Dear Colleagues in Hadith Studies,
I was recently interviewed by Shireen Hamza (Harvard) and Chris Gratien (University of Virginia) on the Ottoman History Podcast about my recent book, Said the Prophet of God: Hadith Commentary across a Millennium.
Please find a link to hour-long episode and a selected bibliography here:
“In this episode, Joel Blecher brings to life many sessions of hadith commentary from three different contexts: classical al-Andalus, Mamluk Egypt and modern India. Blecher tells us of al-Baji, who stirred up controversy in a quiet seaside town of Spain, of Ibn’s Hajar’s spontaneous poetic polemics at the Mamluk court, and of how al-Maqsari witnessed the Prophet in attendance in a hadith commentary session in Yemen. Concluding with modern Indian scholars’ comments on British colonial officials, Blecher reflects on the way hadith commentary has always been a site of politics as well as piety.”
Please listen and share widely!
All the best,
Joel