International Journal of Islamic and Civilizational Studies Full Paper UMRAN
| 02 (2017) pp. 24-32 | www. http://jurnalumran.utm.my/index.php/umran |
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The Influence Of Abbasid Empire and Community Needs in The Development of ḤadƯth
Literature and Islamic Prophetology
Ahmad Sanusi Azmi
Faculty of Quranic and Sunnah Studies, Universiti Sains Islam Malaysia
Email Address: sanusi@usim.edu.my
Article history
Received: 2016-11-18 Received in revised form: 2017-02-07 Accepted: 2017-02-07
Abstract
At the time of Abbasid Empire, the Caliph’s court seems to give serious attention in safeguarding the prophethood of
Muḥammad and supporting the development of ḥadīth literature. Not only had the Muslims scholar, his own Caliph
also produced a work on Islamic Prophetology. Caliph al-Ma’mūn (d. 218/833) has been documented as one of the
Abbasid Caliph that produced a work known as Risāla fī Aʿlām al-Nubuwwa. In fact, the Abbasid ruler were also
identified as participating in ḥadīth discourse and praising for the ḥadīth colloquy. This actions clearly exhibit the
court’s patronage of ḥadīth discourse. In his account, Ibn al-Samʿānī records that al-Manṣūr (d. 158/775), al-Rashīd
(d. 193/809) and al-Ma’mūn (d. 218/833) were among the Abbasid Caliphate’s supporters who extolled the ḥadīth
colloquium. This study aims to explore the Abbasid’s court and community influence on the development of ḥadīth
discourse and Islamic Prophetology. The study is qualitative in nature, in which the researcher employed both critical
and analytical analysis on Islamic sources related to the subject. It is indeed an arduous task to sift the enormous
amount of Islamic sources, thus, this study is focuses on works produced within the ninth century as its parameter of
study. The study in its finding confirms that the Abbasid court appears as playing significant role to safeguarding the
prophethood of Muḥammad and expanding ḥadīth literature. The study also ascertains salient evidences bearing
witnesses to Muslim and non-Muslim encounters concerning the prophethood of Muḥammad that contribute to the
development of Islamic discourse on the subject.
Keywords: Abbasid, ḥadīth literature, Islamic prophetology, Muhammad’s prophethood