal . His j u dgment

1 ) The B aghdad p e opl e ha d in the y ear 2 1 5, an d e v en e arl ie r ,p r ot e s t e d ’ ’ ’ in al -M a mfin s e e r o o o n - aga s t h t d xy t u chi g the Koran ,c f. Ab u l M ah. I,63 1 . 8 2 2) Vid . p . . ll” i e 3) Tab ar ,t xt of l e tte r n ot giv en . ” c ari Hf A io i i 4) Tab . b graph cal not c e o f M ohamme d ibn Sa d is found I bn ° ’ - C all . N . 6 6 of Ya a ibn M a in al Nawawi i f h 5 ; hy , , B og . D ict . p . 62 8 ; o ° A m ib -D aur a i i T h e d n al k , Dh ahab abakat 8 , N . 98 ; of Zuhair ibn Har b , ° id . 8 N . . n t n a l o find n o f , 23 I h av e o b ee b e t tice s o the o the r thr e e .

66 has been ple ased to l a y the m ainten a nce o f his religion , the c a re o f his cre a tu res , the c a rrying o u t of his ordin a nce a nd his la ws , a nd the imitation o f his j u stice in his worl d , is tha t they sho u ld exert themsel ves e a rnestly for God , do him good service in respect to th at which he a sks them to g uard a nd l a ys u pon them , m ake him known by th at excellency o f le a rning which he has entr u sted to them a nrh i ht the knowledge which he has pla ced within them , gu iép g him the one who has t u rned a side from him , bring Eio u s

’ him who ha s t urned his ba ck on his comma nd , m a rk Om fo r their s u bj ects the wa y o f their s alvation , tell them abod e the limits of their faith a nd the way o f their delivera nce, " a nd protection , a nd discover to them those things which 1 a r e hidden from them , a nd the things which a r e do u btful to them [cl ea r u p] by me a ns of th at which will remove do u bt from them a nd bring b a ck enl ightenment a nd cle a r know ll f l e d e u nto them a . And [p a rt o th a t which he claims o f them 15 at they sho uld begin th at by m a king them go in the right wa y, a nd by c au sing them to see [things] clearly , bec a u se this involves all their a ctions , a nd comprehends their f f l l portion o e icity in this wor d a nd the next . They [the Kh alifs] o u ght to reflect how God is one who holds himself re a dy to qu estion them a bo u t th a t for which they h a ve been m a de responsible a nd to reward them for th a t which they h a ve done in a dva nce a nd th a t which they h a ve la id u p in store with him . The help of the Comm a nder of the F a ithful is alone in God , a nd his s u fficiency is God , who is eno u gh for him . Of that which the Comm a nder o f the F a ithfu l by his reflection has m a de pla in , a nd has come to know by his thinking , and the gre a t d a nger of which is cle a r , a s well as the serio u sness of the corr u ption a nd h a rm which will come to religion thereby , a r e the s a yings which the M uslims a r e p a ssing ro u nd a mong themselves a s to the Koran ,which God m a de to be a n imam and a l asting mon u ment for them ’ from God s M essenger a nd elect S erva nt , M oha mmed , a nd [a nother thing is] the confu sedness o f the O pinion of m a ny of a u l has them a bo u t it [s c . the Kor n] nti it seemed good in their 67 opinions a nd right in their minds that it has not been c r e a nd , th u s , they expose themselves to the risk of d e nyr . : the crea ting by God o f all things , by which [ac t] he is dis tin u is h d l a a a g e from his creation . He in his g ory st nds p rt in the bringing into being o f all things by his wisdom a nd the creation o f them by his power , a nd in his priority in time over them by reason o f his being Primitive Existence , whose beginning c a nnot be a tta ined and whose d u ra tion c a n not be re ached . Everything a p art from him is a creatu re from his creation , a new thing which he has bro u ght l into existence . [This perverted O pinion they ho d] tho u gh ’ the Koran spea ks clearly o f God s crea ting all things , a nd proves it to the exclu sion of a ll difference o f opinion . They c a r e , thu s , like the Christi a ns when they cl a im tha t I sa ibn I M arya m was not crea ted beca u se he wa s the Word o f God ) . ‘ B ut God s ays , V erily we ha ve m a de it a Koran in the ’ 2 ‘ Arabic la ngu age ) a nd the explan ation of th at is , V erily ‘ we h a ve created it , j u st as the Koran s ays , And he m ade ’ from it his m ate that he might dwell with her Also , it ‘ s ays , We ha ve m ade the night as a ga rment a nd the d ay ’ ‘ as a mea ns o f We h ave m a de every living thing ’ from water God th us p u ts on equ al footing the Koran a nd these crea tu res which he mentions with the indica tion ‘ ’ o f a m king . And he tells that he alone is the One who ma de ‘ it , s aying , V erily it is a glorio u s Kora n (something to be ’ read) on a well —g u ar d e d tabl e Now , he says th a t on the s upposition tha t the Koran is limited by the ta ble , a nd only tha t which is created c an be limited (by s u rro u nding bo u nds) ‘ He s ays , likewise , to his Prophet , Do not move in it thy ’ ‘ tongu e to m ake haste in it Also , Tha t which c a me to ’ was a l a l f é f L them new y cre ted re igion (j ) rom their ord

c 1 cf Sur a 1 1 f n ) . 2 ; c . St e in e r ,D ie M u tazil ite ,p . 90 an d not e .

2 or an a 8 ) K ,43 . 2 . 3) Kor n ,7 . 1 9 .

or an 8 4) K ,7 . 1 0 . 5) Kor an , 2 1 . 3 1 .

6 f — ) c . Kor an ,8 5. 2 1 2 2 . ’ ’ cf. Shahr a tani r r r 7) s ,Haa b u cker s t ansl n I , 72 ,l . 20 ff .

8 ra ) Ko n ,75. 1 6. 9) Koran ,2 1 . 2 . 68

h ’ ‘ as , And who is a worse li a r th a n the m an who inve nt e th tl‘1ie a ga inst God or ch a rges his verses with being

He tells , too , a bo u t men whom he bl a mes bec au se of their ‘ h lying , in th a t they s ay, God as not sent down [by reve ’ l ation] to men a nything Then , by the tongu e of his M e s senger he declares them li a rs , a nd s ays to his M essenger , ‘ ’ S ay , who sent down the book which M oses bro u ght ? S o God c alls the Koran something to be re a d , something

to be kept in memory , a fa ith , a light , a right gu id a nce ,

a blessed thing , a thing in the Ara bic la ngu age , a nd a nar ‘ a la u ul ration . For he s ys , We re te nto thee a most be au tif

n arra tion in th at which we reveal u nto thee , this ‘ F u rthermore , he s a ys , S ay , s u rely , if men a nd j inns were

gathered together to bring forth s u ch as this Koran , they ’ ‘ co uld not bring forth one like it Also Say ,bring ten s u ra s ’ ‘ fa brica ted like it Also , F alsehood sh all not come u p to it ’ either from before or a fter it Thu s , he p u ts [at le a st , by possibility] something before a nd a fter it ,and so indica tes th at

a nd a . Bu t a l , it is finite cre ted these ignor nt peop e by _their te a ching concerning the Koran , ha ve m a de la rge the bre a ch in their religion a nd the defect in their tr u stworthiness ; they 9 h a ve also l evelled the wa y fo r the enemy of Islam , a nd

‘ confess fic kle ne s s a nd heresy ag ainst their own he a rts,[going ’ on] even till they m ake known a nd describe God s cre ation a nd his a ction by th a t description which a ppertains to

God alone , a nd they comp are him with it , whilst only

a e his cre tion may b the s u bj ect o f comp a rison . The Com m a nder of the F a ithful does not consider th at he who pro

fesses this view has a ny sh are in the r e al religion , or any a al fa nd - p rt in the re ith a in well gro u nded persu asion . Nor does he consider tha t he sho uld set a ny one of them down as a tru stworthy person in regard to his being admitted a s

1 o a 6. 2 . 2 oran 6 ) K r n , 1 ) K , . 9 1 .

i r 3) bid . 4) Ko an , 1 2 . 3 .

or an 1 . 0 6 oran 1 1 6 5) K , 7 9 . ) K , . 1 .

7) Koran ,4 1 . 4 2 . 69

T’ ‘ M ’ or M LJJ: or as one to be relied u pon itr S pe e c h U s

or report , or in the exercise o f a u thority over his s u bj ects .

Now , if a ny o f them seem to a c t with equ ity, a nd to be

known by his stra ightforwa rdness , still , the bra nches a r e to be ca rried ba ck to their roots , a nd the bu rden of pra ise or

l a i no r b me is to be a ccording to these . Thu s , whosoever is g a nt in the m atter o f his religion , concerning that which God has comm a nded him in reference to his u nity , he , as

regards other things , is still more ignora nt , a nd is too blind nd a a erring to see the right way in other m atters . Now , re d the letter of the Comma nder o f the F a ithful u nto thee to c C - a ja far ibn I s a an d Abd al Ra hman ibn Ishak the k di , a nd cite them both to a nswer for their knowledge respecting

a ll a o f a fu l the Kor n , te ing them th at the Comm nder the F ith . in the a ffa irs o f the M u slims will not as k the assista nce o f a ny bu t those in whose sincerity o f fa ith a nd whose belief ’ in God s u nity he has confidence ; a nd tha t he has no belief ’ in God s u nity who does not confess th at the Koran is crea ted . ' And , . if they pr o fe s s t he View o f the Comma nder o f the

F a ithful in this p artic u la r ,then order them to test those who a r e in their co u rts fo r the giving o f evidence to u ching rights o f cla ima nts , a nd [order them] to cite them to a nswer for their f pro ession in respect to the Koran . He who does not profess

it to be cre a ted , l e t them decla re his testimony invalid a nd

refra in from giving sentence on what he s ays , even if his integrity be esta blished by the equ ity a n d straightforwa rd of a ness his cond u ct . Do this with all the k dis in thy pro vince , a nd examine them with s u ch a n exa min ation a s God c an c au se to increase the r ight mind e d ne s s of the rightminded , and prevent those who a r e in do u bt from neglecting their

religion . Then , write u nto the Comma nder o f the F aithfu l of a wh t tho u hast done in this m atter .

ll o u t u of l a Cit a t ion of Fo owing the instr ctions this etter, Ish k t fie D oet or s ibn Ibrahim s u mmoned to his presence a n u mber

the fakihs , doctors a nd Among

’ ll l f i foll owe r ou ou the assa e . 1 ) Tabari III , l f . s d th gh t p g 70

’ - those s u mmoned were Ahmed 1bn H a nb al , B i shr 1bn al Walid - C al f Kindi , A hfi H assan a l Ziyadi , A li ibn Abi M ukatil , al c - C « F a dl ibn Ghanim , Obaid allah ibn Oma r al K awar ir i , A li - c - - - ibn a l ja d , a l H a sa n ibn H a mmad al S ajj ad a al Dhayyal c - ibn al Ha ith a m , K u t a iba ibn Sa id , who seems to h ave been c c only tempora rily in B a ghdad , Sa d a waih , S a id ibn S ulei c ’ man A bu Othman al Ishak ibn Abi Isra il , Ibn ’ c - a l-H arsh , Ibn Ul ayya al Akb a r , M oh a mmed ibn Nfih al C C A - — M a d r fib a l Ijli Y a hya ibn Abd al Rahman al Omar i, A b11 c N asr al T a mm a r , A bu M a ma r al — K ati i , M oh a mmed ibn Hé c tim ibn M aimfin , a sheikh o f the descend a nts of O mar ibn

- a was a of - a a al -Far r ukhan al Kh att b who k di a l R kk , Ibn - - al N a dr ibn Shu mail , Abd al Ra hman ibn Ishak , Ibn Bakka ’ - -C - al Akb a r, Ahmed ibn Y a zid ibn al A wwam Abu l Awwam C - - - al Ba zzaz, Ibn Sh uj a a nd M oha mmed ibn a l H a s a n ibn A li C ibn As im . Others a r e mentioned in the a cco u nt of the in

ve s tig ation which follows .

When these men were bro u ght before Ishak ibn Ibrahim , ’ ’ he re a d to them twice al -M a mun s letter u ntil they gra sped

its mea ning a nd , then , a sked them for their assent to the

doctrine which the Kh alif propo u nded . At first , they tried s u bterfu ges a n d wo u ld neither affirm nor deny th a t the K o a a B is /t r ibn r n wa s cre a ted . The first to whom Ish k ibn Ibra ‘ d l - him put the test was Bishr”ibn al Walid . Wh at dost tho u s ay respecting the Koran ?he a sked ; a nd Bishr ‘ replied , I h a ve more tha n once m a de my view known to ’ ‘ the Comm a nder of the F a ithful . Ishak s a id , But this letter

13 a new thing from the Comm a nder o f the F a ithful . Wh at ’ ‘ is yo u r v1e w ?Bishr a nswered , I s ay the Kora n is the Word ’ ‘ ’ of . a God Ish k . I did not ask thee for th at . Is it cre ated ? ‘ ’ ‘ Bishr . God is the cre ator o f everything . Ish ak . Is not the ’ ‘ ’ ‘ a a Kor n thing ?Bishr . It is a thing . Ish ak . And , there

’ A - h - l the name of Sa a a 1 ) bu l M a . I . 63 8 an d al M akrizi , p . 4 , s u pp y jj d

a 13 -ll Ol A M L 8 W ha w p U U . ’ - c 2 A u M i a dawaih. ) b l ah. I ,665,su ppl e s the n ame of S ’- - A M ah 1 6 8 al u ki . 1 8 s a a 3) b u l . , 4 ; S b ,p 3 ,a dd G v n 7 I

’ ‘ ’ ‘ a . fore , created ?Bishr . It is not a cre ator . Ish k I did not ’ f a had as k fo r this . Is it crea ted ?Bishr then con essed th t he

yielded a s far as he co u ld yield , a nd co uld give no fu rther

a nswer ; he contended , moreover , tha t the Khalif had given ’ him a dispens ation from spe a king his mind on t he s u bje c t . The governor now took u p a sheet o f p a per that lay be a fore him a nd rea d a nd expl a ined it to Bishr . Then , he s id , ‘ Testify that there is no God but Allah ,one a nd alone ,before whom nothing was and after whom nothing shall be and like

to whom is nothing of his creation , in a ny sense whatsoever ‘ or in a ny wise Bishr said , I testify that and ’ s u u co rge those who do not testify it . Ishak then t rned to ‘ ’ the secreta ry a nd s aid , . Write down what he has sa id “ C A 12 ibn A 62 T u rning next to A li ibn Abi M ukatil he a sked ‘ M u kd t il l for his confession . He replied , I have to d my opin

‘ ion a bo u t this to the Comm a nder o f the F aithful more tha n ’ nd ff once , a h ave nothing di erent to s ay . The written test c was then rea d to A li and he ga ve the confession it required . ‘ ’ C Then the governor s aid , Is the Koran crea ted ?A li a nswered , ‘ ’ ’ a o f The Kor n is God s Word . Ishak , as in the c ase Bishr, C ‘ told him he ha d not asked for th at , a nd A li a nswered , It

is the Word of God ; if , however , the Comma nder o f the F a ithful comm a nd u s to do a thing we will yield him obed ’ ience . Again , the scribe was bidden to record wh at had been s aid . The next was al -Dhayyal whose replies were in the s ame C a as i str in those of A l .

A672 H a n d l o f ”. In the rep y A bu H assan there is something ‘ ’ ai l n ve y s u bmissive . The Koran is the Word o f God ,he sa id, ‘ a nd God is the creator o f everything ; all things ap art from

1 ) Hou tsma ( D e Str ljd e tc . 1 08 infra) s e ems to impl y tha t this wr itten ‘ ’ c r e do ,which wa s to be s ub s c r ib e d by thos e to Whom it was pu t ,c on taine d a on fe s i n th or an was r A s Ta ri r c s o that e K c ea te d . b a p e se n t s the c as e the ’ o um en e m n onl a r of s i n f fai in n d c t d a de d y p e s o o th God s u ity . I ts p u r p ose was e i n l t o su or the s e ar a e or al e to h r a v de t y pp t p t t s t as t e Ko n . Non e s e em to hav e had an y s cr u pl e s ab ou t givin g a s se n t to the wr itt e n t e s t ,whil e all

woul a a i e h r ha i n d h ve v o d d t e othe , d t b e e p os sibl e . 7 2

a o f a ful ou r him a r e cre a ted . B ut the Comm nder the F ith is imam , a nd thro u gh him we h a ve he a rd the whole s u m o f

a a a a nd le a rning . He has hea rd wh t we h ve not he rd , knows

l s la u ul wh a t we do not know . God a so ha id pon him the r e

o u r a a nd ou r a over u s . He m aint a ins H jj pr yers ; we bring to him o u r Z akat ; we fight with him in the jihad , a nd we i recognize fu lly his imam ate . Therefore , f he comm a nd u s we will perform his behest , if he forbid u s we will refra in , ’ ‘ a nd if he c all u pon u s we will respond . Ishak s a 1d This ’ is the V iew o f the Comm a nder o f the F a ithful . A bu Ha s ‘ s an rej oined , Tr u e ! bu t sometimes the view of the Com m a nder o f the F a ithfu l is one concerning which he gives no comm and to peopl e , a nd which he does not c all u pon them to a dopt ; if , however , you tell me th at the Comm a nder of the F a ithfu l has comm a nded thee th a t I sho uld s ay this , I will s a y wh at tho u dost comm a nd me to s ay , for tho u a r t a man to be tr u sted a nd one on whom reli a nce is to be

l a ou ma ll p a ced in respect to nything y y te me from him . ’ f a ll I , then , you order me to do nything , I wi do it . The ’ ‘ governor s reply was , He has not comm a nded me to tell ’ ‘ thee a nything . A bu H assan s a id , I me a n only to obey ; ’ ‘ comm a nd me a nd I will perform it . Ishak s a id , He ha s not ’ comm a nded me to comm a nd thee , but only to test thee a The exa min a tion o f A bu H ass n ends here .

In the c a se of Ahmed ibn H a nb al , Ibn Bakka

H a b l - n a . al Asgh ar s uggested to Ishak ibn Ibrahim th a t he ‘ shoul d a s k him a bo u t the expression o f the Koran , He is ’ the He aring a nd Seeing One , which Ahmed had u sed in his confession . Ahmed , in h a rmony with the principles of ‘ men o f his cla ss, a nswered only, He is even a s he has de ’ scribed himself . Being further pressed to expla in the words, ‘ he s aid , I do not know ; he is even as he has described ’ himself . He was firm in a dhering to the confession th a t the

Koran was the Word of God , a nd wo uld a d d nothing to it

wa o f by y compromise or a dmission . Those who were exa m ’ ine d s u bsequ ently all followed Ahmed s ex a mple , except - K u taiba, Obaid allah ibn M oha mmed ibn al H as a n , Ibn

‘ a nd he a nswered th a t it was . Then the Koran is cre a ted

6 3 0 . 3 ‘ z a . Na a ll s a . (t s id the governor y , th t I wi not y I

3 0 . s a a y it is something m de was the a nswer .

After a ll the other c a ses had been disposed o f Ibn a l ’ - ‘ B a kka al Asgh a r rem arked th a t the two kadis , whom we c a ssu me to be Abd al-Ra hman ibn Ishak a nd Ja far ibn C I s a, sho u ld be exa mined ; but the governor sa id they held

a f a s to the s me pro ession the Comm a nder o f the F a ithful . Ibn al-Bakka s u ggested th a t if they were ordered to tell their

ul opinion it co d be reported to the Kh alif for them . The governor , however , seems to have been determined to a void the exa min ation o f the two kadis , prob a bly, to s a ve one who may h a ve been his own son from expos u re a nd h u mil ‘ i io at n . He simply s aid to the provoking q u estioner, I f tho u ‘ wilt serve as witness ) before them tho u sh alt know their ’ opinion . ’ - Fou r t h Ishak ibn Ibrahim then wrote to al M a mun a

L r et t e . det ai led a cco u nt o f the a nswers received , a nd a fter a dela y of nine d ays a ga in s u mmoned the doctors to hea r , ’ the Kh alif s reply . The following is a version o f the letter The Comm a nder of the F a ithfu l has received yo u r a nswer to his letter to u ching th at which the ostenta tio u s a mong the followers of the Kibla a nd those who seek a mong the peo pl e of religion a le a dership for which they a r e not the right persons , believe a bo u t the doctrine of the Koran , l etter of his the Comm a nder of the F a ithful comm a nd to test them a nd discover their positions a nd pu t them

o f right pla ces . Tho u dost mention thy s u mmoning Ja C 152} a nd Abd al-Ra hman ibn Ishak on the a rriva l o f the ’ m a nder of the F a ithfu l s l etter , together with those tho u didst s u mmon of those cl a ssed a s fakihs a nd known doctors o f Tr a dition a nd who set themselves u p to give le g 7 5 decisions in B aghdad ,a nd [tho u dost spe ak of] thy rea ding u nto them all the letter o f the Comma nder o f the F a ithful . [Tho u ha st mentioned] , too , thy a sking of them as to their faith to uching the Koran and [thy] pointing o u t to them their real interest ; also , their a greeing to pu t a way a nthr opo mor phic conceptions a n d their difference o f view in the ma tter o f the Koran ; fu rther , thy ordering o f those who did not confess it to be cre ated to refra in from Tra dition a nd from l giving decisions in priva te or in p u b ic . [Tho u hast men - tione d] , too , thy giving orders u nto al Sindi a nd Abbas the client o f the Comma nder o f the F a ithful , to the s ame effect as tho u didst give orders concerning them u nto the two kadis , even the sa me which the Comm a nder o f the F a ith fu l prescribed to thee , n a mely , the testing o f the stat u tory witnesses who ar e in their co u rts . Again , [thou h ast men tione d] the sending a bro ad o f l etters u nto the kadis in the s everal p arts of thy province th at they sho uld come to thee , so that tho u mightest proceed to test them a ccording to that which the Comma nder o f the F a ithful has defined , whilst tho u h ast put down at the end of the letter the n a mes of n those who were present a d their views . Now , the Com mander of the F a ithful u ndersta nds wh at tho u h ast reported , a nd the Comm a nder o f the F a ithful pra ises God mu ch , even as he is the One to whom s u ch belongs ; and he asks him to bless his Serva nt a nd his M essenger , M oha mmed ,a nd he prays God to help him to obey him , [s c . God] and to

l f a ff u al aid give him [s c . the Kha i ],by his gr ce ,e ect in his good a f a ful has al u p u rpose . The Comm nder o the F ith so tho ght over what tho u h ast written rela ting to the n a mes of those whom tho u hast a sked abou t the Koran , a nd what e a ch of them a nswered thee tou ching it , a nd wh at tho u h ast

l a lu exp ained as his View . As for wh t the de ded Bishr ibn al-Walid says abo u t p u tting a wa y a nthropomorphic c o nc e p a nd tha t from which he keeps himself b ack in the ’ r of the Koran s being cre ated , while he l ays claim ff speaking on th at s u bj ect as h aving ha d a n e m [to th at effect] with the Comma nder of the F aithful , 76

Bishr ha s lied a bo u t th a t , a nd has a cted a s a n u nbeliever , spe a king th a t which is to be refu sed credit a nd false ; for there has not p a ssed a comp a ct or excha nge of O pinion in respect to this or a ny other m atter between the Com

m a nder of the F a ithfu l and himself , more th a n th a t the Com m a nder of the F a ithful told him o f his belief in the doc i l trine o f the Ikhlas [ . e . the be ief in the u nity o f God] a of f a nd in th a t o f the cre tion the Koran . C all him be ore

thee ; tell him wh a t the Comm a nder of the F a ithfu l has told thee in the m a tter ; cite him to a nswer a bo u t the Koran a nd as k him to rec a nt ; fo r the Comm a nder of the F a ithful thinks th a t tho u sho u ldst as k to rec a nt one who professes

his view , seeing th a t su ch a view is u nmixed infidelity and

sheer idol a try in the mind o f the Comm a nder o f the F a ithfu l .

Sho u ld he repent , then , p u blish it and le t him a lone ; bu t , sho ul d he be obst in ate in his idolatry a nd refuse in his infidelity

a nd heterodoxy to con fess th a t the Koran is cre a ted , then behea d him a nd send his he a d to the Comm a nder of the

a al F a ithfu l . In the sa me wa y , also , de al with Ibr him ibn f M a hdi . Test him a s tho u h ast tested Bishr , for he pro esses his view a nd reports a bo u t him h a ve re a ched the Comm a nder

of the F a ithful ; a nd , if he s ay th a t the Koran is cre a ted ,

then p u blish it a nd m ake it known ; but , if not , behe a d him a nd send his he a d to the Comm a nder o f the As c “ for A li ibn Abi M ukatil , s a y to him , Art tho u not the man ‘ who s aid to the Comma nder o f the F a ithful, Tho u a r t the one ’ l a l a fu l nd l ul ?a nd l to dec a re wh t is w ”a u n a wf who to d him wh a t tho u didst tell him ?the recollection o f which c a nnot yet c - - A li . a s fo r l h al a l a a h a ve l eft him [s e . ] And a D ayy ibn H ith m , tell him th a t wh a t sho u ld occ u py his mind is the corn which - he formerly stole in al Anbar , when he a dministered the government in the city o f the Comm a nder o f the F a ithfu l , ’ - Ab u l Abbas a nd th a t , if he were a follower in the foot steps of his forefathers , a nd went in their wa ys only , a nd

l for l dzih r M h u 2 1 6. 1 ) On d ea th p e na ty h e r e s y cf. G o e , o . St d . II ,

T ari A » l 1 8 s e . D e G oe e i l . e o . V I I s e . 2) c f. ab III , , . , q ; j ,B b G g , 5 q 77

ff l p u shed on in their p a th , s urely he wo uld not go o into ido

for a atry a fter having believed . As Ahmed ibn Y zid , known ’ c - ll a as Ab u l A wwam , a nd his s a ying that he c annot we nswer a a bo u t the Koran , tell him that he is a child in his u nderst nd nd a if ing , tho u gh not in his years, a n ignora m u s ; a th t , he do not see his way clear to a nswer he shall see his wa y cle ar to a nswer when he is disciplined , bu t sho u ld he not do it a al a nd then , the sword will follow . As fo r Ahmed ibn H nb that which tho u h ast written abo u t him , tell him that the Comm a nder o f the F a ithfu l u ndersta nds the import o f that View a n d the ma nner of his cond u ct in it ; a nd , from wha t f he knows , he infers his ignora nce a nd the weakness o his - l a ll a a intellect . As for al F a d ibn Gh nim , te him th t wh t he

' did in Egypt , a nd the riches which he a cqu ired in less th a n a year ar e not hidden from the Comm a nder of the F a ithfu l , nor what p assed in legal strife between him and a l-M u tt alib ibn Abd allah a bo u t th at ; for a ma n who did a s he did , a nd who has a greedy desire fo r dinars a nd dirhems as he has , c an be believed to b arter his fa ith ou t o f desire for money, and bec au se he prefers his present a dva ntage to everything a else . [Remind him] that he , besides , is the one who s id c to A li ibn Hisham wha t he did s ay , and n pos e d him in

was a tha t in which he did oppose him . And a t it th t c aused his cha nge o f opinion a nd bro u ght 1 1m over to a n - other ?And as for al Ziyadi , tell him that he is c a lling him self a client o f the first false pretender in Islam in whose

c ase the ordin ance o f the M essenger of God was infringed . It is in harmony with his chara cter th at he sho u ld go in the A But A i1 a a l way he goes . ( b H ss n denied that he was a c ient

of Ziyad or o f a nyone else , a dding that he had the n a me

A o f Ziyad [ibn a bihi] for some other re ason) As for A b11 - N asr al Ta mmar , the Commander of the F a ithfu l comp a res the insig nific anc e of his u ndersta nding with the ins ignific anc e

- f - l a of his bu siness [date mercha nt] . And as or al F a d ibn l

’ ”— l A 11 1 ) This p ar enth e sis r e pr e se nt s a g oss 111 Tabari III , V , . 6 8 ,( line

7 , r ea 3 3 for ) 13 7 d 5 , j 3 ) 78

Far r u khan , tell him th at by the doctrine which he professes respecting the Koran he is trying to keep the deposits which

Abd al -Ra hman ibn Ishak a nd others entr u sted to him , lying in wa it for su ch as will a sk him to u ndertake tru sts , and hoping to increa se th a t which has come into his h a nd ; for which there is no recovery from him , bec au se o f the l ong d u ra tion of the comp a ct a nd the l ength o f time o f it s existence .

- ‘ Bu t s ay to Abd al Rahman ibn Ishak , M ay God not rewa rd thee with good for thy giving of power to the like of this m a n a nd thy p u tting o f confidence in him , seeing th a t he ’ is devoted to idol atry a nd disj oined from belief in God s ’ u nity ! And as for M oh a mmed ibn Hatim , a nd Ibn Nfih, A c a nd him who is known as A b11 M a mar , tell them th at they ar e too m u ch taken u p with the devo u ring of u s u ry to grasp properly the doctrine o f the divine u nity , a nd th at , if the Comm a nder o f the F a ithful ha d so u ght l egal j u stific ation to a tt a ck them for the s ake o f God , a nd m ake a cr u s a de a ga inst them on the sole gro u nd of their pra ctice of u s u ry and th at which the Koran has revealed concerning s u ch as they , he s u rely might h a ve fo u nd it l a wful ; how will it be , then , now th a t they h a ve j oined idol a try to their pra ctice of u s u ry , a nd h a ve become like the Christi a ns ?And a s for Ahmed c ibn Shuja , tell him th a t not l ong a g o tho u wa st with him , a nd tho u didst extort from him th a t which he confisc ated c o f the riches belonging to A li ibn Hisham ; a nd [tell him] a l f u th t his re igion is o nd in dinars a nd dirhems . And as for c - ‘ Sa d a wa ih al Was iti , s ay to him , M ay God m ake a bomin able ‘ the m a n whose ostenta tio u s prep aring o f himself for a c ol ’ l oquiu m d o c t u m on Tra dition , while hO ping to g a in hono u r

by th at and desiring to be a l e a der in it , c a rries him so fa r

th a t he wishes for the coming o f the M ihn a , a nd thinks to ingr a ti a te himself with me by it ; l e t: him be tried ; [if he l e m a ll yie d] h y sti te a ch Tra dition . And as for him who is known a s S ajj ad a a nd his denying th a t he he a rd from those tr a ditionists a nd fakihs with whom he stu died the doc

trine th a t the Koran is cre a ted , tell him th at in his pre p aring of d ate-stones and his r u bbing in order to improve 79

his s ajj ad a a nd likewise in his c are fo r the deposits which C A li ibn Y a hya a nd others left in tru st with him lies that which o c c u pl e s his a ttention so tha t he forgets the doctrine o f the divine u nity a nd that which makes him u nmindful

Yfis u f a nd [of it] . Then ask him a bo u t wh at Yfis u f ibn Abi - M oh ammed ibn al Hasa n u sed to s ay, if he ha ve seen them

nd u - i a has a st died with them . As fo r al K a warir , in wh t been

ma de known o f his doings , in his receiving o f gifts a nd

bribes , lies that which sets in a cle ar light his real O pin / ions , the evil o f his c ond u c t a nd the wea kness of his u nder

a st nding a nd his religion . It has a lso re ached the Comma nd er o f the F a ithful that he has taken u pon himself the c C - [settlement of] q u estions for ja far ibn I s a al H as a ni ; so , c C order Ja far ibn I s a to give him u p , a nd to ab a ndon reli a nce

u an d a pon him cqu iescence in wh a t he s ays . And a s for -C Y a hya ibn Abd al Rahman a l Oma r i , if he were of the c d e s c e nd a nts o f Omar ibn al Kh atta b , it is well known wha t nat u ’ l wo u d answer . And as for M ohammed ibn al H asa n ibn hao he , C ,ibn Asim , if he were an imita tor of his a ncestors , he

f a f has la of Hou nd not pro ess th t pro ession which been re ted l him He is yet a chi d a nd needs to be tau ght . Now, the Comma nder o f the F a ithful is sending to thee also , him who - 3 is known as A bu M u shir ) , a fter tha t the Commander o f the F a ithful has cited him to a nswer in his testing a bo u t the Koran ; bu t he m u mbled abo u t it a nd sta mmered over

it , until the Comm ander o f the F a ithfu l ordered the sword

to be bro u ght for him , when he confessed in the m a nner

o f one worthy to be bla med . Now , cite him to a nswer a bo ut

his confession ; a nd , if he sta nd fa st in it , then , m ake it l known a nd p u blish it . But those who wil not give u p their

idola try , a nd profess that the Koran is crea ted ,o f those whom tho u hast n amed in thy letter to the Comma nder o f the

k n on the for e e a r o u e w e n e n uin e oft 1 ) Call ou s p atch of s i h d p d c d , h g ,by

in the s in . r e p eate d r el igiou s p r os trations ; wh en an imp os tur e ,by r ubb g k

2) Tab ari ,111 , r ead ’ ° A . H a a i Taba at N . 62 . 3) d . 2 1 8 . Dh h b k 7 , 80

F a ithful a nd whom the Comm a nder o f the F aithful has mentioned or refrained from mentioning to thee in this - letter o f his , except Bishr ibn al Walid a nd Ibrahim ibn

' - al M a hdi , send them all in bonds to the c a mp of the Com m a nder of the F a ithful in ch a rge o f a watch and g u ards for their j o u rney , u ntil they bring them to the c a mp of the Comm a nder of the F a ithful a nd deliver them u p to those ’ to whom the delivery has been ordered ) to be m a de , so that the Comm ander of the F a ithful may cite them to a n swer ; a nd , then , if they do not give u p their view a nd r e

ll a c a nt , he will bring them a to the sword . The Comm nder ’ of the F a ithful sends this letter by extra post [co u rier s l e t t e r bag] inste a d o f wa iting till all the l etters h a ve been gath ered for the post , seeking to a dva nce in the fa vor of Go d by the decree he has iss u ed a nd hoping to a tta in his pu r

a n pose , d to ga in the a mple rew ard of Go d thereby . S o , give effect to the order of the Comm a nder of the F aithful "at th a t comes to thee , and ha sten to a nswer by extra p ; he [v. above] a bo u t th a t which tho u ha st done , not wa iting - now the other letter b a gs , so tha t tho u m ayest tell the Commaf

a u of the F ithf l of wh a t they will do .

l a all R em n mtim On this etter being re d of those mentioned of we in it rec a nted , with the exception of Ahmed ibn D om “ - H a nb al , Sajj ad a , al Kawar ir i a nd M oh a mmed ibn

- Nuh al M ad r fib. These fo u r were then c ast into prison in ch a ins a nd next d a y were a gain bro u ght before the govern or a nd given a ch a nce to rec a nt . Of this ch ance Sajj ad a a va iled himself a nd wa s set free The following d ay, also , they were bro u ght from the prison a nd given a nother O p C - por t u nity to yield , which Obaid all ah ibn Omar al K awar iri a a nd i Ai med a n d embr ced rece ved his liberty . Th u s Ahmed A a A J A fifiX/ZZZ a nd M oh a mmed ibn N 11h alone o f those cited to R ef u s e t o a ppe ar rem ained firm in their fa ith ; the others R ef a fl f Ahmed alwa ys exc u sed on the gro u nd of the Taki a

.C )

1 Var ian /. a o e in the r an l a ion ) t O bj 9 3 d pt d t s t . ’ ‘ ’ A - a a s m 2) b u l M ah. I ,73 8 ,s ay s Sajj d tood fir in the Sunn a .

8 2

’ In p u rs u a nce of the Kh alif s order the two u nyielding ’ theologi a ns were borne on c a mels from B aghdad , Ahmed s comp a nion in the m a hm al being a man c alled Ahmed ibn

wa Gh assan . As they were on the y Ahmed tol d his com p a nion tha t he ha d a firm conviction th at the messenger of ’ - - al M a mun , Raj a al Hidari , wo u l d meet them th a t night ; a nd , - in fa ct , Rajfi al Hidari did meet them a nd the prisoners were tra nsferred to his c are , but he was not a llowed to proceed far ’ with his charge before the news of the Kh alif s de ath relieved him of the obliga tion to bring the men to Ta rsu s . When he had cond u cted them as far as A dhana ,a nd was j u st setting ou t with them at night , a man met them in the gate of the

’ ' town with news th at al-M a mun had j u st died at the river Bodhandhfin [HoBevBow] in Asi a M inor , after l e a ving a s a last charge t o his s u ccessor to prosecu te vigoro u sly the Mihn a

N x m fi fi w n — A S l -‘w ‘ s b u j c QJ W M F U w é fi u wwm u m M - w fi é w é es J M w a ww

b A.“s

c ’ - f. al . I ) Abu Nu aim , 1 47 a , 1 47 6, ( al Subki , p . 1 39 , c p 4 ’ ’ X l Lil -L-é M l LS infra ,a full e r accoun t) , L 7 , Lz o O M LS

“ L o u uxs us m s c g fi ofl gé sé a w a w

- 1 LLa s 111 1 .5 1: s M 9, 1; 3 31.6, L, v L5a

g r s 1 cu; Lfa s fil -“ L-“ K‘ 1. ; u L5) 5 3 ,

w ) . 5 e 1? W 1 1111 L. s um s 0 w , 13 1 ’ a al-M a u ha d Re In the me ntime , m n received ject s zize P l ea word tha t those who ha d rec a nted ha d done O o m ’d f fi so claiming the Taki a as a j u stific ation , in ac 53’ fl ”D om ” c or d a nc e with the dispens ation gra nted in the

Kora n to s u ch a s ar e forced to confess a f a ls e fa ith , while

their hearts contin u e to hold fast to the tru e This , o f co u rse , mea nt tha t what the Khalif believed a nd had pro

po u nded to them was false , a concl u sion with which he wa s

' by no mea ns satisfied , and , therefore , wrote again to Ishak

1 1 111 a ls o a s 1 5: 1 111 ‘-l ‘ LL L Q LAL. Q , 5 o fi

1 A me had r e iou sl r a e for a i ine in r i ion to 0 [ h d p v y p y d D v t e p os t

demons trate th at he was in the r ight way] .

111 13 Lo n m 1 1 Ls; s [ 1 47 51 Ls}? 3 11 , y 3 } u

115 é b 9 , “ s 11 1 1115 L1 3 & ,, 0 of ) U , 13,

5“ 13 s 1 1111 1 s mu a s 6 .1 L, W M , a a?»

5 l l an M m 3 5 5 " é M ob i 3 U: c 5 C)

s il l M is M é as W }; ’ T ’- “ Hi . A r a . 6 f. A u l Fe a I) Tabari I I , M fg D e G oeje ,Fr agm . st b II,4 5 ; b d

An nal es II , 1 55. 84 ibn Ibrahim to tell Bishr ibn al-Walid a nd the others who C ha d ple a ded th at their c ase was simil a r to th a t of A mmar ’ ibn Yasir contempla ted in the Koran s dispens ation to rec u

as l a s a nts , th a t there w no simi rity between the c a ses .

He had openly pro fessed a false religion , while a t he a rt a M u slim ; they ha d O penly professed the tr u th while in

a l a wa s al l a d 0r d”, their he rts be ieving wh t f se . To sett e n

Them t o ée m atters they m u st all be sent to Ta rs u s , there to

567”f o a wait s u ch time a s the Kh ali f sho u ld le a ve Asi a

H im' M inor . The following men were therefore sent - - a fter Ahmed a nd his comp a ny : Bishr ibn a l Wa lid , al F a dl c - - ibn Gh a nim , A li ibn Abi M ukatil , a l Dhayyal ibn al Hai C c c - - - th a m , Ya hya ibn Abd al Ra hman al O mar i , A li ibn al Ja d, ’ C - - - c Ab u l A wwam , Sajj ad a , a l K awar ir i , Ibn a l H as a n ibn A li

c ’ - ibn asim , Ishak ibn Abi Israil , al Na dr ibn Shu ma il , - c - A bu N a sr al Ta mmar , S a d awaih al Was iti , M oha mmed ibn c - Hatim ibn M a imun , A bfi M a mar , Ibn al Ha rsh , Ibn al

Fa r r ukhan , Ahmed ibn Sh uj a a nd A bu Harun ibn D m fi,af a l ’ ’ - al Ba a. o f l M a mfifl kk They received the news the Kha if s ’ a a i C0 z - fl t s 7 death when they a rrived at al Rakka , a nd , on the W W W “ c order o f A nbas a ibn Ishak , the Weill o f the pl ace , were det ained there u ntil they were sent b a ck to B aghdad in cha rge o f the s a me messenger as had bro u ght them thence .

On a rriving at B aghdad , the governor Ishak ordered them to keep to their dwellings bu t afterwa rds relaxed his sever l ity towa rd them a nd a lowed them to go a bro a d . S ome of those who ha d been sent , however had the temerity to le a ve al -Rakka and come to B aghd a d witho u t h aving o b t a ine d permission . As might ha ve been expected , they s u f fe r e d for their boldness when they re a ched the l a tter pla ce , for Ishak p u nished them . Those who thu s proc u red tro u bl e - - ° to themselves were Bishr ibn al Wa lid , al Dhayyal , Ab u l c c A wwam a nd A li ibn A bi M ukatil .

‘ ’ l dzihe r M h. u . . I ) O n ke e pin g to th e ir dwe llings c f. G o , o St d II ,94 8 5

u a nd a M a Ai med a nd To ret rn to Ahmed his comp nion oh m

Nu . a 15”N 22], med ibn h These two were now sent b ck to

Or d er ed éa ck - al Rakka where they, also , rem a ined in prison u m f " B a fid ‘id g t il the o ath o f allegi ance was t aken to the Khalif - c al M u tas im . After this event , they were ta ken in a bo at

- C p m ”,o f al a a Anat at la M a f rom R kk to , which p ce oh mmed Jé N fi n b ibn Nuh died , a nd Ahmed , a fter performing the offices o f the dea d over his friend , wa s bro u ght b a ck in bonds to B aghdad At first , he wa s imprisoned , a s it ap

al-Yas ir i fo r pea rs , ih the street ya some d ays . From there he was tra nsferred to the Dar al -Shar s hir near to the Dar c U mar a a nd lodged in a stable belonging to M oha mmed ibn Ibrahim (brother o f Ishak) which ha d been rented a s a pl ace of detention . It was very small and his stay there was short . He took sick in Ra ma dan , a n d was then tra ns ferred to the common prison in the D a rb al-M a u s iliya Among those who stood fa ithful in the inqu isition d u ring

. 8 2 . Houtsma D r i a 1 ) Se e pr e c eding not e , p , I ( e St jd e tc . 1 06) s ay s th t M ohamme d ibn Nuh , a s well as Ahme d ibn Hanb al ,was s cour ge d by al c M u tasim ,bu t he ,in fact ,n e v er app ear e d b efor e tha t Khal if.

‘ - 1 2 al Su ki . 1 m o u st; u n . x. » JLs ) b ,p 3 9, L5 9 J 6

mar zCo W M 1.) H ul l l GHQ M [ g py 6 H 3 5 3 W é

m1 1 w 1 w m n 3 fi w s m w w , u u .

u s w l . s l 9 1 1 0? u rs 5 ,4 04 3

s s u w w m ur am g o g vs w aa w gmf j ug

11111> . " K L a a? U , 4 , 111 w M m r,, , 86

’ - 0mm wk, the Kh alifa te of al M a mun , but whose n a me ha s C d id ”of not yet a ppea red , was A ffan ibn M u slim Abu C thma n al f a nd a a $222”O , whom the Kh i Ish k ibn Ibr C M u zm s l him his lie u ten a nt in I r ak , in pen alty for his r e

fus al to obey the order to rec a nt , deprived o f the stipend

which e a ch o f them gra nted to him . When a sked what he ha d

to s ay in reply to the dem a nd m a de on him , he a nswered

by reciting S u ra 1 1 2 , and enqu iring whether tha t were cre

a ted . His peopl e were very a ngry with him for le a ving them

witho u t me a ns o f s u pport , for he had abo u t 40 persons

dependent on him . B ut the very d ay his stipend was c ut

o ff , a stra nger bro u ght to him a p urse of 1 000 dirhems (his ’ - stipend from al M a mfin had been 500 per month) ,a nd prom ised him tha t he sho ul d receive the sa me a mo u nt e a ch

month from the sa me so u rce . He died in Baghdad in 220 l A . H . D u ring his ife he was one of the l ea ding men in ’ B aghdad a nd a friend o f Ahmed s who had m u ch infl u ence with him Another to whom the M ihn a was a pplied in

1 al . 1 v.1 1 4 > tiis ti s Lei ) p 3 , 0 ?3 LS M U 9 O ,

1 475 S j alL~1 5 $ 1a £ s L5¢ 0

M 1 4 Ls s Lr L M s SLss s l l U U L U p M ap g

1 1 . 4 1 111 3 1 1 1: 4 9 1 — “ U 7 r ,4 0 1

1 Ls; w s 1 1 5 Cod . s U U U [ U )

1 L1 -5 1 1 1 11. 1 sLs L115 1s 31111 1 5; 1 U , , U , .1 U L,,

5 s w K N I 1 1 3 14 6 M a g w d fl w ’ W G JS G 6

w fis u s um i wg é s u gn s u s c sts gp fi u w s

5 -5 ’JV & I i” ‘ h ’ l K M l J M u ) Ls [ or . 1 1 2] , 87

c ' . l A 3 3 N u a zm a ] this Kha ifate , a nd who did not yield wa s c - Fa dl ibfl D u ka in . K fifi the t e , A bfi N u a im al F a dl ibn D u kain . ’ ’ When al -M a mfin s letter ca me to Kfifa he was told o f its ‘ ’ p u rport a nd excl a imed , It mea ns only beating with whips ; ‘ a nd , then , taking hold o f a b u tton of his co at , he sa id , to ’ of l me my hea d is ess consequ ence than tha t . Of his tri al

we ha ve no p artic u l a rs , bu t he , at all events , does not a p

a a l a . pear to h ve died vio ent de th He died in 2 1 9 A . H . c C A li al -M l A] ; i372 ibn adini is c a ssed with those who s u r

- ’ l M a nini. d rendered their fa ith at the time o f the Mihn a , ap

a u o f u l r e par e ntly bo t the beginning its co rse . He bitter y g r e tt e d his we akness , however, and was firmly reesta blished fa f in the orthodox ith be ore his de ath in 2 34 A . H .

fi M S l M l l l M l w n fi u fl W fl fi é d

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ii ? 4 “L l u u aim l F Q Ab N a a l ibn D uk ain was a Sh it e a or in 0 L5 c d y cc d g ’ ’ hah1 a s an 1 H i bl k ei s tr n sl n to S t , aa iic a I , 2 1 8 .

1 511111 1 1 l 2) 1 ,p . 1 8 5, $ Lg L> nd.“ K 0 a U ,

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‘ l L >1 Ls l L31 31 s [Cod . g ] 1 1 L1 1 1; 88

’ ’ A fimg a zn In the common prison Ahmed ibn H a nb al was

P r i o s n c o nfine d for a considera bl e time , the whole period , from the time of his a rrest u ntil he wa s set free a fter being c - s im - sco u rged by al M u t a , being twenty eight months . While

in the prison he u sed to le a d the pra yers with the inm ates , a nd enga ged in the st u dy o f books which were provided

fo r him by his friends . His good friend Buran did him the l l kindness to send him d ai y co d wa ter , by me a ns of a bo a t .

D u ring the first p art o f his imprisonment , his u ncle Ishak ibn H a nb a l spoke to the offici als a nd atta ches of the gov e r nor seeking to sec u re a rel ea se of his nephew from prison ; but , failing to obta in a ny s a tisfaction , he a ppe aled to Ishak ibn Ibrahim in person . With a V iew to sec u ring from Ahmed a modific a tion of his position , Ishak then sent his ch a m ’ be r l ain to the prison with Ahmed s u ncl e , ordering him to report wh atever might p a ss between them . When they c a me to the prison , Ishak ibn H a nb al u rged his nephew to yield

s a n assent to the doctrine which wa being pressed u pon him .

He reminded him tha t his comp a nions ,with m u ch l ess re a son , had rec a nted a nd tha t he ha d j u stified them in doing so on i the gro u nd o f the T ak a . Why then sho ul d he not rec a nt ? After m u ch fru itless disp u t ation , they m a de u p their minds to l e a ve him in prison ; and he went on to s ay th at im prisonment was a m a tter of very little concern to him a

wa s ll prison or his own ho u se it a the s a me . To be sla in with the sword , too , was not a m atter which c au sed him

a a s gre a t a nxiety ; the one thing th t he fe red wa to be sco u rged . If th a t sho u ld befall him , he co ul d not a nswer for his hol d

ing ou t a ga inst it . One of the prisoners then reminded him th at in the c a se of sco u rging he need h a ve no fe a r , for a fter two strokes of the whip , he wo uld never know where

153 ; 1 4 1215 33: m w l m: 4 01 3 5 M 3 5 5 u d cfi m 0 2 15,

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to him every d ay two men to re ason with him ; their n a mes

were , respectively , Ahmed ibn Ra bah and A bu S hu a ib al

u H ajj am . These two men sed to a rgu e with him , a nd , find ing him immovable , as they t u rned to go a way e a ch d ay they c alled for a n extra ch a in to be pla ced u pon his feet ,

u l all f u u nti , fin y , there were o r ch ains pon them . One o f the disc u ssions which Ahmed had wa s a bo u t the Know

l edge of God . He a sked on e o f the two inqu isitors for his

opinion on the su bj ect , a nd the m a n s aid tha t the Know

l edge o f God was cre a ted . On hea ring this Ahmed c alled

him a n infidel , a nd , tho u gh reminded th a t he was c a sting

ins ult u pon the messenger of the Khalif, he refused to with ’ dra w the ch a rge . Ahmed s re a soning was tha t the n a mes of God as symbols of his a ttrib u tes were in the Koran ; th a t the

( Koran wa s p a rt of the Knowl edge of God , which is one of

his a ttrib u tes ; th a t , therefore , he who pretended th a t the

Koran wa s cre a ted ha d denied God , a nd , also , th at he who ded tha t the n a mes o f God were cre a ted ha d denied

God . Here the a rgument seems to be : The n a mes of God a r e not cre a ted ; but the n a mes of God form some p a rt o f the

Koran ; therefore , it follows th at some p art o f the Koran ,

at l e a st , is not crea ted .

af had A W“; 07 . On the fo urth night ter he been removed d d l - ar e to d to the ho u se of Ishak ibn Ibrahim , the messenger ° M u msim~ - c - of the Khalif al M u t as im , Bu gha al Ka bir , a rrived

after the l a st pra yer , bringing the comm a nd of the Khalif to

Ishak to send Ahmed to him . When Ahmed was bro u ght c - in to Ishak before going to al M u t as im , the governor a d

dressed hi m , reminding him th a t it was his life which was

a t stake , a nd th at the Kh ali f ha d sworn th a t he wo uld

not kill him with the sword , bu t wo u l d sco u rge him stroke

after stroke , a nd wo uld throw him into a pla ce where

no light wo u ld ever re a ch him . Then , the governor pro

c e e d e d to a rg u e with him rega rding the Koran , q u oting ‘ the text , Verily, we h a ve m a d e it a Koran (re a ding) in the ’ Ara bic tong u e , a nd he a sked him , if there co ul d be a ny

thing m ade u nl ess it were cre ated . Ahmed a nswe red with 9 1

’ ‘ nd a nother text . He made them like gra ss to be ea ten , a

asked the governor , if he wou ld concl u de from su ch a text

a u a a u a nything bo t their being created . In this c se the rg

ment tu rns u pon the fact th at the word SQ; does not, nec

e ss ar ily , inclu de the me aning o f Preparations were then ma de for bringing Ahmed to al c M u tas im . The interest of B ugha, the messenger o f the Khalif,

in his pri soner a nd his c au se was no very intelligent interest . ’ He inqu ired of Ishak ibn Ibrahim s messenger wh a t Ahmed

wa s wa nted fo r , a nd , on learning , he decla red that he knew nothing abo u t s u ch things ; tha t the limits o f his fa ith a s a ‘ M u slim did not extend beyond the decla ra tion tha t there is no God bu t All ah , th at M ohammed is the Apostle o f God , and th at the Comm ander o f the F a ithful is o f the relation ’ of P l a ship the rophet o f God . At the gate of the roya p rk

they disembarked a fter a short trip on the Tigris . Ahmed

was taken out of the bo a t and pu t u pon a beast , from which

he was in da nger o f falling o ff , owing to his hel plessness

a u o f o f s u u bec se the weight his cha ins . He wa bro ght nder 1 these circ u msta nces into the p ala ce precincts ) a nd ma de to

alight at a ho u se in a room o f which he was confined ,withou t any l amp to en able him to see at night D u ring the night

c ° c ‘ - fibi I ) al M u tasim s p al ac e was in the e as te r n p ar t of B aghdad ( vid . Ja q ,

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i n a ain m fl strat o g s t the Khalif whe n Ah e d was ogge d .

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‘ ’ ‘ l s a God . I f this Know edge , y they , be u ncre ated then the ’ Koran m ust be u ncre a ted . Another point which Abd al ‘ Ra hman u rged wa s th at God existed when a Koran did not ’ ‘ exist ; to this Ahmed replied with the s a me a rgu ment , Did ’ God exist and not his Knowl edge ? D u ring the p a ss a ge between Abd al -Ra hman ibn Ishak - a nd Ahmed , the l a tter a sked Abd al Rahman wh a t his m aster c a l-Shafi i had ta u ght him a bo u t the rit u al wa shing of the feet , a nd Ibn Abi D owad , in gre a t a stonishment ,exclaimed , ‘ Behold a m a n who is fa ce to fa ce with de a th ind ulging in ’ q u estions over Fikh ! c One o f those in the room recited a tra dition o f I mran ’ ' u a a a xll and em a ibn H s in th t God cre ted p s g is the Kor n ; to this Ahmed a nswered th a t he ha d the tra dition from more ' ‘ ’ a a u f f Ml . a th n one thority in the orm , God wrote J L The be r ing o f this tra dition a s corrected by Ahmed is to the e ffect tha t the s u bst a nce a nd words o f the Koran were not cre a ted but

a th at the e rthly record was . Another tra dition which was a d c ‘ d u c e d was th at of Ibn M as ud , God did not crea te in p a ra

‘ dise , hell , he a ven a nd ea rth a nything gre a ter th a n the Throne ’ ’ a 2 was a verse (Kor n . Ahmed s rej oinder th t the cre a tion a pplied only to p a ra dise , he a ven , hell a nd e arth , but

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did not a pply to the Koran a constru ction which is a d missible ‘ Someone introd u ced the verse , What c ame to them of

3 ’ d a 9 5) from their Lord wa s a thing newly prod u ced ,a n sked ,

‘ ’ Ca n a nything be newly prod u ced unles s it be created ? ‘ Ahmed s aid the Koran , S u ra 3 8 , decla res , By the Koran , ’ o f f éd l f d ll a but the possessor ) ; so j is the Kor n there is

l sh in that other Gf é) no a rtic e . Here the a rgument is to ew

a fLXJl a nd a a r e al a but th t f the Kor n identic in me ning ,

a witho ut the a rticl e is not identic al with the Kor n . Con sequ ently , no a rgu ment c a n be based u pon the decla ration

a f d was l u . th t j new y prod ced ‘ ’ The words were cited , He is the creator of everything . ‘ ’ Against this Ahmed qu oted , Tho u dost destroy everything ‘ and he a dded , Dost tho u destroy except wha t God wills ? ‘ ’ The a rg u ment is that the term everything mu st be u nder stood in ha rmony with declarations a s to the u norigin ate cha racter o f the Koran fo u nd elsewhere within the Book itself. It is s aid that , in the co u rse of the disc u ssion , Ibn Abi D owad lost his p atience bec a u se Ahmed insisted on keeping a ’ to the Kor n and the Tra dition . Ahmed s defence was to the effect th at his co urse was j u stifi able , for Ibn Abi Do wad was p u tting a constru ction u pon the Koran with which sincere minds co ul d not agree , and , fa iling to agree ,the men were being c ast into prison and lo a ded with chains . With this Ibn Abi D o wad c alled u pon the Khalif to ask his kadis and fakihs if Ahmed were not a man misled , mislea ding

l - I al M a rizi . 6 A l was Lo L s s a s o s : Ls ) k ,p , , a 0 9 M W E

s s Kon 2 . 2 6 s , ”Las n 3 as ; 3 15 3 as . [ 5 ] wa a u f o ) , ,, , ? O ‘ fi Las L i s s w l ”w- se u s ss as . m Ls La a s; u flb ,, , u 8 : La s a a u a nd heretic al . On his enq iring O f them they decl ared he

was s u ch . On this occ a sion Ahmed repe atedly protested to the Kh alif th at his O pponents were not a dhering to the au thor

ities which alone co ul d settl e s u ch Indeed ,Ahmed

s eems to h a ve been the most vehement of all the disp u ta nts .

Ibn Abi D o wad shewed his ze alot spirit , likewise , by fr e

o f q u ently interj ecting his O pinion . On the first occ a sion his - c interference , Ahmed did not a nswer him , and , when al M u

t as im reb u ked him for it , he replied th a t he was not a wa re tha t Ibn Abi D owad wa s a man of le arning When it c a me to the time o f closing the K halif ba de all

present a rise ; a nd after the s e s s ion was ended , the Kh alif a nd Abd al-Ra hma n ibn Ishak had a priv a te conference with - c Ahmed , in which al M u t as im mentioned to him the pu n ishme nt he ha d visited u pon his own priv ate t u tor Salih - al Ra shidi fo r O pposing him in rega rd to the Koran . He

compla ined , too , th a t Ahmed ha d not given him a ny cha nce - to l ea rn his views or their vindic a tion . Abd al Rahman ,how

ever , expl ained th a t he had known Ahmed for thirty ye ars as a pio u s M u slim who observed the H ajj a nd the Jihad a nd

was a loyal s u bj ect O f the Kh alif. In view O f wha t Abd al ’ Ra hman s aid , a nd of wh at he himself ha d he ard O f Ahmed s - c ‘ a nswers , al M u t as im then excla imed , S u rely , this man is a c fakih ! s u rely , he is a man of l earning [ alim] ! a nd I wo ul d tha t I ha d men s u ch as he with me to take p a rt in m a n a ging

—‘ é my a ffa irs , and to effect ually a nswer the a dvoc ates o f other l re igions . He , further , professed himself re a dy to s u spend at

once all a ction aga inst Ahmed , a nd to s u pport him with

all his power , if he wo uld but give him the very slightest

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st u bborn silence . He c a rried this pra ctice out so thor o u ghl \ th a t his opponents compl a ined to the Khalif th at , when\ ever the a rg u ment wa s in his fa vor he ha d his a ns we bu t , on the contr ary , whenever it went in their fa vor he

l all simp y ch enged the testimonies which they a dd u ced . It s eem s to h a ve tro u bled him th a t they sho u ld h a ve insisted , as they s ometime s did , on the letter o f the Koran ; a nd , to s hew them th a t they o u ght not to be too s lavis h in their a dherence to the Koran , he a sked one o f the disp u ta nts ‘ wh a t he ha d to s ay a bo u t the text , God comm a nd ed yo u ’ concerning yo u r children , the m ale s portion sh all be the

portion of two fem ales . The man replied th at the text r e l a ted speci ally to the believers . Ahmed then a sked him ,

wh at wo u ld be the r u l e if the m an were a m u rderer , a

la , a e w ; a a . O a s ve J \ or Christi n To this his pponent m de no a nswer . This a rg u ment Ahmed a pologized fo r u s ing on the gro u nd o f their a nnoying m a nner o f a rg u ment with him ; wo u ld a ppe a r from this c ase th a t he wa s prep a red to follow the text of the Koran a s closely as pra ctic al ne c e s s it y wo u ld allow , bu t a dmitted the need , in speci al c a ses , o f modific a tion or exp a nsion by me a n s O f a ddition al light

a al l from s ome other so u rce . This ddition ight he a pp arently - wo u ld ha ve borrowed only from well esta blished Tra dition .

On this d ay , a s on the previo u s one , Ahmed Ibn Abi

D o wad , whenever O pportu nity O ffered , took a n a ctive p a rt ! ’ in the d is cu s sion . In one o f Ahmed ibn Hanbal s three exa min a tions in this tri al , prob a bly in the first or second , when he had decla red his fa ith in the Koran as u n ore a ted , it wa s retorted u pon him th at he wa s setting u p a ‘ simila r being to God (d u alistic view) His reply wa s , He

is one God , etern al ; none is like him a nd none is eq ual . ’ He is even a s he has described himself At the close of this s es s ion a private conference between the Khalif , Abd

f. 1 ) Ste in e r , 7 7 ,cf. 90 / - ' l mi i M : l LA 2 al M a rizi . u lf b l &U Q ) k ,p 4 , a fi O 3 1 07

- a l Ra hman a nd Ahmed a gain occ u rred , to which Ahmed ibn Abi D o wad was a fterwards c alled in . At its close ,

Ahmed was ret u rned to the pl a ce O f detention , a nd the

O f wa s s a nd history the first night repeated . Me s s enger c a me went , a nd the two men who ha d been with him before c a me back a nd stayed with him thro u gh the night . Before the next d ay c a me , Ahmed ha d a premonition that a n is s ue wo uld s u rely be rea ched at the coming s e s s ion , a nd prep a red himself for it .

’ a d a i ll im D ay . When the messenger c me the next y Ahmed was bro ught to the p ala ce o f the Khalif , a nd his fea r bega n to be confirmed as he s aw the grea t displa y of pomp a nd of a rmed men , a pp a rently prep a red for s ome speci al occ a sion .

First , there was a n a u dience , in which the l ea rned me n disp uted with him , a nd then followed a nother private con ference in which the Khalif , as before , beso u ght Ahmed to yield , in however slight a degree , so th at he might gra nt him his freedom . The Kh alif a ss u red him o f his h a ving as m u ch comp as s ion for him as he wo u ld h a ve fo r his own ’ a a s inva r ia son H run in s u ch a c a se . Ahmed s reply w the bl e aski fo r s m u for a a o f fa a d - one , ng o e gro nd ch nge ith Q d u c e d from the only so u rces which he recognized as a u thor i s w it at ve . Fin ally the Khalif lost all p atience when he a tha t his hopes o f a gro u nd for leniency towa rd his prisoner were to be dis appointed , a nd he ordered him to be ta ken

' B e A gzmm a way and flogged . The flogging then ens u ed . ’ Sw u r a g e . fore it occ u rred , a little knot was noticed in the ’ sleeve o f Ahmed s ka mis , a nd he was asked wh at might be the expla n ation of it . He s aid tha t it held two ha irs O f the Prophet On learning this Ishak ibn Ibrahim saved

s s s a s s a s a s s s s sss s s u a s s aa w a é gg e a

G o dzihe r M oh. S u . 11 8 . I) On h air s of the Pr ophe t as charms cf. l , t d ,3 5 the ka mis from being destroyed . Before a nd d u ring the co u rse

o f the flogging , the Khalif so u ght to sec u re from Ahmed a

rec a ntation , a nd s eem s to h a ve been moved by comp as s ion

for him , tho u gh eq u ally moved by a determin ation to drive

him to repent o f his obstin a te refu sal . Ibn Abi D owad a nd

the le a ders who were with him did their best , however, to

t u move the Kh alif to pu Ahmed to de ath . When bo nd , Ahmed complained to the Kh a lif that the p u nishment he wa s infl icting u pon him was u nla wful a ccording to the dec

lar a tio n O f the Prophet , who ha d s aid th at the blood a nd po ss e s s ion s O f a ny m an who confessed tha t there was no ’ God but All a h , a nd th at he was God s M essenger , were

inviola ble . Ahmed Ibn Abi D owad , thinking his m aster in ’ /c line d to we aken o ut o f a dmira tion fo r Ahmed s spirit a nd /co u rage a nd from the conviction wro u ght by his a rg u ments , - c reminded a l M u t as im th at , if he yielded , he wo uld cer t ainly be s aid to O ppose the doctrines o f the former Khalif ’ - al M a mun , a nd men wo uld rega rd Ahmed as h a ving o b

t aine d a victory over two sovereigns , a res u lt which wo uld stim ula te him to as s ume a le a dership fra u ght with evil con s equence s to the dominion o f the Kh alifs As he was bo u nd - to the whipping posts the lictors , one h u ndred a nd fifty in

’ 1 -M r i L: is tfiifi -9 l s é slit Las s s LS ) al ak iz, p . 7 , s w 023 s a , ,a J

z a fi s s s a s u ol a ) s ; a as s a l sa ass J “ s a s a a h j ( a { r ) U w g a

s s w a s ca st; A > LJ sss as s ass sss all as s a ,a, 6 a, U

La s $53 All as ll 3 uss iss ’ca ol I Z ass y a w Lp o r F

’ ’ fi ws» A s b a L ss s é a s xxs s 15 o s e e cr , , 6 Ly £ l 3 U W

I I O

’ nine strokes , Ahmed s nether ga rment thre atened to fall to the gro u nd , bu t th a t it was mira c u lo u sly restored to it s pl ace a nd fa stened sec u rely , in a nswer to a prayer which

’

s s s a s as s sg s a a s s s s s m zli u a ag a U fi s U a w j

s s as as as a as so “ s a ii ll s s a , g 3, { s , a 3 u aa a , ,

- s: ass s L_ s U as s a s s3s as 4 0 sas s ass s s, U 3, L5 ) 3 , a

as s ”s a s ass. s s as w a 3, a ,a s as as, 3,,a sa dd s

LE; 55 g ; k: ) elk“ “ s i s ( ) Uh?6 g af f W ) p L

sa ss ass Las s . s s b as sLssss . ms ) , w a a 3,a U ra

' l “ M l ls 6L? Lm li sa il M i i 6 d W ) J 3 3 , ) t } ; 6

i t l l Lw i) M i bu A 315 BLX -l M w s Ls L 8) ) G fl a U a ,

fi w é w ml l m i M a M el s Zé w ) & r j ,

M ls ll All “ 2: m i i n 3 a i s S n W y é ” U o } x a a s ss as m s Lla l a dl ls s S L s a wa d a g a, ) aa fi n w,

- s s as s L_ s s t ss s s s s i n s a s w a , a a aa ,a ”a s

s l m s s s s s ss s s sLs ss s a r a g aa U w s ba w l s ’ U $ 24 — . _ s M l K: L? i ll» All u LS UZmB : . ” A 5 Ws u U w a”

< s l w Li LLs a s 4 s s u h a j M l g ab “ t Al ; 0 M a S b , r 0 w ,

s s a s s a s s s s a a sa ss g r a r U a a a ,

a sss ss a a s a s s us ss ss s aa s a a t a s p s H a a ° nt s fa r as he u ttered . Some o f the ac c o u go even so to s ay th a t a ha nd of gold was seen to go o u t from u nder his u pper ga rment a nd a dju s t wh at was A s the flogging progressed Ahmed lost conscio u sness u nder the blows, a nd wa s removed in a n u nconscio u s s ta te into a room ne a r by . M ea nwhil e , the crowd o u tside the P al ace co u rt ’ bec a me moved with a nger at the Khalif s tre atment o f

Ahmed , perhaps , too , the report o f his coll a pse had rea ched them ; in any c as e , they were prep aring to a tta ck the

P ala ce , when the Kh alif ordered the s u spension o f the p u nishment . This order was d u e , it is l ikely , more to the c fea r of the m u ltitu de on the p a rt o f al — M u tas im th a n to a n y other c au se . One acco u nt rela tes that , even after

Ahmed was bro u ght in u nconsciou sness to the room , his tortu rers contin u ed their abus e by tra mpling u pon him with their feet . When conscio u sness c ame ba ck he wa s o f fe r e d s a wik for the p u rpose of prod u cing vomiting , bu t he refused to ta ke it . S u bseq u ent to this , he was removed to the ho u se o f I s hak ibn Ibrahim , where ,a fter a short detention ,he was set free , a nd went to his own dwelling . The d ate when all this occ u rred was within the las t ten d ays o f Ra m adan

2 is 1 9 A . H. , tho ugh the p articu l a r d ay not known Ahmed doe s not s eem to ha ve ha rbored bla me a gains t the Kha lif for ha ving done wha t he did , a nd , afterwards , decl ared that he had no ill-will a gains t any of those who had taken pa rt in his persec u tion .

S equ el t o M e In his own dwelling he was visited by the s cou r g ing prison physici a n a n d treated u ntil he wa s cu red of a his wo u nds . The s c ars , however , rem ined on him to the d a y of his death ; and he never ce as ed to s uffer from the disloc ation o f his wrists , which wa s bro u ght abou t by

neglect to take hold , as he wa s a d vis ed to do , o f the u pper

of . fa l p a rts [lit . teeth] the whipping posts When he i ed to do this the princip al weight o f his body was s u s pended c f - u t s im u rom the wrists . After the scou rging , al M a bro ght

° ll . N . 1 . I) vid . for egoing n ote . 2) I bn Cha 9 1 1 2

° ’ o ut Ishak ibn Ha nbal (A hme d s u ncl e) to the peopl e , a nd a sked them to witne s s tha t he wo u ld testify th a t he [the Khalif] ga ve over to them their I mam witho u t h u rt or d a ma ge i to his body . It is s a d th at if the Khalif had not ca us ed this deception to be pra ctised , the peopl e wo uld h a ve risen in in l s u rrection . A s it was however , they were c almed a nd evi

s a con s equence were verted . It was the wis h of Ibn Abi D owad th at Ahmed sho ul d now be imprisoned ; but al c M u tas im was a ngry a t the s ugge s tion , a nd comm a nded his

a a lie u ten a nt Ish k to set Ahmed free . It is prob a ble , th t in this in st a nce , likewise , fe a r of a pop ula r u prising deterred the Kh alif from contin u ing to u s e severe me a s ures again s t his c - ss prisoner . A s m atters stood al M u t as im gave him the gala dre , a nd as alrea dy rela ted had him sent to his dwelling ; a nd , as long a s he was confined to his ho u se , had his lie u ten ant

a u d ala l Ish k enq ire every ay a bo u t his condition . The g c othes , however , Ahmed s old a nd distrib u ted the price in alms

’ -M a rizi . 8 a lmiiil : l ” a s a g s I a1 k M as Al 55 h J ) ,p , as ) m s mt u fi a w b s s as w s g a aa w m s u a o s

M l l lmb db a a u w g l J af r w fi j u al j d r

l ‘ d l 9 i. e . Look e at him. hou I s a ibn Hanbal I s U a l M 3 M [ y T , h k , he , Ahme d ibn Hanbal ,not sound in b ody I shak,the r e u p on ,nodde d as

l ”M : Liié . s en . Su l af er s i M 3 G and a f er d l J t pp y t a l , J2 t U a l ,f ) ]

a M a s as uu as a s m s ws s m s aa p f gp a a

e ls : s K s g uss {as a s s a g n a a as U s U , a a w a, g a l as : a b s aw a s am a s : ” : w w } p ( , 6 W a}

‘ l?“M is -a w l al a l s ’ m : m s s Ls w > l s ? al s la g a, W a

a s

s a x; t. s a w; s ga i n s » i “ 14" 6 5, a a , w cr s : 8

1 1 4

received , but it bro u ght him only a n incre as e of the tro u bles

o f his short term of authority , a nd of the s ucce s s o f the test we know After him we h ave no specific rec

ord of trials for the Koran in Egypt , bu t it is s ure th a t al -Bu waiti u nderwent a n e x a min a tion in Egypt in the reign

- l l la as ll a i of al Wat hik . A itt e ter on his c e wi be ga n noticed . - at i l In the ye a r 2 3 1 A . H . al W h k sent a etter to his gov e r nor s comm a nding the revival of the inqu isition It mu s t h a ve been in the e x a min ation s which followed this com ma nd th a t al -Buwaiti was cited to a n s wer for his fa ith

c A l-S u i a l h ass s ha A l -M u ta bk is , prob b y , rig t when he ert t t c -' - l ,szm a nd al M u t as im ha d not the e arning which qu alified ’ ”i f M i fl a o fi him to decide whether the doctrine o f the K oran s

cre a tion was right or wrong , a nd tha t the prosec u tion of

the Mihn a by him wa s d u e , in gre a t p a rt , to the ch arge ’ - which was l eft him in the testa ment of al M a mfin , a nd to the moving spirit a mong those by whom he was - as We do not he a r of any fu rther a ction again s t Ahmed on l 2 2 the p art of this Kh a if. He died in the ye a r 7 A . H . c ’ — - i A l Writfiilc After the de a th o f al M u t as m a nd the a cces s ion ’ a a A d- - n s e o f his son Harun al Wathik, Ahmed beca me a very - pop ula r te a cher , a nd was m u ch resorted to . Al Hasa n ibn c A li the Kadi of Baghdad noticing this wrote to Ibn Abi

D owad of the circ u msta nce . Ahmed ibn H a nb al , however , he a rd of wh at ha d been done , a nd of his own will refra ined f i rom te a ching , before a ny a ction was t a ken aga n s t him . Ibn Abi D owad once a gain tried to pers uad e al-Wathik to per

’ - I 6 . 1 ) Ab u l M ah. , 49 ’ - - - i i al Khol afa PM. 2) Ab u l M ah. I ,683 ; al Suju t ,Tar kh , ’ - 3) Abu l M ah. 1 ,686.

’ - La w : K L; l u ki . 1 4 55 w 4) a S b ,p 4 5,C1 U ; 3 3 A

> s : m s m .L. s s s a s s u a ls s : a u a? 0a O a O p a a

alml s n a t a s a ss : s a sa. as s ,a a a , f w 3 a , w a

s st sis cf il Chal ife n 11 a a er . We , , p . 3 34. 8 1 1 5

l l s e c ut e Ahmed , but was u ns u ccessfu l . The Kha if e t Ahmed a lone ; whether he was moved at all by a dmiration fo r him , or by a s u perstitiou s fea r th at something might ha ppen to him sho uld he l ay violent ha nd s on so holy a ma n , does not clea rly It is reported o f al -Wat hik in relation to the M ihna that he did not person ally wish it , but tha t the s timulus a pplied by his minister did not lea ve him mu ch opport u nity to e s ca pe from the work in which the l atter

was so ze alo u s . The grea ter prob ability , as fa r a s Ahmed - ibn Ha nbal enters into consideration , is that al Wathik , like

his predecessor , fea red a pop u l ar o u tbreak sho u ld a nything f urther be visited u pon the Imam . And , fo r the rea s on tha t

he wished to pleas e all p arties , he took the cours e of asking

Ahmed to lea ve B aghdad , a nd dwell at a dis ta nce from him . Ahmed , however , did not go awa y ; he simply withdrew into a compa rative secl u sion , which he maintained for the

a gre ter p art o f his rema ining life .

' - i A Z-Wdt fizk A l Wath k did , nevertheless , c a rry on the policy

P r os ecu t es l o f his predecessors . His comma nd to a l the gov ”2 M i ’ " ZW ' e r no r s o f the provinces to a pply a gain the Mihna for the Koran has been alre ady mentioned It was i s s ued

- 1 l M a rizi . 8 f. a s a ) a m i cal-o l ) a k ,p s y my s H l Li s

l s. a s s a s a zt n d: s as s t uss s ; M a a U ( a w a

Ol ») l i l d icks.) N S ”c Q AQ W K; 0a .” 3) a ( B ( Ja é u U 6

M s ms a s l u s a él t l a s s s & a U éU w g m o

s a l s m , s . ; Us at w y £1 n at; a zs was a a A a r ( m l bl l as gfil — s w sz axf fi fi o l m fi s q aj g jfi w u fl o é i ° 1 x.2. 3 cal—o $ i b b . s o : LM 3 al S2) w l 0 G L9 } M L3 a ) ’ vid . We il Chal ife n 0 A u l M a asin 6 1 , II ,34 , b h I , 9 . 2) vid . p . 1 1 4 . 1 1 6

in 2 3 1 A . H . It is s a id th at he ga ve this order , notwith c sta nding the fa ct th a t he ha d withhel d his father al-M u t a sim from the a pplic ation of the M ihn a We h a ve no record

of those who were s u bj ected to this exa min ation , beyond the n a mes a nd a cco u nts o f one or two who wo u ld not con ’ fess the doctrine of the Koran s cre a tion a nd s uffered for

their fa ith .

’ ' of u ff Abmea zbn The best known those who s ered u nder

jva Jr d z. this Khalif was Ahmed ibn N asr ibn Malik al Khu c K fiz‘z‘i f c zaw) from the city of M erv , who was of one of

’ - ' - - 68 al Su fiti T arik al ol 6. I) Ab u l M ah. I , 3 ; j , h Kh . 34

mer He r r sch. e en d e s I sl . 2 We il C al . 1 f. D oz H 2) v . Kr e , Id 43 ; , h II ,3 4 ; y, e t - - c I sl amisme ,1 56; al -Sujfiti,Tar ikh al Khol afa,3 46; al Ja qfibi,II,589 ; Tabari,III,

“ ' - ‘ i 2 f. al M a riz Wt oe e Fra m. His . Ar a . i I O f. L115 fl. D e G j , g t b , ,5 9 ; k , O J

A u a . J u s s 51 p l 4° u s g ; x b u ,8 d 0 m j ‘ a.» t “ m m - M » a er e w f e m : w 0 9 w

l n” ’ ab LS b e” U a : wa s a e . u t A u Lis Jl M , f c f ) f O i h 3 B

Lo s e Lo W u w a l e Joa n- w u w u ; 53, u 3M 3 e a ,

i 51”l g A a m.) A M 8 m L-fi l é 3 h i M 65 fl 6 5 0 J H ,

l a la s) his ab s " ; as 5 a s K w 03, , 0 ; 3 ; U , ” ’ - » as? m w 3 x; a Js1: 5 m a w

A M a 8 19 ul l SJ eU C) a n M ,3 [Kora 2 9 . 1 ] 95 ; f Lg ) , l f; 615 uXJ All L») M 1423 U aw l fil f M G ) Qw , M

‘ Jan M i. s Als Ju li ol M 04 a s) ; & , 3, d L> M 5 4 3 1.» Li be an m l 53 7 ,

1 1 8

One ra ther infl a ted tra dition represents th at Ibn A bi Do

wad u rged the Kh alif to give his prisoner a delay , as he wa s a n old m an tempora rily o u t of his senses and wo uld i - come to a better mind f allowed time . A l Wathik in the

tra dition a ppe a rs as rej ecting this view , a nd as decl a ring ’ th a t Ibn N a s r s u nbelief ha d disciplined him to the view he

ha d expressed . Wha tever m ay be the tr u th o f this story , the tri a l had not proceeded far when the Kh alif c alled for

the exec u tion c arpet a nd the sword S a ms ama ; a nd , desiring ’ to be allowed to person ally strike o ff the obstin ate infid e l s

he a d , as he expected to be rewa rded by He a ven for dispos

ing of him , he was allowed to try to desp atch the m artyr . - He co ul d not a ccomplish it , however , a nd Sim a al Dima s hki

id a nd o ha d to come to his a dispose f the man . The he a d wa s then ordered to be sent to Ba ghdad ; where for some

w s a a of a nd d ays /it a exposed to view in the e stern p rt the city , the n for some d a ys in the western p a rt , after which it was l fixed u p permanent y in the e astern portion . The exec u tion l C occ u rred on the second ast d ay of Sha ban , 2 3 1 A . H., a nd the tru nk a nd he a d rem ained exposed to p u blic view for six - ye ars , u ntil the Khali f al M ut awakkil ordered them to be

t a ken down , a nd h a nded over for b uri al to Ahmed ibn ’ Nas r s rela tions

A fa b ulo u s story , to the effect that the he a d , a fter being

exposed , recited the Koran u ntil it was b u ried , is equalled

by a nother which rel ates th a t , l ong ye ars a fterwa rds,a h u nt ing p arty fo u nd the body and he a d of Ahmed ibn Nasr

b u ried in the desert sa nd , a nd th at there was not the slight est indic ation of dec a y u pon them

’- A l M a 1 . 1 ) b u h. I ,7 9

- 1d 2 al Su ki . 1 2 f. i JLS UJ 9 5 3 l Lo cz—Lfi ) b ,p 4 O 69 3 ) , M ,

S La - — 3 ” a z; l l M B " u t zsUilB d u l . ) u d g e LJ U ) g W Cr r

’ ” 1 fi L1 . “ > Rea n f a g Jams. m x (3 6 ) 51 [ d , q J 3 U J 1 1 9

c N u i a m ibn H a mmad was a nother who held o ut . H a mméd He was the fo u rth o f a qu artette who c ame from Merv a nd end u red with stea dfastness the M ihn a ; the first

was Ahmed ibn H a nb al a nd the others, M oha mmed ibn Nuh c l-M a nd a u a ad r fib Ahmed ibn N asr . Nu aim ibn H a mm d st died c Tra dition a grea t deal in the Hij az and I r ak a nd went,a fter

- i was wards , to Egypt . In the Khalifate of a l Wath k , he bro ught from Egypt a nd exa mined ; a nd , not s atisfying the demand m a de u pon him to confess the Koran to be created , he was thrown into prison where he died c c k u l iti Am Va /1,25 A bu Ya fib, Y s uf ibn Y a hya a B uwa , the - c d l B u wa il z p u pil o f al Shafi i to whom he entrusted his cir c le o f schol ars at his death , was imprisoned for his refusal to a cknowledge th at the Koran was crea ted , and died l n c c f f ll hafi ite s al - a prison 2 3 2 A . H . One o his e ow S , R bi ibn - S uleiman , rel ates tha t he s aw al Bu waiti in his cha ins , and ‘ ‘ ’ heard him s aying, God crea ted the creation by K u n [Be l], ‘ ’ bu t , if K u n be created , then it is as if a created thing created wha t was created By God ! I will die in these thy chains,that

’l‘ l J l ” &Ul m .) } B B l b n > l5 M M a 4 0 9 O ) pp ) r j r 0 r

w a —fl ow 13 s mums a m mJ G g ,

‘ - M ib l 3L x .) LA 1 M a rizi . 1 1 4 1. a ) al k ,p , p 0 ? t

‘ ’ 2) Kun is her e e mpl oy e d as synonymou s with a manife s tation of the Heave nl y ' Wor f God as e l aine l a er in the r k - d o ( xp d t p es e nt wor ) . Al Buwaiti s e ems to have b e en in full agr e eme n t with his m as t er al -Shafid ,an d the l atte r in turn with ’ - A me as far at l e as as the oran was on e r n e cf. . nd A u l M h d , t K c c d ( p 49 a b ah. I , ‘ ’ The is u sion Ku n k d c s of in Hou tsma ,D e Strijd e tc .,1 29,s e ems to l oo

ow r r i w n ose l th r t m o h t a d othe v e s tha th he d by e o thodox at he ti e f t e M ihn a . 1 20 those coming a fter u s m ay know th a t men h a ve d ied in d i - bonds fo r this c a u se ; a n , f I go in to him [al Wathik], I f ’ will decl a re the tr u th be ore him . From prison he wrote to c a l -Ra bi ibn S uleiman entr u sting him with the c are o f his circl e o f p u pils , a nd bidding him be fa ithful to them The rem a ining history o f the M ihn a in the reign o f al

Wat hik is shortly told . There is one incident which is in keeping with the fa n a tic al bigotry shewn by Ahmed ibn Abi D owad in his e fforts to esta blish the doctrine th at the

a wa s a 2 Kor n cre ted . In the ye ar 3 1 A . H. , it was proposed

a 4600 f G , R a m a,”of to r nsom prisoners rom the reeks when P r is on er s Ibn Abi D o wad s u ggested th at they sho ul d r a nsom

om f il e f r only s u ch as a dmitted the cre a tion o f the Koran , Gr eek" a nd a u l a a th t these sho d e ch receive two /din rs on l l their re e a se . This wa s a ct u ally done , a nd a s nTa l n u mber o f prisoners , who co uld not bring their consciences u p to the point of meeting the test , were left u nredeemed in the h a nds o f the Greeks

° ' - ll l - u fiti arik 1 ) Hamme r Pu r gs ta ,Lit. G es ch. III ,p . 2 00 ,N . 1 0 50 ; a S j ,T h ’ - - ’ - al Kh ol . 3 50 ; Ab u l Fe d a Ann . II , 1 3 2 ; Fihr is t I , 2 1 2 ; Ab u l M ahasin , I ,

- l l l 686 al M a rizi . 1 1 Os b hi d M Lo ; k ,p , b w y g re )

am 2115 LJl _ Jz_ J silo L 3 L o t x> 0 a A, ,0,a 4 5, a»; a

igs l s o l l i ual c al; as ! w i! sls cf. or . d g j U [ K O J

” l ° " a g 1> al s o» a w ls J. s rJ d Gr 3 L,6 5; , ,

’ ‘ ’ 2 T ri 111 Wol r A u l ) ab a , ff. ; D e G oeje , Fr agm . His t . A ab . 11 , 53 1 ; b - M ah. I 68 al k , 4 ; S ub i ,p . 1 46.

1 2 2

In the third pla ce , the o ld ma n a sked if the Prophet had

known the doctrine now propo u nded , and if he ha d ever

invited men to a ccept it . Ibn Abi D owad cla imed that M o

h ammed knew the doctrine , bu t he wo ul d not a nswer the q u estion as to whether the Prophet ha d m a de its]profession l a u l l ob ig tory pon the be iever or not . Here the h c a imed

his third a nd fin al point . B ut he did not here . He

a rgu ed th at , a llowing M oha mmed to h ave known the doc trine in point and the e a rly Kh alifs to h a ve known it ; seeing tha t both he a nd they had been s atisfied to refra in from ’ i in a a \ .l g g men to confess the tenet o f the Kor n s cre tion ,

. . was it the p a rt of a modern ze alot to do wh at they had

o t ?S u l a s was N p done pposing they did be ieve he did , it not - his p a rt to keep his belief a mere priva te o p1n1on as they ha d done , inste a d o f forcing people to think as himself ?A comp a nion o f the Khalif al -M u ht a di who tells this story sa ys - th a t al M u ht adi , who was present on the occa sion , ga ve u p the doctrine o f the cre a tion o f the Koran from this time , a nd th a t al-Wathik ordered the sheikh to be at once set

free, a nd , a pp arently , himself believed no longer as he had

l la u s a a al be ieved re tive to the Koran . Other a cco nts y th t

Wéthik ch a nged his view before he died , a nd , in the con ne c tion where it occ u rs in the Ara bic record , the testimony o f al-M u htadi is cited to shew th a t the incident above given ’ occ u rred toward the end o f al -Wathik s Kh alifate

- a 2 2 and A LM u mwa kkil A l M u ta wakkil beg n to reign in 3 , A ér og a res t he the M ihn a contin u ed to exist for two ye a rs M il wa in his re ign , being bro u ght to a close in the a 2 f the ye r 34 . The whole term of its d u ra tion was , th u s , rom ’ l a a o f - st ye r al M a mun , 2 1 8 A . H. , to the second or third a o f al -M t e la a al ye r u t awakkil , 2 34 A . H . In h tter ye r , M u tawa kkil stopped the a pplic a tion of the test , a nd by pub lic procla m a tion thro u gho u t the Empire forb a de men on

- M i n a to a l os e . B u t the r u I ) St ein er , 78 ,s ay s al Wathik b r ought the h c t th l ion to the oran is th a t he we n t n o fur th e r th an to chan ge his view in r e at K

i e a r e en e him fr om a ual l an d to p u r p o s e ab r ogating the t e s t . H s d th p v t d ct y

car ry ing his p u r p os e in t o e ffe ct . 1 2 3

‘ f . p ain o dea th ) to profess the creation o f the Koran . A t

M .4 this there was great rejoicing everywhere . e n praised the ' virtu es o f the Khalif, a nd forgot his vices ; pra yers for bless 4 ing u pon him were hea rd on all sides a nd his n a me was mentioned with those of the good Khalifs A bu Bekr and c Omar - ibn Abd al Aziz . Two things alone were remembered aga inst him by his M u slim s u bj ects , both of which occu rred

a 2 in the ye r 36 A . H . The one was the permission gra nted for the s ack of D a masc u s to the Tu rkish soldiery (the event however did not h appen) ; a nd the other, the destru ction o f the tomb o f al-Hos ain together with the b u ildings ro und a bout it , and the conversion of the l a nd into fields

O n n l for e r e s f l dzi r M oh. S u . 2 1 6. 1 ) death p e a ty h y c . G o he , t d II ,

z e m 6 2 cf. . r e mer H e rr sch. e e n . I sl . 2 {f . cf. o H t sl a . 1 ) v K_ , Id d 4 5 ; D y , I 3 ; ’ ° - - - c f I bn ll A u l M h 1 6 02 al Su fiti Tar . al ol . . Cha . N . 1 3 3 ; b a . I ,69 , 95, 7 ; j , Kh

c l - 2 l - u ki 1 lb aw l ol 3 52 ; a Ja qfibi 11 ,59 ; a S b ,p . 43 ,A , f

" : 5 a m l s s -ll L4 5 u i to A ; 0 L9 4 ) 3 yr 4 } Q , C) i E t s 3 53115, J: g alé lia s d us as s ass» h a ,

al a s Em : l a -51 Lal so . - 5 g; ) ) 3 5 3l 0 9 y , 4

' l ’ - a s M a l c Jo._ J a_ sl A u l M ah. 1 1 us ua l L , [ b , 7 4] m a “ a ga Lfi ls Lists 14 ” , 3 r 0 , as :

’- A u l M ah. 1 Fr m H A wl d 9 55 [ b I ,7 2 ; ag . is t . rab . II, é b 3 1 24

a a al u o f u 1 in Gw em / T king gener s rvey the inq isition ) ’ - S u r vey of a ug ur a t e d by al M a m un , a nd c a rried on by the

”i f M il wa . two s u cceeding Kh ali fs , we c a n s ay th a t a s a n at tempt to sta mp o u t by force moral convictions it wa s a

fa il u re from the sta rt ; for , in the M u slim world as everywhere

else , there was a n a dmira tion a nd a moral s u pport a ccorded by the grea t body of the people to those who s u ffered per

s e c u tio n , s u ch a s might h a ve l e d men far less sincere th a n Ahmed ibn H a nb al to sta nd o ut a ga inst a tyra nno u s cr us a de \ o f repression Tha t the principles o f the strictest orthodox

M l “ 53 L0 hm ab d ol M l M U ) ) Q LJ ? {o -3 M f r ? f

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M 1

1 ) A sh or t a cc ou n t of the M ihn a and its is su e s is to be fou nd ,D ozy,He t ff I sl amis me , 1 54 .

r 1 tc 1 0 6f m h mo i 2) Hou tsma ( D e St jd e . .) a pp ear s to ak e t e t ve fo r the t e s is tan c e o f the or th o d o x th e ol ogian s to th e ir r a tion al is tic o pp on e n t s on e of

i io f su r r e n e r th n of h un r e a e n u r r el g u s p olicy . I th ey d e d e do ct r i e t e c t d at e o f the Kor an ,the h o p e of the u n iv e r s al s p r e a d of I s l am wou l d hav e to be give n

i mo i ll our e bu t c an ll u p. I h ave n ot foun d th s t v e a e ge d in any of my s c s , we

im r o n b e l ie v e tha t it m ay h av e b e en a s e c on d ar y , th ou gh n ot a p r a y e . The

m r m o r n A m n d o who s oo wi p r i a y o tiv e was al t g e th e r p e s o al . h e d a th s e t d th him had a s impl e b el ie f ,in c ap abl e of an al y si s ,in the e t e r nity an d u nor igin aten e s s of the Kor an ; th e y h op e d , too ,for a r e war d if th e y main t ain e d the ir faith at all c o s ts , an d fe ar e d gr av e s piritu al c on s e q u en c e s s houl d the d octr in e

The on or of G o d the i in e Le a ion of the P r o e the be giv en u p. h , D v g t ph t , u niq u e an d ine ffabl e dign ity of the Kor an ,an d ,finall y , the e v e rl as tin g well

/ ( 1 26

They had , on philosophic al gro u nds , declared the i in

a s well a s the a ttrib u tes o f God , to be cre a ted ; bu t , We

they O pposed him , they so u ght to convict him o f error 61

his own gro u nd , a nd by his own method of proof , a nd he seems to h a ve had the better of them in most o f their word

u l u bu t p assa ges . The a rgu ments sed were chi dish eno gh , had not more so for him tha n for them . The fa ct th at he

\ e a rnest convictions to defend , a nd th a t m a ny of those who stood a ga inst him had been either frightened or bribed into

\ ta king their present sta nd , stood him in good ste a d , a nd - \ m u st comm a nd ou r respect a s we , to d ay , review the whol e

historic al scene in which he is a figu re . ’ - As to al M a mun , he evidently disliked the sl avishness of

orthodoxy , a nd was imp atient at its m a ny a bs u rdities ; bu t he shewed at the sa me time how e asy it is for a le a rned ma n to displa y a disd a inful and n a rrow spirit toward the

u nlea rned , for a philosopher to become a dogm atist , a nd for an a dvoc a te of liberal views to become a tyra nt towa rd

those o f stricter beliefs . Ahmed ibn Abi D owad wa s a m an whom one find s - it

u l a diffic t to credit with e a rnest convictions . His first m ster , ’ - a l M a mun , may be credited with a cting in the belief th a t he wa s right a nd in the consequ ent wish to sec u re the gen eral a doption o f his O pinions ; but his minister will not be misj u dged if we look u pon him as a ct u a ted by contempt a nd violent h a tred towa rd men o f strict life a nd towa rd

/ze alo u s a dvoc a tes of religio u s d u ties , whose p u rita nism a p

pe ar e d in his eyes to be bu t ph arisaic hypocrisy . He is not

dis p u tations which ar e r e c or de d in th e s e p age s sh e w that the or thodox had the gr e a t ar gum e n t s of the Wor d of G o d an d the Tr adition ,and c oul d wiel d

e s e as well or e r a ir th b e tt th n th e o pp on e n t s . I shak ibn Ib r ahim the go ve r nor , - - c Abd al Rahman ibn I shak,an d al -M u tas im ar e all s aid to h av e b e e n imp r e ss e d by the for c e of wha t Ahme d ibn Hanb al s aid an d the way in which he s aid ‘ c i i r a t . St e ne r ( D ie M u tazil iten ,8) say s that the M u tazil a u se d the Ko n in t er

r e tin it all e or i all an d i in e ir r e as onin s il os o i a m p g g c y g v g th g a ph ph c l c as t . Hou ts a, c D e Stn d e 80 th z ( j tc . ) s p eaks of e M u ta il a as b e ing ,in gen e ral ,men l acking

in e ar ne s ne ss and i t ial e i riflin t g ve n o d ct c t g in dis p u tation . 1 27 as black a cha ra cter as the p artisa ns of Ahmed ibn H a nb al wo uld represent him to be , bu t I h a ve met no record o f his connection with the M ihn a which shews him as other th an arbitra ry a nd u nfeeling , except the isol a ted reference in the tri al o f Ahmed ibn N asr the conspirator

- i a al a whom al Wath k pu t to death . There , as we h ve re dy - seen , Ibn Abi D o wad s u ggests , when . al Wathik grows a ngry with Ibn Nasr for persisting in his belief , tha t the prisoner is a n o ld m a n whose mind is dera nged , bu t who will see differently when he has ha d time to come to - himself. This a ccou nt , be it rem arked , occ u rs in a l S u b ’ ki s Tabakat (life o f Ahmed ibn Ha nbal) , where Ibn Abi D owad finds from the au thor a n a pology for his a cts in more tha n one insta nce , bu t in ea ch c ase the a pology

a e r s onal o inion o f a u of a is p . p the thor the book , r ther l th an well s upported historica tra dition . In earlier a cco u nts , a nd in la ter as well , Ibn Abi D owad is pu t before u s ' ‘ a s a n able m an , with eminent s oc ial qualitie s , bu t with a persec u ting spirit in a dministration ; a n d , tho u gh we ha ve ’ sa id that a l-M a mun wished to enforce the M ihn a before he re ally did so , we m u st remember that he a ctu ally did

o f bu t a w s not, do so his own motion , th t it a Ibn Abi D owad alone who tu rned the sc ale which bro ught a bo u t the long tyra nny of sixteen yea rs ending shortly a fter al ’ M u t awakkil s accession . We c a n believe too , that had it not been for him the Mihna wo u ld h a ve la psed fo r wa nt c o f interest or from positive dista ste on the p art o f al -M u ta - sim or al Wathik. c ’ For al-M u tas im s p art in this movement we have not

to s ay. He fou nd no pleas ure in the wretched bu s ’ of persec uting men s convictions , and clea rly shewed fr ’ 1hme d s c ase that , ha d it not been for obligations which hel d to be inviolable , he wo uld h a ve had nothing to do

of a s a th the enforcement the test to the Kor n . - Al Wathik , as to his p art in the M ihn a , is in somewha t ’ u l-M a eater degree a ret rn to a mun . Like his pr e d e c e s

was a o rs he , too , domin ted by Ibn Abi D wéd . The r e 1 28

corded c a ses , very fe w in n u mber , o f those whom he tried ’ for the Koran evince cru elty as a fe at u re o f this Kh alif s

ch a ra cter , a nd th at o f Ahmed ibn Na sr , in p artic ular , is positively br u t al Not m u ch c a n be s a id in fa vor o f those who yielded in

o f u the Mihn a . The a ssent the first seven who were s mmon ’ ed to the Khalif s presence was the fa tal fa ctor which l e d ll i to the following u p of the persec u tion . Sti , t was not the l ess we akness in those who rec a nted afterwa rds th at they

sho u ld h a ve been te rrified into s u bmission . The doctrine of the Ta kia was genero u sly a pplied to them by their friends

a nd comp a nions , a nd , no do u bt , s a ved them a gre a t de al in the estim ation of the p u blic ; but their co u rse was not

felt by themselves to h a ve been credit abl e , a nd bitter was c the regret of men like Y a hya ibn M a in th at the sword sho ul d h a ve frightened them into s u rrender of a doctrine

l a n which was felt to be the tr u th . It is the fau t of g g u f W that theologic al opinions a r e b ased too m u ch on the logic of words , a nd not u pon verities from which

l ll s f the mora and inte ect u al j u dgment c a nnot sep arate it el . This was the c a se with the doctrine o f the u norigin a te na

o f t u re the Koran . Its evidences were simply words , a nd it

was only an exception al ch a ra cter like Ahmed ibn Ha nb al , ’ who ha d seen the p u rel y spec ulative q u estion of the Koran s

origin in relations , the m ainten a nce of which seemed to him

to 1nvolve the very existence of his religio u s life a nd fa ith , to whom a s u rrender of his O pinion bec a me o f tra nscendent d 1 moment . Others ha not the s a me gre a t conception of the

q u estion th at he ha d , they knew it only a s one o f the con t r o ve r t e d points i o '

l a them . The s u rrender o f it might be a victory for a n c d ‘1d nent , but it was worth m aking fo r the sake of one s

Those who yielded took , at a l ater d ate , a more serio u s

view of wha t they had done , bu t , at the time when they

’ 1 I th un of me i n N s t h ) n e acco t Ah d b a s e xecu tion ,p . 1 1 8 ,we av e su p

p r e s s e d the mor e har r owing fe atur e s .

1 30

wo uld s u rely h a ve followed the persec u tion alrea dy p ast , ha d a l-M u ta wakkil desired to m ake c a pit al o u t o f his con l l n e c t ion with orthodoxy . It is more ike y th a t his rela tion to theology a nd religion is to be expla ined by tempera ment

a n l f d rev ulsion o f fee ing rom the co u rse o f his predecessors .

The l a tter , indeed , ha d a lre a dy shewn strong signs th a t ,

person ally , they were we a ry o f the inq u isition . They , how

ever , still a ccorded in their theologic a l views with the

u persec u ting p arty a nd were s bj ect to their infl u ence . A l c M u t a wakkil was a a l a Shafi it e ll ” , pp rent y , None wi deny I th a t his theologic al position m a de him friends a s a res ult ,

bu t , however bla ck his record m ay be , a nd wh a tever there

may be to bl a me in his n arrow bigotry , we think tha t his — z intention was only to reform a b u ses in religion as he s aw them

I I I .

’ a l a of al -M ut awakkil s Al -M u wwa kkil In the e r y ye rs reign

a n d A i med there were those who so u ght to inj u re Ahmed

275”H n ba l 3 a with the Kh alif ) . One report , in p a rtic ula r,was

’ - - l . 1 ) al Sujfiti ,Tarikh al Kho . 3 59 im u e ol i 2) Ne ar l y all E ur op e an wr it er s p t p it c al motiv e s to this Khal if , as ’ - n he inau ur a e the e r s e u i m well a s to al M a mun wh e g t d p c t on . It ay be ad mitte d th at al -M u tawakkil r e c ognize d the fu tility o f p e r s e cu tion a s l on g a s the g r e a t mas s o f his s u bj e cts we r e of or th od o x s ymp athie s ( Hou tsma , bu t e l a lis e - the fact , which a pp e ar s to be w l e s t b h d ,tha t al M u tawakkil was pe r s on ally or th odox in his th e ol ogic al c on viction s , a s wel l as the o th er fa ct s which h av e b e e n n otice d in the t e xt ,woul d s e em to ful l y a cc oun t for wh a t

e e s a e in the or i in al s ou r e s w i a e onsul e he did . It is n owh r t t d g c h ch I h v c t d

m o i e an a o f e r s onal r e l i io r r tha t he had an y oth e r t v th th t p g us p efe e n c e . O ut o f this p e r s onal g r oun d s p r an g his in te ntion to b r ing ab ou t a r e s tor ation o f C nism to Al ite s too was mor e a of a fan a i al t or th o doxy . His an tago y , , th t t c e p r e s en t a tiv e of c er t ain views than tha t of a m an who h op e d to mak e hims elf

the s e he oo h mor e p op u l ar with the maj or ity by t p t k . T e p ubl ic fe el ing wh en - he de s tr oy e d the t omb of ai Husain s he ws this . c ff is s ou r e is n ow foll owe i 3) Abu N u aim , 1 50 5 . ( Th c d w th a fe w e x 0 / a) ’ ce tion s w i ar e n o e ?55 M A E -l l u Lis J i t ) p h ch t d) f ; ( H f 1 3 1

tha t he had charged with Atheism the predecessors of

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1 34

who m a de it to be flogged fo r trying to inj u re a good s u bj ect .

‘ ) LsLs i i i M LJL. w Lm s LS o U s M J fi M j g d / i 5 d i a n i i ‘ i i A. ” sa s d — s ao M L5 9 fl M J o w j l M u j

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la n u ig : S xm ii M a i 1 > wa s M B “? f C , O , 6 L9 j ) ” as as as as ; as s ; L) a s aw m; L; La s ts r U fi U ) j 53 U U

ms a s s lg ”s ; ms ga s 55 m k a. a u s u; U ; a w ? O

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- a f al f Fm,[ M il a nm An invit tion rom the Kh i to Ahmed to

t o Vis it d l vis it him was br o ught to him before the end

a ” M u mw kk a a o f the yea r 2 3 5 A . H . by Ish k ibn Ibr him ’ who on this occasion asked Ahmed s forgiveness for the p a rt c - which he ha d taken in the sco u rging u nder a l M u t as im .

Ahmed , in reply , a ssu red him tha t he ha d fu lly forgiven

all who had so u ght his h u rt , or p a rticip ated , in a ny wa y ,

a a . a as k a n d Con ver s a tion on th t occ sion Ish k then proceeded to wit /z Ahmed for his own priva te s atisfaction a bo u t

[ M d/53m on M e lf the Koran , a nd the l a tter expressed himse , 52 ”o W f me as he u niformly did , to the effect that it wa s

a the u ncre ated Word o f God . Ishak then sked

fo r the proofs o f the statement , a nd Ahmed , in a nswer , ‘ cited Koran 7 52 , Are not the Creation a nd the Comma nd ’ his ? a nd pointed ou t th at in the p ass age a distinction

wa s m ade between the Creation a nd the Comma nd . The ‘ ’ a ss f Comm nd pa , in controversies o f this kind re ers to the ‘ ’ etern al a nd he a venly Word of God , j u st as does K u n , on ‘ ’ ‘ ’ a e 1 1 . a ! ip g 9 Ish k s a id , The Comma nd is created . What ex ‘ claimed Ahmed , the Comma nd created ! N a y , it crea tes tha t ’ ‘ which is created . Ishak then asked , Who has h anded down ’ ? in Tra dition the Vi ew that it is not cre at ed Ahmed a n “ C ‘ s we r e d , Jfa r 1bn M oh a mmed ,who s a id , It I S n e ithe r a c r e at or ’ nor a cre ated thing Then , this convers ation being ended ’ a nd Ishak having sec u red Ahmed s a greement to go to the c a mp , it was not long before he wa s on the wa y thither ; b ut , fo r some u nexplained c au se , orders c a me while the

i C M g ”LJ Q .) 0 : 3 3 CA Ju ; M J u M S 13 “ 1 j g L5 , 25 W L5 , J

‘ ’ ? ‘ l ai “ L” Os » J d ? L A. M U LI M , 6 ,

c 1 ) I shak ibn Ibrahim , the g ov e r n or of I r ak, as we l l a s Ishak ibn Ibr ahim - al M au sili the fa ori e o f th al if in 2 H . h on r e fe rr , v t e Kh s , die d 3 5 A . T e e e d

to in th e i f u r e t xt s , o c o s e , the for me r . 2) This app e ar s to be n ot o nl y an au the n tic t radition ,bu t ,a s we l l , the cl e ar e s t an d mos t dir e ct which was offer e d by the or thodo x in s u pp or t of

ir V i the e w . fo r j o u rney wa s in progress him to be ret u rned to his home . ° It is altogether likely th a t a s u spicion o f A lyit e le a nings in ff n l Ahmed ibn H a nb al a ord a exp a n a tion of this fa ct . As will presently a ppe a r , Ahmed was two or three times a cc used o f l s u ch le a nings to this Kh a if. 2 , In the ye ar 37 A . H. , in form a tion was given to A i med A ? al a a ( w ed of the Kh if ch rging Ahmed with h ving sent one ° C A 1yit e l n ~ of his comp a nions to meet a n A lyit e who was ”5 W“ 5 coming to him from Khorasan . On he a ring this ,the

Kh alif wrote a letter to Abd alla h ibn Ishak , governor of

B aghdad , (who ha d s u cceeded his brother M oh a mmed a nd his fa ther Ishak ibn Ibrahim in the o ffice) a sking him to inq u ire of Ahmed as to the tr u th o f the ch a rge l aid a ga inst him , and , a lso , to se a rch his premises and m ake s u re in the

u f all m atter . In p u rs a nce o these directions,Abd a h sent his cha m be r lain M u z affa r and the postm a ster Ibn al -Kalbi together ’ with women who were to exa mine the women s a p a rtments ,to c a rry o u t the orders which had come to h a nd . When they were ’ come a nd ha d re a d to Ahmed the Khalif s l etter,he protested

‘ th at the report was witho u t fo u nd a tion , a nd th at he was in all respects a loy al s u bj ect The se a rching of the premises ,too , reve aled nothing to s u bsta nti ate the ch a rge a ga inst him .

The res ult was reported to the Kh alif , a nd a d ay or two C - 3 la ter , there c a me a letter from A li ibn al Jahm ) to Ahmed s a ying th at the Khalif wa s fully s a tisfied o f the gro u ndless ness of the report , a nd th a t it had been fabric ated by her C e tic s with the design o f inj u ring him . The letter of A li ’ intim a ted , likewise , the Khalif s wish th a t Ahmed sho u ld

m l o men of os mas e r s in is s or of e e i s r i id 1 ) For e p y t p t t th t d t ct v e e v c e v .

Ho uts m a , 7 1 . 2) Ahme d had b e e n k e e pin g to his hou s e u p to this time ,fol l owin g the

f s a the for me r n or n ol o ian s k e e in ir ou s or d er s o I h k g ov e r . O th e g p g to th e h s e - l dziher M oh. S u . . O n he imil ar r a i o ll e c f. G o , t d II , 94 t s p ct c e by the s ca d

c - ill s i e r s c f. Hou t ma tr i t 6f. Ka a da ( s t tt ) s ,D e S jd e c ., 2 C ’ 3) Ali ibn al -Jahm b anish e d to Khor asan an d kill e d th e r e by al -M u tawak ’ ° ’ - k s A H I n N . A u l M ah . 0 Abu il s dir e ction ,2 3 9 . .,vid . b Chal l . 4 73 ; b I ,73 ; ’ - l Fe d a An n . II , 1 9 0 .

1 4 2 to be given them , in pl a ce o f the money which ha d been given a wa y by their father . It wa s , at the sa me time , speci ally ordered th a t their fa ther sho u ld not be told of the - k m a tter . A l M u t awa k il now sent his greeting to Ahmed , a nd congra t u la ted him on his esc a pe from the a ttempts o f his I f m enemies to involve him in s u spicions . we ay believe the

- record , a nd we prob a bly m a y , al M u t awakkil also expressed ’ his ple a s u re a t Ahmed s presence , a s he wished to cons ult him in the m atter of Ibn Abi D o wad , who ha d j u st fallen into disgra ce Very soon a wish o f the Kh ali f wa s m a de known to Ahmed th a t he sho u ld rem a in with him to te a ch Tra di

a S tion a nd give u p the idea of ret u rning to B a ghd d . E pe c i ally did the Khalif desire him to u nderta ke the te a ching c o f al-M u t a zz fa all Ai med , his vorite son From this

t o R ema in a t Ahmed tried to exc u se himself on the gro u nd

”23 Ca m ? o f physic al infirmity , pointing to his loose teeth l and other evidences of a ge a nd we a kness . He dec a red his belief to be th at the invita tion and enterta inment were , to gether , p arts of a conspira cy to keep him in restra int — to

a a l u a n d Vir t u a l ly m ke him prisoner whi e yet the g est of

i s G ve up his S overeign . And he vowed a vow tha t he

Tea f fiifl g wo uld never as long as he lived tell a nother

l a a comp ete tra dition . S ome s y th t this vow extended over the l ast eight yea rs o f his life ; bu t if he c a me to the Kha

li 2 . f in 3 7 A H. , a nd took u pon him the vow in order to esc a pe detention where he was , the d u ra tion of its binding m force wa s a little over fo u r years . It ay be tha t the vow - was taken when al Wat hik req u ested him to le a ve Baghdad , for we know th a t he ce a sed to te ach d u ring the la tter months ’ o f tha t Khalif s reign ; still , as a m a tter o f fact , we h a ve in this c a se more th a n eight ye ars , a nd , on the whole ,it seems desira ble to d a te his fin al cess a tion o f te a ching from the - time o f this visit to al M u ta wakkil , when he was 7 3 ye a rs o f age a nd , a s we re ally know , a ma n m u ch we a kened in his physic al constit u tion .

1 v d o 6. ) i . n te 2 , p . 5 ’ al - u fi i rik al - ol 2) S j t ,Ta h Kh . 3 57 . 1 4 3

a a a f [ fl zem t of It ppe rs to h ve been some time be ore

’ a l -M u t a wa kkzl Ahmed was s u mmoned to the P ala ce ; bu t , in i”A i med the mea ntime , the Khalif shewed a friendly interest in him a nd evinced a respect fo r his lea rning by

s u bmitting to him q u estions fo r his j u dgment u pon them . One o f these was the following : S u pposing two a nim als to be

fighting with their horns , and the one mortally wo u nd the other ; ma y the wo u nded a nimal if sla u ghtered be u sed fo r ’ food ?Ahmed s a nswer was tha t , if the a nimal shewed signs

o f life by moving its eyelids a nd by switching its ta il , a nd if its blood was still flowing and not congealed , it might be sla u ghtered a nd e aten .

H is Vis it to At la st , he wa s ordered to a ppe a r in the pres ’ c /ze P a l a ce - t . wa e nc e o f the Khalif s son a l M u t a zz. It s a sore a ffliction to Ahmed when Y a hya ibn Khakan c a me to fit on

him the Co u rt costu me , but he was ind u ced to allow it to be

t lf u l pu t u pon him , thou gh pu it on himse he wo d not . On

this occ asion , Ya hya ibn Khakan told the sons of Ahmed that a stipend of 4000 dirhems per month had been ordered to be p aid to them , but th at their father was not to know o f

a t Pal a was ll u it . On a rriving the ce ,Ahmed we received ,tho gh

o u f there is bu t a very sc a nt notice f the a dience . A ter his

ret u rn to his lodgings from this first visit to his new protégé, he felt ba dly over the sin he tho u ght he had committed in wea ring the fine clothes he had been obliged to pu t on ; a nd , at once removing them , he ordered his son Salih to send them to B aghdad , where they were to be sold a nd their price

fa l f a given to the poor . His own mi y he orb de to reserve a ny o f the ga rments fo r their person al u s e ; bu t , n otwit hs t a n ’ a o f w Salih kept the bonnet . Ahmed s pe ce mind as distu rbed at this time , also , over his prospective visits the Sovereign himself , a nd the cha rge he sho u ld ha ve a s \ ’ - t u tor to the Khalif s son ; fo r it seems that al M u tawakkil did not, at first, take into considera tion the vow which Ahmed had taken not to tell Tra dition perfectly . It is not likely th at he re ally a ppeared before al-M u ta wakkil at a ll ; at least , we ha ve nothing to shew that he 1 44 did , nor h a ve we a ny evidence th a t he a ct u ally ha d the ’ c ’ f l-M u zz ch a rge o the Khalif s son . A ta ,at the time of Ahmed s a rrival a t S u r r a manr a , was not more th a n six ye a rs o f ag e , if a s old as th a t ’ h a a l a A s ks a A med s next griev nce rose when he e rned

ma ng e of tha t the ho u se in which he was l odged had be

R‘S id f ’m longed to Itakh On he a ring this , he ha d a le t - ter written to M oh a mmed ibn al ja rrah , seeking th at al M u t a wakkil wo uld rele ase him from the obligation to rem ain there . The Kh alif gra nted this requ est , a nd then so u ght to enga ge a nother home fo r him , by a sking some peopl e to

o u t o f move the ho u se which they were occ u pying . This

Ahmed did not wish a nd it was given u p. Finally, a s u itable

’ la was fo r at a 200 . ”,O en d e p ce hired him rent of dirhems a m f d a t t he Lu x u r iou s Here he was grieved a t the lux u ry with which

’ ' P r ow fl Ofl M a de the ho u se was fu rnished , a nd , le a vi ng the

f or H im' finely fu rnished a p a rtments , contented him self with a h u mble m a ttress which he had bro u ght with

s l him . The bo u ntifu l t a ble which wa p a ced at his disposal was , likewise , a gre a t o ffence to him ; a fa ct which we c an re a dily believe , when we a r e informed th at the l a ndlord of the ho u se o ffered Salih ibn Ahmed a s u m of 3000 dirhems a f month for it , a nd was refused . Those o his fa mily who were desiro u s of reta ining the t abl e were obliged to h a ve it set

’ u l of u Fa s ting a n a down in the vestib e the ho se , where he

S ickn es s . lf f might not see it . He himse a sted most of the i time , p arta king only of a little s a w k a nd bre a d , u ntil , at - l a st , he wa s ta ken sick a nd the well known physici a n Ibn M a s fiyah ha d to be sent to prescribe for him . He exa mined Ahmed , ’ a ss u red him th a t his tro u ble was not re ally a dise ase , but simply we akness a nd wa sting of the body from la ck of no u rishment , and prescribed for him sesa me o il , which he decla red tha t he , a s a Christi a n , was a cc u stomed to give to the a scetics of his own fa ith when they had bro u ght

’ - A H . A u l M ah. I I 2 . 1 ) He was b or n 2 3 2 . , b , 4 ’ - H . A u l M a . 1 02 . 2) Itakh the Tu r k kill e d 234 A . , b h ,7

1 46

Co u rt cost u me . He might we a r cotton or wool j u st as pl e ased

him . It a ppe ars , in fa ct , to h a ve been a general dispens a tion from fulfilling a ny requ ests from persons in a u thority

which might be distasteful to him Now , at l ast , he was rele ased from his fe a r tha t they were going to m ake of him a n a a é of u and tt ch the Co rt , on this point had e ase of mind . For his fellow-tra ditionists who rem ained at Co u rt his feeling a ppe ars to have been one of cens u ring contempt . They were a fra id to do th a t which wo uld deprive them of their stipends from the Khalif , a nd , possibly , bring u pon them m u ch worse consequ ences . Ahmed had a ccomplished his end in sec u ring his exemption from a ttend a nce at Co u rt ; not , however , by ’ a direct refu s al o f the Kh alif s m a nd ate , bu t by persistent exc u ses ; by shewing a dislike to wh a t he was expected to do ; and by his discontent with the general a rra ngements ’ - u which were m a de for him by al M tawakkil s orders . He ob str u cted as far as possibl e the royal wishes , but did not deny them .

éli a nd b alla u Cor m pm aa His two sons , S h A d h , now ret rned em e wit/zto B aghdad , a nd , a fter they ha d gone a way , the ” 7223“ 50m fine fu rnishings of the ho u se were removed ,and the ’ Khalif s d a ily provision ceased to be provided . By Abd alla h , who left him l a ter th a n his brother , he sent word to Salih, telling him that both he and his brother were not desired to a ttend on him any fu rther , for he rega rded most of the

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u npleasa nt experiences thro u gh which he had p assed as d u e to their not s u pporting him in the sta nd he ha d taken a nd

c l c their wa nt o f a ctive symp athy with his prin ip es . Their a ’ c e ptanc e o f the Khalif s fine provision , if they c a me b ack , - wo uld bring him only into ill fa vor with the p u blic ; a nd their ’ a ccepta nce o f the Khalif s stipend , aga inst his known Wish a nd sense o f d u ty , he considered a gra ve brea ch o f fili al

piety . They both might go where they wo uld with his prayers following them , bu t he desired th at they sho u ld not c u mber

him further by their presence . S u ch was the tenor of his

first two letters to his son Salih . In a third he repro aches his sons for not taking steps to sec u re his release from his

u nwilling detention . But he a dvises them to keep to their

dwellings and expresses the hope th at God ,by some me ans

will open up his wa y. ’ l at a a a Agmed s . Whi e the c mp , Ahmed m de his test ment ,

T s mm t . e l a which was a s follows : In the n a me of God , the

Merciful , the Gra cio u s . This is the testa ment o f Ahmed ibn

u t ll l H a nbal . He testifies tha t there is no God b A ah , a one

and withou t fellow , a nd that M oha mmed is his S erva nt a nd his M essenger whom He sent with the right gu id a nce a nd

the tru e religion , that he might m ake it known as the per f eet religion , thou gh the idolaters be disple ased . He , fu rther, testifies that those who obey his family a nd his relatives worship God a mong those who worship , praise him a mong those who offer praise and do good service to the Com

m unity of the M u slims . I , also , testify that I a m s atisfied

with Allah a s Lord , with Islam as a religion , a nd with M ohammed as Prophet . I , further , testify th at Abd allah ibn

M oh ammed , known a s Bfir an , has a cla im aga inst me for abo ut fifty dinars , and that he is to be credited in wh at m ever he ay s ay. Le t what is d u e to him be p a id from the

rent o f the ho u se , if God will , a nd after he has been p aid ,

the children o f Salih and Abdallah , sons of Ahmed ibn

H anbal , ar e to receive , each male a nd female , ten dirhems ,

I) p . 1 40 ,note 2 1 48

a o f A after the p yment the money to bu M oh a mmed . Wit ne ss e d by A bfi Yfis uf and Salih a nd Abd alla h the two sons

o f Ahmed ibn M oh a mmed ibn H a nb al .

was a a l a a p er mimim It not gre t whi e before Ahmed g in

Gr a n t ed t o R e requ ested a ch a nge of a nd the ’ t u m t o B a fidd a o g Khalif , with gre a t kindness , a cceded to his r e

qu est a nd , not only allowed him to engage a nother dwell

ing , but sent to him one tho u s a nd dinars th at he might

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m ade re a dy to t ake him to B aghdad ; this last fa vor how

ever, Ahmed declined , preferring to tra vel by la nd on a cco u nt

f f l o o risk to his he alth rom the co dness f the river j o u rney . - When he left for home , a l M u t awa kkil had a l etter written to

M oh a mmed ibn Abd allah , the governor of Ba ghd ad ,ordering l n him to de al kind y with Ahmed a d take good c a re o f him .

- o f u a a Oéj em t o M y From the time his ret rn to B ghd d ,

’ ‘ ’ Fa mily k ecezmng the story of Ahmed s life is little more tha n

S t i en “. p d a record of his differences with his fa mily in p a rtic u l a r , with his sons Salih a nd Abd alla h , a nd his p atern al u ncle Ishak ibn H a nb al , a bo u t the receiving of ’ the Kh alif s stipends a nd gifts which c a me to them from time to time . He wo uld block u p the doorwa ys between ’ his sons ho u ses a nd his own , when they expressed deter min ation to a ccept the moneys , which they needed fo r the s u pport o f their fa milies , a nd vigoro u sly dissented from his view th at their position was the s a me as his own , a nd tha t

a w s wh t a good fo r him was , likewise , good for them . For as long as two or three months together he wo u l d h a ve nothing to do with his sons ; a nd it was , a pp a rently , only as their children in playing m a de their way into their ’ gra ndfather s ho u se a nd to u ched a more symp athetic chord o f his n at u re , or as the offices of his good friend Buran (Abd allah ibn M oh a mmed) were c alled in th at reconcili a tion a was bro u ght a bo u t . His u ncle Ish k certa i nly played i n worthy p a rt towa rd him . He pretended gre at fr e d shi a nd complete deference to his wishes as to the receiving of money , a nd a t the s a me time a ccepted it with the rest . When Ahmed discovered the dissim ula tion , he was very a ngry ; and it was all to no p u rpose th at Ishak tried to exc u se himself on the gro u nd th a t he ha d u sed the money in giving al ms , for he knew , and Ahmed knew, tha t he had not done so . Ahmed then ce ased to worship in the mosqu e where his sons a nd u ncle worshipped , and for the necess ary pra yers went to a mosqu e o u tside the city qu arter in which H he ve d . ’ Hara ssed as they were by him , the members of Ahmed s 1 51 fa mily agreed once or twice to receive no more money ; bu t , after a period o f a bstinence , the u rgent needs of their families forced them to give u p the self-deni al a nd again

l a cl a im their stipends . At st , Ahmed went so far a s to write to Ya hya ibn Khakan , telling him tha t he ha d m ade u p his mind to req u est the withdrawal of the regu lar aid which l al was gra nted to his fa mi y . S ih a nticipated his fa ther , how ever , by informing the ofiic e r who was over th at p art o f

B aghdad in which they resided , a nd he s u cceeded in pre ’ venting Ahmed s letter from a ccomplishing its obj ect . The aid was contin u ed and , not only th at , bu t all th a t was d u e to the fa mily , dirhems , being the u ndra wn sti

w s a pend for ten months, a p id over to his sons . And ,thou gh the Khalif had ordered his officers not to inform Ahmed al lf o f the p ayment , S ih himse sent word o f it to his father .

The old man , when he heard the message , exclaimed after ‘ a meditative silence , What c an I do when I desire one thing ’ 1 a nd God orders a nother ! )

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’ f u Ba a a Ag a in A ter Ahmed s ret rn to ghd d (the d te C ' ed of A lyzt e ‘ o f which we do not know) some talebe a rer r e ' f fl f fl m’f g ported to al -M u t awakkil the old sl a nder th at <: Ahmed was h a rboring a n A lyit e . The Kh alif sent word to

Ahmed of the report , and tol d him that he had imprisoned the ma n who m a de it u ntil he sho uld a dvise him as to wh at tru th there was in the report , a nd direct him wh at to d o to the man . Ahmed a nswered a sserting his ignora nce of the whol e m a tter , bu t a dvised th at the man sho uld be set free , as to visit him with de ath might bring affliction to m a ny others who were no sh arers in his crime . c A m a n whose n a me is given a s A bu Ja far ibn Dhar ih -‘ al U kbar i rel a tes th a t , in the ye a r 2 36, (which a ppears to be a mistake , for the circ u msta nces point to the time of C the second a cc u sation of h arboring a n A lyit e , and this was ’ after Ahmed s retu rn to Ba ghdad from his visit to the c a mp

sk in 2 37 A . H .) he so u ght Ahmed to a him some doctrin al q u estion , but was told at his ho u se th a t he had gone ou t c side tha t q ua rter o f the city to pra yers . S o A bu Ja far s at down at the ga te of the street to wa it for his ret u rn . Pres ently , an old man , tall , with dyed h air and bea rd , a nd of a d a rk brown compl exion , c a me u p a nd entered the street , the visitor entering with him . At the end of the street , Ahmed , for such it wa s , O pened a gate a nd entered it , closing it after him a nd a t the s a me time bidding his com l t a p a nion go his wa y. Ju st then , the atter noticed a the g te a mosqu e , in which a n old ma n , also with dyed h a ir , was c ad bu a f r a l e a ding the prayers . When he h finished , A J a sked a man who wa s a t the prayers a bo u t Ahmed ibn Han bal a nd why he ha d refused to a nswer him . The man r e

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1 54

’ A l-M utawakkil never ceased to shew his interest in Ahmed s f welfare , a nd to m ake requ ent inqu iries a bo u t hi m . This

was , for some re a son which is h ard to divine , most dis a gree a bl e to Ahmed ; a nd he professed himself as preferring to die r a ther th a n h ave to live thro ugh s u ch incessa nt at

' o f Kha Tfie K /za l zf A s ks tentions Among the evidences the ” ’ C f or A zmzea . View lif s interest was a letter written by Oba id

05 10 alla h ibn Y a hya on his a cco u nt ,a sking Ahmed to write him his views on the Koran , not by way of as

s u ra nce of his a ccord a nce with the O pinion of the S overeign , bu t merely for the inform ation of the Comm a nder of the

F a ithful . In reply Ahmed dictated to his son a letter to C 2 Obaid allah , in which he s aid )

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1 58

‘ ’ th at he s aid , D o not smite God s Book one p a rt of it with ’ a a for a a u nother p rt , th t c sts do bt into yo u r he arts . And C ‘ it is tol d from Abd alla h ibn Oma r th a t he sa id , S ome per ’ sons were sitting at the Prophet s door , and some of them

i s m as é n s o; p c s s Co d . use M , i g : 56 no [ ] u g P U U U ”f , a / s LAB c b “ u lls LS c s a ss “ <> s , J G U , p M r U

’

u Ls us s s Lr s ss 5m ups ss ja ; ( E g s ; A” U U , U U , g

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' - . -U s cwo s o , o ) u o£ O r n o -a J» s a a , i ’ M ” l l ‘ sli t N W “ w l ? em 09 ? LS P ) . 0 i d e ) L5 0

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f o s o ) “ 1 0 5 0 5 54 3 w .. 5 0 ) 05 ”QM; L; fiz l W l 55 Lu : W a l £3 M P p 0 , } i I S9 were s aying , Does not God s ay so and so ?while others were saying , Nay ! does not God s ay so a nd so ?a nd the

M essenger o f God heard that , a nd went ou t a nd it wa s ‘ as if pomegra nates ) had been b u rst over his face ‘ a nd he sa id , Was it this ye were comma nded to observe , ’ to smite God s Book one p art o f it with a nother ?The peoples who were before you erred thu s , bu t ye ha ve noth

r ing to do with this . Observe what ye a e ordered to do and do it ; a nd observe what ye a r e forbidden to do and ’ absta in from it . It is related from A bu H u raira from the ‘ Prophet that he s aid , Disp u tation a bo u t the Koran is u n ’ belief. It is rela ted from A bu Juhaim , one o f the Co mpan ‘ ions of the Prophet , from the Prophet th at he s a id , Do not disp u te over the Koran , for disp u tation over it is u m ’ c ‘ C a mar belief. Abd allah ibn A bb s said , A man ca me to O - c ibn al Khattab , a nd Omar bega n to as k him a bou t the people, ‘ a nd he s aid , 0 Commander of the F aithfu l so a nd so ma ny

‘ o f them recite the Koran (or , s u pply Some of them ’ have rea d the Koran so and so ma ny t 1me s And Ibn c ‘ A bbas s aid , S o I said , By God , I do not like them to vie c with each other in rapid rea ding o f the Koran , but Omar

0 000 l l l ” jb K 1 fil A.”a l l.» it O . 1 . } n du U [ 3 3 7] u ,; ; L5 ; ” f C; ( S

s s a in s L go; L s o w s s tos s as Up r s U U U M u 3, ( ’ s a s c nt e L> M a s w l s 13 3 5 U U U , u U . gp a U , 3

' é M . fi Jl l sz l al uszl m za m w l r U ) U y r g g c u w 3 r

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. l L) ; Lib O s: l ” -5 l l & LS L/l al m ti fi r w ) g U ; P W

“ “ 1 LA “Q the se e s of the ome rana e but of en the ome r ana e ) O ) d p g t t p g t i t se lf. “ 1 60

‘ ’ bla med me for s a ying this , a nd s a id , St O p ! H u sh ! I went down , then , to my dwelling a fflicted a nd grieving [bec au se l he seemed to oppose my ze al for the Koran] . And , whi e I wa s in this st a te o f mind , a m a n c a me to me a nd s a id , ‘ ’ Answer the s u mmons o f the Comm a nder of the F a ithful .

S o I went o u t , a nd 10 ! he was at the door wa iting for me , a nd he took me by the h a nd , went a side with me , a nd ‘ s a id , Wh a t wa s th a t with which you were displ e ased in ’ ‘ wh a t the man s aid a little while ago ?I s aid , O Com m a nder of the F a ithful , when they ind ulge in this rivalry to see who c a n rea d fa stest , they re a d with m u mbling voice ; a nd if they re a d with m u mbling voice , they disp u te with one a nother ; a nd if they disp u te with one a nother , they fall into discord ; a nd if they fall into discord they fight ‘ with one a nother . He s aid , Very good ! Verily , by God , I was conce aling it [the sa me O pinion] from a nyone u ntil you ’ f é ir s aid it . It is rel ated rom Jb ibn Abd alla h that he s aid , ‘ The Prophet wa s presenting himself to the men in the M a ukif [at Ara fat] a nd he s a id , Is there a ny man who will take me to his people ?for the Koreish ha ve refu sed me ’ the right to m ake known the Word of my Lord . It is r e ‘ lated from Ju b a ir ibn N u fair th a t he said , The M essenger of God s a id , Yo u c a nnot ret u rn u nto Go d by me a ns o f a nything more excellent tha n tha t which went ou t from him . a ’ c He me a nt the Kor n . It is related from Abd allah ibn M as fid ‘ th a t he s aid , Write the b a re Koran , but do not wr it e in ’ it a nything except the Word o f God . It is related from c - ‘ l Omar ibn al Kh attab th at he s aid , This Koran is the Word

of Go d ; give it , then , its proper pla ce . A man s aid to al - ‘ H as a n al Basri , O A bu Sa 1d when I re a d the Word of ’ Go d , a nd think over it , I al most desp air a nd give u p hope . ‘ And al H asa n s a id , The Kor a n is the Word of God ; the works of the children of Ada m incline towa rd we a kness a nd ’ insu fficiency , but work a n d be o f good cheer ! F a rwa ibn C - ‘ - N a u fal al A s hja i s aid , I was a neighbo u r o f al Kh abbah ,who

was one of the Comp a nions of the Prophet , and I went out with him one d ay from the mosqu e , he holding me by the

1 62

’ ‘ ’ C a not hea r wh t he s a ys . Then he s aid , Ru n ! Ru n ! Omar -C ‘ ibn Abd al A ziz sa id , He who m a kes his religion a bu tt ’ ’ for a l of disp u t tions is the most u nsett ed men . (Aéu l Fa e] ! ‘ ’ s a id , I fo u nd it in a book o f my fa ther s in his own ha nd ‘ c writing , I s ma il told u s from Yun u s s a ying , I was tol d th a t c -C ‘ Oma r ibn Abd al A ziz s aid , He who m a kes his religion a b u tt for disp u ta tions is the most u nsettled o f Ibra ’ - ‘ him al N a kh a i s a id , These peopl e sh all h a ve nothing l aid u p i n store for them u ntil there is with you an excellent ’ - ‘ provision . A l H as a n u sed to s ay , The worst dise a sed per ’ son is the ma n dise a sed at he a rt ; he me a nt the desires - i. . Hu dh ifa l [ e men of desires sceptics] . a ibn a Y a man said , ‘ Fe a r God , 0 ye Reciters of the Koran , a nd go in the way

of those who were before you ; for , if ye strive for preced

ence , ye h a ve yet been preceded by a gre a t dista nce , and if ye l ea ve this way to the right or left ye h a ve cle arly com mi ’ ‘ tte d error . The l etter went on to s ay : I h a ve omitted the mention of the I s nad s becau se of the o a th tha t I pre

viously swore , of which the Comm a nder of the F a ithfu l is l cogniz a nt . I f it were not for th a t , I sho u d ha ve mentioned

a has them [the tra ditions] with their I s nad s . The Kor n , too , ‘ s a id And if one of the idola ters seek protection of thee gra nt him protection th a t he may he a r the Word of God (Koran ‘ ’ 9 Do not the Cre a tion a nd the Comm a nd belo ng to him ? ‘ ’ (Koran S o he tells a bo u t the Cre a tion ,and then he s a ys , ‘ ’ ‘ ’ a nd the Comm a nd , th u s he tells u s tha t the Comm a nd is ‘ ’ ‘ something else th a n the Cre ation Also , The M erciful tau ght

ix a a ma n au la a (f ) the Kor n , he cre ted , he t ght him the exp n ’ tion (Koran 55 1 ,2, Th u s Go d tells tha t the Koran is from

0 ‘ l a ll his K nowledge (H3 ) He , a so , s ys, And the Jews wi not be content with thee , nor the Christi a ns , u ntil tho u dost l ‘ l fo low their religion . Say, Veri y the direction of God is the right direction ; but , su rely , if tho u dost follow their pas sions a nd their desires , a fter tha t which has come to thee

1 ) cf. p . 1 1 9 an d ,al so ,p. 1 3 9 . 1 63

0 f o f knowledge (F’s ) there is fo r thee from God neither riend

’ ‘ nor helper (Koran 2 He s ays also , Even if thou dost give to those to whom the Book has been given every sign , they will not follow thy kibla , a nd tho u wilt not follow their kibla , a nd one p a rt of them will not follow the kibla f ll of the other p art . And , s u rely , if thou dost o ow their pas

0 f a has of l i a sions , a ter wh t come to thee know edge (r g ) ,in th t

’ c ase , tho u ar t , verily , one o f those who do evil (Koran ‘ 2 And also , And , th u s , we h ave sent it down as a decision in the Arabic l a ngu age ; and , s u rely , if tho u dost follow their p assions , after wh at has come to thee of know

c l all for f f l edge (Fs ),there sh be thee rom God neither riend

’ nor helper ( Koran Now , the Koran is from the Knowledge of God ; a nd in these verses is a proof th at tha t which c a me to him [the M essenger of God] is the Koran , ’ ‘ according to his [God s] saying, And s urely,if tho u dost follow their p assions ,after what has come to thee of knowledge 1)

' It has been related , moreover , from more tha n one of ‘ those who went before u s that they u sed to s ay, the Koran ’ o f n d a is the Word God u ncreated , a th t is what I believe . I a m no di alectical theologi a n ; I approve of a rgu ment in a ’ m atter o f this kind only by me a ns o f wh at is in God s Book or a tra dition from the Prophet , or from his Comp a nions , c or from those who followed them (Tab ifin) , bu t , as for a l it nything e se ,a rgu ment by mea ns of is not to be commended . - - On one occ asion , when a l M u t awakkil c a me to al Sh ama ’ - siya on his way to al M a da in , it was expected that Ahmed and his fa mily wo u ld come , or send , to pa y their respects to him , bu t Ahmed wo u ld neither go himself nor wo uld he

“ " 1 ) P ass ion s in the s e p as s ag e s r e p r e s en ts the wor d Ahwa fou nd in the ’ 3 n am e Abl u l - Ahwa, s o that the p assage s mu s t be t aken as c on demning t a

tional ism in the ol ogic al matt er s . 1 64

a ll Sal for f a ul all at V,“ of ow ih to go , e r he sho d c

‘ cé zbn K fia zn tention to himself. The res ult of this was tha t 10 Al‘mf d the next d ay Y a hya ibn Kh akan c a me with a gre at retin u e to visit Ahmed , bringing him greeting a nd m a ny friendly enqu iries from the Khalif , who , a t the s a me f a time , beso u ght the pra yers o the Im m . These l ast Ahmed

ff u d a ss u red Y a hya were o ered p every ay fo r his m aster . Ya hya then o ffered him a tho u s a nd dinars fo r distrib u tion a mong the poor . These , however , Ahmed wo u ld not a ccept , ple a ding exemption , a s he did on other occ a sions , on the gro u nd th a t the Kh alif ha d a greed to exc u se him from obligation to do a nything th a t might be distasteful to him . ’ was all The money fin y given to Ahmed s sons . [ fl m mm fl f r om a a M a i M oha mmed zm On nother occ sion , oh mmed bn Abd alla h A bda l/a /z ibn ibn Tahir beso u ght Ahmed to pay him a visit Tabb“ a nd strongl y u rged his requ est . This invitation , however , Ahmed also declined , o ffering as an exc u se the ’ f Kh alif s dispens a tion . A ter these incidents he took u pon himself a rigid fast, a bsta ining from all fat a nd , a pp arently , from mea t , for the record sta tes th a t bef or e this time he had ’ been provided with a dirhem s worth of me a t , from which 1 he a t e for a month ! )

c 1 a Q M L s m a g 5155 1 ; I ) Abu Nu aim , 55 , op 33 r ,M ,9 3

3 ” 55 ! a > l 6m L1 ! u m ny ] ; d 3 3 [ s ! , re , U E 2 U a ef

‘ L> U> oc s ls bl M K his 1: Cod . wi hou oin s &M J , U 55 [ t t p t ]

s o EH J m L> a s Lat s , s ; . s [C d . , ] , , U a U U ,

w l m s w mi dw m s s es p s a s s s s

1 66

fever a ttended with diffic ulty in bre a thing , and bec a me so l we a k that his limbs wo u d not s u pport him . A physici a n c a me to see him , a nd prescribed for his sickness ro a st

w

’ ! bo La b 5 L5J> .La fia l o i ,3 DB L s Lo 3 ) M [ b

LA as Ls s L. s a i fa ; m : s a ls a as m b“ 115 g U , U y a ; or 3 l M l au w s d b o fil afi ~o a s s as a s .a xs j é , j é U U a

55 wl “ M ‘ - 9 “ — ‘ £ a f : W 0 9 L4 3 M 0 9 M

‘ - é Lx fi J ULSB OJ M U éb b S M LS U d m U Q U f g U ca d f U LU

m; s s . LL L.a1 _ss s SLa a ss a a s s La s .U s , 6, , U U ,, U U U

! Uii A 3 Lat 2 ” ! w 4 L B L5} (5 LS 0 a?) ?) d )

l ! ' l i f ’‘“ M " é 9; JO 3 M ) a g { } j M ) U LJ w , W t ,

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’ La xf K wl al M JI m ! SLS Zf aw l a s g U ) r , U r 3 L , , w 3

-s sa a u as s a s s s rs as a r a xial l s Lo s U g U , ba a g , U U

‘ " 0 5 d ” ‘ w ” “L“ ? : f N M J: W L} M r) y 6 9 r N fi

B aUl a a = s N l3 u a w s ufi é a4 s §5 s sjs s 3 J U J j U j w y

”- a s . ! M L af m ay 0 3 e 3 ) 3 U s

s s . _ W ab l s Lg, .5L_ sz_ s g u m as s Ls U U U ,W U sU 1 67

p u mpkin , with the liq uor o f the p u mpkin to be ta ken a s a

a a ul a l a drink . Ahmed sked p rtic r y th t this might not be

a s prepa red in the ho u ses of either o f his sons . As soon it

was lea rned that he was sick , people bega n to come in

crowds to visit him , u ntil it bec a me necess ary to close the

door o f the street ; and the governor , heari ng of the crowds,

l l M b 5 Cod . r e e a s A > w d > s a 3L§5 B W [ p t M J g } 3 W P

l d W L-b i w l l bl l f g K L; Lb l XS \LL15 & w W u j 3 w j O , U

a ! i él m n l w m l kn w é cvl m alll a u u r 3 o w cfi j g

’ Lss w A M -1 1 g sa m Las d s ma 3 J Co d . u a n a s J 3 [ a p] y c

e hi s: m . L< s u a s a » as al s .La s ag Ja L, v) g , a rfi r g al-3 L» ou » La /o LofiLé 21.—u 3. L> fi L—lo l ill 4 g y g O , 3 ? ) M w

5 K s u Ja w as suns a say s “ 55 as U , r s a 3 ,w ,

s a ul t ( ”s s a

LS 1 515 m M 5 LS $ u 8 ad d é 135 o .» M r: t ack s b lib 3 , ?t ) , 9 d g c i lfi a ll . xbLQ J M l m» LA “ j 3 él F J g ) L553 1 68

considera tely pl aced g ua r d s before the street door , while

the fa mily also pla ced g u a rds before the door o f the ho u se . Only his physici a ns a nd s u ch as he himself desired to see ll were then a dmitted . Among those who were th u s a owed

to see him was a neighbor , a n elderly ma n with dyed h air

a nd bea rd ,on seeing whom Ahmed bec a me gre a tly e x c it e d ,a nd ‘ c alled the a ttention of those a bo u t him to this m an as one who

‘ ” 3 U" 9 n”JL-S ”h: °5 E 0 Cg a fis g l

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s L> ss e m a was was r u u s OM , r w n. U D

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“ i 4 0 1; r » us e aw n w ui ur L“ L134 : be 5 5 o L5 f , 3 o ?

‘ an » s 9 uss 1 ” c c w u s W C, , 6 W w 5

‘ t ” 9 ” 9 “ s “ ” : L a b u w v5 99 , r o qr £ x a} 55 »

x; aun ts m uss d is am ° s 5s n s b w , d e a O 5 i U

Lil d i i n s iLfi l l ; g or ; ; K M " ” ox U l s rj m 65 m , u U U ? 3 y ? )

wl za fib w i iM w l b r w u q r fi w b u )

Si 3 i 3 " om> i LA .) 0s 7 i xi i [S Co d . LiU g-9 CJ ) M o v? P [ r ]

1 70

‘ ’ who is reported to h a ve disliked gro a ning in sickness , on the gro u nd th a t it was t a nta mo u nt to compla ining a ga inst

f was God . Ahmed , there ore , never he a rd to gro a n , except

on the d a y in which he died . Two or three d a ys before his

de ath , he enq u ired fo r his p u rse , a nd a sked his son Salih é i to look wha t was in it . S l h did so a nd fo u nd a solita ry

K W M M z l w u wl M 5 am M O é aw 3 H W ,s

' ; W 59 ” “ 55 uw‘l -‘w 94 M b 8 3 W3 ) L3 M .) M

.3 3 5s m s 3» c u Ll .m s , 3 w 5 3 U

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15 Liz. ” . cal» 5233 3, 0

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s 3 cyan; 53 . . 53 1 7 1

f dirhem . This his a ther directed him to u s e , together with some o f the rent to be collected from the ' l o dg e r s in his ho u se , in b u ying d ates to discha rge a n o ath o f almsgiving é which he had ta ken u pon himself. S lih c arried o u t the o r der he ha d received , a nd retu rned to his fa ther one -third o f a dirhem , on receiving which Ahmed rej oiced a t the

f s s prospect o dying a poor a he ha d lived .

u The d ra tion of his sickness was not long . The physici a n decl ared that grief a nd the ha rd a scetic cha ra cter of his life had ru ptu red the intern al orga ns o f his body and co u ld give the

a l l f mi y ittle hope o f his recovery . A ch ara cteristic incident occ u rred when he was being washed prep a ra tory to the performa nce of the last devotions in which he took p art .

He was u n able to speak , bu t , strong in the r u ling p assion o f scru p ulo u sness in the l a w , he m a de a S ign tha t his sons who were wa shing him sho u ld wash éetween his fingers as well a s on the ba ck a nd front of them . When this was done , l it is sa id th at he rested qu iet y u ntil he p assed a wa y . His prayers he performed to the very l ast , his sons assisting c him in the r ak as . One of his last ch arges was that three ha irs o f the Prophet which he had in his possession sho u ld at

is l d l h death be p a ced , one on ea ch eye a n one on his ips , nd w a this as a ct ually done S o he died . The d ate o f the

Low-En: K} ..m as » LA J515 5 dB a ar U u , rf F , 5 f

r i ” ” “ ‘ 5 U a $ bfi o

c Abu Nu aim 1 as , oi mu m ; as i l mmy , 55 » ) M ,r ,

'

m Ll » ull il w fa law o a £ 65 A M g ; }, g s 6 ( , i d U f , 9 ’ u s ul m l: W “?fs g a g m as uf J 349 , g) 3 ) ,W ,S afe

w xs m g ws g u w mu m ws é w w é w m o tgg p, fi ,

1 cf. Gol dziher . oh 8 a nd n o e ) M . Stu d . II ,3 5 t 5. 1 7 2

wa s a lf Rab1 event Frid y , the twe th of I , 24 1 A . H., his ag e being a fe w d ays , or it ma y be ho u rs , more or less - tha n seventy seven ye a rs .

H is Fu n er a l There was the most wonderful scene of grief all over t he city o f B aghdad , a nd even in dista nt pla ces ,

o f when the news his de a th bec a me known . The scene a t the fu nera l , on the a fternoon o f the d ay o f his de a th , wa s

u as u a one s ch m st h ve been seldom witnessed a nywhere . The estim ates o f the n u mber o f those who a ttended ar e very discrep a nt . Some s ay were present on the spot where the pra yers were held over him ; others s ay a nd o ther figu res fall between these two It is s a id th a t there were and some s ay even converts to ’ Islam from the other religions on the occ asion o f Ahmed s de ath ; bu t in a smu ch as the fa mily a nd others speci ally in ’ - t e r e s t e d in him knew nothing of a ny s u ch n u mber , al S ubki s te a cher D ha h a bi tho u ght s u ch fig u res to be a bs u rd a nd th a t ten converts wo u l d be nea rer the tr u th . The Emir Ibn Tahir wished to fu rnish the b u ri al s u it o f Ahmed bu t saw; refused to a ccept it , a s he knew th a t his father when living wo u ld ha ve been

a n f f l l u nwilling to a ccept y gi t rom the Emir . The fi i a respect ’ o f Salih for his de a d fa ther s wishes in regard to receiving gifts or a ttentions from persons o f ' sta te now took very de

s l cided form . It wa on y by m a in force th at his friends with held him from displ a cing Ibn Tahir in the o ffici al cond u ct o f the pra yers at the fu neral Indeed , it was not known by the people th at Ibn T ahir ha d pra yed over Ahmed ,u ntil

as the d a y after he w b u ried . When they knew they flocked in crowds to his gra ve in the cemetery o f the Bab-H a rb so m u ch so , tha t one m an who a ttended the fu ner al , de c lar e d tha t it was a week before he was a bl e to come ne a r

u t he tomb . His own fa mily a nd the Hashimites also co nd cted pra yers fo r him inside their own q u arters on the evening of the d ay o f his de a th In the time o f Ibn Challikan the

° ll N . 1 . 2 M a ou di VI I 2 2 . 1 ) c f. I bn Ch a . 9 ) g , 9 ° ° ll . N . 1 . Ibn Chall . N . 1 . 3 ) c f. Ibn Ch a 9 4) 9

1 74

of a were men eminence , were not rem rka bl e in their time . ’ His el dest son wa s Salih , s u rn a med Abu l F a dl , who was born in the ye a r 20 3 . He rela ted Tra dition from his fa ther ’ - C - a nd from Ab u l Wa lid al Tayalis i a nd A li ibn al M a dini , a nd ha d a s p u pils his own son Z u h a ir , who died in 30 3 ,

- hawi a nd M a M ak al u al Bag oh mmed ibn hla d . S ih occ pied the c f a a a i s as a l office o K di of Isp h n . H s mother wa A bb a bint l a u l F a d . His de th occ rred in the ye a r 265 ) . The second son was Abd allah A bu Abd al -Rahman He stu died a gre a t - c de al with his fa ther , a nd st u died , also , with Abd a l A la c ibn H a mmad , Y a hya ibn M a in , A bu Bekr ibn Abi Sh a ib a, a nd m a ny others . He was a ma n thoro u ghly convers a nt with

ig a sman a » 1 w n u uz 0 ,g , G h, L5 9 , o w) ,

LmB i a w i s g . w s m w g, n u,fi ) a w) ,

a s an w e L w s w a La os . 0 2 1,Lat e h , a , g ; U 5 ,

° ‘ ’ I ll s a Rama an 2 66 A . H . 1 ) bn Ch a . N . 1 9 , y s d ’ - h f l n t h M n 2) Abu l M a . II , 1 3 6. c . his r e atio o t e us ad of his fathe r ,p . 24 . I 7 S

Tradition a nd the a rgu ments for it. The speci al distinction which he enj oyed , however , wa s that o f being the greatest authority on the traditions o f his father . It is related o f him - that , when he wa s on his dea th bed , he a sked to be b u ried

- l 2 in the qu arter c a lled commonly al Har biya [or xu ia fil the qu a rter of the city or the plot o f gro u nd in which his ho u se Those present asked him if he wo u ld not rather be - b u ried with his father in the cemetery at the Bab Harb , but he said he preferred to be u nder the protection of a pr ophe t whom he knew by tru stworthy reports to have been b u ried

al- a r bi a u of f in H y to being nder the protection his a ther . He ' 1 f a 2 . died at the age o 77 in the ye r 90 A H . ) By a con c ubine n amed Hisn Ahmed had a third son , who was n amed c a f S a id a nd who beca me in time K di o Kufa . By the s a me - mother he had , fu rther , two sons M ohammed a nd al Hasa n a nd a d au ghter Za in ab a nd , likewise , by the s ame mother, - twin sons al — Hasa n a nd al H u sain , who died soon after their

ll had a au birth . Fin a y , he nother d ghter whose n ame was 2 all a o f fa l . Fatima . ) This is th t is known his mi y

Tes t imon ies A fe w evidences of the esteem in which Ahmed

O E W é’m f was held will assist u s to place him in the posi t ion which he really occ u pied in the estim ation o f his l c own a nd of following generations . His p u pi A bu Z ur a

a ha d a n l a la s id he never met with y one in whom e rning (F) , selfdeni al , knowledge o f the law a nd general knowl edge

as u as a ( j ) were so combined in his m ster This is one O pinion out o f a host o f simila r ones , all o f which a r e ex

° ‘ th ’ N . 1 sa s 8 da r emainin of uma a s ome s a uma a 1 ) I bn Chal l . 9 y y g ”J d I y J d II c m 1 5 US QM ) ; 5m t 2 cf. Abfi Nu ai ”G . J ) , 53 , f 6 M fi

‘ f s Lm u re u r m 55 0 s Ls x m u La b f a y o 5; 6 3 fi o

3 C d l a. “ 9 05 : " K L0 The Umm Ali er e r e fer re é ) L} l ; M U h d o a im t may be the Zainab or Ft a n ame d ab ov e .

c Abu Nu aim 1 a M “? M l g.) l 3) , 3 9 , U 0 9 5 fi 1 76

c e e d ingly fulsome in expression , but still afford u s the s u bst a nti al tr u th o f his high worth in the view of the men a mong whom he moved . By m a ny testimonies he is pl a ced a t the side of the gre a test doctors o f Isl am in the - a ges which had preceded him , S ofyan al Thau r i ,M a1ik c - - - ibn An a s , Abd al Rahman ibn Amr al A u za i , al Laith ibn c C a l S a d a nd Ibn A bb s . The rega rd in which Ahmed ibn H a nb a wa s held is also seen in the way in which he is cited as giving a n opinion on the doctors of his time ; a s , for exa mple , by - c - a l N awa wi , biogra phies of A li ibn al M a dini , Y a zid ibn c c - Harun , Ya hya ibn S a id al Kattan , Y a hya ibn M a in ; also a a Ibn Challik n on A bu Th au r a nd Ish k ibn Rahawaih. A l ’ Dh a h a bi , too , in his Tabakat a dd u ces Ahmed s O pinion in regard to the men o f his time with gre at frequ ency a nd

with evidence o f m u ch respect . It u sed to be held th a t , if t Ahmed discredited a nybody , he co uld not fa il o s u ffer for it i n the eyes of people A noteworthy testi - C - mony is tha t of al H us a in ibn A li ibn Ya zid al K ar abisi , a ma n with whose theologic al views Ahmed had little sym

p athy . He s aid tha t those who spoke evil of Ahmed were

Lfi l l é u l g d w é fi M M d M i h fi s z M r

us e 0 : u 5 as e n “M 5 ; 5 , j , B

c Abn Nu aim 1 o a 4 0 001 c 6 1 ) , 4 , W ( 6 r ) 3

: ms ‘’Owl s I M A SLLS a s s c} gy 0 ?M fi w t

m u w s fia ~i > ~ w b w é a M é w w s W a é w

m l ax: J A" s s 31353 ur us so f , , U ,(a he O

m éi 19 The for e o f the r For g 3 39 c p ass age is cl ea .

“ - Al ama an d al A swa c f. a a i a s m i n a a . 2 1 a e ” k d Dh h b w T b k , ; r

’- ib. 6 u l M ah 1 8 ; Ab . ,2 0 ,1. 2 . which viti a ted his cla im to direct men to so u nd and perm a nent positions in theology . S u ch was impossible with his method . Belief fo u nded on the letter o f a ny sta nd ard O f faith

ll a l a a a a nd l wi w ys be n rrow , dogm tic po emic a l . Life fo u nded on the letter o f a ny ru le o f cond u ct c a n be only h a rd a nd excl usive in cha ra cter . Ju st but not geni al ; irrepro a ch able , bu t u n attra ctive s u ch is the life . Sincere a nd e arnest a nd , with its own postul ates , correct , bu t , still , wrong at its fo u nd ation and u nsightly in its s u perstr u ctu re s u ch is the opinion . We s u bj oin a fe w rem arks a bo u t the tra its of cha ra cter a nd h a bits o f life o f Ahmed ibn H a nb al , with a p assing

al a H a éit s notice of his person ppe a ra nce . He was a bste

Li . Of f e miou s in the extreme , so m u ch so , in fa ct , th at his l ife might be termed a contin u o u s fa st . He is reported never to h a ve bo u ght a pomegra n a te , qu ince or any other kind o f fru it , u nless it might be a melon or gra pes ,which he at e with bre a d . In e ating his bre a d he frequ ently dispensed with the u s e of vinega r . It was O ften the c ase th at his sons bo u ght things which they deemed permissibl e or even nec ess ary , bu t which were lu xu ries in his eyes ; a nd to esc a pe in s u ch a c a se his strict u res they hid the things from him altogether It is s aid th at when he a ppe a red before Ishak ibn Ibrahim after his long imprisonment in 2 1 9 A . H., Ishak looked in the little b asket which Ahmed had with him a nd fo u nd his store of food to consist of two pieces o f { 3 d al a piece of c u c u mber a n some s t 65 He ha d a profo u nd dislike to the receiving of money a

; l i t ance from others , a nd took very little p ains to s e c u re a e

H is: ‘ - . l Nawawi . Ho . 1 ) a ,p ) l ) l fil s

' i ”. b l S l M “ s L bw 2 al . w ) p 5,s M y M ) U é .

’ - r— 5 l " l : l la l m ULS ‘ A “ Lu : mi M b Al Ou t Lé U L9 , U f 6 a

W5 » LS M l u w s “ 0 d é g : I 79

a money for himself. His h ppiest moments were those when he ' was left witho u t a coin in his His ne e ds we r e fe w a nd his expenses next to nothing We ha ve ha d in the co u rse o f the n arrative a b u nd a nt ill u stration o f his selfdeni al a nd his preference fo r poverty , a n d , were it desirable to do so , of m u ch more o f the s a me kind incident co uld be furnished . His demea nor was tha t o f a man abstra cted from the common concerns o f life , tho ugh in q u estions of learning he always shewed the liveliest interest He was a ma n o f gentle n atu re , bu t c a p abl e o f being ro u sed to vehemence at the sight o f inj u stice or wrong done to men or of - impiety shewn towa rd God That he was looked u pon as a scru p ulo u sly j u st man , even a mong those who were not M uslims , is shewn in m a ny ways . One incident l may be mentioned . It is re ated tha t two M agi a n women had a disp ute abo ut an inherita nce before a M u slim Kadi , a nd when j u dgment ha d been rendered , the woma n aga inst ‘ whom the j u dge ha d decided s a id to him , I f tho u h a st decided against me according to the decision of Ahmed ibn H anbal , I am content ; if not , I will not acq u iesce in ’ of u u it . The n arrator the story tho ght it s ch a strong testi ’ mony to Ahmed s cha racter that he told it far and near to ’ those whom he met Ahmed s a version toward lightness ,

9 - $1 0 1 ) al Nawawi ,p . . 2 2 - 6 2) al Nawawi ,W1 ,cf. pp . 1 4 1 , 1 4 .

c Abfi Nu aim 1 8 5 L413 M l - USA } 3) , 3 , U s 0 9 O w

3 W -S W ” M « b w l? mm“M cr M LE b il L5

s; ” s ; s s ‘ i 5 3 B um . . us i s ( At i ) O w w 4) cf pp 73 , 1 50

c 3 Abu N u aim 1 1 a 251” ‘ ‘ M L433 l: L1 4 > 5) , 4 , U s ) 9 34 1 80

a u la l o f l a was u p rtic r y in men e rning , prono nced . On a cer ta in occ a sion Ya zid ibn Harun was ind u lging in ple as a nt b a din a ge with his a m a n u ensis , when some one in the room

a i u ga ve a slight co u gh . Y z d enq ired who it might be th a t ha d given the a pp a rent sign of dis a pproval , a nd , on being told th a t it was Ahmed , he smote his forehe a d , a nd , t u rn ing to those ne arest to him , a sked them repro a chfu lly why ’ they ha d not tol d him of Ahmed s presence th a t he might h a ve observed becoming gra vity before him People u sed to s ay tha t Ahmed himself was a to u chstone c ‘ h s or M ihn a . A ve r s ifie r , Ibn A ya n , a the lines , Ibn Ha n bal is a s afe test (M ihn a ) : By the love borne to Ahmed the pio u s man is known ; B ut when one is seen who defa mes him , ’ Then be s u re th a t his tru e ch ara cter will be disclosed

s w 5 5 ufi m g U -”l n Cod . m M a W ) ?3 [ ] U j g Q E ( ,6M

A 3 65

- l 2 al Su ki . 1 Lm -l i L-A -Jh) . ) M i a r dL—S ) b , p 34 ,(w j ) U ) ?f )

am n b - a p t um a 3 a m a ) Ja 0 9 r 3 m

1 82

When a t home in B a ghdad he is said to h a ve perseveringly

kept to his ho u se , so tha t none ever s a w him , u nless it

at u l a t a fu al I were p b ic worship , ner , or visiting the sick ) . He was scr u p u lo u s in his a dherence to Tra dition a nd to the

l O rit u a bserva nces . We h ave alre a dy cited the incident of the ritual abl u tions performed on him by his sons j u st be

fore his dea th , when , tho u gh u n a ble to speak , he m ade signs th a t they sho u ld wa sh between , as well a s u pon the front a nd b a ck o f his fingers

s b a P er s ona l In person al a ppea ra nce , Ahmed wa of e u tiful

A ea r a nce. pp co u nten a nce and o f medi u m height . He used to dye his h a ir a nd be ard with henn a and kata m , but not a

u w a s : 39 m m 6 13 .) , u s m 0+ y 5; D , 5 a my )

U L’ -é m l -a wl m m w fl U J W U u d uw

k u u u m M w i , u w w y kg rg u rfi y é fi d

w , ’ FL“: 140 ; m Lm K L 85. L» m dLj A M 6 O ,) l s fi C M 3

c 5 : ~LJJl ‘ J‘ U A”M LS Abfi Nu aim 1 1 ) , 43 , L} U W G D , LS

4 ”m l LJL> Q > i M am a Bil LX> l S J uw fi 0 i »: zs x 0 5 , D » , 3 J. A j

M LA él 5 b 6L} M l All Ow» : i L53 zj

’k lo l bjl u a l aw d l d fi j f fl kg u d b j g

”r: ss a s K ” w an m fils up u A y ) ) g, ? o w w U , r: 1 8 3

a deep red , for in his beard were seen black ha irs . He beg n the pra ctice o f dyeing his h air and beard when in his sixty third year , a nd then wholly o u t of regard for the pra ctice o f the Prophet

V .

H is Views Ahmed ibn Ha nbal was a ma n whose pec u li ar tempera ment disposed him not only to the kind o f life which he lived intense , a scetic , a nd fierce in its protest against liberalism , but also to those views a nd beliefs which were ,to a certain extent , the springs o f s u ch a life His beliefs were not entirely free from a dj u stment to the circ u m sta nces o f his ag e , bu t the meas u re of a ccommoda tion was the lea st that co u ld be ma de . In fa ct , look where we will ’ in Ahmed s life , and the elements of concession a nd com promise ar e never fo u nd to be present by his own wish ,a nd , when fo u nd , their degree is the minimu m possible . S ou r ces We propose to generalize on the basis o f the n arrative already fu rnished and the fe w other sou rces of inform ation a ccessibl e , in order to re ach , if we c an , a fa ir notion of the lea ding theologic al opinions or principles by” which Ahmed ibn Ha nb al directed his life . His testa ment , which has been given i n the foregoing p ages is a very colorless doc u ment , a nd affords no View o f his chara cter is tic l a be iefs . The confession it cont ins comprises stock phrases , which might come from a M u slim o f a ny kind C i ll h a a or chara cter . The letter to Oba d a a ibn Y hy , in an

° c im 1 8 6 M } Al l ow : u g 1 ) I bn Chall . N . 1 9 ,Aba Nu a , 3 , , d

“ l w o bb n s» .xxi $ 133 1, gu y s 3.2.x s a e o ,, { , , ) L59

c 2 Abfi N u aim 1 5 M l L3 53 13 AL ) , 53 , 0 , A: M l SA L> 0~5

m l fi u w fi l c w fi b fi b d r w é p

3) p . 1 47 . 1 84

’ swer to the Kh alif s enq u iry rel ative to the Koran , has so m u ch th at is ch ar a cteristic th a t we may credit it with ’ representing a cc u r ately Ahmed s The convers ation on the Koran with Ishak ibn Ibrahim is fu lly in the spirit ’ o f Ahmed s li fe , a n d lends u s a n interesting view o f his fa ith as to u ching the Koran The tri als before Ishak ibn c - Ibrahim a nd al M u t as im , with the convers a tions connected ’ with them , fu rnish m u ch light on Ahmed s opinions a nd the individ u al element which they conta in ’ ’ Tkek or dn First , Ahmed ibn H a nhal s doctrine of the Koran

The Koran he asserted to be the Word of Go d , by which ’ he me a nt the expression of God s Knowledge , as s u ch ex ’ pression m u st be tho u ght to be etern ally present to God s

Being . Or , if we m u st modify this a t all , it wo u l d be to s ay , tha t , as long as there has been present to Go d th a t which is obj ective to Himself , so l ong has there been a

o d Word o f G as the expression of his Knowledge . Before

the Obj ective c a me into existence , the Word o f Go d was

u s potenti al in Him a nd not a ctual . This gives the Eternity

D l c n o f the Word of God . Then , a s the ivine Know edge a not be conceived to be witho u t the etern al a dj u nct of sym holic expression , a nd as speech is to be looked u pon a s a fa c u lty expressing itself in energy a nd not a cre a tion , the

Word o f God is not only etern al bu t u ncre ated as well . It m ay be obj ected th at a Word of God is not the point in

‘ q u estion , bu t the Koran , l ka Word o f Go d as known to

men . B e it noted , however , th a t the distinction between the written or otherwise presented Koran a nd the he a venly a nd essenti al Word of God is c le arly dra wn This , too , is

1 . ff I ) p 1 55. 2) p 3 9 3) p 93 Wor od wa ai f. Gol dzihe r ahir ite n . 1 8 if . The of G s s 4) p . 1 0 1 . c ,Z ,p 3 d d i by some of the or th o do x t o be an a ttribu t e o f G od ,Hou tsma ,D e Str jd e tc . ' ni he i e n e a t omman owe e r s e ws a A me 1 03 f. cf. Shahr a s ta . Al l t e v d c c d,h v , h th t h d ’ ibn H an bal s b el ie f was as I h av e s e t it for th . c me r He r r s ch. e e n . I sl . 2 2 S e ine r D ie M u tazil ite n 5) c f. von K r e , Id d 7 ; t , , f the or o o ie w as to the or an iffe r fr om 3 8 f. The a cc oun t s giv e n o th d x v K d h tha t which I h av e infer r e d Ahme d ibn Hanb al to h av e h el d . Nor does e

1 86 may see how the Word of God c a me to be looked u pon as a contin u o u s u nity ; or , a s we may better express a fa ct in rel ation to a Being not knowing a ny s u ccession of time , a s a u nity in a n etern al present . S u ch a Word of God ,con s id e r e d both as to its tho u ghts a nd words , is necess arily witho u t fault a nd infallible The Word of Go d is ,th u s ,Eter nal , U ncre a ted , One a nd Infallible . This we conceive to ha ve been the doctrine o f the Koran held by Ahmed ibn H a nbal a nd the theologi a ns of his type . We ha ve u sed modern expres sion to voice his ide as ; the ide a s ,however,ar e not o u rs bu t his .

The Koran , in terrestri al rela tions is to be rega rded as a m a nifestation of the One Word of Go d s u ch as constit u tes a revel a tion o f the perfect religion , a me a ns of s alv ation a nd a right gu id a nce for me n . In all the forms of its existence a mong men , written , recited or committed to memory, the s u bsta nce a nd the u nexpressed words in which the s u bsta nce ’ is embodied in God s tho u ght a r e etern al , u ncre ated , in fallibl e The h u m a n a cts in rela tion to the s u bsta nce a nd the words as fo u nd in connection with these h u m a n a cts ar e temporal , cre ated fallible . This is the doctrine of the s o - c alled Lafzal Kora n . 4 This Koran doctrine ) is strongly s u ggestive o f Pa ntheism , fo r the Word o f God as spoken to M oses , to M oh a mmed a nd a s fo u nd in the Koran is the One Word not p arts of it coming to m a nifestation ; j u st a s the moon at its q u arter may be c alled a p a rtic u l a r m a nifesta tion of the moon , but not a p art of the moon . The P a ntheistic s u ggestion is m u ch the s a me as th a t fo u nd in the Christi a n doctrine o f the Logos , from Eternity resident in God , insep a ra ble from a tr u e conception of Deity , and proceeding to m anifestation at the coming into being of Obj ective Existence .

S r i d e tc . 1 0 1 . 1 ) cf. Hou tsma , D e t j

. 1 8 e i l l . 1 1 l 8 f. r s n 2) Zahir ite n , as in n ot e 2 ,p 5, s p ec a y p 4 . 1 ff. ; c p e e t

k 2 if . wo r ,pp . 3

f Hou tsma D e Str i d e tc . 1 1 f. 3) c . , j 7

m r H er r sch. . ( 1. I sl . 1 . O n th whol m h i 4) cf. von Kr e e , Id ,4 e e uc l ke the - c d oct rine of ai Ash ari ,Hou tsma ,D e Str ijd e tc . 1 1 8 . 1 8 7

Tfie D ivin e We ar e now prep ared to consider the doctrine

Un ity . of the Divine U nity . Ahmed ibn Hanbal was firm in his belief in the u nity o f God a nd , when we keep in View the doctrine o f the Koran which we believe him to ha ve a dopted , it is easy to u nderstand with what vigor a nd conviction he wou ld resist the charge of polytheistic heresy

u m which his opponents so ght to fa sten u pon him . We ay, by the way, notice his belief in the eternity o f the Divine

' a ttribu tes His view , except in the c ase of the Divine S o v e r e ignty a nd Knowledge , the attribu tes formally connected with the origin of the Koran , is stated bu t not el abora ted in the so urces to which I h ave ha d a ccess . We ha ve , how ever , in the c ase of the two attrib u tes n a med s u fficient d at a to en able u s to a rrive at his opinions . He sta ted , with all emphasis , th a t God co u ld not exist witho u t his Know

a ledge . And , tho u gh his dversaries decla red that to m ake etern al a nd u ncre ated a nything which was in tho ught sep ar at e d from the ba re idea of Deity was to m ake as m a ny more deities as there were things so tho u ght o f Ahmed , l ta king the concrete view o f an u nphilosophic al mind , co u d not think of Absol u te Being , except as involving all the fu l ness of a perfect , or yet to be perfected , finite creatu re , a nd a finite creat u re he co u ld not think o f except as ha ving attrib u tes . The Absol u te was the infinite correspondent and correlate of the perfect finite .

l t a T/ze A n zkr opo The s ame conviction evident y lay a the b sis ’ morph ?A ff f f o f Ahmed ibn Hanbal s faith in the a nthropo bw‘m morphic a ttrib u tes given to Deity in the Koran

c . 6 infra . F h M i 1 ) p 1 0 or t e u tazilite doctr in e of the Divine Unity,vid . St e c D ie M u z n e r, ta ilite n ,50 .

. f. 1 i r H r r 2) pp 90, 1 0 1 , 3 9 ; cf. a sl ghtly differ en t V ie w,von Kr eme , e sch. I l Id . d . s . ,40 f. c For the M u tazil it V u of G d vid in e r Di 3) e iew of the a ttr ib te s o , . Ste , e c M u tazilite n 0 5 , 52, 59 ; Hou tsma , D e Str ijd e tc . 1 03 , 1 24 ; Shahr astani , ’ ’ Haarbr uck r s tr n sl n e a I , 7 1 .

. 2 cf. G ol dzih r M h. 4) p 7 ; e , o Stud . II ,1 86; von Kr emer ,Her r sch. Id. d.

I s . 1 f. a r e l 4 ( mo p ositiv e view) . 1 8 8

P u zzled by philosophic al a rgu ments the u ntra ined mind ,

tho u gh resting on the a n alogy of perfect h u m a n being , a nd holding fast to this a s the u ndo u bted gro u nd a nd expl a n a ’ tion o f the Koran s a nthropomorphisms a sserted its impotence ‘ to a nswer philosophizing obj ections by s a ying , He is even ’ as he ha s described himself , I will s ay no more th a n this

There was a m u ch less a rbitra ry a nswer , which ma y not ’ h a ve been fu lly form u lated in Ahmed ibn Ha nbal s mind

a ny more th a n it wa s in th a t of M oha m med himself ,but which ha d it been cl e a r to the mind of either , wo ul d h a ve seemed a bla sphemy in its u ttera nce , a nd wo u ld h a ve involved in e vit ably a proof of the cha rge m a de by those who were a rgu ing on the other side . This a nswer wo u l d h a ve been to ’ a l al u o f a a nthr O o m o r his ssert the iter tr th the Kor n s p p ms . ’ Ahmed s belief wa s a nthropomorphic . Th a t wa s the simpl e ’ fa ct And the Prophet s wa s not the less so . The principl e o n which Ahmed formed his notion o f Deity was e s s e nt ‘ ially right , the a bsol u te is the perfection an d infinit u d e ’ o f the perfect finite ; bu t his opponents properly obj ected to the giving of a ccidents of h u m a n n at u re , which m a y or may not be fo u nd when the h u m a n cre at u re is in other environments , to the Being in connec tion with whom to spe ak o f a ccidents a nd environments wo u l d be p a ra doxic al a nd contra dictory . The fa ct o f the m a tter in rela tion to these a nthropomorphic a ttrib utes is th a t Ahmed ibn H a nb al ha d to set himself u p not only , as his own a pologist , bu t , also , a s the a pologist of the Koran a nd the Prophet ,a nd he knew tha t a t l ea st ,so it

H sl amism e 1 6 an ar ume n of the if ti 1 ) c f. D ozy , e t I , 3 ; g t S a ya ,Shahr as ’ ’ tani ,H aarbr ii ck e r s tr an sl n , I , 95. - Z hir ite n . 1 l . 2 ff. The s o all e 2) cf. G ol dzihe r , a , p 3 3 , 4 c d n e gativ e p osition of M al ik ibn A n as an d Ahm e d ibn H an b al in this c on n e ction is har d to um ’ ’ i H rbr ii ck e r s tr an sl n d e r s tan d ( vid . Shahr a s tan , a a , I , 9 7, 1 1 4 Re fu s ing to a cc e pt the figu r ativ e me an ing of the an thr o p omor phic e xp r e s s ion s , an d ye t in s is tin g on the r e al for c e o f th e s e s am e e xp r e s s ion s ,a s Ahme d c e r tainl y did , how c an p as s ivity be c on c e iv e d to e xis t in s u ch min d s ?I n sis t e n ce on the pos itive m e anin g , an d ye t n ot s t a tin g wh a t the s p e cific me aning was ,though

in r l a e s nl an r or r d eny g it to be figu ativ e , e v o y th op om phism ove .

1 90 where the literal method ha d to he given u p the interpreta

a a f u tion h nded down in Tr dition ever o nd fa vor with Ahmed .

l l all E x t Qr én C ose y ied with the interpreta tion o f the Sou r ces of Koran is the q u estion as to the a u thorita tive

so u rce o f doctrine a nd r u les o f cond u ct , where

a fa l u f l l the Kor n i s to give s ficient y exp icit directions . For

l l a Ahmed ibn Ha nb a this y in the Tra dition . Wha t had the Prophet s aid ?Wh a t ha d the Prophet done ?Wh a t had the

Comp a nions of the Prophet reported from him ?Or , their

Followers ?Or, the second genera tion of Followers ?Wh a t was the consens u s of opinion and pra ctice in the M u slim Com ’ m u nion ?The a dmission of the Kiyas or o f Ra y was generally opposed , but a dmitted where there was no better help to be fo u nd His mon u mental work , the gre at collection

of tra ditions c alled the M us na d , had for its decla red p u rpose the fu rnishing , in all conceiva ble insta nces , of so u nd tra di tional a rg u ments to those who might resort to it Its com position and the importa nce Ahmed a tta ched to it shew tha t Tradition next to the Word of God itself was the gre at rock

on which he stood . M a ny testimonies go to prove that he was more ten a cio u s of Tra dition tha n a ny of the other doctors of his age We find tha t when he forgave his persec u tors it was becau se of a tra dition al interpret ation of a K oran verse

S u . 2 1 n o e Sa au Zur A el te sten G e s ch. 1 ) G ol dziher , M oh. t d II , 7, t 4 ; ch ,

s 1 Hou tsma D e Str i d e tc . 1 f. cf. G ol dziher ahir ite n d . M oh. R e cht , 7 ; , j 9 ; ,Z , ’ Hou tsma s wor s . 2 l . 1 6 ff. s e em to be too fa or a l e to the 20 , n ot e 1 . d p 9 , v b c r r e a ion of the oran as far a s the a r i u e s of God M u tazil a . Th e ir in t e p t t K tt b t ,

r in the an thr op omor phic e xp r e s sions r ega d g G od and the p r e d e s tin ation p as sag e s d w h ar e con c ern e d was wh oll y figur ative ,an e know ow l ar g e a p ar t o f the e s oin h n p ol emic which the y wage d was ov er th e p ts . T e ame Rational is t s ,or c h k l ie to the M u tazil a and im l ie s a the oran Fr e e t in er s , is j u s tl y app d p th t K with th em was au th or itativ e , n ot ab s ol u tel y or a s far as p r actical n e c e ssity

far as the r a ion al eman s of uman l ife an d corn woul d a dmit ,bu t onl y as t d d h ma ou all o for t an d the fair r e quir ements of hu n th ght we d .

2) p . 1 9 . 6 G ol dziher ahiriten 1 2 a hau 3) Ibn Khal dfin ,Pr ol e g . III , ; ,Z ,23 , . 5; S c ,

M oh. R e h s 1 cf. re s en wor k . 1 6f. Zur Ael tes ten G esch. d . c t 5; p t p

c ” l L: ) l Abfi Nu aim 1 0 a M l w e l 63 4) , 5 , & 0 M De 1 9 1

When the a uthor o f the Hilya rela tes tha t Ahmed was a ngry [all M ] with those who we akened u nder the test in the d ayS I

- ’ o f a l M a mun , he follows u p the incident with a tra dition o f ’ some o f the Prophet s Comp a nions h a ving been very a ngry when they were c alled u pon to give u p any p art o f their ’ religion The a u thor s p u rpose in introd ucing the tra dition ’ where it stands , is to point ou t the a n alogy between Ahmed s ca se and tha t cited , a nd to j u stify Ahmed in view o f what P ’ the rophet s Comp anions had done . He may wish to inti

mate , a lso , that Ahmed a cted knowing this precedent , a nd l being stim u ated by it to feel as he did . 1m” His interpretation of Tra dition also lea ned to the

‘ r et a t zon o p f most rigoro u s view . A provision for relief in ex d it im c e ptional c ases he often m ade imperative in su ch

s > a w bu 3 1 é i s n x 3 3 6 3 g a g ,

’ 4 0 5 , o a bl é K ll t 2 g bu L s . » u on 2 . 8 x I ; w U j [ 4 3 ] L5

l SiH m “ “ 13» LB W u d .» Lo C? u L5 g e e 0 ?{ J - u ni31 tns c 3 3 1 ,» N A m,Ud g,L5 4 , M 3 U

1 u u a ss s ug x ri m xs an u s s 6 ,3 u o v ( l f a w gg g

-sa -s u w -s ‘ s w a s a m r t s fi w p v w m

fi 1° 1 A u Nu aim 1 a n 4 “ ) 3 ) b , 47 , o 0 M U

i

“ 0 ”M of $ 1 9 2 insta nces , even if the persons concerned ha d no wish to a v a il themselves of the dispens a tion or the c ases were in deta il not the s a me a s th a t origin ally provided fo r in the tr a dition . Hence wha t wa s me a nt to be a relief bec a me , inste a d , a b u rden

l f l o f 2 T/ze 13mm , The be ie he he d in the merit good works )

f or ll is was so strong th at a rigid exegesis of the Koran a nd ' M e’fioa of Tra dition was the most n a t u ral thing to be ex

a l f l a pe ct e d o f him . The s me be ie exp ins his persistent a pplic a

£ o f lf a l f o f a a nd fa a n d /0, tion himse to i e scetic rigor sting M a nn er of His love o f the a scetic life , in its t u rn , throws light

7255 Li e. f u pon the mystic ch a ra cter o f his piety a nd his faith in dre a ms S olit u de , h u nger , and the a bsence o f distr a ct ing comforts m a de the s u bj ective life seem more re al th a n the obj ective , a nd le d Ahmed to feel a n a version to a life s u ch as other men lived ; for in s u ch a life the re ality of the interior world which he had cre a ted for himself was sh a ttered ,a nd mys t ic is m with its revelry o f religio u s im a gin a tion dissip a ted

1 ) For ill us tr a tion of his r igor ou s in t e r p r e ta tion , s e e G ol dziher ,Zahir iten ,

88 f. 1 0 l . 20 ff. cf. . 1 1 in fr a G ol dzihe r M oh. S u . 2 0 . pp . 8 7, , 3 ; p 4 ; , t d II , 5

1 6 an d n o e 1 infr a . Hou tsma D e Str i d e tc . 8 s a s a the 2) cf. p . 4 t , j 5, y th t cl os e a dh e r e n c e to the l e tt e r of the Kor an on the p ar t of the or th o do x r e viv e d

was fou n e s e ial l am n a s tr ict c on c e ption of l ife s u ch as d p c y o g the Hanb alit e s . But we woul d c all a tt e n tion to the fa ct th at th e r e was at this time a de e p c u r r e n t of p o p ul ar s e n time n t fa vor ing a s tr ict e r r e ligiou s l ife , an d this gr ea t t e nde n cy of the life of in dividu al s an d of s o cie ty at l ar ge e xp r e s s e d it sel f in

i ie ws of the or an a n d a r i i in e r r e a ion of its r e c e ts . The s r i er h gh v K g d t p t t , p p t ct c on c e ption of the Kor an th e n r e a cte d an d ga v e d e fin it e for m to the l ife ten

r w th n d e ncy of the n a tion an d its me mb e s . It a s e c o c e ption of l ife that affe ct e d

k w i was the r ul e of life r a r i the c on c e ption of the B oo h ch , the th an othe r w s e . ’ Su ch is my r e ading of the cir cums tan c e s ,bu t Houtsma s e xpl an ation will al s o

find many a dv oc at e s . ’ ’ - l -M ah. 6 o i uar n o i e of Yazi ibn Abi Yazi al Azdi 3) cf. Abu I ,3 4 , b t y t c d d , to his as e i l ife an d imi a i n o c on taining a r e fe r en c e c t c t t o f Ahme d ibn Hanbal .

m ? -ii l al . A u M 4) p B) r g

: l b a -i ub”x £> l La Al Qu Xi " .Lofifl ul y Li ) 0 3 r , L9 ( f 3

f 8 . c . pp . 9 2 f. , 2 c ’ Abu Nu aim 1 2 5 3; M ) C d . in r 5) , 4 , LS 9 H U 5? [ o s e ts é]

1 94 ce ptio n of his voc a tion as a te a cher l e d him to keep as cl e a r of compromise as S u r r amanr a wo u ld become his prison , he sa id , were he to st a y there a nd te ach whil e , a t the s a me ti me , receiving the fixed s alary of the Khalif

Ishak ibn Rahawa ih he s a id he wo u ld reb u ke , if he ever s aw him , for his tr u ckling to the Emir Abd all ah ibn Ta

The wilfulness of Ahmed , do u btless , contrib u ted to his opposition to a Co u rt position he was m aster of his own circl e in his own wa y in B aghd a d , bu t at the Co u rt s u ch

ul a al a wo d h ve been impossibl e . And , then , his re h tred of e a sy a nd congeni al conditions on the gro u nd o f religio u s principl e presented a crowning obst acle

a a s a a Aw m m t o The ch ra cter of Ahmed tr ditionist ,

' t ema t zc Theol ogy a nd his a version to generaliz ation a n d d e d u c

””5 Re ‘M m ”. tion , prevented him from le a ving behind a ny system of O pinions . We may form u l a te for him in these d a ys , but he wo ul d not h a ve been willing to do so . Hence , the u ninflu e ntial ch ara cter of the H a nb alite school . Their ’ m a ster s te aching wa s u nsystem a tic , a nd m u ch gro u nd was l ost ere his spirit and te a ching co uld be put before the world in s u ch a form as to a ccomplish a ny powerful effect . His person ality in his lifetime a nd a fter his de ath was a gre a t force in the M u slim worl d ; a nd the person ality seems yet to be a s powerful in its infl u ence a s the opinions which he en u ncia ted , tho u gh his following has never been gre a t in comp a rison with th a t o f the other three orthodox Imams .

infr a k i n A as owar Harli n al 1 ) p . 1 1 2 a , p . 1 4 1 ,cf. a ttitu de o f M li b n t d i Ra sh d ,von Hammer ,Lit . G e sch. III , 1 0 1 , 1 0 2 . 2) p I 4 2 3) p I 4S

O n i h l e s u e cf ol dzihe r M oh. S u . . 4) th s w o bj ct , . G , t d II , 3 9 I N D E X .

c - ’ A bbas , the client of al M a mfin , 7 5. C - A bbél s a bint al F a dl , 1 74 . - c mé Abd al A lé ibn Ha m d , 1 74 . -C Abd allah ibn Abbés , 1 57, 1 59, 1 76.

26 2 1 6 H. Abd alla h ibn Ahmed ibn H a nb al , 20 H. , , 8, 4 ,

1 50, 1 7 3 f.

Abd alla h ibn Idris , 46. ll Abd a ah ibn I s hék , 1 40 . c Abd alla h ibn M as fid , 1 02, 1 60 .

Abd alla h ibn Moh a mmed , kno wn as Bfir én , 88, 1 47, 1 48 . - alla al M u bér ak, 1 1 . Abd h ibn - l c Abd al ah ibn Omal r , 1 58 . l Abd a lah ibn Tahir , 1 8 , 1 94 . - - - i Abd al M alik ibn Abd al l H amid al M a mfin , 26. - c Abd al M u n im ibn Idris ibn bint Wahb ibn M u n abbih , 7 3 . ’ - C - ci Abd al Rahmén ibn A mr a l A u za , 1 76. - - Abd al Rahmén ibn Abi Hétim al Razi , 1 7 3 . - Abd al Rahmén ibn I s hék , 70, 74, 78, 1 0 1 ff. al- é Abd Ra zzk , 1 2, 1 5 H., 26. CA ffé m ibn M uslim , 86. ° ° l 1u l- A h é Ah w , 1 61 n . ) , 1 63 n . ° ° ° A h1u t - - Tauhid wa l A dl , 62 n .

al- - Ibn Ahmar , 7 3 . C Ahmed ibn A mmél r , 1 0 5. f Ahmed ibn Abi D o wéd , 3 , 4, 52, 55 ., 64, 9 3 , 1 02 H., 1 20,

1 2 1 , 1 26f., 1 4 2. 1 96

Ahmed ibn H a nb al , his gre atness a nd infl u ence , 2 ff. ; his

fa l a biogra phers etc ., 5, 1 7 3 ; birth , mi y and e arly ye rs ,

1 0 ; te a chers o f , 1 1 ff. ; perform a nce o f the H ajj , 1 4 ; at c M a 1 a a ecc , 4 ; t S a n , 1 6; period o f te a ching , 1 8 f. ; works ,

M u s n u l 2 1 9 ; a d , 1 9 ff. ; his p pi s , 6; method o f te a ching ,

2 f e t 6; contempora ries , 27 ff. ; riendship for mystics a nd as c

ics , 4 1 ff. ; his tri al predicted , 49 ; regrets a postasy of his f 2 comp a nions , 64 f. ; cited be ore Ishak ibn Ibrahim , 70, 7 ; ’ ’ - referred to in al M a mu n s l etter , 77 ; refu ses to rec a nt ,

80 ; ordered to T a rs u s , 8 1 ; se nt b a ck to Baghdad a nd his

imprisonment there , 8 5; second cita tion , 89 ; disc ussion - c f a l M u as im al ff. be ore Ish k , 90 f. ; t a ken to a t , 9 1 ; tri , 9 3 ; c u f - s i disc ssions be ore al M u t a m, 1 0 1 ff.; ordered to be flogged , - 1 ff. i 07 ; set free , 1 1 1 ; rela tions with a l Wathik , 1 1 4 f. ; n - vit e d to visit al M u t awakkil , 1 39 ; convers ation with Ishak c ibn Ibrahim , 1 39 ; a cc u sed of A lyit e l e a nings , 1 40 ; second

a - invit tion o f al M u t awakkil , 1 40 f. ; vow to reno u nce te a ch

ing , 1 4 2 ; royal gifts , 1 4 1 , 1 4 3 ; fasting a nd sickness , 144 f. ;

cons u lted a bo u t Ibn Abi D o wad , 1 4 2, 1 4 5 ; rele a sed by

al -M u t awakkil , 1 45 f. ; correspondence with his sons, 1 46f. ;

a a his test ment , 1 47 f. ; ret u rns to Baghd d , 1 48 ff. ; obj ects

to his fa mily receiving stipends , 1 50 f. ; a cc u sed to the - Khalif a ga in , 1 52 ; al M u t awa kkil a sks for his V iew a s

l a a to the Koran , 1 54 ; his letter in rep y, 1 55 ff. ; Y hy ibn

Khakan visits him , 1 64 ; M oh a mmed ibn Abd allah ibn

Tahir invites him , 1 64 ; fa sting, 1 64 ; sickness a nd de a th

1 2 f. a l 1 f. 1 65 ff. ; his fu neral , 1 7 2 ; his tomb , 7 ; f mi y, 7 3 , as a fa 1 testimonies of esteem , 1 7 5 f. ; Ahmed kih , 77 ;

h a bits of life , 1 78 ; chara cteristics , 1 79 ; religio u s ch a r

a cter , 1 8 1 ; person al a ppea ra nce , 1 8 2 ; H i s Vi e w s ,

a 1 8 ff. D U 1 8 1 8 3 f. ; on the Kor n , 4 ; on the ivine nity, 7 ; on a nthropomorphic a ttrib u tes , 1 87 ff ; on interpretation - of the K oran , 1 89 ; on extra Koran so u rces of doctrine ,

a a 1 1 a fo r 1 90 f.; on interpret tion of Tr dition , 9 ; the re son his method a nd fo r the m a nner of his life , 1 92 ; rev

erence for relics , 1 9 3 ; fo r eordin ation of events , 1 9 3 ; the

doctrine o f F a ith , 1 9 3 ; his a ttitu de towa rd p atron age ,

1 98

- Bishr ibn al M u fa d dal , 1 2 . - - l f. 80 8 . Bishr ibn a Walid al Kindi , 70 f., 7 5 , , 4

- har i 2 a l Bok , 6, 34 . - B u gha al Ka bir , 90, 9 1 .

Ibn Challikan , 1 76.

A bu Dafid , 26.

C - Daud ibn A li al Zahiri , 46. - A bu Daud a l H a fa ri , 46.

l - a a Dh h a bi , 1 76. l-Dha al - a yy ibn al H a ith a m , 70, 7 1 , 76, 84 . l- h li a D u h , see M oha mmed ibn Y a hya .

Divine a ttrib u tes , The doctrine of , 39 f., 90,

Divine U nity, 1 87 . i - D u ha m al Shami , 26.

Ibn Abi D u nya , 26.

al - a l al-Fr r k a F d ibn a u h n , 70, 77 f., al - a l a F d ibn Gh nim , 70, 77 , 84 . D F a ith , octrine of , 39, 1 9 3 . ° A bu 1 a a al - au zi F r j ibn J , 48, 1 7 3 . c a a au al l- s i F rw ibn N f a A hja , 1 60.

Fa a tim bint Ahmed , 1 7 5.

Fikh , 1 3, 1 77 .

Freedom of the will , 62.

Ghu nd a r , 1 2 .

Gold zihe r , I , 7 .

Ha irs o f the Prophet as ch arms l - a H aith a m ibn Ja mil , 29 . a - ‘ H ajj j ibn al S hair , 26. l- c a H a ka m ibn U yaina , 1 61 . a a H mm d ibn Z aid , 1 1 .

H a nb al ibn Ishak, 1 0, 26. I 99

l l f f. H a nba ite Schoo , Origin o , 4 , 1 94 .

A bu H anifa , 30 . - al B a rbiya , 1 7 5.

a l- a a al-M ha i H rith ibn As d u sib , 4 1 ff. - Ibn al H arsh , 70, 84 .

Har fin alla al - u b ibn Abd h Z ri , 61 .

a al- a H run R shid , 47, 48, 50 . ° l a a l- a - Ab u H s n ibn Abd a H di al Sindi , 2 1 .

l - a a a H s n ibn Ahmed , 1 7 5. - c li al Has an ibn A , 1 1 4 . - l - al H asa n a B asri , 1 60, 1 62 . - - al Hasa n ibn H a mmad al S ajj ad a , 70, 78, 80, l- a a M a al -Kha l l a H s n ibn oh mmed l a , 1 7 3 . - M fis a al - al Hasa n ibn A shyab , 1 2 .

A u a a a l- a b H ss n Ziy di , 70, 7 1 , 77 . a gin- a A bu H tim R fi , 26. -C - Hayyaj ibn al A la al S ul ami , 55. a Hish m , 47 . f Hisn , conc u bine o Ahmed ibn Ha nb al , 1 7 5. i - Hu dha fa ibn al Y a man , 1 62 .

A bu H ura ira , 1 59 .

- u al H sa in , Tomb o f , 1 2 3 . c f - a l u s ain A li l K r abi i 2 . H ibn a a s , 3 f , 1 76. ’ l - - u a Ab u H u sa in ibn al M n di , 1 7 3 .

Hu s haim ibn B a shir , 1 1 , 50 .

a - 1 Ibr him al H arb 26. c C a - Ibr him ibn Isma 11 al M u t a zili , known as Ibn Ulayya , 47 . a - Ibr him ibn al M ahdi , 1 2, 26, 76, 80 . a - c Ibr him al Nakha i , 1 62 . a ‘ Ibr him ibn S a d , 1 2 . la Ikh s , D octrine o f , 76. C I mr an ibn H u s ain , 1 02 . a Ish k ibn H a nb al , 3 , 1 0, 8 8 , 1 1 2, 1 4 5, 1 50. a a - ili Ish k ibn Ibr him a l M au s , 1 39 n . a c 8 8 Ish k ibn Ibrahim ibn M u s ab , 56, 64, 70 H., 8 3, 84, 8 5, ,

8 1 8 1 8 . 9, 90, 39 a nd n . 1 40, 1 7 , 4 200

a’ Ishak ibn Abi Isr il , 70, 84 .

Ishak ibn Rahawaih , 1 2, 1 4, 1 8 , 46, 1 45,

Ishak ibn Y a hya , 63 . ‘ a l - a i A bu Ism il a Ans r , 1 7 3 . c I s mail ibn Daud , 64 . cil i I s ma ibn Ibrahim ibn B s ta m , 1 2 n . c Ism a 11 ibn Abi M as fid , 64 . c I s mail ibn U layya , 1 1 . l takh , the T u rk , 1 4 1 , 1 44 .

jabir ibn Abd alla h , 1 60 . - c al ja d ibn Dirh a m , 47 . - Ja rir ibn Abd al H a mid , 1 2 . c - A bu Ja far al Anbari , 8 1 . c C - i 2 A bu Ja fa r ibn Dhar ih al U kbar , 1 5 . ° c - Ja far ibn 15a al H asa ni , 74, 79 . c Ja far ibn M oh a mmed , 1 39 . c - A bu Ja far M oh a mmed ibn Ja rir al Taba ri , hmi Ja a , 37 ff. h Ja m ibn Safwan , 37 n . i Ju b a ir ibn N u fa r , 1 60.

bu u i A Jha m , 1 59 .

a K a id r , Governor of Egypt , 61 . 2 la 2 K a m , 3 a nd n . ) , 4 1 , 55. l - Ibn a Kalbi , the postma ster , 1 40 . ’ ’ K ar ami r ya M u rji a , see M u rji a . - al Kh a bab , 1 60 . - Khala f ibn Hisham al Ba zzar , 1 2 n . 3 1 . al ll Kh id ibn Abd a ah , 47 .

A bu Kilab a , 1 61 . a Kiy s , 1 90 .

1 . Knowledge of Go d , 90, 1 0 1 f., 87

Koran , Orthodox doctrine o f , 1 84 n . vo n Kremer , A ., 7 .

K u b ais a ibn 1 2 n . “ ” Ku n , its signific ance , 1 1 9 a nd n .

202

M oh a mmed ibn Sirin ,

M oh a mmed ibn Y a hya al Dhuhli , 26, 46. al M u a iti , 3 1 . c M u awia ibn K u rra , 1 61 . - al M u hta di , 1 22 . c f M u rji a , 37 f .

M fis a ibn Har fin , 26.

A bu M u shir , 79 . l A bu M u s im , 64 .

M u slim , 26.

M us na d , 5, 1 9 ff. c M u ta ma r ibn S u leiman , 1 2 . c - al M u t as im 6 2 . 62 6 8 ff 1 1 , 3 , , 3 n 55, , 3 , 5, 90, 9 3 , 4, 1 27 . — W I 8 1 22 1 W , , 29, 1 30 ff.,

1 63 , 1 69 . c 3 zil 2 6 8 nd 62 . M u t a a , , , 4 a n 1 87 n . ) , 1 89

1 90 n . c - a l M u t azz, 1 4 2, 1 4 3, 1 44 .

- t alib all al M u t ibn Abd a h , 77 . a la M u z affa r , ch mber in o f Abd alla h ibn Ishak , 1 40 . f M u z a f a r ibn Ka id a r , 1 1 3 .

- fa ibn M u r r a a al M u z a f r jj , 7 3 .

- m i al N a dr ibn Shu a l , 70, 84 .

N a mes of Go d , 90 . a a Ibn N sir , the H fiz , 1 7 3 .

a al- a a A bu N sr T mm r , 70, 77, 84 . - i a l Nawaw , 1 76. c A bu N u a im b ll - a i , Ahmed ibn A d a a h al I s pah n , 8 . c A bu Nu aim al- a l i n D F d b u kain , 63 , 87 a nd n . c N u im a a a ibn H mm d , 1 1 9 .

Ibn N u mair , 1 2 .

c aid ll h - Ob a a ibn M oh a mmed ibn al H a s a n , 7 2 . C ° ~ Obaid allah ibn M oh a mmed A bu l Kas im , 26. c c Obaid al ah mar al-Ka war ir i 8 l ibn O , 70, 79, 0, 84 . C bai ll a f O d a ah ibn Y a hy , 1 54, 1 8 3 . 20 3

C - Omar ibn Abd al Aziz , 1 2 3, 1 61 f. C - - O mar ibn Ahmed al Shamma al H alabi , 2 1 . c - Omar ibn al Khattab , 54, 1 59 f. c c - Ot hman ibn Sa id al Darimi , 26.

l- 1 u l a a Rab ibn S eim n , 1 1 9 f. - Raj a al Hidari , 8 2 . c Rationalism , vid . M u tazila . ’ Ra y, 1 90 .

c - a i i ° S a d a waih al W s t , vid . Sa id ibn S uleiman . c S a id ibn Ahmed , 1 7 5. c l a C - S a id ibn S u eim n A bu Othman al Was iti , 70, 78 , 84 . li Sé h ibn Ahmed ibn H anb al , 26, 1 4 1 , 1 46ff., 1 50, 1 51 , 1 64, f 1 70 ., 1 7 3 f. - Salih a l Rashidi , 1 04 .

S a msa ma , 1 1 8 .

l- a - a Sa ri l Sakati , 45. c al- hafi i 2 2 H S , , 1 3 , 7 ., 49 f.

A bu u a - Sh ib al Hajj am , 90. c c Shu a a Ibn j , see Ahmed ibn Shuj . h S yit e s , 54 a nd n . l-Di i Sim a a mas hk , 1 1 8 . l - a Sindi , 7 5.

f a al - So y n Thau r i , 1 76. c S f a i a o y n ibn U ya n , 1 1 , 1 2 , 1 3 .

Steiner , H. , 7 . al -Su 8 1 2 bki , , 7, 1 7 2 .

c Tab ifin , 1 63 . a a 6 8 88 2 T ki , 5, 3 , , 1 8, 1 29 .

Ta shbih , 1 06.

a T u hid , 62 . au au 1 61 T s ibn T s , , 1 69 f.

A bu au Th r , 1 76.

c la - Ibn U yya al Akbar , 1 2, 47, 204

c é il A t él a nd 4 W g ibn , 55 n . ) . ° a a l - a a 1 2 a nd W ki ibn j rr h , n . 1 3 . - M l a l Wa lid ibn u s im , 1 2 . ’ u l - al a l-Ta alisi 2 Ab W id y , 6, 1 74 . -Wathi 6 al 6 1 1 1 1 H. 1 2 1 1 2 k , 4, , 55, 3, 4 , 5 , , 7 ff.

C a a al- a a al- Omari Y hy ibn Abd R hm n , 70, 79, 84 . A ktham 2 Y ahya ibn , 5 , 54 f., 56.

a a a Y a hy ibn Kh k n , 1 4 3, 1 51 , 1 64 . c a a M a 1 2 1 6 1 6 1 1 1 28 1 Y hy ibn in , , , 3 , 4, 7, , 74, 1 76. c id al- a a Y a hya ibn S a K tt n , 1 2, 1 76. ’ Y a hya ibn Abi Zaid a , 1 2 . c K Ya kub au s ar ra , 1 4 1 . c Y a ku b ibn Sh a ib a , 26.

a Ha u 1 2 a nd . 2 2 Y zid ibn r n , n 6, 9 f., 52, 1 76, 1 80

A bu Yus u f , the Kadi , 1 2 .

u u a a al- i i Y s f ibn Y hy B uwa t , 1 1 4, 1 1 9 .

u u Y s f ibn Abi Yus u f , 79 .

Z a in a b bint Ahmed , 1 7 5. - a Ibn al Z a yy t , the Vizier , 55. c - Ziyad al Baka i , 1 2 .

Z u ha ir ibn H a rb A bu Khaithama ,

Z u h a ir ibn Salih , 1 74 . ° - A bu Z u r a al Dim as hki , 26. c - A bu Z u r a al Razi , 26, 1 7 5.

207

» i I I ff J. 0 9 M 0 9 3 ,

1 48 f , 1 51 f, 1 64, 1 66ff, 1 7o f,

1 f. 1 7 3 f . 1 8 3 , 90

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