“Joel Blecher’s work is truly pioneering in calling attention to the importance of the hadith commentarial tradition for Muslim history. Said the Prophet of God is that rare ambitious work that draws on textual analysis from early and classical Arabic sources as well as anthropological fieldwork. This is a major contribution that opens new lines of inquiry and will quickly become a classic.”—Asma Sayeed, Associate Professor of Near Eastern Languages and Cultures and Director of the Islamic Studies Program, University of California, Los Angeles
“This is a beautifully written book tackling one of the most important Islamic textual sources. Blecher convincingly unlocks an overlooked commentary tradition and does so in a dauntingly wide-ranging fashion. The reader is taken on a fascinating journey from Spain via Egypt to South Asia, from the ninth century to the present, and across a variety of methodological approaches. A real pleasure to read.”—Konrad Hirschler, Professor of Middle Eastern History, Institute of Islamic Studies, Free University of Berlin
“Said the Prophet of God is a first-rate monograph on a topic that has so far never been researched—the commentary tradition on hadith literature. Bridging historical periods and linguistic mediums, Blecher states that hadith is a universal Islamic phenomenon that needs global attention and a theoretical lens that looks beyond time periods and language barriers. This book makes a profound intervention in the field, opening a new research trend and becoming the starting point for any further scholarship on hadith.”—Walid Saleh, Professor of Religion, Department of Near and Middle Eastern Civilizations, University of Toronto
