Muslim (204–261 AH/820–825 CE)

He is Abu al Hussain Muslim ibn al Hajjaj al Qushayri al Naysaburi. One of the leaders of the Muhaddithin. He was born in Naysabur. He travelled to Hijaz, Egypt, Sham, and ‘Iraq. He passed away just outside Naysabur.

His most famous book is Sahih Muslim. He compiled 12000 ahadith in it and wrote it in 15 years. It is one of the two most authentic books in hadith according to the Ahlus Sunnah wa al Jama’ah. Many people have written commentaries on it.

Some of his other books are: Al Musnad al Kabir (he compiled it according to narrators), al Jami’ (compiled according to chapters), al Asma wa al Kuna, al Afrad wa al Wuhdan, al Aqran, Mashayikh al Thawri, Tasmiyyat Shuyukh Malik wa Sufyan wa Shu’bah, Kitab al Mukhadramin, Kitab Awlad al Sahabah, Awham al Muhaddithin, al Tabaqat, Afrad al Shamiyyin, al Tamyiz and al ‘Ilal.^[1]

In the forward of his commentary on Sahih Muslim, Imam al Nawawi (631–676 AH/1233–1277 CE), while discussing Muslim and his book, states:

هو الإمام أبو الحسين مسلم بن الحجاج بن مسلم القشيري من بني قشير قبيلة من العرب معروفة النيسابوري إمام أهل الحديث

He is Abu al Hussain Muslim ibn al Hajjaj ibn Muslim al Qushayri (from the Banu Qushayr, a famous Arab tribe) al Naysaburi, the leader of the Muhaddithin.

He studied hadith from the following people:

Sa’id,
Al Qa’nabi,
Ahmed ibn Hambal,
Ismail ibn Abi Uways,
Yahya ibn Yahya,
Abu Bakr and ‘Uthman the sons of Abu Shaybah,
‘Abdullah ibn Asma’,
Shayban ibn Farrukh,
Harmalah ibn Yahya, student of al Shafi’i,
Muhammad ibn al Muthanna,
Muhammad ibn Yasar,
Muhammad ibn Mihran,
Muhammad ibn Yahya ibn Abi ‘Umar,
Muhammad ibn Salamah al Muradi,
Rabiha,
Muhammad ibn Rumh,
and many other experts.

Those who narrated hadith from him are:

Abu ‘Isa al Tirmidhi,
Yahya ibn Sa’id,
Muhammad ibn al Mukhallad,
Ibrahim ibn Muhammad ibn Sufyan, (the ascetic jurist) the narrator of Sahih Muslim,
Muhammad ibn Ishaq ibn Khuzaymah,
Muhammad ibn ‘Abdul Wahhab al Farra’,
‘Ali ibn al Hussain,
Makki ibn ‘Abdan,
Abu Hamid Ahmed ibn Muhammad al Sharqi and his brother ‘Abdullah,
Hatim ibn Ahmed al Kindi,
Hussain ibn Muhammad ibn Ziyad al Qabbani,
Ibrahim ibn Abi Talib,
Abu Bakr Muhammad ibn al Nadr al Jarudi,
Ahmed ibn Salamah,
Abu ‘Awanah Yaqub ibn Ishaq al Isfarayini,
Abu ‘Amr Ahmed ibn al Mubarak al Mustamli,
Abu Hamid Ahmed ibn Hamdun al A’mash,
Abu al ‘Abbas Muhammad ibn Ishaq ibn al Siraj,
Zakariyya ibn al Dawud al Khaffaf,
Nasr ibn Ahmed al Hafiz (known as Nasruk),
and many others.

The scholars are unanimous upon his loftiness, leadership, high status, skill in presentation, and precedence and proficiency in it.

One of the greatest proofs of his loftiness, leadership, piety, intelligence, status in the field of hadith, its presentation and mastery, is his book al Sahih. A book which has not been matched before or after, with regards to the, beautiful sequence, summarisation of the different chains of hadith without any increase of decrease, abstaining from al Tahwil (providing different chains that join to a particular narrator) in the chains when they are agreed upon, without any additions, notification on the words of the narrators if there is any difference in the text or the chain—be it a single word, his prudence in notifying of those narrations which clarify the hearing of the Mudallis (a narrator who leaves out his teacher), and other things which are famous about his book.

In brief, there is no parable for his book with regard to its intricacies and skill in narrating the chains. This is certain, without any doubt, because of the apparent testimonies to it.

Despite all this, al Sahih al Bukhari is more authentic and more beneficial. This is the view of the majority of the scholars and it is the correct and preferred view. But Muslim’s book is better with regards to the intricacies of the chains of narrators. Therefore, anyone who is desirous of the knowledge of hadith should pay attention to this book and familiarise himself with its intricacies. He will then find wonders of beauty in it.

Know well that Muslim rahimahu Llah is one of the distinguished leaders of this field and a prominent senior in it. He is amongst the people of preservation and perfection in this field. His precedence in this field is acclaimed, without doubt by the people of wisdom and knowledge. His book is referred to and relied upon in every era.

The following people studied hadith from Muslim:

In Khurasan: Yahya ibn Yahya, Ishaq ibn Rahawayh, and others.

In Ray: Muhammad ibn Mihran, Abu Ghassan, and others.

In ‘Iraq: Ibn Hambal, ‘Abdullah ibn Maslamah, and others.

In Hijaz: Sa’id ibn Mansur, Abu Mus’ab, and others.

In Egypt: ‘Amr ibn Sawad, Harmalah ibn Yahya, and others.

Besides these, a great number of people studied hadith from him.

A group of senior leaders of his era narrated from him. Amongst them is a group from his era such as Abu Hatim al Razi, Musa ibn Harun, Ahmed ibn Salamah, al Tirmidhi, etc.

A person who has an in-depth look into Sahih Muslim and gets acquainted with the presentation of the chains, his layout, his beautiful sequence, his unique manner of priceless investigations, gems of precision, type of caution and care in the narrations, summarisation and conciseness of the chains, the capture of the different and wide spread chains, his excessive knowledge, vastness of the narrations, and other beauties and wonders, as well as hidden and apparent intricacies, will realize that he is such an Imam (leader in the field) that those who come after him cannot reach his status. Very few in his era can come close to him, let alone being equal to him.^[2]

ذٰلِكَ فَضْلُ اللّٰهِ يُؤْتِيْهٖ مَن يَّشَآءُ ۚ وَاللّٰهُ ذُو الْفَضْلِ الْعَظِيْمِ

This is the favour of Allah. He grants it to whoever He wills. And Allah is the Lord of infinite bounty.^[3]

NEXT⇒ Al Bukhari, Muslim, and the Banu Umayyah

^[1] Khayr al Din al Zirkili: Al A’lam.

^[2] Al Nawawi: Al Ta’rif bi al Imam Muslim, quoting from Imam al Nawawi: Tahdhib al Asma’ wa al Lughat, in the introduction of Sharh al Nawawi li Sahih Muslim, Mahmud Tawfiq Publishers, Cairo.

^[3] Surah al Jumu’ah: 4.

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