In our times, the dearth of Islamic knowledge is so severe that even the imams of our communities are not familiar with the different hadīth masters who reigned in the field of ahadith, let alone common Muslims. Many self-proclaimed “hadīth masters” and others who call themselves the “people of hadīth” [ahl al-hadith] are completely ignorant of the names of most of the hadīth books and the biographies of the great hadīth masters who compiled them. Below is a brief introduction to some of the greatest hadīth masters.

He was Muhammad ibn Isma’il and was born in Bukhara on the 13 or 16 of Shawwal, 194/c 810 on Friday after ‘Asr. His father died before he was born. Imam Bukhari became blind in childhood but his mothers ardent prayers and du‘as bore their fruit, and his eyesight was returned. After this, he sought knowledge until the end of his life.

Imam Bukhari wrote many books including the renowned collection Sahih al-Bukhari. The original name given to Sahih al-Bukhari was, al-Jami‘ al-Sahih al-Musnad al-Mukhtasar min Umur Rasul Allah Salla Allahu ‘alaihi wa Sallam.

Sahih al-Bukhari is regarded as the most authentic book after the Qur’an, academically and historically. Imam Bukhari was known to bathe and perform istikhara44 before recording any hadīth into his book. If he felt positively after the istikhara, he admitted the hadīth into his book; otherwise, he rejected it. The compilation of Sahih al-Bukhari was the fruit of sixteen years of meticulous research. What praise can we bestow on Imam Bukhari when Allah (SWTH) Himself has immortalized his name for past, present and future generations. So without mentioning another word, we lay the subject of his excellence and piety to rest.

Unfortunately, one of the saddest facts in the history of Islam is that the true scholars of Islam and sincere servants of Allah (SWTH) always suffered at the hands of their foes. The foes of Imam Bukhari harassed him until he was forced to pray, “O Allah (SWTH), this earth has become narrow for me despite its vastness. Take me to your abode.” Imam Bukhari died in Samarqand on the eve of Eid al-Fitr in 256/c870 at the age of sixty two.

He was Muslim ibn hajjaj, but was known by his agnomen, Abu al-hasan. Imam Muslim was born in Naishabur, Iran, in either 204/c820 or 206/c822. Though he authored many books, he is most recognized for his Sahīh al-Muslim. It is said that Imam Muslim would never backbite, nor did he speak ill of anyone throughout his life. Muslim became so popular amongst the hadīth masters that some scholars actually put it above Bukhari; however, most hadīth masters rank Muslim below Bukhari. It is worth mentioning that the headings of the sub-chapters in Muslim are not written by Imam Muslim but by Imam Nawawi.

Imam Muslim died in 261/c875. Many say that the cause of death came after someone once asked him about a hadīth. He was so eager to find the hadīth that he searched for it immediately after returning home. During his research, he became hungry and kept a basketful of dates next to him. Every little while he picked a date from the basket and continued looking for the hadīth. Ultimately, he unknowingly ate so many dates that it became the cause of his death.

He was Malik ibn Anas ibn Malik ibn Abi ‘Amir and his agnomen was Abu ‘Abd Allah. He was born in 93/c712 in the blessed city of Madina and lived there his entire life. He was honored with the title, “imam of the place of migration.” He was exceptional from birth as his mother bore him after carrying him in her womb for three years. His great grandfather was the first in his family to accept Islam. At the time, his great-grandfather lived in Yemen and later migrated to Madina.

Imam Malik’s thirst for knowledge began at an early age. His family was so poor that that they were once forced to tear open the ceiling of their house, collect the wooden beams and sell them to survive. However, during that time Imam Malik vigorously pursued the knowledge of din. He was highly intelligent and was gifted with a photographic memory. It is said that once he read something he never forgot it. His love for the Blessed Prophet (PBUH) was also exemplary. Once, while he was teaching hadīth, a scorpion stung him seventeen times, but he continued teaching and did not move from his spot out of respect for the hadīth.

His book was a masterpiece on hadīth. Aside from Musnad Imam Abī hanīfa [compiled by Imam Abu hanīfa, a contemporary of Imam Malik], the hadīth masters take his book as the cornerstone of all compilations of authentic ahadith. He died on the 11th of Rabī‘ al-Awwal in 179/c795 at the age of eighty-six and was buried in Jannat al-Baqī‘ in Madina.

He was Muhammud ibn ‘ösa and his agnomen was Abu ‘ösa. Born in approximately 209/c825, he was from the city of Tirmidh in Balkh, hence his attribution, Tirmidhī. Imam Tirmidhī was blessed with an outstanding memory and piety. He became blind due to excessive weeping. He was one of the most favored students of Imam Bukhari, though he was a follower of Imam Shafi‘ī in fiqh and did not accept the rulings of Imam Bukhari.

In fact, it is amazing that he quotes all the other jurists in his book Sunan al-Tirmidhī, but never quotes or even mentions his teacher Imam Bukhari. After every hadīth, Imam Tirmidhī notes the grade of the hadīth and then narrates the rulings the imams derive from that hadīth. He frequently gave reference to other ahadith related to that subject. Regarding his book, Imam Tirmidhī said, “Whosoever has this book in his house has the prophet who speaks in his house.”.

Imran ibn ‘Allan says, “Imam Bukhari died leaving no better person behind than Abu ‘ösa in his place in knowledge and piety.” Imam Tirmidhī died in 279/c892.

He was Sulaiman ibn Ash‘ath and his agnomen was Abu Dawud. Born in 202/c817, he was from the city of Sīstan near the province of Khurasan. A devoted student of Imam Ahmad ibn hanbal, Imam Abu Dawud followed the madhhab [school] of his teacher. Imam Abu Dawud was known for his humility and simplicity. Imam Abu hatim says, “Imam Abu Dawud was the imam of the world in his knowledge, preservation and memorization, understanding, piety and his judiciousness.” Allah’s (SWTH) acceptance of his book is evidenced by its acceptance in the umma. Imam Abu Dawud died in 275/c888.

His name was Ahmad ibn Shu‘aib ibn ‘Ali al-Nisa’ī and his agnomen was Abu ‘Abd al-Rahman. He was an unsheathed sword against the people of innovation [bid‘a]. It is said that he fasted every other day throughout his life as Dawud did. He followed the madhhab of Imam Shafi‘ī, though others say he followed the madhhab of Imam Ahmad ibn hanbal. Imam Nisa’ī died in 303/c915.

He was Muhammad ibn Yazīd and his agnomen was Abu ‘Abd Allah. His mother’s name was Maja, which is how he came to be known as Ibn Maja. He was born in 209/c824 in Qazwīn, Iran. All the hadīth masters laud the superb organization of the ahadith in Ibn Maja and also that it is devoid of repetitiveness in ahadith. Unlike the other five books of al-Sihah al-Sitta, many of the ahadith in Ibn Maja are exclusive to Ibn Maja and cannot be found in any of the other five books.

Imam Ahmad ibn Hanbal is famous for his madhhab. His name was Ahmad ibn Muhammad ibn hanbal and his agnomen was Abu ‘Abd Allah. Born in Baghdad in 164/c780, he is given the title of “imam of the Ahl al-Sunna” [People of the Sunna]. He was pious and austere; one who had nothing to do with the world. He was imprisoned and tortured for challenging the Rationalists [Mu‘tazilas] [whose doctrine was the official dogma of the ‘Abbasid king at the time] on the doctrine of whether the Qur’an is a creation or not. He persevered and endured the persecutions of the ‘Abbasid king patiently. Through his sacrifices, Allah (SWTH) saved the umma from a dangerous threat. His book, Musnad Ahmad, is a fascinating collection of ahadith in which he compiled over 40,000 ahadith. Imam Ahmad ibn hanbal passed away in 241/c855.

He was ‘Abd Allah ibn ‘Abd al-Rahman al-Darimī and his agnomen was Abu Muhammad. Born in 181/c797 in Samarqand, Imam Muslim and Imam Nisa’ī were both his students. His book, Sunan al-Darimī, is one of the most important books of hadīth. He passed away in 255/c869.

He was Ahmad ibn husain Baihaqī and his agnomen was Abu Bakr. He was born in 384/c994 and authored many great books, the most acclaimed being Sunan al-Baihaqī. He followed the Shafi‘ī school of fiqh. He died in 456/c1064 in Naishabur, Iran.

He was ‘Abd al-Rahman ibn ‘Ali and his agnomen was Abu al- Faraj, though he became famous by the name Ibn al-Jauzī. He was born in 517/c1123 in Baghdad. He was a master in many of the different fields of Islamic sciences and was blessed with a penetrating intellect. Amongst his famous works is his collection of fabricated ahadith, though he was harsh in his judgment of the ahadith. Imam Ibn Jauzī passed away in 597/c1200.

He was born in 544/c1149 on the island of Ibn ‘Umar along the bank of the Tigris River. He wrote many books on the subject of ahadith. Al-Nihaya fī Gharīb al-hadīth is an excellent book in five volumes while the famous, Jami‘ al-Usul is a collection of ahadith from Bukhari, Muslim, Abu Dawud, Muwatta’ and Nisa’ī which consists of twelve volumes. Highly favored by the king and his ministers for his decision-making capabilities and for his vast store of knowledge, he was often consulted by them on important matters. He became paralyzed near the end of his life. The king and his ministers oversaw his treatment, but nothing helped. One man came to him and said, “My treatment always works; you can pay me after you recover.” He began treating the shaikh, who indeed began showing signs of recovery.

‘Ibn al-Athīr told his brother ‘Izz al-Dīn, “Pay this man and send him off.”.

His brother replied in suprise, “but his treatment is working and you are recovering.”.

Ibn al-Athīr replied, “This is why I don’t want to be treated by him. If I recuperate, I will have to pay visits to the courts of the king and his subjects. Right now, I can at least sit and perform my worship while they come to visit me.” After that, his treatment was cut short and he passed away in 606/c1209 at the age of sixty-two.

He was Ahmad ibn ‘Ali ibn Muhammad and his agnomen was Abu al-Faðl. He is known as Ibn hajar as he was born into the tribe of hajar. He was born on the 22nd of Sha‘ban, 773/c1372 in Egypt, though his family was originally from ‘Asqalan, a town in Palestine. Orphaned at a young age, after memorization of Qur’an, he studied ahadith with Zain al-Dīn ‘Iraqī for ten years. In this brief time, he developed a solid foundation in the different fields of ahadīth.

His commentary of Bukhari, Fath al-Barī, needs no introduction. His work on ahadith was indispensable and for that reason the title hafiþ became permanently fixed to his name. Eventually, he became known as hafiþ al-hadīth in the umma.

He was an avid and fast reader, finishing Muslim in two and a half days. Once, he finished the three-volume hadīth book, al-Mu‘jam al-Saghīr between þuhr and asr. He was a follower of the Shafi‘ī school. He passed away on the 28 of Dhu al-hijja, 852/c1449 in Cairo at the age of seventy-nine.

His full name was ‘Abd al-‘Aþīm ibn ‘Abd al-Qawīyy ibn ‘Abd Allah and his agnomen was Abu Muhammad. His forefathers migrated from Syria, but he was born in 581/c1186 in Egypt. “Nobody could beat Mundhirī in memorization of ahadith in his time,” wrote Dhahabī.

Mundhirī wrote many books, including the outstanding work al- Targhīb wa al-Tarhīb. Though renowned for his piety and integrity, he was most famous for his abstinence. In his book, al-Targhīb wa al-Tarhīb, he devoted a whole chapter to the importance of abstinence. He titles the chapter, “al-Targhīb fi al-Zuhd fi al-Dunya wa al-Akfa’ minha bi al-Qalīl” [“Exhortation Towards Abstinence from the Material World and to be Content with Little”].

He compiled 160 ahadith under this chapter; no other chapter in the book contained so many ahadith. “If we were to write the biographies of the predecessors [salaf], we could easily produce a few volumes, but this is not the objective of this book. We wrote this much only for blessing.” Mundhirī passed away in 657/c1259 in Egypt.

He was Sulaiman ibn Dawu ibn al-Jarud al-Tayalasī and his agnomen was Abu Dawud. He was born in 136/c754. His attribution al-Tayalasī comes from the family business of selling shawls [tailasan]. His forefathers descended from Persia and were sold as slaves in Arabia, but were later freed. Imam Abu Dawud al-Tayalasī himself was from Basra, Iraq. During those times, Basra and Kufa were centers of learning and so he became learned in the knowledge of din from an early age. His sharp memory was a major asset in the study of ahadith. A favorite student of the renowned hadīth master Shu‘ba, Abu Dawud al-Tayalasī later took his teacher’s place. His book, Sunan Abī Dawud al-Tayalasī, is one of the most famous books of hadīth. He was a follower of the hanafī madhhab. He passed away in 203/c819 or 204/c820.

He was Husain ibn Mas‘ud ibn Muhammad al-Farra’ al-Baghawī and his agnomen was Abu Muhammad. He was born in 433/ c1041. People knew him as Muhiyy al-Sunna [Reviver of the Sunnas]. He wrote many books, the most well-known of them, Sharh al-Sunna. When he wrote Sharh al-Sunna, the Blessed Prophet (PBUH) appeared in his dream and said, “May Allah (SWTH) keep you alive the way you revived my Sunna.” His other famous book is Masabīh al-Sunna, which is the main text of Mishkat al-Masabīh. His exegesis of the Qur’an, Ma‘alim al-Tanzīl is beautifully written. He was a follower of the Shafi‘ī madhhab. He passed away in 516/c1122.

He was ‘Abd al-Rahman ibn al-Kamal Abī Bakr and his agnomen was Abu al-Fadl. He was born in 849/c1445; his mother died during childbirth. Learned in various disciplines and fields, he authored over six hundred books. He followed the Shafi‘ī madhhab. Jalal al-Dīn Suyutī passed away in 911/c1505 in Egypt.

He was ‘Ali ibn Sultan Muhammad al-Qarī and his agnomen was Abu al-Hasan. He was born in Herat, a northern city of Afghanistan. When Sultan Isma’īl Safawī [a fanatic shiite] sacked Herat and killed the Muslims mercilessly, Mulla ‘Ali Qarī migrated to Makka and settled there. He first learned pronunciation [tajwīd] of Qur’an and quickly mastered the discipline until he became an expert in recitation of Qur’an. Soon after, he began studying the science of ahadith. He wrote many books, including Mirqat al- Mafatīh, a brilliant commentary of the hadīth book al-Mishkat al- Masabīh, and reputed to be the best commentary of hadīth. Many scholars acknowledge him as the revivalist [mujaddid] of the 10th century. He was a follower of the Hanafī madhhab. Mulla ‘Ali Qarī died in Makka in Shawwal 1114/c1702, and was buried in the main cemetery of Makka, Jannat al-Mu‘alla.

His full name was Ahmad ibn Muhammad ibn Salama al-Tahawī and his agnomen was Abu Ja‘far. The name Tahawī comes from Taha, a small village on the outskirts of Cairo. He was born in 229/ c843. Two of his most renowned books are Sharh Ma‘anī al-ôthar and Mushkil al-ôthar. According to Ibn Hazm, these two books are more authentic than the Muwatta’ of Imam Malik. Imam Tahawī followed the Hanafī madhhab. He passed away in 321/c933.

He was Yahya ibn Sharaf al-Nawawī. He was born in Muharram, 631/c1233 in Nawa, a small town near Damascus. He showed signs of abstinence early on in life and had little interest in play and games, preferring to spend his time reciting Qur’an. Shaikh Yasīn said of him, “I saw him when he was ten. Some children urged him to come and play with them, but he ran from them and cried because he wanted to recite the Qur’an.” Shaikh Yasīn later became his spiritual mentor [murshid].

Imam Nawawī’s father sat him in his shop, but Imam Nawawī occupied all his time there reciting Qur’an. He ate only once during the day and once at night, and spent most of his nights in worship. Many of his books were instant successes and proved to be indispensable assets for the umma. His famous book Riyadh al-Salihīn was acclaimed for its inspired selection of ahadith, and is one of the most widely read books of hadīth to this day. Two other books, Sharh al-Muhdhdhab and Sharh al-Muslim also were hailed by the umma. A follower of the Shafi‘ī madhhab, Imam Nawawī passed away in 676/c1277.

His agnomen was Abu ‘Abd al-Rahman and he was born in 118/ c736. His parents were slaves from Turkmenistan who were later freed. He was rich and lived extravagantly, until Allah (PBUH) blessed him with guidance. When he came towards din, he became the “leader of the believers” [amīr al-mu’minīn] of hadīth. Imam Bukhari’s teacher Ibn Mahdī once said, “If Ibn Mubarak doesn’t know a hadīth, we don’t know it either.” This implies that Ibn Mubarak had memorized all the ahadith and is thus ranked amongst the hafiþ of hadīth. The elderly and pious gathered at his house and derived blessings and benefit from his talks.

Sufyan Thaurī once said, “I wish that one year of my life could be like ‘Abd Allah ibn Mubarak’s. I strive to be like him, but I cannot go beyond three days.” Once, the king Harun al-Rashīd was staying at al-Riqa and ‘Abd Allah ibn Mubarak happened to be there also. Crowds of people filled the streets to see ‘Abd Allah ibn Mubarak. One of the King’s slave girls came by the balcony of the palace.

“What is going on?” She asked.

“Abd Allah ibn Mubarak is here,” was the reply.

She said, “This is the real kingship; Harun al-Rashīd must parade through the streets to fill it with such crowds.

‘Abd Allah ibn Mubarak always sat in the gatherings of Imam Abu Hanīfa and prided himself on it. He followed the madhhab of Imam Abu Hanīfa. ‘Abd Allah ibn Mubarak died in 181/c797.

His agnomen was Abu Sufyan and he was born in 129/c746. He was the teacher or teachers’ teacher of all the authors of the al-Sihah al-Sitta. A renowned hadīth master and jurist, he was also famous for his piety and taqwa, reciting one whole Qur’an every night. Imam Ahmad ibn Hanbal prided himself on being his student. If he ever narrated a hadīth from him [Wakī‘ ibn al- Jarrah] he would say, “I am narrating this hadīth from the likes of a person you have never seen in your lives.” He was a ardent follower of the Hanafī madhhab and lived his life by the rulings of Imam Abu Hanīfa. He died in 198/c813.

His agnomen was Abu Sa‘īd. He was an expert in the field of the biography of the narrators of hadīth. He was the teacher of Imam Ahmad and ‘Ali ibn Madīnī. He recited one Qur’an every night for twenty years and never missed the congregational salat. His narrations are found in all the six books of hadīth. Dhahabī said that Yahya ibn Sa‘īd was the first to write on the field of biography of the narrators of hadīth. In fiqh, he was a follower of Imam Abu Hanīfa. He died in 198/c813 in Basra.

He was Mahmud ibn Ahmad ibn Musa al-‘Ainī, and his agnomen was Abu Muhammad. He was born on the 17 of Ramadan, 762/c1361 at a place called ‘Ain Tab, which is close to Halb [Aleppo, Syria]. A follower of the Hanafī madhhab, he was a scholar of fiqh, hadīth and history. Though he wrote many books, he is best known for his commentary of Bukhari, ‘Umdat al-Qarī. This book is highly commended by the scholars. He died on the 4th of Dhu al-Hijja, 855/c1451 at the age of ninety three.

He was ‘Abd Allah ibn Muhammad ibn Ibrahīm, and his agnomen was Abu Bakr. He was the teacher of Imam Bukharī, Muslim, Abu Dawud and many other accomplished ahadīth masters; his narrations can be found in all of their books. His most notable piece of work is the al-Musannaf, which is distinctive in many ways. It compiles ahadith on every Shari‘a ruling and incorporates all the narrations of the Sahaba. Speaking on Ibn Abī Shaiba’s extraordinary memory, Imam Abu Zur‘a al-Razī once said, “I have not seen a hafiz of hadīth who equals him.” Ibn Abī Shaiba died in 235/c850.