Heresy and the Formation of Medieval Islamic Orthodoxy

Rezensionen / Stimmen

'In important parts of the Middle East and South Asia's vast Sunni Muslim population, Islam and the school of practice initiated by Abu ?anifa have long been nearly synonymous. However, for the medieval clerics who first spoke of 'Sunni Islam', Abu ?anifa was a heretic. This rich and careful study details how Sunni Islam expanded to admit Abu ?anifa and the broad diversity of thought and practice found in the Muslim world today.' Jonathan A.C. Brown, Georgetown University 'With mastery of a wide range of sources, clarity of expression and methodological insight, Ahmad Khan guides us through the intricate ways in which accusations of heresy were constructed during the early Islamic period, the defensive reactions they provoked and how such processes contributed to the emergence of classical Sunnism.' Maribel Fierro, Spanish National Research Council 'This is a highly original and important study which challenges many assumptions about how ideas around heresy and orthodoxy were articulated by early Sunnis. The book is deeply researched, and its nuanced arguments are supported by an impressively wide range of sources. The conclusions have significant ramifications for the field.' Harry Munt, University of York