Virtues of Imam Ahmad ibn Hanbal

 Virtues of the Imam Ahmad ibn Hanbal, *English & Arabic,
[A5+] Quality Hardback with Dust-Jacket - 587 pages, Volume 1,
by Ibn al-Jawzi,
Edited and translated by Michael Cooperson.
**'Library of Arabic Literature' NYU Press.


Description :

Virtues of the Imam Ahmad ibn Hanbal is a translation of the biography of Ibn Hanbal penned by the Baghdad preacher, scholar, and storyteller Ibn al-Jawzi (d.597_H/1200_CE). Volume One presents the first half of the text, offering insights into Ibn Hanbal’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 Hanbal tells the formidable life tale of one of the most influential Muslims in history.



Ahmad ibn Hanbal (d. 241H / 855CE), 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 Hanbal was famous for living according to his own strict interpretation of the Prophetic model and for denying himself even the most basic comforts in a city then one of the wealthiest in the word, and despite belonging to a prominent family. His 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 Hanbal’s resistance influenced the course of Islamic law, the rise of Sunnism, and the legislative authority of the caliphate. tells the formidable life tale of one of the most influential Muslims in history.



Table of Contents :

---Letter from the General Editor,
---Introduction,
---Note on the Text,
---Notes to the Frontmatter.

Virtues of The Imam, Ahmad Ibn Hanbal,

---Chapter [1]. Ibn Hanbal's Birth and Family Background,
---Chapter [2]. His Lineage,
---Chapter [3]. His Childhood,
---Chapter [4]. The Beginning of his search for Knowledge & the Journey he Undertook,
---Chapter [5]. The Major Men of Learning whom he Met and on whose Authority he recited Hadith,
---Chapter [6]. His Deference to his Teachers and his Respect for Learning,
---Chapter [7]. His Eagerness to Learn and his single-minded Pursuit of Knowledge,
---Chapter [8]. His Powers of Retention & the Number of Reports He Knew by Heart,
---Chapter [9]. His Learning, His Intelligence, and His Religious Understanding,
---Chapter [10]. Praise of Him by his Teachers,
---Chapter [11]. Teachers and Senior Men of Learning who Cite him,
---Chapter [12]. All the Men of Learning who Cite him,
---Chapter [13]. Praise of Him by his Peers, His Contemporaries, and those Close to him in Age,
---Chapter [14]. Praise of Him by Prominent Successors who Knew him Well,
---Chapter [15]. A Report that the Prophet Elijah sent him Greetings,
---Chapter [16]. Reports that Al-Khidr Spoke in his Praise,
---Chapter [17]. Praise of him by Pious Strangers and Allies of God,
---Chapter [18]. Allies of God who Visited him to Seek his Blessing,
---Chapter [19]. His Fame,
---Chapter [20]. His Creed,
---Chapter [21]. His Insistence on Maintaining the Practices of the Early Muslims,
---Chapter [22]. His Reverence for Hadith Transmitters and Adherents of the Sunnah,
---Chapter [23]. His Shunning and Reviling Innovators and His Forbidding others to Listen to Them,
---Chapter [24]. His Seeking of Blessings and Cures Using the Qur'an and Water from the Well of Zamzam, as well as Some Hair and a Bowl that belonged to The Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace,
---Chapter [25]. His Age when he began Teaching Hadith and giving Legal Opinions,
---Chapter [26]. His Devotion to Learning and the Attitudes that informed his Teaching,
---Chapter [27]. His Works,
---Chapter [28]. His Aversion to Writing Books containing Opinions Reached through Exercise of Independent Judgement at the Expense of Transmitted Knowledge,
---Chapter [29]. His Forbidding others to Write Down or Transmit his Words,
---Chapter [30]. His Remarks on Sincerity, on Acting for the Sake of Appearances, and on Concealing One's Pious Austerities,
---Chapter [31]. His Statements about Renunciation and Spiritual Weakness,
---Chapter [32]. His Remarks on Different Subjects,
---Chapter [33]. Poems he Recited or had Attributed to Him,
---Chapter [34]. His Correspondence,
---Chapter [35]. His Appearance and Bearing,
---Chapter [36]. His Imposing Presence,
---Chapter [37]. His Cleanliness and Ritual Purity,
---Chapter [38]. His Kindness and his Consideration for Others,
---Chapter [39]. His Forbearance and His Readiness to Forgive,
---Chapter [40]. His Property and Means of Subsistence,
---Chapter [41]. His Refusal to Accept Help Even in Distress,
---Chapter [42]. His Generosity,
---Chapter [43]. His Accepting Gifts and Giving Gifts in Return,
---Chapter [44]. His Renunciation,
---Chapter [45]. His House and Furniture,
---Chapter [46]. His Diet,
---Chapter [47]. His Indulgences,
---Chapter [48]. His Clothing,
---Chapter [49]. His Scrupulosity,
---Chapter [50]. His Shunning Appointment to Positions of Authority.


---Notes,
---Glossary of Names and Terms,
---Index,
---About the NYU Abu Dhabi Institute,
---About the Typefaces,
---About the Editor - Translator.

---

*Arabic with parallel English translation.

**This is an academic 'High Quality Print' bound in hardback with dustjacket.