210 Alfred von Kramer's edition of Wiiqidy. [No. 3. 



taught the stereotype version, he therefore seldom quotes his autho- 

 rities and only in cases where he deviates from it. Among the 

 Shaykhs whom he quotes is Ma/^mud b. Labyd who died in 96 aged 

 ninety-nine years. In his days, it was so common to preserve tradi- 

 tions in writing, that there is little doubt that he kept note books. 



The anonymous Shaykh against whom Ibn IsMq had no suspicion, 

 and who derived his information from Mohammad b. Ka'b Qoratzy 

 and from 'Abd Allah b. Ka'b b. Malik (d. 97 or 98) seems to me to be 

 ShoraAbyl, of whom I have spoken above. Ibn IsMq had apparently 

 several informants, whom he does not think proper to mention. One 

 of them took traditions from Miqsam, and Sohayly supposes that he 

 is identical with iZasan b. 'Oniarah. He is evidently a different 

 man from the one alluded to in the above isnads. 



MoAammad b. Ka'b Qoratzy of Madynah was the son of a con- 

 verted Jew. He resided for some time at Kiifah, but returned to 

 his native town, where he died in 108, or 117 or 120 by the fall of 

 the roof of the mosque, whilst he was engaged in literary discussions 

 with his learned friends. He was particularly strong in the explana- 

 tion of the Qoran. His authority for traditions on the life of Moham- 

 mad, is not only quoted by the anonymous Shaykh but also by Tazyd 

 b. Ziyad apudlhxi IsMq, Vol. I. pp. 184, 320, 276 ; Vol. II. p. 85 and 

 passim. He is also quoted by Boraydah, (apud Ibn IsAaq Vol. II. p. 

 25) who had received his traditions through Sofy an Aslamy. The name 

 of Mohammad b. Ka'b also frequently occurs in Ibn Sa'd's isnads. 



At length I come to Mohammad b. Moslim Zohry, who is also 

 called Ibn Shibab. He is one of the most remarkable men in the 

 literary history of the Islam, and with him closes the first period of 

 the Mc^ammadan church history. He was a native of Madynah 

 and a soldier by profession. He spent part of his life at the court 

 of the Khalif 'Abd al-Malik, at Damascus, and was the tutor of 

 Hisham's children, who at one time owed him seven thousand dynars 

 on that account. He was very rich and liberal, nay extravagant. 

 On one occasion a friend reminded him of his debts, which amounted 

 to twenty thousand dynars, and lie answered, I possess five springs, 

 every one of which is worth double that sum. 



Zohry had so retentive a memory that he learned the Qoran 

 by-heart in eighty days. Being passionately fond of honey he 



