170 Women and the Transmission of Religious Knowledge in Islam district. ’ As mentioned earlier, the influence of the Banu Qudama in this area can be traced to their migration from Nablus to Damascus in the sixth/twelfth century and to their subsequent decision to settle in the Damascene suburb of al-Salihiyya. The prominence of the Banu Qudama and their prodigious scholarly output contributed to the spread of the Hanball madbhab from al-Salihiyya to its environs/7 ‘A’isha’s kinship to this network no doubt facilitated her access to teachers. The tradition of being educated by women and of educating them was not foreign to the Banu Qudama. Ibn Qudama (d. 620/1223), the most prominent jurist and scholar of this clan, heard hadith from three well-known women during his travels to Baghdad: Khadlja al-Nahrawaniyya (d. 570/1175), Naflsa al-Bazzaza (d. 563/1168), and Shuhda al-Katiba. Two other members of the Banu Qudama likewise heard hadith from Shuhda al-Katiba. Several of the Banu Qudama also taught hadith to women. Zaynab bint al-Wasitl is listed as one of Ibn Qudama ’s students. 1 Although ‘A’isha bint Muhammad could clearly claim a distinguished lineage in and access to the intellectual circles of al-Salihiyya, her own father, Muhammad b. ‘Abd al-Hadl (680-749/1281-1348), was not a prominent scholar. Rather, he earned his living as a market inspector (: muhtasib ) in al-Salihiyya, a position that granted him access to the 86 Her full name is ‘A’isha bint Muhammad b. ‘Abd al-Hadl b. ‘Abd al-Hamld b. Yusuf b. Muhammad b. Qudama b. Miqdam. The following sources contain biographical entries for her: Ibn Hajar, Inba ’ al-Ghumr bi- Anba ’ al- ‘Umr (Cairo: al-Majlis al-A‘la li’l-Shu’un al-Islamiyya, 1971), 3:25; al-Sakhawi, al-Daw’ al-Lami ‘, 12:81; Ibn Tulun, al-Qala’id , 287-88; Ibn al-Tmad, Shadharat al-Dhahab, 9:178-79; al-Zirikll, al-A‘lam , 3:241; and Kahhala, A ‘lam al-Nisa’, 3:187-88. 87 Muhammad Duhman, introduction to Ibn Tulun’s al-Qala ’id, 4-5. The contributions of various members of the Banu Qudama are apparent in chronicles and biographical dictionaries, where they are commemorated as hadith transmitters, jurists, and judges. These works include al-Safadl’s Kitab al-Wafi bi’l-Wafayat, Ibn Hajar al-‘AsqalanI’s al-Durar al-Kamina, and al-SakhawI’s al-Daw’ al-Lami‘. Also, Ibn Tulun’s history of al-Salihiyya contains many biographies of members of the Banu Qudama. 88 Ibn Qudama was mentioned earlier in the context of Shuhda’s case study as one of her students. For the biography of Khadlja al-Nahrawaniyya, see al-Dhahabl, Siyar, 20:55152, and for that of Naflsa al-Bazzaza, see al-Dhahabl, Siyar, 20:489. 89 They are Ibrahim b. al-Wahld al-MaqdisI (d. 614/1218; see Ibn Tulun, al-Qala ’id, 335-39) and Muhammad b. ‘Abd al-Hadl (d. 658/1260; see al-Dhahabl, Siyar, 23:342-43). Zaynab bint al-Kamal also narrated on the authority of this same Muhammad b. ‘Abd al-Hadl, who incidentally is not the father of ‘A’isha bint Muhammad. al-Dhahabl, Siyar, 22:167. Other similar examples may be found in Ibn Tulun’s alQala’id; see, for example, Ibn Tulun’s biographies for Ibrahim b. Ahmad (p. 304), Ahmad b. Abl Bakr (p. 334-35), ‘Abd al-Rahman b. ‘All (p. 308), and ‘Umar b. Muhammad b. Ahmad (p. 287).