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'Ali ibn 'Asakir (1105-1176) was one of the most renowned experts on Hadith and Islamic history in the medieval era. His was a tumultuous time: centuries of Shi'i rule had not long ended in central Syria, rival warlords sought control of the capital, and Crusaders had captured Jerusalem.
Seeking the unification of Syria and Egypt, and the revival of Sunnism in both, Ibn 'Asakir served successive Muslim rulers, including Nur al-Din and Saladin, and produced propaganda against both the Christian invaders and the Shi'is. This, together with his influential writings and his advocacy of major texts, helped to lay the foundations for the eventual Sunni domination of the Levant - a domination which continues to this day.
List of contents
NotesAcknowledgments 1 The World of Ibn 'AsakirDamascus in the fifth/eleventh century
The BuridsNur al-DinStatus of Religious ScholarshipBack to Ibn 'Asakir
2 Life & CareerBackground
Education & Travels
First TripSecond TripReturn to DamascusTeaching & Character
Writings
Death
3 Scholarship & ActivismPolitical unity and Revivification of Sunnism
Trustee of Hadith
The College of HadithIn Defense of Ash'arism
Tabyin kadhib al-muftariPreaching of Jihad
Al-Arba'un hadith fi al-hathth 'ala al-jihadOthers Books on Jihad?Religious Merits of Towns and Places
Fadl 'AsqalanIbn 'Asakir as Theologian and Historian
Was Ibn 'Asakir a Theologian?Was Ibn 'Asakir a Historian? 4 Ta'rikh DimashqThe Idea
The Book
Rehabilitation of Past Figures and Islamic UnityArrangement and DivisionsTransmissionManuscriptsImpactModern Editions 5 The 'Asakir Extended FamilyDirect Descendants of Ibn 'Asakir
Descendants of Ibn 'Asakir's Sister
Descendants of Ibn 'Asakir's Brother Muhammad
Other Members of the 'Asakir Family
The 'Asakir Family Tree
6 Medieval LegacyIbn 'Asakir's Notable Students
Ibn 'Asakir's Legacy through his
Ta'rikh 7 Modern Legacy, Syrian Nationalism & Islamic NationalismThe Late-Nineteenth- to Early-Twentieth-Century Context
The Late-Twentieth-Century Context
GlossaryBibliographyIndex
About the author
Suleiman A. Mourad is Professor of Religion at Smith College in Massachusetts, USA, and former Director of the Nantes Institute for Advanced Study in France. He specialises in Islamic history and religious thought, and how the challenges of modernity have led to major changes in Muslims' perception of and attitude towards their own history and classical thought.
Summary
A towering figure in the history of Islamic scholarship, who shaped biographical literature and the emerging genre of city histories
