Standard Works in the Age of Classical Theology of Sunnite Islam (7th/13th to 13th/19th Centuries)

Abstract

In the world of Sunnite Islam, from at least the 7^th/13^th to the 13^th/19^th centuries, teaching and studying of the theological disciplines (al-ʿulūm ad-dīnīyah/al-ʿulūm al-ʾislāmīyah/al-ʿulūm ash-sharʿīyah) and other subjects has been taking its point of departure from an open set of books which have been used for this purpose over vast geographical areas and long periods of time. Therefore, their contents can be regarded as highly representative for the respective branches of science. On account of this feature, they are called here standard works. It will be shown how to identify such standard works, and that their contents can be utilized to learn about teachings of Sunnite theology which are in terms of intellectual history highly representative, and that standard works are not normative by themselves but are an important source for what has been deemed normative or valid.