Ibn Shihab al-Zuhri
| Muslim scholar Islamic golden age |
|
|---|---|
| Name: | Muhammad ibn Muslim ibn Shihab al-Zuhri |
| Title: | Ibn Shihab or al-Zuhri |
| Birth: | |
| death: | 124 AH (741–742)[1] |
| Maddhab: | Sunni |
| Main interests: | Hadith |
| Influences: | Abu Suhail an-Nafi [citation needed]Said ibn Al-Musayyib [citation needed] |
Muhammad ibn Muslim ibn Shihab al-Zuhri (d.742), known simply as Ibn Shihab or
al-Zuhri, is among those who first compiled hadiths at the behest of
Umayyad caliph Umar II
(d.720), fearing that some of the prophetic traditions might be lost.
Life
Ibn Shibab's father, Muslim ibn Shihab, had supported Abdullah ibn Zubayr (d.692) in his struggles against the Umayyads, particularly against Al-Hajjaj bin Yousef (d.714). That is why the Umayyad government usually kept him under surveillance. It is said that Ibn Shibab had an extraordinary memory - he memorized the Qur’an before he was seven in only eight days, and he was eighteen years old when he began to do ijtihad. There was nothing he would forget after having learned it: ‘I have betrayed nothing which Allah put in my heart as a trust’, he used to say.[2]
Ibn Shihab got his first education from Sa‘id ibn al-Musayyib, who taught him for eight years. He was also taught by Ubayd Allah ibn Abdullah ibn Utba, who was one of the seven leading jurists of the time. Ibn Shihab dedicated himself wholly to Hadith. He says: ‘I have shuttled between Hijaz and Damascus for forty years for the sake of Hadith.’[3]
Relationship with the Umayyads
Some accuse Ibn Shihab al-Zuhri of having flattered the Umayyads. While it is true that he tutored the sons of Caliph
Hisham (d.743), this does not mean that he supported the Umayyads. In his first
meeting with Ibn Shihab, the Caliph Abd al-Malik (d.705) reminded him of his father, Muslim
ibn Shihab's, struggles against the Ummayyads. But Ibn Shihab never feared to speak the truth to the Umayyad rulers. Some of the
Umayyads alleged that it was
Legacy
He had a son named Ahmad ibn Abu Bakr al-Zuhri.
Among his narrations are:
He narrated from:
Sunni view
Ibn Shihab al-Zuhri is regarded as one of the greatest Sunni authorities on Hadith. The leading critics of Hadith such as Ibn al-Madini, Ibn Hibban, Abu Khatim, Al-Dhahabi and Ibn Hajar al-Asqalani are all agreed upon his indisputable authority. He received ahadith from many Sahaba (Companions) and numerous scholars among the first and second generations after the Companions narrated from him.
He is included in the chain of narration of a least one hadith in Sahih Muslim [7]
Ibn Sa'd stated: "They said that Al Zuhri was reliable, with many hadith, knowledge and transmission. He was a Faqih with vast knowledge." [8]
A Sunni site, understanding-islam.org, writes:
| “ | Al-Zuhri, although, generally accepted to be reliable by the authorities in the
science of Hadith, is considered to be a Mudrij[2] and a Mudallis[3]. Moreover, in a letter to Imam Malik, Imam Laith ibn Sa`d writes:
[2] A person who inserts something in the text of a narrative without giving any indication of this insertion. [3] A person who narrates on the authority of someone whom, although he has met yet has not heard the narrated words from, giving the impression that he actually heard the narrated words from him. [9] |
” |
Shi'a view
Shi'a reject him as a hadith narrator, arguing that he hated Ali [10].
Mu`tazili view
Ibn Abu al-Hadid, a 13th century Mu`tazili Islamic scholar wrote [11]:
| “ | Zuhri ibn Shab possessed a heart filled with enmity towards Hadhrath 'Ali | ” |
Muslims agree that someone who hates the Ahl al-Bayt should be rejected as a hadith narrator.
Non-Muslim view
Harald Motzki regards al-Zuhri as reliable [12].
Notes
Prose contains specific citations in source text which may be viewed in edit mode.
- ^ (from Google search) Ibn Shihab al-Zuhri (d. 124/742), was one of the founders of Islamic ... the most prominent of those banned was Ibn Shihab al-Zuhri, who was so severely ...[1]
- ^ Abu Nu‘aym, 3.364; Dhahabi, Tadhkirat al-Huffaz, 1.109
- ^ Ibn Kathir, 9.375
- ^ M. ‘Ajjaj al-Khatib, 509–10
- ^ Al-Muwatta 28 18.42
- ^ http://www.globalwebpost.com/farooqm/writings/islamic/law_hadith.html
- ^ Sahih Muslim 8:3266 includes him, although the USC-MSA Compendium of Muslim Texts does not include the entire isnad of the hadith.
- ^ The book of The Major Classes [2]
- ^ http://www.understanding-islam.org/related/text.asp?type=question&qid=369
- ^ [3]
- ^ Comments on the Peak of Eloquence (Ibn Abu al-Hadid) Volume 1 page 493
- ^ http://people.uncw.edu/bergh/par246/L21RHadithCriticism.htm
External links
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