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IMAMS OF

AHADITH

Written By

SHAIKH MIR ASEDULLAH QUADRI

Sahih Iman Publication

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Copyright © SAHIH IMAN 2019

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or
transmitted, in any form or by any means without the prior written permission of the publisher,
nor be otherwise circulated in any form of binding or cover other than that in which it is
published and without a similar condition being imposed on the subsequent purchaser.

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PREFACE

‫الرحمن الرحيم‬
ِ ‫بِسم هللا‬

‫ والصالة والسالم على سيدنا محمد وعلى آله وصحبه أجمعين‬،‫الحمد هلل رب العالمين‬

The Imams of Ahadith have undertaken the responsibility of narrating Ahadith of the
Apostle of Allah (‫)صلى هللا عليه و آله وسلم‬. They have done a great job in verifying the weak
Ahadith from the strong, inspecting their transmitters and differentiating between the
authentic or weak. They have devoted their lives for this sacred mission and we are all
indebted to them for their service to Islam.

This book provides brief biographies of the following Imams of Ahadith ( ‫رضئ هللا تعالی‬
‫)عنہم اجمعين‬.
(i) Imam Bukhari
(ii) Imam Muslim
(iii) Imam Malik,
(iv) Imam Nasai
(v) Imam Abu Dawood
(vi) Imam Tirmidhi
(vii) Imam Ibn Majah

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‫‪CONTENTS‬‬

‫)رضئ هللا تعالی عنہ( ‪IMAM BUKHARI‬‬ ‫‪1‬‬

‫)رضئ هللا تعالی عنہ( ‪IMAM MUSLIM‬‬ ‫‪8‬‬

‫)رضئ هللا تعالی عنہ( ‪IMAM MALIK‬‬ ‫‪11‬‬

‫)رضئ هللا تعالی عنہ( ‪IMAM NASAI‬‬ ‫‪14‬‬

‫)رضئ هللا تعالی عنہ( ‪IMAM ABU DAWOOD‬‬ ‫‪17‬‬

‫)رضئ هللا تعالی عنہ( ‪IMAM TIRMIDHI‬‬ ‫‪20‬‬

‫)رضئ هللا تعالی عنہ( ‪IMAM IBN MAJA‬‬ ‫‪23‬‬

‫‪iv‬‬
IMAM BUKHARI (‫)رضئ ہللا تعالی عنہ‬

Imam Bukhari (‫ )رضئ هللا تعالی عنہ‬is one of the most distinguished scholars of Hadith in
Islamic history. His book Sahih Bukhari, accepted as the most authentic book of Hadith,
is one of the greatest sources of Sahih Ahadith in Islamic literature. He was born on
Friday, 13 Shawwal, 194 H (July 16, 810 AD) in Bukhara, Uzbekistan.

ANCESTORS

Imam Bukhari's father Ismail ibn Ibrahim ibn Mughaira al-Ju'fî was also a Hadith
scholar, and student of Imam Malik Ibn Anas (‫)رضئ هللا تعالی عنہ‬. Ibn Hibban mentioned
him in his book 'Reliable Narrators' (‫)كتاب الثقات‬, and recorded that Isma’il heard Ahadith
from Imam Malik. He also sat in the company of Abdullah Ibn Mubarak and others.
Hadith Scholars of Iraq related Ahadith from him.

Ismail was an industrious and wealthy person who left a good deal of wealth at the
time of his death. He died when Imam Bukhari was an infant. Thus, the responsibility
of upbringing of the Imam was shouldered by his mother.

It is reported that the grandfather of Imam Bukhari, Al-Mughaira bin Bardizbah had
settled in Bukhara after accepting Islam. Information about Imam's ancestors is sketchy
except that his great grandfather Bardizbah ibn Bazzabah and his ancestors were
Persian, following the religion of their forefathers.

EDUCATION

Imam Bukhari received early education in Bukhara. He was famous for his exceptional
memory right from his childhood. He memorized Quran early and inherited his love for
Ahadith from his father. It is reported that by early teens he learned over 300,000
Ahadith and memorized Ahadith collections of Abdullah Ibn Mubarak, a companion of
Imam Abu Hanifah, and others. He also sat in the company of many Hadith scholars of
his time to learn Ahadith. His teachers include, (i) Ishaq Ibn Rahway, (ii) Ali Ibn
Madini, (iii) Dhihaak Ibn Mukhlid, (iv) Makki Ibn Ibrahim Khadhali, (v) Ubaidullah Ibn
Musa Abasa, (vi) Abdul Quddoos Ibn Hajjaj, (vii) Muhammad Ibn Abdullah
Ansari, (viii) Shaikh Ad-Dakhili, etc.

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Muhammad Abu Hatim ibn Idris al-Razi (811–890), a contemporary Hadith scholar of
his time, who knew him personally, recorded the statement of Imam Bukhari about his
early education, as follows:

"I began to go regularly to Shaikh Ad-Dakhili and others. One day, Shaikh
ad-Dakhili was describing Ahadith to his students. While describing the
chain of a Hadith, he said 'Sufyan reported from Abu Zubayr from
Ibrahim.' On this I said to him, 'Abu Zubayr never related anything from
Ibrahim'. 'On this the Shaikh rebuffed me. I told him, 'please refer to your
original copy, if you still have it.' The Shaikh went and looked at it and
then came back and said, 'alright then how it is supposed to be read,
young man? I said, 'It is actually Zubayr ibn Uday, and he narrated the
Hadith from Ibrahim. On hearing this, the Shaikh took his pen and
corrected his book, saying, you are right.”

Muhammad Abu Hatim recorded another incident, as follows.

"It was reported to me (Abu Hatim) by two senior students who attended
Hadith classes along with young (Imam) Bukhari. They noticed that
several days had passed the boy was attending the classes but was not
writing anything down. They asked him about it. He (Imam Bukhari) told
them, ‘You are here longer than me. Why do you not tell me what you
have written?’ They did so, and the total came to over fifteen thousand
Ahadith. When they finished reading, the Imam repeated from memory
every word of every Hadith they had read to him and asked them, 'Do
you still think that I come here for nothing or that I am wasting my time?"

Another Hadith scholar Sulayman ibn Mujahid cited the following incident.

"One day I was in the company of Muhammad ibn Salam Baykandi. He


told me, 'If you had come a little early, I would have shown you the child
who has seventy thousand Ahadîth in his memory. I was amazed. I stood
up, and started looking for that child. Shortly I found him. I asked, 'Are
you the one who has memorized seventy thousand Ahadît?' Imam
Bukhari replied, 'I have learned more Ahadith than this. I even know the
place of birth, death and residence of most of those companions from
whom the Ahadith are narrated."

When Imam Bukhari was 18 years old, he went for Hajj along with his mother and
brother. After Hajj, his mother and brother returned to Bukhara, but he stayed in
Makka-al-Mukarrama for two years for further education. From Makka, he went to
Madina and stayed there for one year. This was the time his great travels began in
pursuit of Ahadith collection. He traveled to Basra, Balkh, Merv, Nishapur, Rayy,

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Baghdad, Kufa, Makkah, Madina, Wasit, Egypt, Damascus, Qaysariya, Asqalan,
Palestine, Syria, etc., and wrote Ahadith narrated by over one thousand people.

Mohammad Abu Hatim recorded a statement of Imam Bukhari, in this context, as


follows.

"Then I spent five years in Basra with my books, going for Hajj (again),
and then returning from Makkah to Basra. I never related a Hadith unless
I knew the authentic from the doubtful, and until I had studied the books
of the rational Jurists about this Hadith. I know nothing that is considered
essential, whether be it in regard to legislation, etiquette, society, or
anything, that cannot be found in the Book of Allah (‫ع َّز َو َج َّل‬
َ ) or the Sunnah
of His Apostle (‫)صلى هللا عليه و آله وسلم‬."

A spectacular incident is reported that took place in Baghdad where the Imam had
taken up temporary residence. The people having heard of his accomplishments,
decided to test him. They chose one hundred different Ahadith, changed the chain of
narration and in some cases altered the text. These Ahadith were read in front of the
Imam by 10 people. He was asked to testify. A large crowd had gathered to witness the
test. After listening to each Hadith, the Imam gave a standard reply - 'not to my
knowledge'. However, after completion of their recitation of all 100 Ahadith, the Imam
repeated each text and testimonials which had been changed, followed by the correct
text and testimonial.

WORKS

Imam Bukhari wrote his first book titled 'Prophet's ‫ ﷺ‬Companions and their immediate
successors' (‫ )قضايا الصحابه و التابعين‬in Makka al-Mukarrama when he was staying there
after Hajj.

Later, during his stay in Madina, he wrote his famous book titled 'The detailed History
of Narrators' (‫)التاريخ الكبير‬. In this book he compiled the biographies of narrators of
Ahadith from the time of the Companions until his time.

He studied the lives of narrators, to make sure they were trustworthy in their reporting.
They should not change the wording of the Hadith or concoct from their minds. If it
came to his knowledge that the narrator is not trustworthy or an open sinner, he will
not write down the Hadith unless there was another strong chain of narrators existed
for that Hadith. He studied where and when the narrators lived, in order to make sure
that if someone narrates from someone else, they must both have been in the same place
at the same time and have actually met and discussed the Hadith.

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He wrote three books about the narrators of Ahadith to establish the ability and
trustworthiness of narrators in conveying the Ahadith. These are, (i) The detailed
history of Narrators (‫)التاريخ الكبير‬, (ii) The Standard History of Narrators (‫)التاريخ االوسط‬,
and (iii) The Brief History of Narrators (‫)التاريخ الصغير‬.

Imam Bukhari made stringent guidelines for acceptance of Ahadith. He was among the
pioneering scholars who used a systematic approach in analyzing and labeling Ahadith
into (i) 'Authentic' (Sahih - ‫)صحيح‬, (ii) 'Good' (Hassan- ‫)حسن‬, (iii) 'Perpetual' (Mutawatir -
‫)متواتر‬,(iv) 'Infrequent' (Ahaad - ‫)اَحاد‬, (v) Weak (Da'eef - ‫)ضعيف‬, and (vi)'Concocted'
(Mawdu - ‫)موضوع‬. Later, these classifications became a standard which was followed
and further developed by the later Hadith scholars.

Imam Bukhari wrote several books, but his book Sahih Bukhari titled "The Abridged
Collection of Authentic Hadith with Connected Chains regarding Matters Pertaining to
the Prophet ‫ﷺ‬, His practices and His Times" ( ‫الجامع المسند الصحيح المختصر من أمور رسول هللا صلى‬
‫ )هللا عليه وسلم وسننه وأيامه‬is most famous. It is reported that it took him 16 years to complete
this book. Sahih Bukhari is accepted by all scholars as the most authentic book of
Hadith.

The Imam mentioned how the idea came to his mind for writing Sahih Bukhari, as
follows.

"Once, during one of our Hadith sessions when my teacher Ishaq Ibn
Rahway remarked, 'it would be appreciated if someone could collect
Ahadith that held strong and reliable testimonials and write them in a
book', the idea came to my mind to compile authentic Ahadith in a book."

What makes Sahih Bukhari so unique was Imam's meticulous attention to detail. He
made more stricter rules than other Hadith scholars for accepting a Hadith as authentic.
His collection of Ahadith is a monumental achievement and an irreplaceable
cornerstone of the Science of Hadith scholarship. Through his work, Hadith studies
became a science with governing laws that protected the field from
innovation/corruption.

Sahih Bukhari is divided into 97 books, each with numerous chapters within it. After he
finished the compilation, Imam Bukhari showed the manuscript to some of his teachers
like Imam Ahmed, Ibn al-Madini, Ibn Ma'in, etc.

Over 80 guides have been written to explain Sahih Bukhari. The best among them
are (i) Ibn Hajr al-Asqalani’s “Fath Al-Bari”, (ii) Shihab Ahmad Ibn Al-khateeb Al-
Qastalani’s "Irshad As-Sari”, and (iii) Badr-ud-Deen al-Aini’s “Umda-tul-Qari”.

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Imam Bukhari has written many books. These include (i) Sahih Bukhari, (ii) Tarikh-Al
Kabeer (and Tarikh al-Awsat, and Tarikh as Sageer), (iii) Khalq A’faal
Ebaad, (iv) Kitaab al-Wuhdan, (v) Adab al-Mufrad, (vi) Kitaab Adh-Dhua’fa, (vii) Juz
Raf al-Yadain, (viii) Juz Al-Qirat Kalful Imam, (ix) Tafseer Al-Kabeer, (x) Kitab Al-
Ilal, (xi) Kitaab Al-Manaqib, (xii) Qadhaya As-Sahabah wa at-taba'in, (xiii) Kitab al-
Ashribah, (xiv) Kitab al-Hibah, (xv) Kitab al-Mabsoot, etc.

Imam Bukhari had a large number of students. It is reported that over 9000 people used
to sit in his lessons when he taught his Sahih Bukhari. There used to be many travelers
among this crowd who used to travel long distances to listen to his sermons. There are
well known names among his students like (i) Tirmidhi, (ii) Muslim, (iii)
Nasa’i, (iv) Ibrahim Ibn Ishaq Al-Harawi, (v) Muhammad Ibn Ahmad Ibn Dolabi,
(vi) Mansoor Ibn Muhammad Bazdoori, etc.

Imâm Muslim ibn Hajjâj reported that in 250 AH, Imam Bukhari arrived in Nishapur.
After hearing the news of his arrival, people were jubilant. Muhammad ibn Yahya adh-
Dhuhlî was the ruler of Nishapur. He led a huge crowd of people to the outskirts of the
city to receive Imam Bukhari. Imam Muslims wrote, 'I had never seen such a reception
ever given to a scholar or a ruler'.

In Nishapur, Imam Bukhari began giving lectures on Ahadith. A crowd used to gather
to listen to his lecture. However, his popularity became an eye sore to some people in
Nishapur. They started to insinuate the ruler about the Imam. Gradually the ruler
started suspecting about the Imam. The conspirators sent a person to attend Imam's
lectures and find something to defame him. This man asked Imam, whether Quran was
created or not created. The Imam knew the intention of the questioner. He paused for a
while but the person insisted for his reply. On this, the Imam said 'Quran is the word of
Allah and is not created. Then the man posed certain more questions to confuse the
issue. On this, the Imam explained 'our (human) actions are created and our
pronunciation of Quranic verses is one of our actions.'

This statement of Imam was conveyed to the ruler who had believed that 'even the
pronunciation of Quran was eternal'.

It is clear that the difference of opinion was not on the essence that the Quran is the
word of Allah. Adh-Duhli, the ruler, and some people following the Hanbali school of
thought in Nishapur considered that the pronunciation of the word of Allah is also not
created, while Imam Bukhari, Muslim and others considered the pronunciation is
created because it is part of one's acts.

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After this, a mass propaganda campaign was initiated against the Imam and people
were made to believe that Imam considers the word of Allah as created. The ruler
openly disconnected his ties with the Imam and stopped people from attending Imam's
lectures. When things went out of control, the Imam decided to leave Nishapur to his
home town Bukhara.

The Imam received a mammoth welcome in Bukhara on his arrival. He established a


school there and started teaching Ahadith. However, he faced rivalry in Bukhara as
well. Some people started spreading false stories about him. The Governor of Bukhara
was incited to act against the Imam. The Governor asked the Imam to come to his home
every day and teach his son. The Imam replied, 'I do not want to abuse knowledge and
carry it to the doorstep of the ruler'. If anybody wants to learn, they should come to my
school.' On this the Governor said, he cannot let his son sit with commoners in the
school and the Imam should teach his son alone. The Imam did not agree. On this, the
Governor became angry. A fatwa was issued by a group of Ulema against the Imam to
banish him from Bukhara.

DEATH

The Imam was distressed to leave his home land. He decided to go to Samarkhand. On
his way he was told that the people of Samarkhand were divided about him. He
stopped his journey at a village called 'Khartang'. He spent two months there and
became ill. When people of Samarkhand knew that the Imam had stayed back from
travel to their city, a large delegation from Samarkhand came to pursue him to travel to
Samarkhand. But by this time, he had become very week from his ailment.

He died on the night of Eid al-Fitr, the first night of Shawwal


in the year 256 AH (870 AD). He was 62 years old. He was
buried in Khartang. (Tadhkira-tul-Huffaz 2/122, Shadhrat
adh-Dhahab 2/135, Tahdhib at-Tahdhib 9/47, Al-Wafiyaat
1/55, etc.)

It is claimed that Imam Bukhari was a follower of Hanbali school of thought. Some
people claim he was follower of Shafi'i school of thought. Ad-Dhahabi said Imam
Bukhari was a mujtahid, a scholar capable of making his own ijtihad.

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It is reported that when Imam Bukhari went to Nishapur, Imam Muslim came to him
and kissed his forehead and said, 'O Teacher, O leader of the Muhadditheen, give me
permission to kiss your feet.’

Imam Tirmidhi said, 'in the field of narrators I have not seen anyone more
knowledgeable than Imam Bukhari'.

Ibn Khuzaimah said, 'I have never encountered anyone more knowledgeable than
Imam Bukhari in Ahadith.

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IMAM MUSLIM (‫)رضئ هللا تعالی عنہ‬

Imam Muslim (‫ )رضئ هللا تعالی عنہ‬is one of the most distinguished scholars of Hadith in
Islamic history. His book Sahih Muslim is accepted as one of the most authentic book of
Ahadith and a great source of Sahih Ahadith in Islamic literature. He was born in
Nishabur town, in Khorasan, the then Abbasid province. Nishapur is currently located
in Northeastern Iran. His date of birth is not known and there are differences of
opinions among scholars in the year of his birth. Some consider the year of his birth is
202, others consider it to be 204 or 206 AH. His year of birth as 206 is based on the
opinion of a majority of scholars in view of the fact that he died at the age of 55, in the
year 261 AH.

ANCESTORS

Imam Muslim belonged to Banu Qushayr tribe of Arab clan Rabi'ah. After the great
Islamic conquests, various families of Banu Qushayr migrated from Arabian peninsula
and settled in the new provinces. Some migrated to the West, and others to the East.
Among these migrants, there was one Zurarah, who had served as provincial governor.
His son Amr, and grandson Humayd Ibn Amr migrated to the East and settled down at
Nisabur. Kawshadh al-Qushayri al-Nisaburi, the great grandfather of Imam Muslim,
was a descendant of Muhayd Ibn Amr. It is reported that Imam's father Al-Hallaj was
also a Hadith scholar.

EDUCATION

Imam Muslim received early education in Nishabur. He had an exceptional memory


and inherited interest in Ahadith from his father Al-Hallaj who was also a Hadith
scholar. Nishapur was home of many prominent Hadith scholars like Imam Rahawey,
Imam Zuhri, Imam Bukhari and others. Imam Muslim had the opportunity to learn in
the company of these great scholars.

Imam Muslim was a great admirer of Imam Bukhari, and learned a great deal in his
company during Imam Bukhari's stay in Nishapur. His other teachers include, Imam
Ahmed bin Hanbal, Qutaiba bin Said, Abdullah bin Maslama, Imam Rahawey, Imam
Zuhri, Ubaidullah Al-Qawariri, Harmalah bin Yahya, Shuwayh Ibn Yoonus, etc.

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Imam Muslim was a distinguished student in his youth. It is reported that Imam Ishaq
bin Rahawey, his teacher, once said about him, 'I wonder what this boy is going to be in
future'. Abu Saimah who was a colleague of lmam Muslim during the period he
compiled 'Sahih Muslim', praised him for his noble character and dedication to work.

Imam Muslim traveled far and wide to collect Ahadith. The pursuit took him to many
places, like Hijaz, Egypt, Iraq, Syria, etc.

Many students learned Science of Hadith from Imam Muslim. They include Abu Hatim
Razi, Musa bin Harun, Ahmad bin Salamah, Abu Isa Tirmidhi, Abu Bakr bin
Khuzaimah, Abu Awanah, etc. It is reported that Imam Muslim was inclined to Shafii
school of thought.

WORKS

Imam Muslim has written many valuable books on Ahadith. These include, Kitab al-
Musnad al-Kabir Ala ar-Rijal, Jami Kabir, Kitab al-Asma wal-Kuna, Kitab al-Ilal, Kitab
al-Wijdan, etc. Most important among these is his book 'Sahih Muslim' (‫)الجامع الصحيح لمسلم‬
which is considered to be the second most reliable book of Ahadith. It is reported that
Imam collected over 300,000 Ahadith and after a thorough examination retained only
4000 for his book. He wrote an illuminating introduction in his book, in which he
detailed the principles he followed in selecting Ahadith for his book 'Sahih Muslim'.

Imam Muslim compiled only those Ahadith that have been transmitted by an unbroken
chain of narrators whose trustworthiness is unanimously accepted.

He took particular care in describing the exact words of the narrators and clarified even
the minutest difference in the wording of their reports. Imam Bukhari, while describing
the chain of narrators, sometimes mentions their kunya and sometimes gives their
names. This is particularly true in case of the narrators of Syria. This creates a sort of
confusion, which Imam Muslim has avoided. He also kept in view the difference
between two well known modes of narration, 'Haddathana' (he narrated to us) and
Akhbarana (he informed us). The first mode is used when the teacher is narrating a
Hadith and the student is listening to it, while the second mode of expression implies
that the student is reading the Hadith before the teacher. This reflects his utmost care in
the transmission of a Hadith.

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The book Sahih Muslim was explained by Imam an-Nawawi, and Imam Abu Amr Ibn
Salah. In addition, many guides have been written to explain Sahih Muslim.

DEATH

Imam Muslim died on 25 Rajab, 261 AH (May 4, 875 AD) at


the age of 55 years and was buried in Nasarabad, a suburb
of Nishapur. In this short span of time, his service to Islam
and Muslim is unparalleled. He remained absorbed in his
pursuit and nothing could distract his attention from his
pious work.

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IMAM MALIK (‫)رضئ ہللا تعالی عنہ‬

Imam Malik (‫ )رضئ هللا تعالی عنہ‬is one of 4 major Fiqh scholars and founder of Maliki
school of thought in Islamic Jurisprudence. Maliki school of thought is popular in North
Africa, Egypt and in some parts of Yemen, Syria and other places. He is also one of the
greatest scholars of prophetic traditions. His book titled 'Muatta' (‫ )الموطأ‬is the
pioneering work in Sahih Hadith collection. He was born in Madina in 93 AH (711 AD).
His father was Anas bin Malik (not the Sahabi) and his mother's name was Aaliyah bint
Shurayk al-Azdiyya.

ANCESTORS

Imam Malik belonged to Al-Asbahi tribe of Yemen. His great grandfather Abu Amir
relocated from Yemen to Madina after accepting Islam in 2nd Hijri (623 AD). His
grandfather Malik bin Abi Amir was a student of Khalifa-e-Rashid, Amir al-Momineen
Hadhrat Umar bin al-Khattab (‫)رضئ هللا تعالی عنہ‬. It is reported that he was part of the
team under Hadhrat Uthman (‫)رضئ هللا تعالی عنہ‬, responsible for collecting the parchments
upon which Quranic texts were originally written.

EDUCATION

Imam Malik memorized Quran in his youth. He learned recitation of Quran from Abu
Suhail Nafi bin Abdur Rahman, from whom he also received Ijaza. It is reported that
both Imam Abu Hanifa and Imam Malik were the students of Imam Jafar al-Sadiq ( ‫رضئ‬
‫)هللا تعالی عنہ‬.

Imam Malik learned from many teachers. Some of his teachers are : (i) Nafi' bin Abdur
Rahman, (ii) Abuz Zanaad Adbullah bin Zakwan, (iii) Hisham bin Urwah bin
Zubair, (iv) Yahya bin Sa'eed al-Ansari, (v) Abdullah bin Dinar, (vi) Zaid bin Aslam,
(vii) Muhammad bin Muslim bin Shihaab al-Zhuhri, (viii) Abdullah bin Abu Bakr bin
Hazm, (ix) Sa'eed bin Abu Sa'eed al-Maqbari, (x) Sumayy, (xi) Ayyub
Sakhtiyaani, (xii) Abdur Rahman bin al-Qasim bin Muhammad bin Abu Bakr,

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(xiii) Thawr bin Zaid Dabli, (xiv) Ibrahim bin Abi Ablah al-Maqdisi, (xv) Rabi'ah bin
Abu Abdur Rahman, (xvi) Humayd Taweel, etc.

Imam Malik's memory was extraordinary. He said, 'anything I would record in my


memory would never be forgotten again'.

After an extensive study during his 20s and 30s, the Imam became a famous teacher in
Madina. He started teaching in the Prophet's (‫ )صلى هللا عليه و آله وسلم‬mosque. It is reported
that he used to sit on the pulpit of the mosque with Quran in one hand and his
collection of Ahadith in another hand and he used to give fiqh rulings based on these
sources. He considered that after Quran and Sunnah, the practices of the people of
Madina during the first century AH (his life time) should be seen as an important third
source for Islamic fiqh.

Imam Malik's students were in thousands who related Ahadith from him. Ibn Kathir,
Dhahabi and Qazi Iyadh mentioned that over 1,300 students narrated Ahadith from
Imam Malik. Dar Qutni, Abu Bakr Khateeb al-Baghdadi and others mentioned that over
1000 students have narrated Ahadith from him.

The important personalities who considered him as their teacher, include, (i) Imam
Muhammad, (ii) Imam Shaf'ii, (iii) Abdullah bin Mubarak (iv) Laith bin Sa'ad, (v)
Shu'bah,(vi) Sufyan ath-Thawri, (vii) Ibn Juraij, (viii) Ibn Uyainah, (ix) Yahya al-
Qattan, (x) Ibn Mahdi, (xi) Abu Aasim al-nabeel, (xii) Abdur-Rahman
Auwzaa'ee, (xiii) Zhuhri Abul-Aswad, (xiv) Ayyub Sakhtiyaani, (xv) Rabi'ah al-
Ra'ii, (xvi) Yahya bin Sa'eed Ansari (xvii) Muhammad bin Abi Zi'ab, (xviii) Ibn
Jareeh, (xix) A'amash, (xx) Abu Suhail, (xxi) Nafi' bin Malik, etc.

Imam Malik compiled a Hadith collection titled al-Muwatta (‫)الموطأ‬. This was the first
book in the category of 'Sahih'. Imam Malik stated that he showed his book to seventy
scholars in Madinah, all of whom approved it. Thus he gave it the name al-
Muwatta, (‫)الموطأ‬, meaning 'The Approved'.

12
DEATH

Imam Malik fell ill when he was 86 years old. The illness
continued for three weeks, at the end of which he died on 11
Rabia I, 179 AH (June 3, 795 AD). He was buried in Jannatul-Baqi.

SCHOLARS VIEWS

Following are some of the scholars' opinions about Imam Malik.

(i) Imam Abu Hanifah said, 'I have never seen anyone more fast
understanding, correct answering, and test-taking than Imam Malik'.

(ii) Imam Shaf'ii said, 'Knowledge is encircled by three men: Malik bin
Anas, Sufyaan bin Uyainah, and Laith bin Sa'ad'.

(iii) Imam Ahmed bin Hanbal said, 'I was asked whose Hadith should be
memorized by heart, if from anyone? I replied Malik bin Anas'.

(iv) Imam Bukhari said, 'I was asked what is the most authentic chain of
narrators. I replied from Malik from Nafi' from Ibn Umar ( ‫رضئ هللا تعالی‬
‫')عنہم‬.

(v) Imam Nasai said, 'after the Tabi'een, the most understanding, reliable,
trustworthy, person in Hadith is Imam Malik.

13
IMAM NASAI (‫)رضئ ہللا تعالی عنہ‬

Imam Nasai (‫ )رضئ هللا تعالی عنہ‬is one the great critic and a key figure in Hadith
scholarship. His book Sunan an-Nasai (Sunan as-Sughra) is among the six major books
of Ahadith in Islamic literature. His date of birth is not known. And there are
differences of opinions in the year of his birth. However, a majority of Ulema consider
that he was born in 214 AH (829 AD).

EDUCATION

Very little is known about the early life or about the parents of Imam Nasai, except that
he was from Persian origin. Khurasan was the center of learning during his time where
many Hadith scholars lived those days. Imam Nasai had the opportunity to learn in
their company.

Right from his childhood Imam Nasai was famous for his exceptional memory. He
started learning at a very young age. It is reported that when he was 15 years old, he
started traveling to other places of learning in pursuit of collecting Ahadith. He first
reached Baghlan (currently in Afghanistan) and spent more than a year learning
Ahadith in the company of Hadith scholar Qutaybah Ibn Said. Later he traveled to
Hijaz, Iraq, Syria Egypt, and other places. In Egypt he stayed for a long time.

Among his prominent teachers were (i) Qutaybah ibn Sa`id, (ii) Is-haq ibn Ibrahim, (iii)
Is-haq ibn Rahuwayih, (iv) Imam Abu Dawood, (v) Imam Bukhari, (vi) Shaikh Ali ibn
Tahawi, (vii) Imam Abu Ja'afar Ahmad at-Tahawi, (viii) Abu Bakr Bindar, (ix) Hisham
ibn Ammar, (x) Muhammad ibn An-Nadr, (xi) Suwaid ibn Nasr, (xii) Ziyad ibn Ayyub,
(xiii) Sawwar ibn Abdullah Al-Anbari, (xiv) Utbah ibn Abdullah Al-Marwazi, (xv)
Muhammad ibn Muthanna, (xvi) Ali ibn Hujr, (xvii) Muhammad ibn Bishar, (xviii)
Hisham ibn Amar, (xix) Isa ibn Zaghbah, (xx) Mohammad ibn Nasr al-Marwazi, (xxi)
Abu Karayyab, (xxii) Suwaid ibn Nasr Shahdhan, (xxiii) Abu Bakr Ahmad ibn
Mohammad, etc.

Imam Nasai was trustworthy among scholars; well-established in Hadith scrutiny and
its narrators and was fully aware of the juristic rulings and explanation of the Ahadith.
Imam Al-Hakim wrote, 'the sayings of Imam An-Nasai relating Ahadith in issues of
fiqh are many, and one is astonished about the perfection of his statements.'

14
Among notable students who took Ahadiths from him were (i) Ahmad ibn Muhammad
ibn Salamah Al-Azdi, (ii) Ahmad ibn Muhammad Al-Hashimi, (iii) Sulaiman ibn Matir
Al-Lakhmi at-Tabarani, (iv) Abu Uthman Nisapuri, (v) Hamzah ibn Muhammad Al-
Kinani (vi) Abu Bishr ad-Dulabi, (vii) Ibn Adi, (viii) Ibn Jausaa, (ix) Abu
Yunus, (x)Imam Uqaili, (xi) Ibn al-Akhram, (xii) Abu Awanah, (xiii) Mohammad ibn
Muawiyah Andalusi, etc.

Imam Nasai is reported to be the follower of Shafii school of thought. Some scholars
have claimed that he followed Hanbali school of thought. Some others have regarded
him as a Mujhtahid (Jurist).

WORKS

Imam Nasai wrote many books like (i) Sunan al-Kubra, (ii) Sunan al-Sughra (Sunan an-
Nasai), (iii) Amal Yawmi wa al-laylah, (iv) Kitab Dufai wa al-Matrukin, (v) Khasais
Hadhrat Ali (‫)رضئ هللا تعالی عنہ‬, (vi) Musnad Hadhrat Ali (‫)رضئ هللا تعالی عنہ‬, (vii) Al-Jarh wa
at-ta'dil, (viii) Musnad Imam Malik, (ix) Fadha'il-e-Sahabah, (x) Kitab at-Tameez, (xi)
Kitab al-Ikhwat, (xii) Musnad Mansoor ibn Dharaan, (xiii) Mashaikh an-Nasai, (xiv) Ma
Aghrab Shubah ala Sufyaan wa Sufyan al Shubah, (xv) Asma ar-Rawaah, (xvi) Manasik
al-Hajj, (xvii) Tasmiyyah fuqaha al-Amsar Minas-Sahabah fiman Ba'duhum at-
Tabaqaat, (xviii) Tasmiyyah min lam Yaru Anhu Ghair Rajul Wahid, etc.

Most famous among his works is 'Sunan as-Sughra' popularly known as Sunan an-
Nasai. It is one of the six major books of Ahadith taught around the world. In
compilation of this book, he followed the criteria of Imam Bukhari and Imam Muslim. It
contains about 5700 Ahadith spread over 52 Chapters

There are many commentaries on an-Nasa’i. Most famous among them is written by
Imam Suyuti titled 'Zahr ar-Raba alal-Mujtaba'.

Many scholars have praised Imam Nasai, as follows.

(i) Imam Suyuti said, ' he was Qadhi, Imam, Hafidh, Shaikh al-Islam and a
famous scholar.

(ii) Imam Darqutni said, 'Abu Bakr ibn Haddad Shaf’ii was a scholar of
Hadith and he would never narrate a Hadith from anyone except from
Imam Nasa’i, and say, ‘I have made him evidence between myself and
Allah'.

(iii) Hafidh Muhammad bin Muzaffar said, 'I heard from my teachers
testifying that to Imam Nasai’s prayed excessively in day and night'.

15
(iv) Ad-Dahabi said, 'he was the greatest Jurist than all the Shuyookh of
Egypt and was more knowledgeable about Ahadith and their narrators.

(vi) Imam Hakim said, 'Imam Nasa’i was more Faqih than the Shuyukh of
Egypt of his time. He was well acquainted with authentic Ahadith and
their narrators and I refer to his book as Sahih.

(vii) Abu Abdullah bin Mandah said, there are four scholars who
extracted the authentic Ahadith from the faulty and the errors from the
correct ones; Bukhari, Muslim, and after them Abu Daawood and Nasa’i'.

DEATH

It is reported that when Imam Nasai was 88 years old, he went to Damascus, Syria and
he read his book Khasais-e-Hadhrat Ali (‫)رضئ هللا تعالی عنه‬, which is the collection of
Ahadith in praise of Hadhrat Ali (‫ )رضئ هللا تعالی عنه‬in Umayyad Mosque. On hearing
these Ahadith, the Muawiyeen (followers of Muawiya) demanded him to read Ahadith
in praise of Muawiya (‫)رضئ هللا تعالی عنه‬. On this the Imam informed them that there is not
a single authentic Hadith in praise of Muawiya (‫)رضئ هللا تعالی عنه‬. On hearing this from
the Imam, Muawiyeen mobbed and leached him. He was fatally injured in the attack. It
is reported that he asked his students to take him to Makka al-Mukarrama as he may
not survive the attack. He died in Makka on Tuesday, Safar 13, 303 AH (August 27, 1915
AD). He was buried in Makka by his students.

16
IMAM ABU DAWOOD (‫)رضئ ہللا تعالی عنہ‬

Imam Abu Dawood (‫ )رضئ هللا تعالی عنہ‬is one the distinguished scholars of Hadith in
Islamic history. Imam an-Nawawī said, all scholars are unanimous on the rank and
virtue of Imam Abu Dawood. His book Sunan Abu Dawood is among the six major
books of Ahadith.

Imam Abu Dawood was born in 202 AH (816 AD). As his name shows, he belonged to
Azdi Arab tribe. Though he was born in Sijistan, he spent most of life in Basra which
was the seat of Islamic learning during that time.

ANCESTORS

Imam Abu Dawood's ancestors belong to Azdi tribe of Arabs. Since the Imam was
father of Dawood, he was known as Abu Dawood (father of Dawood). His name was
Sulaiman. In the olden days, Arabs used to call each other with names along with
paternity lineage. This lineage was stretched sometimes to include several
generations. The birth place was also included in the name. Like Imam Abu Dawood
Sulaiman, ibn Ash'ath, ibn Ishaq, ibn Bashir, ibn Shaddad, ibn Umar, ibn Imran al-Azdi
Sijistani.

EDUCATION

Right from his childhood, Imam Abu Dawood was praised for his exceptional memory,
sound mind and intellect. He would read a book just once for the contents to be
recorded in his memory word by word for ever. It is reported that he studied in the
company of over 300 teachers. Prominent among them were Ahmad ibn Hanbal, Yahya
ibn Min, Uthman ibn Abu Shaybah, Is-haq ibn Rahawayh, Sulayman ibn Harb, Abu Al-
Walid At-Tayalisi, Qutaybah ibn Sa`ad, Said ibn Mansur, Abu Jafar An-Nufaili, Zuhayr
ibn Harb, Abu Ismail Al-Bukhari, etc.

Imam Abu Dawood accompanied Imam Ahmad for many years. This companionship
helped him acquire the knowledge of Fiqh in addition to Hadith. He compiled a book
on the questions and replies from Imam Ahmad titled 'Masail Ahmad'. It is reported
that after compilation of his book 'Sunan Abu Dawood', he presented it to Imam
Ahmed, who praised it.

17
Imam Abu Dawood visited Islamic learning centers in pursuit of collecting Ahadith. In
220 AH he traveled to Baghdad when he was 18 years old. Two years later he moved to
the Levant (Syria). Then he went to other places like Hijaz, Tarsus, Egypt, Basra,
Nishapur, Marv, etc.

Many students learned Science of Hadith from Imam Abu Dawood. They include Abu
Isa at-Tirmidhi, Abu Abdur-Rahman An Nasa’i, Ibn Arabi, Abu Bakr Al-Khallal, Ismail
ibn Muhammad As-Saffar, Abu Bakr ibn Dawood Al-Asfahani, Abu Uwanah Al-
Asfarayini, Muhammad ibn Nasr Al-Mirwazi, Abu Bakr Yahya As-Suli, etc.

WORKS

Imam Abu Dawood has written many valuable books. These include, (i) Al
Marasil, (ii) Masail al Iman Ahmad, (iii) An Nasikh wal Mansukh, (iv) Risalah fi wasf
kitab as sunan, (v) Az Zuhd, (vi) Ijabatan Sawalat Al Ajurri, (vii) Asilahan Ahmad bin
Hanbal, (viii) Tasmiyat al Akhwan, (ix) Kitab al Qadr, (x) Al Bath wan Nushur, (xi) Al
Masail allati halafa alaiha al Imam Ahmad, (xii) Dalail an-Nubuwah, (xiii) Fadail al-
Ansar, (xiv) Musnad Malik, (xv) Ad Dua, (xvi) Ibtida al-wahy, (xvii) Akhbar al
Khawarij, (xviii) Alam an-Nubuwah, (xix) Sunan Abu Dawood, etc.

It is reported that he selected 4,800 Ahadith in his Sunan from over 500,000. It is a major
source of knowledge about the legal points of views held by Imam Malik, Sufyan Al-
Thawri and Al-Awza'i. It serves as an arbiter for disagreement among jurists.

Hadith Scholar Al-Khattabi said, 'Sunan Abu Dawud is an excellent book. No such
parallel work has been produced so far in religious sciences. It has gained popularity
among people. It has a decisive position among various scholars and jurists. All have
benefited equally from it. The people of Iraq, Eygpt, Maghrib and most of the countries
depended upon it'.

Ibn al-Jawzi said, 'Abu Dawud was an eminent doctor of Hadith and an outstanding
scholar. No one has compiled a book like his Sunan'.

18
Ibn Kathir wrote, 'Sunan Abu Dawud is considered to be a famous and popular work
among scholars'.

Many scholars have written interpretive explanations of Sunan Abu Dawood; like (i)
'The landmarks of Sunan' by Abu Suleiman Al-Khattabi (d 388 AH), (ii) 'Explanations of
Sunan' by Imam al-Suyuti (d 911 AH), (iii) 'Clarifications about Sunan' by Shaikh al-
Sandi (d 1138 AH), etc.

DEATH

Imam Abu Dawood died on Friday 14th Shawwal 275 AH (February 18, 889 AD). at the
age of 73 in Basra. He was buried next to the grave of Sufyan al-Thawri.

Some scholars say that Imam Abu Dawood followed Hanbali school of thought, while
some others say that he followed Shafii school of thought. It is reported that after his
death, his son Abu Bakr Dawood walked on his father’s footsteps. Many scholars
praised Imam Abu Dawood, as follows.

(i) Abu Bakr Al-Khallal said, 'Abu Dawood was a superior scholar of his time. Nobody
excelled in recognizing the verification of sciences as Abu Dawood did. He was an
outstanding devout person'.

(ii) Ahmed ibn Muhammad ibn Yasin Al-Harawi said, 'Sulayman ibn Al-Ashath was
one of the Huffaz of the Prophet's (‫ )صلى هللا عليه و آله وسلم‬Ahadith. He was at the peak of
virtuousness, abstinence and devoutness.'

(iii) Ibrahim Al-Harbi said, 'The Hadith has been made pliable for Abu Dawood
similarly as the iron was made pliable to Prophet Dawood (‫')عليه السالم‬.

(iv) Musa ibn Harun Al-Hafiz said, Abu Dawood was created in this life for Hadith,
and in the hereafter for Paradise. I have not seen someone better than him.'

(v) Abu Hatim ibn Hayyan said, 'He (Abu Dawood) was one of the leading persons of
this world in matters of Fiqh, knowledge, memorization, asceticism, devoutness and
proficiency. He compiled and defended the Sunan.'

(vi) Al-Hakim said, 'There is no disagreement that Abu Dawood was the among leaders
of scholars of Hadith during his time.'

19
IMAM TIRMIDHI (‫)رضئ ہللا تعالی عنہ‬

Imam Tirmidhi (‫ )رضئ هللا تعالی عنہ‬is one the distinguished scholars of Hadith. His book
Jami at-Tirmidhi is among the six major books of Ahadith in Islamic literature. He was
born in a town called Bugh, in Tirmidh, Khurasan, the then Abbasid province.
Tirmidh is currently part of Uzbekistan, bordering Afghanistan. The Imam was born
during the reign of Abbasid Caliph al-Ma'mun. His date of birth is not known,
however, it is believed that he was born towards the end 209 AH (824 AD).

ANCESTORS

Imam Tirmidhi's ancestors belonged to Banu Sulaym tribe of Arabs. His name was
Mohammad. Since he was the father of Isa, he was called as Abu Isa.

In the olden days, Arabs used to call people along with their paternity lineage.
Sometimes, this lineage was stretched to include several generations. Like Imam Abu
Isa Muḥammad, ibn Isa, ibn Sawrah, ibn Musa, ibn al Ḍaḥḥak, as-Sulami ad-Dharir al-
Bughī at-Tirmidhi, 'As-Sulaimi' represents, he belonged to Banu Sulaym Arab tribe. Al-
Bughi and at-Tirmidhi represent, he was born in Al-Bugh town of Tirmidh. Since the
Imam got blind in the last two years of his life, he was called as 'ad-Dharir' (blind).

Very little is known about the early life or the profession of his parents, except that his
grandfather Sawra was originally from Marwbut later moved to Tirmidh.

EDUCATION

Right from his childhood Imam Tirmidhi was famous for his exceptional memory. If he
read or heard something, he would never forget it. Abbasid's province of Khurasan
consisted of major learning centers and home of many Hadith scholars. Thus, the Imam
had the opportunity to learn Ahadith from many teachers. Particularly his teacher
Imam Bukhari had a profound effect on him. He mentioned Bukhari's name 114 times
in his book Jami at-Tirmidhi. He used Imam Bukhari's books as a source while
describing any discrepancy in the text or chain of Ahadith. He praised Imam Bukhari as
the most knowledgeable person in Iraq or Khurasan in the science of Ahadith.

20
It is reported that Imam Bukhari also held Imam Tirmidhi in high regard. Once he told
Imam Tirmidhi 'I benefited from you more than you benefited from me'. Imam Bukhari
also narrated Hadith from Imam Tirmidhi in his book 'Sahih Bukhari'.

Imam Tirmidhi's others teachers include, (i) Imam Muslim, (ii) Imam Abu
Dawood, (iii) Imam ad-Darimi, (iv) Abu Raja Qutaybah ibn Said al-Balkhī al-
Baghlani, (v) Ali ibn Ḥujr ibn Iyas as-Sadi al-Marwazzi, (vi) Muḥammad ibn Bashshaar
al-Baṣrī, (vii) Abdullah ibn Muawiyah al-Jumaḥī al-Basri, (viii) Abu Muṣab az-Zuhrī al-
Madani, (ix) Muḥammad ibn Abdul Malik ibn Abi ash-Shawarib al-Umawi al-
Baṣrī, (x) Ismail ibn Musa al-Fazari al-Kufi, (xi) Muḥammad ibn Abi Mashar as-Sindi al-
Madanī, (xii) Abu Kurayb Muḥammad ibn Ala al-Kufī, (xiii) Ibrahīm ibn Abdullah al-
Harawī, (xiv) Suwayd ibn Naṣr ibn Suwayd al-Marwazi, (xv) Muḥammad ibn Musa al-
Baṣri, (xvi) Zayd ibn Akhzam al-Baṣrī, (xvii) Abbas al-Anbarī al-
Baṣri, (xviii) Muḥammad ibn al-Muthanna al-Baṣrī, (xix) Muḥammad ibn Mamar al-
Baṣrī, etc.

Imam Tirmidhi traveled to many places in pursuit of Hadith collection. He went to


Hijaz, Basra, Kufah, Baghdad, Ray, etc., and collected Ahadith from over 200 scholars.
In addition, he was well versed in Fiqh, Islamic History, Arabic and other related
sciences. He is well known for his expertise in deducing Fiqh rulings from Ahadiths. He
had many well known students like Haysam ibn Kulaib, Abul Abbas, Muhammed ibn
Ahmed, etc.

Some scholars consider that the Imam Tirmidhi followed Shafii school of thought, while
others regard him as a jurist (Mujtahid).

WORKS

Imam Tirmidhi wrote many books, like (i) Al-Ilal al-Kubra, (ii) Al-Ilal as-
Sughra, (iii) az-Zuhad, (iv) Ash-Shamail an-Nabiwiyyah wa al-Fadhail al-
Mustafwiyya, (v) Al-Asma wal Kuna, (vi) Kitab at-Tariq, Jami Tirmidhi, etc.

But his book 'Al-Jami al-Mukhtasar min as-Sunan an Rasulillah wa al-Ma'refatu as-
Sahih wa al-Ma'lul wa man alaihi al-amal' ( ‫الجامع المختصر من السنن عن رسول هللا ﷺ ومعرفة الصحيح‬
‫)والمعلول وما عليه العمل‬, also known as Jami at-Tirmidhi is most famous among all his
works.

Many commentaries of Jami at-Tirmidhi have been written, like (i) 'Aarizat al-Ahwazi'
in Arabic by Qadhi Abu Bakr Ibn Arabi, (ii) 'Qoot al-Mughtazi' by Jalauddin Suyuti.

21
DEATH

Imam Tirmidhi died on Wednesday, 13 Rajab, 279 A.H (October 8, 892 AD). He was
buried on the outskirts of Sherobod, 60 kilometers north of Tirmidh, Uzbekistan.

It is reported that he had lost his eyesight in the last two years before his death. Ad-
Dahabi wrote 'his blindness is reported to have caused in view of his excessive weeping
during night vigils on his prayer mat showing his extreme servitude to Al-Mighty
Allah. He also cried a lot on the death of Imam Bukhari.

Many scholars have praise Imam Tirmidhi, as follows.

(i) As-Sama`ani said, 'there is no dispute that Tirmidhi was one of leading
Imams of Hadith.

(ii) Abu Sa'd Al-Idrisi said, 'Muhammad ibn Isa at-Tirmidhi, the blind
memorizer of Hadith, is one of the leading scholars of the knowledge of
Hadith. He compiled books like 'Al-Jami', 'At-Tawarikh', and Al-`Ilal, in a
proficient and scientific way'.

(iii) Ibn Al-Athir Al-Jazari said, 'He was one of the prominent
memorizing scholars of Hadith. Also, he was well aware of Fiqh.'

(iv) Abu Al-Fida said, 'He was one of the well-known proficient scholars
of Hadith.'

(v) Ibn Kathir wrote, 'He was one of the Imams of this matter (Hadith)
during his time.'

(vi) Al -Mizzi wrote, 'He was one of the prominent memorizing Imams of
Hadith by whom Allah has benefited Muslims.'

(vii) Amr ibn Alak wrote, 'When Muhammad ibn Ismail Al-Bukhari died,
he did not leave behind anyone in Khurasan like Abu Isa at-Tirmidhi, in
terms of knowledge and God-fearing.'

22
IMAM IBN MAJA (‫)رضئ ہللا تعالی عنہ‬

Imam Ibn Maja (‫ )رضئ هللا تعالی عنہ‬is one the great Hadith scholars. He was a respectable
critic in the field of Ḥadīth. He also wrote a comprehensive exegesis of the holy Quran.
In addition, he was a great historian whose rank has been acknowledged by scholars all
through the history of Islam. His Hadith book Sunan Ibn Majah is among the six major
books of Ahadith in Islamic literature.

Imam Ibn Majah was born in Qazwin, Khurasan, during the reign of Caliph al-
Ma'mun. His date of birth is not known. It is believed that he was born in 209 AH (829
AD). The name 'Ibn Majah' is believed to be the 'alias' (assumed name) of his father.

EDUCATION

Very little is known about the early life of the Imam, except that he was from Persian
descent. Qazwin was an important place of learning during his time. Thus, the Imam
had an opportunity to learn Islamic sciences. He memorized Quran early and studied
religious sciences like Fiqh, Hadith, Tafsir, etc, by the time he was about 19 years old.
Since he had a special attachment towards prophetic ‫ ﷺ‬traditions, he started attending
circles of Ahadith learning in Qazwin under Hadith scholars.

In 230 AH (845 AD) when he was 21 years old, the Imam started traveling to other
places of learning in the Islamic caliphate. He visited Basra, Kufa, Baghdad, Damascus,
Makkah, Madinah, Egypt, Khurasan, etc. Wherever he went, he learned in the company
of famous scholars living there.

His teachers include, (i) Ibrahim ibn Al-Mundhir Al-Hizami, (ii) Muhammad ibn
Abdullah ibn Numayr, (iii) Harmalah ibn Yahya, (iv) Al-Hafizh Al-Hilwani Al-
Khallal, (v) Ismail ibn Musa Al-Fazari, (vi) Jabarah ibn Al-Mughallas, (vii) Abdullah ibn
Muawiyah, (viii) Hisham ibn Ammar, (ix) Muhammad ibn Rumh, (x) Dawud ibn
Rashid, (xi) Musab ibn Az-Zubairi, (xii) Abu Bakr ibn Abu Shaybah, (xiii) Abu Musab
Az-Zuhri, (xiv) Hafizh Ali ibn Muhammad at-Tanafisi, (xv) Hafizh Amr ibn Rafi Al-
Bajali, (xvi) Ismail ibn Tawbah, (xvii) Aḥmad bin Abi Bakr al-Awfi, (xviii) Muḥammad
bin Abu Khalid al-Qazvīnī, (xix) Nasr bin Ali Nishapuri etc. He also learned under
many students of Imam Malik.

23
After arduous journeys that took more than fifteen years, Ibn Majah returned to Qazwin
and devoted his time in writing books and compilation of Ahadith. He also taught
Ahadith to a large number of students who used to come from far off places to learn
and narrate Ahadith from him.

His students include, (i) Muhammad As-Saffar, (ii) Ishaq ibn


Muhammad, (iii) Sulaiman Al-Qazwini, (iv) Ibn Sibawayh, (v) Ali ibn Ibrahim Al-
Qattan, (vi) Ali ibn Said Al-Ghaddani, (vii) Ibrahim ibn Dinar Al-Jarshi, (viii) Ali ibn
Ibrahim ibn Salamah, (ix) Jafar ibn Idris, (x) Ali bin Abdullāh al-Falani, (xi) Abu Ya'la
al-Khalīlī, (xii) Abu Amr Aḥmad bin Muḥammad bin Ḥakim al-Madanī al-
Iṣfahānī, (xiii) Muhammad Ibn Isa Abhari, (xiv) Abu Tayyib al-Baghdadi, (xv) Abu Amr
Ahmad Ibn Hakim (xvii) Ishaq Ibn Muhammad al-Qazwini (xviii) Suleman Ibn Yazeed
Fami (xix) Ahmad Ibn Ibrahim, (xx) Ahmad Ibn Rooh al-Baghdadi, (xxi) Ali Ibn Sa'id al-
Askari, etc.

WORKS

Imam Ibn Majah wrote many books, three of them are known. He wrote Tafsir of Quran
in which he described Ahadith and comments of Sahabah and their successors. His
book 'at-Tariq' is regarded as manifestation of his great scholarship and learning. Ibn
Kathir called it a complete history while Ibn Khalkan, the famous historian, called it
Tarikh Milh (very good history book). All books written by the Imam have been lost
except his famous Sunan Ibn Maja.

Sunan Ibn Maja is one of 6 major books of Ahadith in Islamic literature. The sunan
received praise from many scholars. It contains 37 books, 1560 chapters and 4341
Ahadith. It contains Ahadith that are not found in other 5 major books of Ahadith.

Many books have been written to explain Sunan Ibn Majah, like 'Misbaah az-Zajajah
Ala Sunan Ibn Maja' by Imam Suyuti.

DEATH

Imam Ibn Maja died on Wednesday, 22nd Ramadhan, 273 AH (February 19, 887 AD) in
Qazwin. His brother Abu Bakr led his funeral prayer. It is reported that brother Abu
Abdullah and his son Abdullah Ibn Mohammad Ibn Yazid placed his body in the grave.
He was buried in Qazwin. The famous poet of Qazwin, Muḥammad bin Aswad al-

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Qazvīnī eulogized saying, 'the loss of Ibn Mājah weakened the column of the throne of
knowledge and has shook up its pillars'.

Many scholars have praised the services of Imam Ibn Maja, as follows.

(i) Abu Ya`la Al-Khalili said, 'Scholars are in agreement that Ibn Majah is
a trustworthy scholar whose views are valid for argument. He has full
awareness about Ahadith. He had expertise in other areas as well, like
Tafseer al-Quran and Islamic History.

(ii) Ad-Dahabi wrote - 'Muhammad ibn Yazid is a great Hafiz of Ahadith


and a great interpreter of Quran. He was an honest critic in Hadith
literature and his knowledge was vast. He was a peerless scholar of
Qazwin.'

(iii) Ibn Hajar said, 'Ibn Majah was one of the leading scholars, and a
Hafiz of Hadith. He wrote in subjects like Hadith, Tafsir and History.

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