Raḍī al-DÄ« Ibn tÌ£ÄwÅ«s (d. 664/1266 in Bagdad) was a major figure in the history of ShÄ«âÄ« thought. He published works on subjects ranging from tradition (hÌ£adÄ«th) and polemics to history and astrology. Ibn tÌ£ÄwÅ«s was an avid bibliophile, and his various writings contain remarkably detailed information about the books that he owned or read.
Kohlberg's book is divided into two main parts. The first surveys the life, working methods and literary output of Ibn tÌ£ÄwÅ«s and offers an extended analysis of his library. The second part is an annotated list of all the works (some 660 in number) cited by Ibn tÌ£ÄwÅ«s in his available writings. About a third of these works (both SunnÄ« and ShÄ«âÄ«) are not extant, and even the existence of some of them has hitherto not been known. The works cover a wide range of subjects, including QurâÄnic exegesis, tradition, history, theology, astronomy and genealogy, and provides a detailed picture of the intellectual world of a medieval Muslim scholar.
Prof. Kohlberg is a leading authority on ShÄ«âism, and his monograph is an unusual and important contribution both to the history of Islam and to the history of Arabic literature and science.
Etan Kohlberg, Ph.D. (1971) Oxford University, is Professor of Arabic language and literature at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. His publications deal mainly with ShÄ«âÄ« literature, doctrine and history. Studies include Immam and Community in the Pre-Ghayba Period, Aspects of AkhbÄrÄ« Thought in the Seventeenth and Eighteenth Centuries, and Western Studies of ShÄ«âa Islam.