Zāhirism before Ibn Hazm with Regard to Its Origins, Formation and Reception by Others

Zāhirism was explained in detail and clarity by Ibn Hazm in his books. For certain reasons, Zāhirism has mostly been dealt with according to the form that was composed by Ibn Hazm and the process which Zāhirism had passed through before Ibn Hazm hasn’t been examined sufficiently. This article intends to shed light on history of Zāhirism in the period before Ibn Hazm. To this end, some important topics are discussed such as how the Zahirī thought came into existence, if Dāvud was influenced or not by other madhabs or scholars when he put establishing thoughts of his madhab, how Dāvud and his views were perceived and categorized by others, what Dāvud’s contributions to Zāhirī thought and literature were and the situation of Zāhirism in the period between Dāvud and Ibn Hazm.