Virtues of the Imam Ahmad ibn Ḥanbal

Virtues of the Imam Ahmad ibn Ḥanbal

Volume One

  • by Ibn al-Jawzī
  • Edited and translated by Michael Cooperson

592 Pages

August 2013

ISBN: 9780814771662

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$40.00

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Authors

Ibn al-Jawzī (d. 597/1201) was a Baghdadi storyteller, preacher, and prolific Islamic scholar associated with the Hanbali school of jurisprudential thought. He is well known for his exegeses of the Qurʾan and Hadith, including his famous compendium, Al-Taḥqīq.

Michael Cooperson is Professor of Arabic in the Department of Near Eastern Languages & Cultures at UCLA. His translations include The Life of Ibn Ḥanbal by Ibn al-Jawzī for the Library of Arabic Literature, and The Author and His Doubles by the eminent Moroccan literary critic Abdelfattah Kilito.

Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal (d. 241/855), renowned for his profound knowledge of hadith—the reports of the Prophet’s sayings and deeds—is a major figure in the history of Islam. Ibn Ḥanbal’s piety and austerity made him a folk hero, especially after his principled resistance to the attempts of two Abbasid caliphs to force him to accept rationalist doctrine. His subsequent imprisonment and flogging became one of the most dramatic episodes of medieval Islamic history. Ibn Ḥanbal’s resistance influenced the course of Islamic law, the rise of Sunnism, and the legislative authority of the caliphate.

Virtues of the Imam Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal is a translation of the biography of Ibn Ḥanbal penned by the Baghdad preacher, scholar, and storyteller, Ibn al-Jawzī (d. 597/1201). It includes insights into Ibn Ḥanbal’s childhood, travels, and teachings, as well as descriptions of his way of life. Volume One presents the first half of the text, offering insights into Ibn Ḥanbal’s childhood, education, and adult life, including his religious doctrines, his dealings with other scholars, and his personal habits. Set against the background of fierce debates over the role of reason and the basis of legitimate government, Virtues of the Imam Ahmad ibn Ḥanbal tells the formidable life tale of one of the most influential Muslims in history.

A bilingual Arabic-English edition.

Reviews

  • "Cooperson's translation is uncommonly deft...On the whole, this translation is a grand success. It will be valuable for teachers to illustrate early Islamic piety, early Islamic law, early Sunni theology, and everyday life in Baghdad."

    — Christopher Melchert, Journal of Islamic Studies

  • "Michael Cooperson's fluid translation is accompanied by substantial notes and a glossary of names and terms."

    — Banipal Magazine

  • "Gives readers a unique vantage point into the life and piety of the namesake of the Hanbali school of Sunni law...Ibn al-Jawzi, drawing on earlier reports, reconstructs the life and morality of his hero as a complex, earnest, and playful man; Cooperson's dynamic and accessible translation brings this last quality to the surface to an extent that would surprise many modern readers with preconceptions about Hanbalism."

    — Marginalia

  • "One hundred chapters and over 150,000 words of Munaqib Abi Allah Ahmad b. Muhammad b. Hanbal pulsate with energy; these pages are vibrant with events of extraordinary nature, and they contain hundreds of facets of individual and collective lives of a bygone era; Cooperson's translation captures the soul of the book..."

    — Islamic Studies

  • "Highly recommended to anyone with an interest in ḥadīth, history, theology, and law, and to anyone who appreciates a good read."

    — Journal of the American Research Center in Egypt