The Classical Revival 117 (d. 409/1019). If Karima was indeed born around 365, she would have been in her late twenties and thirties at the death of these teachers. This chronology provides yet another significant detail regarding the evolution of the culture of hadith transmission in the classical era. By the seventh/ thirteenth century, the growing practice of bringing very young children to the assemblies of aged sbaykhs nearing death enabled the shortening of isnads , which were growing ever longer with the passage of time. Had Karima lived in a later era, such as the Mamluk period, her isnads from these scholars would likely not have the same value. Ironically, the chronology of Karima’s career leaves open the possibility that she heard and learned the works of the scholars when she was old enough to actually assimilate the knowledge she would later transmit. Such a possibility is out of the question in later centuries in the cases of infants and toddlers who were granted certification to transmit compilations front aged sbaykhs, an age structure that I discuss in greater detail in Chapter 4. The trajectory of Karima’s career when compared with that of later muhadditbas sheds light on the pedagogical and social transformations in this arena of religious learning. Al-Kushmlhanl receives special attention as Karima’s most noteworthy teacher because he narrated the Salnb of al-Bukharl accurately on the authority of the scholar Abu ‘Abd Allah al-Firabrl (d. 320/932). jl Al-FirabrI, in turn, had heard the Sahib directly from al-Bukharl himself twice. Thus, Karima’s reputation rested on her transmission of this major canonical work with only two intermediaries between her and the compiler himself. While her accurate transmission of the work no doubt formed her reputation initially, the fact that she outlived most other prominent, reliable transmitters who were students of al-Kushmlhanl accounts for her superlative rank. According to al-Dhahabl, she died when she was nearly a hundred years old. Although Karima was in her late twenties when 30 al-Dhahabl, Siyar, 17:239. 31 al-Dhahabl, Siyar, 15:10-13. 32 For example, Abu Dharr al-HarawT (ca. 355—434/965-1043), who was far more prominent than Karima, also numbered among al-Kushmlhanl’ s students. However, he died thirty years before Karima, and therefore, the isnad of the Sahib via his authority had one more intermediary for later generations than did the isnad of Karima. For his biography, see al-Dhahabl, Siyar, 17:554-63. According to al-Sam‘anI, Muhammad b. Musa b. ‘Abd Allah al-Saffar al-MarwazI (d. 471/1079) was the last to transmit from al-Kushmlhanl (al-Sam'anl, Ansdb, 5:76). However, al-Dhahabl cites widespread doubt as to the authenticity of Muhammad b. Musa’s audition of the Sahib from al-Kushmlhanl, and he clearly did not acquire a reputation like Karima’s for this isnad. For his biography, see al-Dhahabl, Siyar, 18:382-84.