Hanbali movements in Baghdad from Abu Muhammad al -Barbahari (d. 329/941) to Abu Ja`far al-Hashimi (d. 470/1077)

This dissertation deals with the development of the Hanbali madhhab in its stronghold, the capital city of the ;The historical background, against which the Hanbali movements can be best understood, is examined in the opening chapter of this dissertation. This background primarily consists of the political situation of the Muslim world, which can be described in terms of fragmentation, and the sectarian tendencies of Muslim rulers. Information concerning the declining economic condition of Baghdad and the development of different madhahib (sing. madhhab) in that city is also part of this background.;The second chapter studies a number of the leading Hanbali ;The third chapter analyzes the course of Hanbali movements during more than a century and a half, a period which marked the height of the movements under the leadership of many important Hanbali ;The fourth chapter deals with the ideological positions of the Hanabila, which explain the intellectual issues underlying their confrontations against the Shi spc;This dissertation then closes with the conclusion which covers the basic ideas of all the chapters. It indicates the nature of the relationship among madhahib in Islam, which can be characterized as tolerance in issues of jurisprudence but intolerance in those of theology. It is the theological issues which often brought the Hanabila into major conflicts with their opponents.