The science of hadith in Sicilia and Sicilian hadith scholars

The present study, which is labelled as "Hadithology in Sicily and Sicilian Muhaddiths", examined the presence as well as scholarly and cultural contributions of Sicilian muhaddiths to Sicily between the times when Muslims conquered the island (212/827) and Normans reign (484/1091) it. In other words, the period scrutinized in the present study was between 9th Century (Hegira, 3) and 16th Century (Hegira, 10). Specifically, the present study focused on the works of Sicilian muhaddiths on hadiths which is one of the fields of Islamology. That is, the present study provided information about the Sicilian muhaddiths and acknowledged their works in line with the limited records. The main objective of the present study is to provide information about the Hadithology in Sicily and Islamic scholars who either have an effect on or have been affected by Hadithology studies in Sicily. In this regard, the cultural and scholar transformation seen in the island by its conquest is examined and the scholars who lived in the island or made contribution to Hadithology in Sicily are presented in the study. The first chapter provided general information on the name of Sicily, its geography, its strategic position, as well as general information about the political, economic, religious, and social circumstances of the island before its conquest by the Islamic forces. The second chapter focused on the political, economic, and social circumstances of the island under dominance of Muslims. As for religious issues, information about the religious sects existed in the Sicily and specifically, the information about the dominant sect of the island is presented in this chapter. Additionally, the development, as well as factors affecting the development of Islamic life and hadithology in Sicily during the Islamic dominance is examined thoroughly and the findings concerning the life of Muslims in the island during the Normans (Vikings) reign and its effects on Islamic scholarly life are presented in detail. The third chapter presented the list of the Islamic scholars (muhaddiths) who interested in hadithology in Sicily. This chapter also included the bibliography of Sicilian muhaddiths, their life stories, their works on hadithology and other fields, their reference sources, and their works studied in hadiths reading spheres in Sicily. The final chapter presented a summary discussion concerning the information and findings of the present study. Key words: Sicily, Hadithology, Islamic jurisprudence (Fiqh), Normans, Vikings, Ifriqiya, Kairouan