Ahmad Ibn Hanbal

Christopher Melchert examines the forefather of the fourth of the four principal Sunni schools of jurisprudence the Hanbali. Upholding the view that the Quran was uncreated and the direct word of God Ahmad ibn Hanbal 780855 thought that the holy text should be read literally rejecting any possibility for metaphorical or revisionist interpretation. Melchert assesses the importance of ibn Hanbals teachings and analyses their relevance in modern Sunni Islam.