Between History and Legend: The Biography of the Prophet Muhammad by Ibn Shihāb al-Zuhrī

Since the end of the 19th century, the authenticity of the Islamic tradition material is debated and its validity as a source of historical information about the beginning of Islam and the life of the Prophet Muhammad is questioned. Do the traditions describe history or legend or something in between? In the chains of transmission, that precede most traditions, one name occurs frequently, Ibn Shihab al-Zuhri (d. 124/742), a Medinan scholar who is considered as one of the first systematic collectors and transmitters of traditions about the life of the Prophet. His material is analysed with the isnad-cum-matn analysis to determine whether the material ascribed to him really goes back to him and whether he did receive the story from the informant mentioned in the transmission chain. This book shows how al-Zuhri received and transmitted his material. It reflects upon his long and successful relation with and employment within the court of several Umayyad caliphs, and investigates their influence on his material concerning the biography of the Prophet Muhammad