Imam Ibn Shihab az-Zuhri | |
|---|---|
ٱبۡن شِهَاب ٱلزُّهْرِيّ | |
| Personal life | |
| Born | AH 58 (677/678) |
| Died | AH 124 (741/742) Shaghb wa-Bada,  Umayyad Caliphate |
| Region | Syria,Hejaz |
| Main interest(s) | Hadith,prophetic biography,fiqh |
| Relations | Abd Allah ibn Muslim al-Zuhri (brother) |
| Religious life | |
| Religion | Islam |
| Muslim leader | |
Influenced by
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| Arabic name | |
| Personal (Ism) | Muḥammad (مُحَمَّد) |
| Patronymic (Nasab) | Ibn Muslim ibn ʿUbayd Allāh ibn ʿAbd Allāh ibn S̲h̲ihāb (بۡن مُسْلِمِ بۡنِ عُبَيْدِ ٱللهِ بۡنِ عَبۡد ٱللهِ بۡن شِهَابِ) |
| Teknonymic (Kunya) | Abū Bakr (أَبُو بَكْرٍ) |
| Toponymic (Nisba) | al-Zuhrī (ٱلزُّهْرِيّ) |
Abū Bakr Muhammad ibn Muslim ibn Ubayd Allah ibn Abd Allah ibn Shihab al-Zuhri (Arabic:أَبُو بَكْرٍ مُحَمَّدُ بۡنُ مُسْلِمَ بۡنِ عُبَیْدِ ٱللهِ بۡنِ عَبۡدِ ٱللهِ بۡنِ شِهَابٍ ٱلزُّهْرِيّ,romanized: Abu Bakr Muḥammad ibn Muslim ibn ʿUbayd Allāh ibn ʿAbd Allāh b. S̲h̲ihāb az-Zuhrī; died 124 AH/741-2 CE), also referred to asIbn Shihab oraz-Zuhri, was atabi'iArabjurist and traditionist credited with pioneering the development ofsīra-maghazi andhadith literature.
Raised inMedina, he studied hadith andmaghazi under Medinese traditionists before rising to prominence at theUmayyad court, where he served in a number of religious and administrative positions. He transmitted several thousand hadith included in thesix canonical Sunni hadith collections and his work onmaghazi forms the basis of the extant biographies ofMuhammad.[1][2] His relationship with the Umayyads has been debated by both early and modern Sunnis, Shias and Western orientalists.
Muhammad ibn Muslim az-Zuhri was bornc. AH 58 (677/678) in the city of Medina. His fatherMuslim was a supporter of theZubayrids during theSecond Fitna, while his great-grandfatherAbd Allah fought againstMuhammad at theBattle of Uhud before converting to Islam.[3]
Despite hailing from theBanu Zuhrah[4] — a clan ofQuraysh — Zuhri's early life was characterised by poverty, and he served as the breadwinner for his family. As a youth, Zuhri enjoyed studying poetry andgenealogy, and possessed an excellent memory which enabled him in this pursuit.[5] He consumedhoney syrup in a bid to sharpen it further, and wrote voluminous notes on slates and parchment to aid with memory recall.[6]
Dedicating himself to the study of hadith andmaghazi narrations in his twenties, he studied under the Medinese scholarsSaid ibn al-Musayyib,Urwah ibn Zubayr,Ubayd-Allah ibn Abd-Allah and Abu Salamah, the son ofAbd al-Rahman ibn Awf.[7] He referred to them as four "oceans of knowledge".[4] Using the traditions that were transmitted to him, Zuhri compiled amaghazi work of which fragments can be found in the writings of his studentsIbn Ishaq andMa'mar ibn Rashid.[8][9] He may have been the first to combine multiplemaghazi reports into one to produce a single, coherent narrative with collectivechains of narration - a technique later used by Ishaq andAl-Waqidi.[10]
In the account of the 9th-centuryShia historianYa'qubi, a teenage Zuhri was taken to caliphAbd al-Malik (r. 685–705) while visitingDamascus inc. AH 72 (691/692). The caliph sought to prevent the Syrians from performing theHajj inMecca, which was controlled by the Zubayrids. Adducing a hadith from Zuhri that permitted pilgrimage toJerusalem, Abd al-Malik ordered the construction of theDome of the Rock to serve as a site for a substitute pilgrimage.[11]
Ignác Goldziher states that Zuhri fabricated the hadith at the behest of the caliph.[12] However, the historicity of the encounter has been disputed byMuhammad Mustafa al-Azami,Nabia Abbott andHarald Motzki, as Zuhri was then a young and unknown figure, others also transmitted the hadith and his source Said ibn al-Musayyib would not consent to his name being used in a forgery.[13][14][15]
As his stature as a scholar grew, Zuhri came to the attention of the Umayyads. He enjoyed the patronage of Abd al-Malik after being introduced to him inc. AH 82 (701/702) and of his successoral-Walid I (r. 705–715).[16]
Zuhri's study circle was praised by the deeply religiousUmar II (r. 717–720), who was engaged in scholarly pursuits in Medina. Upon his accession, he ordered prominent traditionists to commit their hadith to writing as part of his vision to codify thesunnah. Zuhri was tasked with compiling their manuscripts into books,[17] copies of which were sent to cities throughout the caliphate.[18]
During the reign ofYazid II (r. 720–724), Zuhri accepted an offer ofjudgeship from the caliph. He also served the Umayyads as a tax collector and as a member of theshurta.[19]
Hisham (r. 724–743) employed Zuhri as a tutor for his sons, permitting him to live at the court inResafa.[20] There, Hisham compelled Zuhri to write down hadith for the young Umayyad princes - a move that troubled the scholar, who was opposed to the practice. He later complained about the coercion, adding "Now that the rulers have written it [hadith], I am ashamed I do not write it for anyone else but them."[21] Zuhri remained at Resafa for the next two decades, where he continued to teach new students and hold lectures in which he transmitted hadith.[9]
Toward the end of his life, Zuhri retired to an estate granted to him by the Umayyads in Shaghb wa-Bada, located on the border of theHejaz andPalestine. He died from illness in 124 AH/741-2 CE. In his will, he designated the estate assadaqah and requested to be buried in the middle of a nearby road so that passers-by could pray for him. His grave was visited by al-Husayn ibn al-Mutawakkil al-Asqalani, who described it as being raised and plastered with white gypsum.[22]
Alongside the casual attendees of his lectures, Zuhri taught at least two dozen regular students. These included:
Zuhri's attachment to the Umayyad court was negatively perceived by a number of his contemporaries. A statement attributed to Malik ibn Anas criticises Zuhri for using his religious knowledge for worldly gain,[26] whileYaḥya ibn Maʻin forbade comparisons of him withal-A’mash as he "served in the administration of the Umayyads". Others defended his integrity:Amr ibn Dinar implied Zuhri had no desire to forge traditions for the Umayyads, even in exchange for bribes.[27] Similarly,Abd al-Rahman al-Awza'i stated that Zuhri did not seek to appease the authorities.[27] In addition, Ma'mar ibn Rashid quotes Zuhri as laughing at the Umayyads' claim thatUthman, a member of theBanu Umayya, signed theTreaty of Hudaybiyyah rather thanAli.[28]
The exact nature of Zuhri's relationship with the Umayyads has been debated by modern scholars. In Goldziher's view, Zuhri was a pious scholar who was nonetheless compelled, if not willing, to forge traditions for them.[29] In contrast, Muhammad Mustafa al-Azami and Abd al-Aziz Duri argue for the independence of Zuhri. They cite instances where he refused to falsely answer religious questions in a manner that would benefit the Umayyads, and an incident where he threatened to kill a youngal-Walid II, who he tutored, for his bad manners.[30] Michael Lecker argues against attempts to dissociate him from the Umayyads, but suggests he earned a degree of freedom within the court.[31]
Zuhri's traditions andfiqh opinions were transmitted by his students and are included in Sunni hadith corpus. Zuhri is cited as an informant for approximately 3,500 narrations in thesix canonical Sunni hadith collections.[2] Malik ibn Anas refers to Zuhri for 21% of the traditions in hisMuwatta, while Ma'mar ibn Rashid and Ibn Jurayj refer to Zuhri for 28% and 6% of the traditions in their respective corpora in theMusannaf of Abd al-Razzaq.[32] Ma'mar and Ibn Ishaq, both students of Zuhri, rely heavily on their teacher's traditions in their respective prophetic biographies. Ma'mar'sKitab al-Maghazi relies heavily onmaghazi traditions transmitted during Zuhri's lectures,[33] as does Ibn Ishaq'sSirat Rasul Allah, although the latter also includes large amounts of material from popular storytellers and Biblical accounts.[34]
Shia scholars specialising inbiographical evaluation hold differing assessments of Zuhri. Due to his service for the Umayyads,Shaykh Tusi,Allamah Al-Hilli andMuhammad Baqir al-Majlisi considered him a Sunni and an enemy of theAhl al-Bayt; the latter grading him as ada'if transmitter. Despite this, Tusi includes traditions from Zuhri in his collectionsTahdhib al-Ahkam andAl-Istibsar.[35]Abu al-Qasim al-Khoei and Muhammad Taqi Shushtari view Zuhri as a pro-Alid Sunni based on an account of him seeking the counsel ofAli ibn Husayn Zayn al-Abidin after accidentally killing a person. For the same reason, a third group, including Muhammad Taqi Majlisi, maintains Zuhri was a Shia and that his traditions are authentic (sahih).[36]
Ibn Shihab az-Zuhri is regarded as one of the greatest Sunni authorities onHadith. The leading critics of Hadith such asIbn al-Madini,Ibn Hibban,Abu Hatim,Al-Dhahabi andIbn Hajar al-Asqalani are all agreed upon his indisputable authority. He receivedahadith from manySahaba (Companions) and numerous scholars among the first and second generations after the Companions narrated from him.Imam Zuhri prepared a collection ofHadith under the orders of theOmayyad ruler of the time. Copies of this collection were sent by the ruler to all the Islamic countries. From that time on the collection ofHadith became common. Necessary to mention here that the manner in which he collectedHadith. He went to the house of everyAnsar in Medina for this purpose.
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