Brief Biography Of Imam Muslim. (RA) Bismillahir-Rahmanir-Raheem As mentioned, Imam Muslim started his studies at the very early age of fourteen years. In the year 218 A.H. the atmosphere in Neesaaboor, his birthplace, was of a religious and knowledge type. Neesaaboor had great personalities in this period such as Imam Rahiwe and Imam Zohri. After travelling widely in search of hadith. Imam Muslim was much impressed by the vast knowledge of Imam Bukhari, in the field of hadith and the deep insight he possessed on this subject. He therefore attached himself to Imam Bukhari up to the end of his life. Imam Muslim was also an admirer of another great teacher of hadith, Muhammed bin Yahya al Dhuli. He attended his lectures regularly. He visited Baghdad several times and had the opportunity of delivering lessons there. His last visit to Baghdad was two years before his death. Imam Muslim apart from attending the lessons of Imam Bukhari regularly, also attended the lectures of Imam Ahmad bin Hambal, Abdullah al Qarri, Qutaiba bin Said, Abdullah bin Maslama and other great Muhadith. Sheikh Abdul Latief says Imam Tirmidhi and Imam Muslim were followers of the Shafee school of thought, although they were both Mujtahids. Moulana Abdur-Rashid says that Imam Muslim was a Maliki. The fact is what was said by Sheikh Tahir Jazari that Imam Muslim is not a Maliki nor a Hanifi nor a Shafi, but his compilation of the Sahih Muslim shows that he was more inclined towards the Shafee school of thought. His most noted students are Hatim Razi, Ahrnad bin Salmah, Abu Isa Tinnizi, Abubaker bin Khuzaima and other great scholars. As his nisbah shows, Imam Muslim belonged to the Qushayr tribe of the Arabs, an offshoot of the mighty clan of Rabeeah. His tribe had taken an important part in the history of Islam after the death of the Prophet (SAW). Haydah of Qushayr is mentioned in the Isabah as one of the companions, while Qurra Ibn Hubayrah, another Qushayree, was appointed by the Prophet (SAW) as walee in charge of the alms of his people. Ziyaad Ibn ‘Abdur-Rahmaan al-Qushayree is said to have killed a vast number of Byzantine troopers at the Battle of the Yarmook, in which he lost one of his legs. After the great Islamic conquests, various families of Qushayrees migrated from Arabia and settled in the new provinces, some in the west, and others in the east. Kulthoom Ibn Iyaad and his nephew Balj Ibn Bishr, who had served as governors of Africa and Andalus (Spain) respectively, settled down in a district near Qurtuba, Andalus (Cordoba, Spain). Another Qushayree family made their residence at nearby al-Beera, Andalus (Elvira, Spain). Others headed east, and settled in Khurasaan. Among them was one Zuraarah, who served as provincial governor for a time. His son Amr, and grandson Humayd Ibn Amr, settled down at Neesaaboor. From them our author was probably descended: the son of al-Hajjaaj, who was himself a hadith scholar of no mean repute. His full name was Abul-Hussain Muslim-bin-Habaj al Nishapuri. Very little is known about Imam Muslims early life. It is said that he was born in 202 A.H. / 817 C.E., and that having learnt and excelled in the usual disciplines at a precocious age, focussed his attention on hadith. In its pursuit he travelled widely, visiting all the important centres of learning in Persia, Iraq, Syria and Egypt. He attended the lectures of most of the great hadith scholars of his day, including Ishaaq Ibn Raahawayh, Ahmad Ibn Hanbal, Ubaydullaah al-Qawaarifee Shuwayh Ibn Yoonus, Abdullaah Ibn Maslamah, and Hamalah Ibn Yahyaa. He settled down at Neesaaboor, earning a living from a small business, and devoted the remainder of his time to the service of the Prophetic Sunnah. The position of Imam Bukharis Sahih in the literature is not, of course, unrivalled. Another Sahih was being compiled almost simultaneously, which was considered its superior by some, its equal by others, and second to it by most. This was the Sahih of Imam Muslim. Like Imam Bukhari too, he wrote a good number of books and treatises on hadith, and on related subjects. Ibn anl-Nadeem mentions five books by him on the subject. Haajee Khaleefah adds the names of many other works by him in the same field. In his Sahih he examined a third of a million ahadith, from which he selected only about four thousand, which the hadith scholars unanimously regarded as sound. Similar to Imam Bukhari, Imam Muslim regarded a hadith as Sahih only when it had been handed down to him through a continuous isnaad of known and reliable authorities, was compatible with other material established in this way, and was free from various types of deficiency. He adopted a threefold classification of ahadith. Firstly, there were those which had been related by narrators who were straightforward and steadfast in their narrations, did not differ much in them from other reliable narrators, and did not commit any palpable confusion in their reports. Secondly, there were traditions whose narrators were not distinguished for their retentive memory and steadfastness in narrations. Thirdly, there were the ahadith narrated on the authority of people whom all or most hadith scholars declared were of questionable reliability. According to Imam Muslim, the first group makes up the bulk of his book; the second is included as corroborative of the first, while the third is entirely rejected. Imam Muslim strictly observed many principles of the science of hadith which had been to some extent neglected by Imam Bukhari. He draws a distinction between the terms akhbaranaa and haddathanaa, and always uses the former in connection with the traditions which had been recited to him by his own teachers, assigning the latter to what he had in turn read out to them. He was more strict and consistent than Imam Bukhari in pointing out the differences between the narrations of the various narrators, and in stating their character and other particulars. He also showed greater acumen in the arrangement of traditions and their asaaneed in his work, and in presenting the different versions of a single tradition in one place. He added a long introduction, in which he explained some of the principles which he had followed in the choice of materials for his book; and which should be followed in accepting and relating traditions. Upon completing his Sahih, Imam Muslim presented it to Abu Zarah of Rayy, a hadith scholar of great repute, for his comments. Abu Zarah inspected it closely, and Imam Muslim deleted everything which he thought was defective, and retained only such traditions as were declared by him to be genuine. Thus carefully compiled by Imam Muslim, and proof-read by Abu Zarah the Sahih has been acclaimed as the most authentic collection of traditions after that of Sahih Bukhari, and superior to the latter in the details of its arrangement. Some hadith scholars hold it to be superior to the work of Shahi Bukhari in every respect. Sahih Muslim is a collection of sayings and deeds of Prophet Muhammad (SAW), also known as the sunnah. The reports of the Prophets sayings and deeds are called ahadith. Imam Muslim was a student of Imam Bukhari. He lived a couple of centuries after the Prophets death and worked extremely hard to collect his ahadith. Each report in his collection was checked for compatibility with the Quran, and the veracity of the chain of reporters had to be painstakingly established. Imam Muslims collection is recognized by the overwhelming majority of the muslim world to be one of the most authentic collections of the Sunnah of the Prophet (SAW). It is important to realize, however, that this collection is not complete: there are other scholars who worked as Imam Muslim did and collected other authentic reports. His character is said to have been admirable. His fearless loyalty to the truth is shown by his persistence in associating with Imam Bukhari despite the political pressures brought to bear on the latter. Like Imam Bukhari, he adhered to the usual Islamic ethic of refusing to speak ill of anyone. Imam Muslim adhered strictly to the path of righteousness. He was in fact a great saint of a very high calibre. His excellent character can be well judged from the simple fact that he never ever indulged in backbiting, a very common human failing. He had a remarkable memory. Ishaq bin Rahwi said of Imam Muslim: I wonder what this person is going to be? This was said in his youth. Ishaq Kausar once addressed Imam Muslim and said: Your presence in the muslim community will always keep it in the good. Abu Saimah who was a colleague of Imam Muslim and was so attached to him that while Imam Sahib was busy compiling the Sahih Muslim, he remained in Imam Sahibs company for fifteen years. He never told a lie nor did he ever use vulgar words. Imam Muslim died in the year 261 A.H. / 874 C.E. in Neesaaboor, Iran. (To Allah we belong and to Him we shall return.)
Posted on: Sun, 27 Oct 2013 02:47:13 +0000
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