Al-Hakim al-Shahid al-Marwazi | |
|---|---|
الحاكم الشهيد المروزي | |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Muhammad ibn Muhammad ibn Ahmad ibn Abdullah ibn Abdulmajid ibn Ismail c. 855 |
| Died | c. 945 |
| Profession | Qadi,Jurist,Vizier |
| Main interest(s) | Fiqh |
| Notable work(s) | Al-Kafi |
| Religious life | |
| Religion | Islam |
| Denomination | Sunni |
| Jurisprudence | Hanafi |
Muhammad ibn Muhammad ibn Ahmad ibn Abdullah ibn Abdulmajid ibn Ismail, known asal-Hakim al-Shahid al-Marwazi or simplyHakim al-Shahid, was a 9th–10th centurySunniHanafi scholar, jurist, and hadith expert fromMerv. He served as a judge (qadi) inBukhara and later asvizier of theSamanid state. He is mainly known for his only surviving work on Hanafi jurisprudence,Al-Kafi, an abridgment of the six canonical works ofMuhammad al-Shaybani, which are foundational texts of theHanafi school.
His full name was Muhammad ibn Muhammad ibn Ahmad ibn Abdullah ibn Abdulmajid ibn Ismail. In theTabaqat (biographical) sources, there are slight variations in his name andkunya (honorific title). He is commonly referred to as Muhammad, with the kunya Abu al-Fadl, and hisnisba (attributive title) appears in sources as al-Marwazi, as-Sulami, and al-Balkhi.[1]
Due to his official roles, he was also given honorary titles. As the judge (qadi) ofBukhara, he was called al-Hakim (the Judge). Serving asvizier of the Samanid empire, he was known as al-Wazir (the Vizier), and because he was killed while holding this position, he was also given the title al-Shahid (the Martyr). Collectively, he became known as 'al-Hakim al-Shahid al-Marwazi'.[1]
It is estimated that he was born in 241AH (855 CE) inMerv, located in present-dayTurkmenistan. Early sources do not provide details about his birth or family.Fuat Sezgin noted that, since he transmitted narrations fromAhmad ibn Hanbal, he must have been born before 241 AH; however, sources suggest he transmitted these narrations indirectly through Abu Raja Muhammad ibn Hamduya (d. 306/918).[1]
Having begun his studies at an early age, al-Shahid started in his hometown Merv under Abu Raja Muhammad ibn Hamduya, a student of Ahmad ibn Hanbal. He then traveled to several centers of learning in pursuit of knowledge, includingNishapur,Ray,Baghdad,Kufa,Mecca, Egypt, and Bukhara.[1]
In Merv, he studied under Yahya ibn Sasuyah az-Zuhali; in Bukhara, under Muhammad ibn Said an-Nawjazazi, Abu'l-Qasim Hammad ibn Ahmad ibn Hammad ibn al-Hasan ibn Sufyan an-Nasawi, and Abdullah ibn Mahmud as-Sadi; in Nishapur, under Abdullah ibn Shiruyah; in Rayy, under Ibrahim ibn Yusuf al-Hisanjani; in Baghdad, under Haytham ibn Khalaf ad-Duri and Abdullah ibn Ahmad ibn Hasan as-Sufi; in Kufa, under Ali ibn Abbas al-Bajali; in Mecca, under Mufaddal ibn Muhammad al-Jandi; and in Cairo, under Ali ibn Ahmad ibn Sulayman al-Misri.[2]
Al-Shahid was considered one of the leading scholars of Bukhara and its surroundings. In addition to his expertise in jurisprudence (fiqh), he was regarded as a muhaddith (hadith scholar) for his knowledge of hadith.[3] Some scholars, such asAl-Hakim al-Nishapuri, considered him closer in methodology to hadith scholars than to the jurists (fuqaha) of his time. Samani reported that he knew 60,000 hadiths.[3]
Al-Shahid was noted for his skills in debate and poetry, though none of his poems have survived.[4] He lived during the Samanid period and served as a judge (qadi) in Bukhara underNasr II. Later,Nuh I, the son of Nasr II and one of his students, appointed himvizier (minister) of the Samanid state in Khorasan around 943–945 CE.[4] Although appointed to a high office, al-Shahid showed limited interest in administrative duties and was more engaged in scholarly and religious pursuits. His approach drew criticism from officials who expected greater involvement in governance. During his tenure, the state faced financial difficulties and internal unrest, which eventually led to his death.[4]
Sources differ on the details of his death. Most accounts state that he was killed during a rebellion while performing the morning prayer in 334 AH / 945 CE, while others report different years and locations, including Merv in 335 AH / 946 CE or 344 AH / 955 CE.[3]
Al-Shahid wrote several works on hadith and other subjects, though none of his hadith writings or commentaries have survived.[5] Biographical sources mention about eight of his works in jurisprudence, but onlyal-Kafi is extant. This book is a concise version of the foundational Hanafi texts known as Zahir al-Riwaya, compiled by omitting repetitions.[5] Other works attributed to him, such asal-Muntaqa,al-Ghurar,al-Isharat,al-Mustakhlas min al-Jami,Usul al-Fiqh,Sharh al-Jami, andal-Mukhtasar, are all lost.Al-Muntaqa reportedly compiled the opinions of the school's early imams and students but did not reach the same circulation or recognition asal-Kafi and eventually disappeared. Some of these titles may refer to alternate names or parts of the same works.[3]
