'Abd allah b. al-mubarak between h&dotbelow;adith, jihad, and zuhd: An expression of early Sunni identity in the formative period

In the figure of 'Abd Allah b. al-Mubarak (118/736-181/797), we find a paragon of the fields of h&dotbelow;adith, zuhd, and jihad, as attested to by the contents of the large number of references to him in the classical Islamic texts. His superior rank as a h&dotbelow;adith transmitter earned him the title of "commander of the faithful" in hadith among many later critics. He also contributed to Islamic law at its early phases of development, was a practitioner of jihad, composed poetry, and participated in various theological discussions during his time period. In addition, Ibn al-Mubarak 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-Mubarak's chronological position during the formative period of Islamic thought creates an illustration of a unique history of the evolution of zuhd, h&dotbelow;adith, and jihad which forms a junction in the biography Ibn al-Mubarak in a way that distinctively illuminates the 2nd/8th century dynamics of nascent Sunnism. Furthermore, Ibn al-Mubarak'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 Allah b. al-Mubarak examines his life both critically and comprehensively while situating him within the larger context of the social and religious milieu of Late Antiquity.