The Successors 67 Abi Bakr, her paternal aunt in whose custody she was raised. Nearly all of ‘Amra’s isnads in the compilations examined here are on ‘A’isha’s authority. 1 Additionally, al-Mizzi’s notice for her lists Rafi‘ b. Khudayj, ‘Ubayd b. Rafi' al-Zuraqi, and Marwan b. al-Hakam as non-kin men who transmitted to her, but these isnads are not recorded in the collections examined for this study. In a pattern typical of most of the prolific female Successors, ‘Amra’s male kin, save for a few prominent exceptions such as al-Zuhri and Yahya b. Sa‘Td al-Ansari (d. 143/760), are mentioned in her isnads as authorities to whom she transmits.1 ’ Ibn Sa‘d breaks with his customary reticence about women’s intellectual accomplishments and refers to her as a learned woman ( ‘dlima). He also cites ‘Umar b. ‘Abd al-Aziz’s (d. 101/720) instructions to Abu Bakr b. Muhammad b. Hazm (d. 120/738) to preserve the badith of the Prophet, the practices of previous generations ( sunna madiya), and the badith of ‘ Amra, thereby confirming the centrality of her storehouse of knowledge. 1 ‘A’isha’s expertise on a wide range of Muhammad’s precedents was transferred to ‘Amra to the extent that she was consulted on legal matters. For example, Abu Bakr b. Muhammad b. Hazm, the governor of Medina, wrote to ‘Amra seeking counsel on the punishment of a thief. 5 She replied on the basis of ‘A’isha’s report that the hand of a thief is to be cut off when the amount stolen exceeds one quarter of a dinar. ‘Amra is also known for relaying ‘A’isha’s view that the prevailing corruption after Muhammad’s death was sufficient cause to overturn his general ruling that women should not be prevented from going to mosques. Ironically, ‘A’isha’s 12 Sixty-three of her traditions are on ‘A’isha’s authority. The remaining three are from Hamna bint Jahsh, the sister of Zaynab bint Jahsh; her own sister, Umm Hisham bint Haritha; and from Hablba bint Sahl. Male kin who transmit her traditions include her son Muhammad b. ‘Abd al-Rahman (death date unknown; for his biography, see Ibn Hajar, Tahdhib , 9:255); her nephew ‘Abd Allah b. Abi Bakr b. ‘Amr b. Hazm (d. ca. 130/747; for his biography, see Ibn Hajar, Tahdhib , 5:147); another nephew, Muhammad b. ‘Abd al-Rahman b. Sa‘d b. Zurara (d. ca. 124/741f.; for his biography, see Ibn Hajar, Tahdhib, 9:256-57); and her grandson Haritha b. Abi al-Rijal (d. 148/765f.; for his biography, see Ibn Hajar, Tahdhib, 2:153). 14 Ibn Sa‘d, al-Tabaqat, 8:353. It is said that ‘Umar’s orders arose from his concern about the loss of religious knowledge due to the passing away of earlier generations of scholars. The meaning of the term sunna in early historical and legal sources is debated. Here I have translated it as the practices of previous generations to distinguish it from the badith of the Prophet. 15 al-Musnad al-]ami‘, 20:49, #16807. Muhammad b. Abi Bakr b. Hazm was ‘Amra’s nephew. 16 There are two slightly differing versions of ‘A’isha’s ruling as transmitted by ‘Amra. See, for example, al-Bukharl, Sahih, 1-2:407 and Abu Dawud, Sunan, 1:155-56 for one version, and for the second version, see Muslim, Sahih, 2:2:137.