Books by Ibn al-Jawzi

This is the translation of the first part in a sequence of books written by Imam Abd al-Raḥmān b. ʿAlī b. Muḥammad Abu 'l-Faras̲h̲ b. al-Jawzi, known as Ibn al-Jawzī. He was an Arab Muslim jurisconsult, preacher, orator, heresiographer, traditionist, historian, judge, hagiographer, and philologist who lived in Baghdad during the twelfth century.In this book, he collected what was known in his time about the nation's history. As the reader will note, this book focused first on parts more toward the Middle East region and on the prophets known to Jews and Christians. The reason behind this is that Baghdad was the heart of the Islamic world, and most of the other nations' knowledge had been concentrated in Baghdad in the Golden Age of the Islamic Empire.It is essential to understand that the first and second part of this book, until 600 AD, was based on what the Imam read and gathered from Israelites known to him in his time. So, similarities might be found between the historical events mentioned in those two parts and Biblical stories.

The Life of Ibn ¿anbal is a translation of the biography of Ibn Hanbal by the Baghdad preacher, scholar, and storyteller Ibn al-Jawz¿ (d. 597/1200), newly abridged for a paperback readership by translator Michael Cooperson. A¿mad ibn ¿anbal (d. 241/855), renowned for his profound knowledge of hadiths¿the reports of the Prophet¿s sayings and deeds¿is a major figure in the history of Islam. He was famous for living according to his own strict interpretation of the Prophetic model and for denying himself the most basic comforts, even though his family was prominent and his city, Baghdad, was then one of the wealthiest in the world. Ibn ¿anbal¿s piety and austerity made him a folk hero, especially after he resisted the attempts of two caliphs to force him to accept rationalist doctrine. His subsequent imprisonment and flogging is one of the most dramatic episodes of medieval Islamic history, and his principled resistance influenced the course of Islamic law, the rise of Sunnism, and the legislative authority of the caliphate. Set against the background of fierce debates over the role of reason and the basis of legitimate government, The Life of Ibn ¿anbal tells the formidable life tale of one of the most influential Muslims in history. An English-only edition.

Authoritative and reliable editions of the Arabic and modern, lucid English translations introducing treasures of the Arabic literary heritage