One Name, Two Lives: NÄfiÊ¿, the Freedman of Ibn Ê¿Umar, in the Imagination of Early-Abbasid muḥaddithÅ«n
In: Journal of Abbasid StudiesSearch for other papers by Pavel Pavlovitch in
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Abstract
In this article, I examine NÄfiÊ¿, the mawlÄ of Ibn Ê¿Umar, and his role in early ḥadÄ«th transmission and jurisprudence. I highlight several aspects of NÄfiÊ¿âs activity as a traditionist that have previously evaded scholarly attention, focusing on his perception by early-Abbasid ḥadÄ«th transmitters and critics, as well as his network of informants from the first two generations of Muslims. Given the many contradictions in his biography and the reported death dates of his informants, NÄfiÊ¿âs image appears to split into two chronologically distinct figures. A prosopographical analysis aligns with Schachtâs observation that NÄfiÊ¿ is historically vague, while also providing possible explanations for this vagueness. The article further shows that MÄlik b. Anas played a major role in elevating NÄfiÊ¿âs status, though Juynbollâs claim that MÄlik fabricated most of his NÄfiÊ¿ isnÄds as a shortcut to Ibn Ê¿Umar requires further testing through corpus analysis.
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One Name, Two Lives: NÄfiÊ¿, the Freedman of Ibn Ê¿Umar, in the Imagination of Early-Abbasid muḥaddithÅ«n
In: Journal of Abbasid StudiesSearch for other papers by Pavel Pavlovitch in
Current site
Google Scholar
PubMed
Abstract
In this article, I examine NÄfiÊ¿, the mawlÄ of Ibn Ê¿Umar, and his role in early ḥadÄ«th transmission and jurisprudence. I highlight several aspects of NÄfiÊ¿âs activity as a traditionist that have previously evaded scholarly attention, focusing on his perception by early-Abbasid ḥadÄ«th transmitters and critics, as well as his network of informants from the first two generations of Muslims. Given the many contradictions in his biography and the reported death dates of his informants, NÄfiÊ¿âs image appears to split into two chronologically distinct figures. A prosopographical analysis aligns with Schachtâs observation that NÄfiÊ¿ is historically vague, while also providing possible explanations for this vagueness. The article further shows that MÄlik b. Anas played a major role in elevating NÄfiÊ¿âs status, though Juynbollâs claim that MÄlik fabricated most of his NÄfiÊ¿ isnÄds as a shortcut to Ibn Ê¿Umar requires further testing through corpus analysis.
| All Time | Past 365 days | Past 30 Days | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Abstract Views | 274 | 274 | 26 |
| Full Text Views | 6 | 6 | 4 |
| PDF Views & Downloads | 22 | 22 | 12 |
