Abstract

The sequence of events that took place in the first three centuries after the Prophet died deeply affected the science and history of hadith, as well as all fields of science. Particulary, the event of al-Mihnah that came to life during the Abbasid period and the imposition of “Khalq al-Qur'an" and the emerging "hashawiyyah" phenomenon indicated the importance of knowing the background of the history of hadith. Many contributions were made to the hadith literature in the period when the event of al-Mihna and the phenomenon of hashawiyyah were experienced. However, it is obvious that reading and doing research without knowing the rich sources of the period and the history of hadith will lead to wrong evaluations. Mehmet Emin Özafşar's book, The Historical Background of Ideological Hadithism, contains important information for theology students and hadith enthusiasts that would help them avoid these misunderstandings.