ABSTRACT
This flattering remark was made by ~I b. al-Madini (d. 235) who, along with A1).mad b. l:Ianbal (d. 241), was one of the leading scholars of his generation when the caliph al-Ma'mun initiated a wave of interrogations known as the mi~na (218).2 When the persecutions ceased fifteen years later, Ibn I:Ianbal was the leading spiritual authority of his day, owing to his resistance to the mi~na's administrators and Ibn alMadini was a disgraced pariah because he collaborated with them. Guilt, or maybe an attempt to stage a comeback to favor, prompted Ibn al-MadinI to compare Ibn I:Ianbal to Abu Bakr (d. 13), the Prophet's political heir. Although the comparison between a scholar and a political leader is a little surprising, Ibn l:Ianbal and Abu Bakr do have something in common: Both are remembered as strong-willed individuals who saved the Islamic community from disintegration. According to mainstream Islamic historians, Abu Bakr's firm stand against the apostate tribes during the ridda wars prevented their secession from the burgeoning Islamic communit~ Ibn l:Ianbal's ability to withstand torture and defy the caliph and his chief judge captivated the imagination of the masses and led the Traditionists to victory over the deviating sects that controlled the caliphal court. In Islamic collective memory, Ibn l:Ianbal's defiance of his inquisitors catapulted him from the echelons of Traditionist leadership to the pantheon of historical heroes who are an inspiration to Muslims even toda~
The study of Ibn l:Ianbal, an orphaned boy from an economically downgraded family who climbed to the heights of spiritual and political influence, highlights several aspects of Islamic society and religiosity. Firstly, Ibn I:Ianbal's rise to prominence demonstrates a common
characteristic among Islamic societies: Religious prestige enabled the most humble man or woman to acquire social standing and political clout. Albert Hourani pointed out this particular feature: 'sanctity or religious learning served in Islamic society as a point around which social power crystallized. '3 Many of the central figures of Islamic civilization, as well as countless individuals who gained the respect of their local communities, acquired their status by building a reputation for piety or learning.4 From the founders of madhahib (schools of law) and !arzqat (~ilfl fraternities) to mosque functionaries and ascetics, Muslims ascended the social ladder via religious rungs, and the case of Ibn l:Ianbal is a preeminent example of this phenomenon.;)
Secondly; Ibn l:Ianbal's position as a religious authority and political leader places him at the heart of some of the cardinal events and processes of the formative period of Islam. His activities enable us to examine and reinterpret three central issues in regard to the newly developed Sunni milieu: The moral trends in Traditionist circles; the early stage of the Ijanbali madhhab's formation; and the mi~na, one of the decisive events of early Islam.
