Walter Melville Patton

Ahmed Ibn Hanbal and the Mihna: a Biography of the Imam Including an Account of the Mohammedan Inquisition Called the Mihna, 218-234 A.h. Walter Melville Patton

Written in both English and Arabic, Ahmed Ibn Hanbal and the Mihna is the biography of the famous and beloved Imam Ahmed Ibn Hanbal, who is credited with having founded the Hanbali school of fiqh, or jurisprudence. Hanbal was most well-known for his association with the Mihna, an event in Islamic history where an Abassid Caliph named al-Ma'mun tried to assert his authority and test whether his Muslim subjects believed that the Qu'ran was created by God or uncreated and literally the words of God himself. Though those who rejected the idea that the Qu'ran was created were imprisoned and flogged, Hanbal did not back down and supported his view that it was not, serving as a symbol of strength and character to many Muslims. This biography includes the account of the Mihna, as well as Hanbal's family history and accomplishments. WALTER MELVILLE PATTON (1863-1928)was born in Montreal, Province of Canada, to James Patton and Margaret Mathewson. In addition to writing a biography of the Imam Ahmad Ibn Hanbal, he also wrote a short history of the beginning of Israel, following the first eleven chapters of Genesis in the Bible.