Preliminaries; Contents; Preface; Acknowledgements; Abbreviations; Note on transliteration; Note on dating systems; Glossary; CHAPTER 1 The development of the genre; CHAPTER 2 The caliph al-Ma'mun; CHAPTER 3 The Imam 'Ali al-Rida; CHAPTER 4 The Hadith-scholar Ahmad Ibn Hanbal; CHAPTER 5 The renunciant Bishr al-Hafi; Conclusions; Appendix: The circumstances of 'Ali al-Rida's death; Bibliography; Index; Titles in the series
Summary
In the first book-length study to explore the origins of classical Arabic biography, the author demonstrates how Muslim scholars used notions of heirship and transmission to document the activities of political, scholarly and religious communities. The author illustrates his argument by analysing four figures whose biographies exemplify a particular tradition
Bibliography
Includes bibliographical references (pages 197-210) and index
