The Successors 85 transmit traditions on a wide range of subjects; and, finally, they are described in the biographical literature as discerning transmitters with knowledge of the legal relevance and application of traditions.64 The underrepresentation of ‘Alid women in the Sunni isnads is a final feature of the decline that merits mention here. It would not be unreasonable to expect that women descended from ‘All b. Abl Talib would be well represented in the collections analyzed here. ‘All, the cousin of Muhammad and the husband of his daughter Fatima, is a revered member of the Prophet’s household in both the Shi‘i and Sunni traditions. His descendants (‘Alids) similarly were accorded a special status in both sects, albeit at a more exalted level in the Shi‘i one.' If there was one group of women among whom we would expect to find active and prolific female hadith transmitters, it is among the ‘Alid women, who, by virtue of their relationship with ‘All, were members of the Prophet’s extended household. In Shi‘i historical memory, some of these women are extolled for their roles in Husayn’s struggle for the caliphate and their participation in the Battle of Karbala’ (61/680). 66 A few of them are famed for eloquent verbal defenses of Husayn and lamentations over the losses at Karbala’.6 Given their lineage and status, we might expect that they would participate in collecting and transmitting traditions from members of their own household as well as from other Companions. 64 Examples of the most-celebrated men in early hadith transmission include 'Urwa b. al-Zubayr, al-Zuhrl, and Sufyan al-Thawri. All of them earned superlative praise as hadith scholars and jurists. Such was the reputation of these men that most other male transmitters did not approximate their fame. Men of lesser rank than these three who were nonetheless prominent and prolific hadith authorities include Maymun b. Mihran, Nafi‘ (the mawla of ‘ Abd Allah b. ‘Umar, d. ca. 117/735), and Ibn Jurayj (d. 150/767). While these men differ from each other in the specifics of their recorded accomplishments and reputations, their biographies exhibit the previously outlined criteria for successful transmission. Biographical references for these scholars in Ibn Hajar’s Tahdhib are as follows: for ‘Urwa b. al-Zubayr, see 7:159-62; for alZuhrl, see 9:385-90; for Sufyan al-Thawri, see 4:101 — 4; for Maymun b. Mihran, see 10:34850; for Nafi‘, see 10:368-70; and for Ibn Jurayj, see 6:352-55. 65 This undisputed fact of kinship gave rise to contested interpretations of religious authority and political succession in the Sunni and ShI‘I traditions. For the purposes of our analysis, this schism should not obscure the consensus that members of the Prophet’s household were granted an elevated status in the Sunni tradition also. 66 Several studies have examined the lives of these women. Contemporary Muslim scholars have been interested in them not only for their historical roles but as exemplars for modern Muslim women. One such example is Sukayna bint al-Husayn, as discussed later in the chapter. 67 See, for example, the speeches of Zaynab bint ‘All and Umm Kulthum bint ‘All as recorded in Ibn Abl Tahir al-Tayfur (d. 280/893), Balaghat al-Nisa ’ (Beirut: Dar al-Adwa’, 1999), 31-36.