Ishaq ibn Rahuyah | |
|---|---|
إِسْحَاق بْن رَاهُوْيَه | |
| Title | Shaykh al-Mashriq ('Shaykh of the East') - Sayyid al-Huffaz ('master of Memorizers') - Shāhanshāh al-Hadith ('King of Hadith') |
| Personal life | |
| Born | 161 AH / 777–778 CE Merv, Khorasan,Abbasid Caliphate |
| Died | 14 Sha'ban 238 AH / 29 January 853 CE (aged 74-75) |
| Children |
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| Era | earlyAbbasid era |
| Region | Khorasan |
| Main interest(s) | |
| Notable work(s) | Al-Musnad |
| Religious life | |
| Religion | Islam |
| Denomination | Sunni |
| Jurisprudence | Independent |
| Creed | Athari[1] |
| Muslim leader | |
| Arabic name | |
| Personal (Ism) | Isḥāq إسحاق |
| Patronymic (Nasab) | bin Ibrahim bin Makhlad bin Rahwayh بن إبراهيم بن مخلد بن راهويه |
| Teknonymic (Kunya) | Abū Yaʿqūb أَبُو يَعْقُوب |
| Toponymic (Nisba) | Al-Ḥanẓalī al-Marwazi ٱلْحَنْظَلِيّ المَرْوَزِيّ |
Ishaq bin Ibrahim bin Makhlad bin Rahwayh Abu Ya'qub al-Hanzali al-Marwazi (Arabic:إسحاق بن إبراهيم بن مخلد بن راهويه أبو يعقوب الهَنْظَليّ المَرْوَزِيّ, 777-778 - 855 CE) commonly known as Ishaq ibn Rahwayh[a] (romanizated: Ishāq ibn Rāhawayh) was aSunni Muslimscholar,jurist,muhaddith,exegete, andtheologian. A close friend ofAhmad ibn Hanbal, he accompanied him on his travels to seek knowledge, and he was also a teacher ofBukhari and inspired him to compile theSahih al-Bukhari. Among his only survivng work isal-Musnad, a hadith collection arranged by Companion narrators.
Ishaq belonged to theAdnanite tribe ofBanu Tamim. His full lineage is recorded as:
Isḥāq ibn Abī al-Ḥasan Ibrāhīm ibn Mukhlad ibn Ibrāhīm ibn ʿAbd Allāh ibn Maṭar ibn ʿUbayd Allāh ibn Ghālib ibn ʿAbd al-Wārith ibn ʿUbayd Allāh ibn ʿAṭiyyah ibnMurrah ibnKaʿb ibn Hammām ibn Asad ibn Murrah ibn ʿAmr ibn Ḥanẓalah ibn Mālik ibn Zayd Manāt ibnTamīm ibn Murrah al-Ḥanẓalī al-Marwazī.[3][4][5]
There has long been confusion surrounding his name.Ibn al-Sam'ani stated that his name should read as 'Rahuwayh', but that he was called 'Rahawayh', seemingly because of the difficulty of theḍammah on the letterha’.Ibn Khallikan, on the other hand, proposes 'Rahwayh' and 'Rahuya'.[6]
Various stories also surround the origins of his name. In a report, theTahirid governorAbdallah ibn Tahir demanded an explanation from Ishaq about the genesis of his name. Ishaq went on to explain that his father was born whilst travelling and this is how he came to acquire theepithet 'Rahuwi'.[6]
Ibn Khallikan gives a different version of a similar story. Ishaq's father was born on the road toMecca. InPersian, the word for road is "rāh", and "wayh" means to find, thus it means 'the one found on the road'.[6] "Ibn Rāhwayh" remained alaqab of his descendants.[7]
Ishaq ibn Rahwayh was born inMerv, present-dayMary, Turkmenistan, in the year 161 AH / 777–778 CE. He began his studies inKhorasan and then set off on his journey at the age of thirteen. He is reported to have studied in theHijaz,Yemen,Syria, and reachedIraq in 800 CE. He frequently travelled toBaghdad before settling permanently inNishapur, where he spent the rest of his life until his death.[8][9]
Among his most notable teachers are the traditionistsAbd Allah ibn al-Mubarak (d. 797) in Khorasan,Ibn 'Ulayya (d. 809) andSufyan ibn ʽUyaynah (d. 814) in the Hijaz, andWaki' ibn al-Jarrah (d. 812) andYahya ibn Adam (d. 818) in Iraq. He was also a contemporary and close colleague ofAhmad Ibn Hanbal and a teacher ofBukhari,Muslim,Abu Dawud,Tirmidhi, andNasa'i.[8]
Ibn Rāhwayh was regarded as one of the foremost scholars of his era. He also used to issueFatwas (legal verdicts).[10] During his residence in Iraq, he became one of Ahmad Ibn Hanbal's closest companions.[6] He reportedly memorized seventy thousand hadith by heart.[11][12] His teachings developed into aSunnilegal school, which doesn't survive today.[13]
Being a traditionalist, he was hostile toAhl al-Ra'y.[9] According toIbn Qutaybah, Ishaq believed that the Ahl al-Ra'y "abandoned theQuran and PropheticSunnah and adhered toqiyas (analogy)," which led them to contradictions and absurdities.[14]
He is reported to dye his beard withHenna.[15]
Ishaq arguably became the most influential of allBukhari's teachers and influenced him to compileSahih al-Bukhari.[16]
Bukhari narrates:[17]
"We were with Ishaq Ibn Rahwayh, who said, "If only you would compile a book of only authentic narrations of the Prophet." This suggestion remained in my heart, so I began compiling the Sahih."
The following works are listed inIbn al-Nadim'sFihrist:[18][9]
He died on 14th of Sha'ban 238 AH / 29 January 853 CE.[19] Many people wroteElegies to mourn for his death.[20][19] His grave was known and visited until at least 10th century.[21]
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