'Abd allāh b. al-mubārak between hadīth, jihād, and zuhd: An expression of early Sunni identity in the formative period

In the figure of 'Abd Allāh b. al-Mubārak (118/736-181/797), we find a paragon of the fields of hadīth, zuhd, and jihād, as attested to by the contents of the large number of references to him in the classical Islamic texts. His superior rank as a hadīth transmitter earned him the title of "commander of the faithful" in hadīth among many later critics. He also contributed to Islamic law at its early phases of development, was a practitioner of jihād, composed poetry, and participated in various theological discussions during his time period. In addition, Ibn al-Mubārak was a pioneer in writing on piety and he was later regarded by many mystics to be one of the earliest figures of Sufism. Ibn al-Mubārak's chronological position during the formative period of Islamic thought creates an illustration of a unique history of the evolution of zuhd, hadīth, and jihād which forms a junction in the biography Ibn al-Mubārak in a way that distinctively illuminates the 2nd/8th century dynamics of nascent Sunnism. Furthermore, Ibn al-Mubārak's status as a fighter and pious figure of the Late Antique period reveals a great deal about the complex relationship between the early Muslim community and the religiously diverse setting which they inhabited. The following monograph on the figure of 'Abd Allāh b. al-Mubārak examines his life both critically and comprehensively while situating him within the larger context of the social and religious milieu of Late Antiquity.