A Culmination in Traditionalism 173 arranged index of ‘A’isha’s authorities, which was compiled by a certain Hafiz Najm al-Din. 1 ‘A’isha bint Muhammad’s students underscore her distinction as a mubadditha. Ibn Hajar al-‘AsqalanI is perhaps her best-known student. His accomplishments in the field of hadlth criticism are exemplified in his monumental work Fatb al-Bdrl bi-Sharb Sahib al-Bukhdrl, an extensive and authoritative commentary on the traditions contained in the Sahib of al-Bukharl, which he was authorized to transmit on ‘A’isha’s authority. I0N While the extent to which he studied the Sahib with her is unclear, having her name in his isnad likely boosted his reputation for the transmission of this work. As mentioned above, Ibn Hajar cites her in his isnads for fifteen works. Interestingly, he records, in each case, that he read the specified work or verified it in the presence of both ‘A’isha and her sister Fatima.109 Ibn Hajar ’s concurrent citation of both of them was likely intended to underscore the accuracy of his transmission. In addition to Ibn Hajar, several Mamluk notables numbered among ‘A’isha’s male students, highlighting yet again the unifying force of traditionalism during this period. 1 ! Al-Sakhawl remarks that “many learned men (a ’imma), particularly travelers [in search of religious knowledge], went to her and narrated profusely from her,” thereby confirming that her reputation was well established in Damascus and its environs. 1 1 1 107 Kahhala, A 'lam al-Nisa’, 3:187. In addition, the index of Mu'jam al-Sama’at al-Dimashqiyya, 349, references a certificate for an assembly that she attended at the age of eleven. The assembly was for transmitting the text Majlis al-Bitaqa min Amali Hamza al-Kinani (d. 357/968); see Mu ‘jam al-Sama ‘at, p. 30, ms. 955, risala 9, sama ‘a 1. Given that this work catalogs certificates recorded between the years 550/1155 and 750/ 1349, it cannot be used as a source for sama ‘at that ‘A’isha granted. 108 Kahhala, A ‘lam al-Nisa ’,3:188. 109 Ibn Hajar, al-Mu‘jam al-Mufahras, 669. For simultaneous mention of ‘A’isha and Fatima, see the following entries in Ibn Hajar, al-Mu ‘jam al-Mufahras : nos. 905, 927, 973, 1014, 1022, 1106, 1117, 1160, 1276, 1394, 1400, 1414, 1520, 1611, and 1615. 110 The following are the Mamluks named as ‘A’isha’s students: Ahmad b. QadI al-Qudat Burhan al-Din (800-876/1398-1471; for his biography, see ‘All b. Dawud b. al-Sayrafi [d. 900/1495], Inba’ al-Hasr bi-Abna’ al-‘Asr [Cairo: Dar al-Fikr al-‘Arabi, 1970], 345 — 48); Ahmad b. Ibrahim b. Nasr Allah (800-876/1398-1472; for his biography, see Ibn al-Sayrafi, Inba’ al-Hasr, 450-54); and Muhammad b. al-Qadl Nasir al-Din (796-856/1393-1452; for his biography, see Ibn TaghribirdI [d. 874/1470], Nujum al-Zahira ft Muluk Misr wa 7Qahira [Cairo: al-Hay’a al-Misriyya al-‘Amma li’l-Kutub, 1972], 16:13-14). Two articles that explore the subject of intellectual culture among the Mamluks are Ulrich Haarmann, “Arabic in Speech, Turkish in Lineage: Mamluks and their Sons in the Intellectual Life of Fourteenth Century Egypt and Syria,” Journal of Semitic Studies 33 (1988): 81-114, and Jonathan Berkey, “‘Silver Threads among the Coal’: A Well-Educated Mamluk of the Ninth/ Fifteenth Century,” Studia Islamica 73 (1991): 109-25. 111 al-SakhawI, al-Daw’ al-Lami‘, 12:81.