Preface Acknowledgements List of abbreviations Note on transliteration Note on dating systems Glossary 1. The development of the genre 2. The caliph al-Ma'mun 3. The Imam 'Ali al'Rida 4. The Hadith-scholar Ahmad Ibn Hanbal 5. The renunciant Bishr al-Hafi Conclusions Appendix: the circumstances of 'Ali al-Rida's death Bibliography Index.
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