Aisha Bewley

This is the only complete translation of Al Muwatta by Imam Malik, the great jurist of Madinah and founder of the Maliki school of thought. It is a complete record of the legal and social parametres of the first Muslim community of Madinah, and commonly considered the first book of Islamic law and recorded collection of Hadith (Prophet's sayings).

Expanding on her work, Islam: The Empowering of Women, this dictionary is a comprehensive reference source of Muslim women throughout Islamic history from the first century AH to roughly the middle of the thirteenth century AH. A perusal of the entries shows that Muslim women have been successful as, for example, scholars and businesswomen as well as fulfilling their roles as wives and mothers for the past fourteen centuries. This is a most timely work in this age of limiting perspectives.

This is a translation of volume seven of Ibn Sa’d’s Kitab at-Tabaqat al-Kabir. The Tabaqat is a great store of information which gives the reader a vivid taste and feel for the character of the people of Madina and their extraordinary personalities. This translation deals with the Companions, Tabi’un and subsequent generations of the people of knowledge in Basra, Baghdad, Khurasan, Syria and Egypt. It is of particular interest since it demonstrates the attitude and action of the Companions and the Tabi’un when confronted by the dangers of civil war. It is extremely important in the modern age as we can learn a great deal from how the early Muslims dealt with this trial.

This is a translation of volume five of Ibn Sa’d’s Kitab at-Tabaqat al-Kabir. This concentrates on the Tabi’un – the generation after the Companions (RA) – who lived in Madina itself. The study of Madina in this early period assumes great importance as it is well known that the first three generations after the Prophet (SAAS) are considered to be the best generations, and the school of the people of Madina was known to be the soundest of schools. This is because the people of Madina confined themselves to following in the footsteps of the Prophet (SAAS) more than the people of any other region did.