Abu Bakr Ahmad bin `Amr ad-Dahhak bin Makhlad ash-Shaibani (Arabic: أبو بكرأحمد بن عمرو بن الضحاك بن مخلد الشيباني), widely known as Ibn Abi Asim (Arabic: ابن أبي عاصم), was an Iraqi Sunni scholar of the 9th century. He is most famous for his work in the field of hadith science.[1]
Ibn Abi Asim ابن أبي عاصم | |
|---|---|
| Title | Imam, Qadi |
| Personal | |
| Born | 206 AH (821/2 AD) |
| Died | 287 AH (900 AD) |
| Religion | Islam |
| Era | Islamic golden age |
| Region | Iraq |
| Denomination | Sunni |
| Creed | Athari |
| Main interest(s) | Hadith, Fiqh |
| Occupation | Muhaddith, Islamic Scholar, Muslim jurist |
| Muslim leader | |
Influenced by | |
Biography
editFamily and early life
editIbn Abi Asim was born in Basra, Iraq in 822.[2] He grew up in an academic household, as both his father and his grandfather were scholars of Prophetic traditions in their own right.[1] Due to his family's scholarly background, he was educated in the religious sciences at an early age. While religious learning was often begun in a madrasa or masjid starting in the early teens, Ibn Abi Asim had a head start relative to his time period.
Career
editEventually, Ibn Abi Asim left Basra for the city of Isfahan, further to the east. Late in life, he was granted a position as a judge at his new city of residence.[3]
Death
editIbn Abi Asim died in Isfahan in the year 900.[2][3] He was 81 years old and at the time of his death, he was still holding his position as a judge. According to Iranian historian Abu Nu`aym, Ibn Abi Asim was buried in Isfahan's Doshabaz cemetery.[4]
Legacy
editWorks
editIbn Abi Asim compiled numerous Prophetic traditions into two volumes, organized into chapters based on different theological and creed-related topics. He had also written about the first-generation Muslim and Umayyad caliph, Mu'awiya,[2] though the work is now lost. Likewise, the exact topic has eluded historians, with Al-Suyuti claiming it was a book on Mu'awiya's dreams,[5] while Ibn Hajar referred to it as a book on Mu'awiya's virtues.[6] It is not known whether the topic Ibn Abi Asim's essay was actually disputed, or if he had simply written about both topics.
Sunni Muslim evaluation
editHistorians Abu al-Abbas al-Niswi and Abu Nu`aym both reported Ibn Abi Asim as having been a Zahirite.[7][8] Although he has become an important figure for the Zahiri school in the modern day, few of his works in jurisprudence have survived to the modern era.
References
edit- ^ a b Ibn 'Asakir. The History of Damascus. Vol. 7. p. 87.
- ^ a b c Cobb, Paul M. (2012). The Lineaments of Islam: Studies in Honor of Fred McGraw Donner. Leiden: Brill Publishers. p. 181.
- ^ a b Kahalah, Mu'jam al-Mu`allifin, v.2, pg.36
- ^ Abu Nu`aym, The History of Isfahan, v.1, pg.55
- ^ Al-Suyuti, History of the Caliphs, edited by Muhammad Abu al-Fadl Ibrahim, Cairo: Dar al-Nahdat Misr li at-Tab' wa al-Nashr, 1976. Pg. 309.
- ^ Ibn Hajar al-Asqalani, Fath al-Bari, commentary by Bin Baz and Ali al-Shibl, Riyadh: Dar us Salam, 2000. Vol. 7, pg. 132.
- ^ Al-Dhahabi,
Siyar a`lam al-nubala'., v.13, pg.430
- ^ Abu Nu`aym, Dhikr Akhbar Isfahan, v.1, pg.100