HUMA 1845 Lecture Notes - Lecture 58: Ahmad Ibn Hanbal, Hadith Studies, Madhhab
6 Jan 2018
School
Department
Course
Professor
Document Summary
Topic: ahmad ibn hanbal (d. 855) and the traditionists of iraq. Ahmad ibn hanbal had a circle of disciples in baghdad. He and his disciples were not regarded as much as lawyers, but more as specialists on tradition (hadith); Ahmad ibn hanbal was the champion of the traditionist camp; His most famous work is kitab al-sunna" which is still considered one of the most authoritative sources of hadith; His students traveled extensively and gathered his responses to questions of law; Ahmad ibn hanbal was also one of the most prominent theologians of his time. Until some thirty years ago, historians of islamic law considered these four great legal scholars to be the founders of their respective schools of law. A prominent historian, ibn khaldun (d. 1408) challenged this opinion. He wrote: a school (maddhab) was formed when a body of opinion was collected and ascribed to a particular teacher.
