بسم الله وحده والصلاة والسلام على من لا نبي بعده
Ālimah Siddiqa al-Fārsiyyah
Student, Takhassus Fi 'l-Hadith
Checked and Approved:
Mufti Ismail Moosa
www.ulumalhadith.com
INTRODUCTION
The Ṣaḥābah are those believers who enjoyed the privilege of having lived in the Prophet (ﷺ)’s company. Although there are some differences of opinion regarding the exact qualifications necessary for being a Ṣaḥābī, the majority of scholars have held that the term Ṣaḥābī refers to every Muslim who associated with the Prophet (ﷺ) for any length of time and died upon Islām. His near relations, close friends, attendants, as well as ordinary Muslims who saw him (ﷺ) even once, are generally included within this definition. It was the Ṣaḥābah who reported the ḥadīth corpus from the Prophet (ﷺ). They represent the primal authorities from whom, via the Tābiʿūn, the traditions of Islām are handed down.
Not all the Ṣaḥābah related ḥadīths from the Prophet (ﷺ). The Musnad of Abū ʿAbd ar-Raḥmān Baqī ibn Makhlad, which is said to have been the largest collection of ḥadīths, was said to contain ḥadīths related by 1300 Ṣaḥābah. In his Talqīḥ Fuhūm al-Athar, Imām Ibn al-Jawzī gives the names of 1060 of them along with the number of ḥadīths related by each. From 1060, 878 Ṣaḥābah related less than ten ḥadīths each, 60 Ṣaḥābah related 10-20 ḥadīths each, and the remaining 123 Ṣaḥābah related twenty or more ḥadīths each. Thus, it becomes clear that the majority of the ḥadīths that have reached us have been related by a few hundred Ṣaḥābah. The Muwaṭṭa of Imām Mālik (raḥimahullāh) contains ḥadīths from 98 Ṣaḥābah, the Musnad of Imām Ṭayālisī contains ḥadīths from 281 Ṣaḥābah, and the Musnad of Imām Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal contains ḥadīths from around 700 Ṣaḥābah. The Ṣaḥīḥ of Imām Bukhārī contains ḥadīths from 208 Ṣaḥābah while the Ṣaḥīḥ of Imām Muslim contains ḥadīths from 213 Ṣaḥābah. 149 Ṣaḥābah are common narrators between the two works.
From among the Ṣaḥābah, seven narrators have reported more than a thousand ḥadīths, and they are known as the Mukthirūn.[1] All of them enjoyed the privilege of long association with the Prophet (ﷺ), had tremendous thirst for his ḥadīths, and could speak with authority about what he said and did. They lived for a considerable time after his demise when they handed down the mass of ḥadīths they learned to the succeeding generations. In contrast to them, the knowledge that was gathered by other Ṣaḥābahs who either passed away earlier or were killed in battles did not spread among the Muslims and was instead transmitted by the likes of these seven Ṣaḥābah.[2] In this article, I give a short introduction to each Ṣaḥābī who is considered from among those who transmitted the most ḥadīths and mention the number of ḥadīths transmitted by them as stated by several scholars. Additionally, I mention the most reliable and strong narrator from each of them, as well as the number of ḥadīths related by them.
THE MUKTHIRŪN AMONG THE ṢAḤĀBAH
The Ṣaḥābah that have narrated more than a thousand narrations are labelled by the scholars as being those from the Mukthirūn. There are seven[3] such Ṣaḥābah, including Abū Hurayrah, ʿAbdullāh ibn ʿUmar, Anas ibn Mālik, ʿĀʾishah bint Abī Bakr, ʿAbdullāh ibn ʿAbbās, Jābir ibn ʿAbdillāh, and Abū Saʿīd al-Khudrī; although some scholars just mention the first six in the list. Shaykh Aḥmad Shākir (raḥimahullāh) said:
The scholars have mentioned the number of each of their ḥadīths. They relied upon what [Imām] Ibn al-Jawzī stated in [the book] Talqīḥ Fuhūm al-Athar — which has been published in India — and in counting their ḥadīths, scholars relied upon the Musnad of Imām Baqī ibn Makhlad[4] (raḥimahullāh), because it is the most comprehensive compilation [of ḥadīth].
Interestingly, Imām Nawawī mentions only six Ṣaḥābah and does not mention Abū Saʿīd al-Khuḍrī (raḥimahullāh). He said, ‘The most prolific narrators among the Ṣaḥābah were Abū Hurayrah, followed by Ibn ʿUmar, Ibn ʿAbbās, Jābir ibn ʿAbdillāh, Anas ibn Mālik, and ʿĀʾishah (raḍī Allāhu ʿanhum).’[5]
Imām Suyūṭī (raḥimahullāh) lists all seven Ṣaḥābah starting from Abū Hurayrah (raḍī Allāhu ʿanh) and ending with Abū Saʿīd al-Khuḍrī along with the number of their ḥadīths. Shaykh Muḥammad ʿAwwāmah comments on his statement saying, ‘In mentioning the numbers of ḥadīths narrated by these Ṣaḥābah, the scholars relied upon the Juz[6] of Ibn Ḥazm (raḥimahullāh): Asmāʾ aṣ-Ṣaḥābah ar-Ruwāt wa li Kulli Wāḥid minhum min al-ʿAdad,[7] and Talqīḥ Fuhūm Ahl al-Athar of Imām Ibn al-Jawzī.’[8]
Imām Ibn Kathīr mentioned the statement of Imām Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal (raḥimahullāh):
Six of the Companions of the Prophet (ﷺ) related much from him and were granted a long life: Abū Hurayrah Ibn ʿUmar, ʿĀʾishah, Jābir ibn Abdillāh, Ibn ʿAbbās, and Anas. Abū Hurayrah was the most prolific of them in terms of ḥadīth and reliable transmitters took ḥadīth from him.[9]
Thereafter, Imām Ibn Kathīr said, ‘I add to them: ʿAbdullāh ibn ʿAmr, Abū Saʿīd, and Ibn Masʿūd; but he passed away early and therefore Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal did not consider him a part of the ʿabādilah (the four ʿAbdullāhs).’ In the footnotes, Shaykh Aḥmad Shākir has also mentioned the names of ʿAbdullāh ibn Masʿūd and ʿAbdullāh ibn ʿAmr ibn al-ʿĀṣ after the seven Ṣaḥābah, even though the number of each of their ḥadīths is less than a thousand. According to Imām Ibn al-Jawzī, the number of ḥadīths reported by ʿAbdullāh ibn Masʿūd (raḍī Allāhu ʿanh) is 848 and according to the Musnad of Imām Aḥmad, the number of his ḥadīths is 892. As for ʿAbdullāh ibn ʿAmr ibn al-ʿĀṣ (raḍī Allāhu ʿanh), then according to Imām Ibn al-Jawzī, the number of ḥadīths he reported is 700 and according to the Musnad of Imām Aḥmad, the number of his ḥadīths is 722.[10]
ʿAllāmah ʿIrāqī (raḥimahullāh) said:
Those who narrated a lot from the Prophet (ﷺ) were six: Anas ibn Mālik, ʿAbdullāh ibn ʿUmar, ʿĀʾishah aṣ-Ṣiddīqah, ʿAbdullāh ibn ʿAbbās, — and he is al-baḥr[11] — Jābir ibn ʿAbdillāh, and Abū Hurayrah. The most prolific of the six was Abū Hurayrah… and Abū Saʿīd al-Khuḍrī.[12]
Although he mentioned six at the beginning of his statement, he added the name of Abū Saʿīd al-Khuḍrī at the end, making the total number seven.
There is no one among the Ṣaḥābah whose narrations exceed a thousand besides the above seven Ṣaḥābah, and the total numbers of their ḥadīths include the repeated ḥadīths, because the scholars [of ḥadīth] consider every chain a separate ḥadīth. The reason behind the few narrations of senior Ṣaḥābah like Abū Bakr (raḍī Allāhu ʿanh) — despite his precedence to Islām and close adherence to the Prophet (ﷺ) — is his early demise before the spreading of ḥadīth, and the preoccupation of people with acquiring it, listening to it, and memorising it. Abū Bakr (raḍī Allāhu ʿanh) was mostly preoccupied with accompanying the Prophet (ﷺ), helping him, and thereafter taking charge of his own caliphate. The total amount of ḥadīths that he narrated is 142,[13] which is a number that does not match his status due to the reasons mentioned.
Imām Aḥmad ibn ʿUmar al-Qurṭubī said regarding Abū Bakr (raḍī Allāhu ʿanh):
It is decisively known and undeniably certain that he has memorised from the Prophet (ﷺ) more than every other Ṣaḥābī, and he acquired such knowledge that no one else did. This is because he was [the Prophet ﷺ’s] intimate friend and adherent companion, who did not separate from him whilst travelling, at home, at nighttime, at daytime, during hardship, and during ease. Hence, he was not free to narrate ḥadīths, as he busied himself with more important tasks, and other [Ṣaḥābah] took the responsibility of narrating ḥadīths.[14]
Shaykh Muḥammad Ādam al-Ithyūbī gathered all the names of these Ṣaḥābah in a poem. He said:
المُكْثِرُونَ في رِوَايةِ الخُبَر مِنَ الصَّحَابَةِ الأكارِم الْغُرَرْ
أبو هُرَيْرَةَ يَليه ابْنُ عُمَرْ فَأنَسٌ فَزَوْجَةُ الهادي الأَبَرْ
ثُمَّ ابْنُ عَبَّاسٍ يَلِيهِ جَابِرُ وَبَعْدَهُ الخُدْرِيُّ فَهْوَ الآخِرُ[15]
The prolific narrators in narrating reports,
among the Ṣaḥābah, the honourable forerunners:
Abū Hurayrah, followed by Ibn ʿUmar,
then Anas, followed by the wife of the benevolent guide.[16]
Thereafter, Ibn ʿAbbās, followed by Jābir,
And after him al-Khuḍrī, he is the last.
Abū Hurayrah
Abū Hurayrah (raḍī Allāhu ʿanh) stands at the head of the list of ḥadīth transmitters due to the sheer bulk of his narrations. He was born 21 years before hijrah and passed away in 59 AH. Scholars differ about his name and the name of his father. ʿAllāmah Zurqānī says: ‘There are several differences of opinions regarding his name and the name of his father, and there are differences regarding which [opinion] of them is most preferred.’[17] However, the most famous and widely accepted opinion is that during the days of ignorance, his name was ʿAbd ash-Shams ibn Sakhr. When he accepted Islam, the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) named him ʿAbd ar-Raḥmān. Imām Ḥakim (raḥimahullāh) narrates with his chain that Abū Hurayrah (raḍī Allāhu ʿanh) said, ‘My name in the pre-Islamic period of ignorance was ʿAbd Shams ibn Ṣakhr. Then, the Messenger of Allāh (ﷺ) named me ʿAbd ar-Raḥmān.’[18] He was from Daws, one of the tribes of Yemen.[19]
He was regarded by the Prophet (ﷺ) himself as the most anxious of all the Muslims to acquire knowledge of ḥadīth. From the time he accepted Islām, until the Prophet’s demise, he constantly adhered to his company and memorised his teachings, thereby sacrificing all worldly pursuits and pleasures. Imām Tirmidhī narrates with his chain to Ibn ʿUmar (raḍī Allāhu ʿanh) that he said to Abū Hurayrah: ‘O Abū Hurayrah, you are the one who stayed with the Messenger of Allāh (ﷺ) the most from among us and the one who memorised his ḥadīth the most.’ Abū ʿĪsā said, ‘This ḥadīth is ḥasan (sound).’[20] In his book, Abū Hurayrah: Rāwī al-Islām, Shaykh Muḥammad ʿAjāj al-Khaṭīb mentions the close connection he kept with the Prophet (ﷺ). He said:
He remained attached to the Prophet (ﷺ) until the end of his life. He confined himself to his service, and he took the noble knowledge from him (ﷺ). He would follow him, enter his home, perform ḥajj and go in battles with him. His hand would be in his hand. He would accompany him in everything he did whether at night or during the day so that he may acquire abundant and pure knowledge from him.[21]
The number of his ḥadīths
ʿAllāmah Ibn aṣ-Ṣalāḥ said:
The most prolific of the Ṣaḥābah in terms of transmitting ḥadīth from the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) was Abū Hurayrah. That [judgement] was related from Saʿīd ibn Abi ’l-Ḥasan[22] and Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal, and it is an obvious fact not hidden from any ḥadīthologist. He was the first scholar of ḥadīth (ṣāḥib al-ḥadīth). We read that Abū Bakr ibn Abī Dāwūd as-Sijistānī said, ‘I saw Abū Hurayrah in a dream while I was in Sijistan arranging his ḥadīth. I said, “I love you.” He said, “I was the first scholar of ḥadīth in the world.”’ We also heard that Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal (raḥimahullāh) said, ‘Six of the Companions of the Prophet (ﷺ) related much from him and were granted a long life: Abū Hurayrah Ibn ʿUmar, ʿĀʾishah, Jābir ibn Abdillāh, Ibn ʿAbbās and Anas. Abū Hurayrah was the most prolific of them in terms of ḥadīth and reliable transmitters took ḥadīth from him.’[23]
ʿAllāmah ʿIrāqī (raḥimahullāh) mentions the names of six Ṣaḥābah who were the most prolific in terms of transmitting ḥadīth and thereafter states: ‘Abū Hurayrah (raḍī Allāhu ʿanh) was the most prolific of them but [Imām] Ibn aṣ-Ṣalāḥ did not mention the order of those who narrated the most after Abū Hurayrah (raḍī Allāhu ʿanh).’ ʿAllāmah ʿIrāqī (raḥimahullāh) also added Abū Saʿīd al-Khuḍrī as the seventh Ṣaḥābī who narrated a lot.[24]
The total number of his ḥadīths is 5374[25] according to the Musnad of Imām Baqī ibn Makhlad.[26] From that, Imām Bukhārī and Imām Muslim both narrated 325 ḥadīths; Imām Bukhārī narrated 93 ḥadīth alones, and Imām Muslim narrated 89 ḥadīths alone. More than 800 people narrated from Abū Hurayrah (raḍī Allāhu ʿanh).[27] Imām Suyūṭī (raḥimahullāh) said, ‘Abū Hurayrah narrated 5374 ḥadīths. Shaykhān (Imām Bukhārī and Muslim) both narrated 325 of it, Imām Bukhārī narrated 93 alone and Imām Muslim narrated 89 alone.[28] More than 800 people narrated from him (Abū Hurayrah raḍī Allāhu ʿanh), and he was the strongest narrator among them (i.e. the Ṣaḥābah).’[29]
Imām Ibn al-Jawzī (raḥimahullāh) said regarding the number of his ḥadīths, ‘Abū Hurayrah: He has reported 5374 ḥadīths.’[30] ʿAllāmah ʿIrāqī (raḥimahullāh) said, ‘The statement of Baqī ibn Makhlad indicates that Abū Hurayrah narrated the most as he narrated 5374 ḥadīths.’ Shaykh Zakariyyā al-Anṣārī said, ‘Abū Hurayrah is the most prolific among them as he narrated 5374 ḥadīths.’ [31] Shaykh Muḥammad ʿAwwāmah comments on the large number of Abū Hurayrah (raḍī Allāhu ʿanh)’s ḥadīths saying:
It is necessary to clarify that this large quantity of Abū Hurayrah’s narrations include all that has been related from him from the authentic, inauthentic, and repetitions. After sieving them out, only a quarter of this number remains. To add to this, the narrations that Abū Hurayrah (raḍī Allāhu ʿanh) is alone in narrating from the rest of the Ṣaḥābah is very little and rare. Thus, the criticisms of the hateful is obliterated. This is also what is said regarding the numbers of the other Ṣaḥābah; that there are repetitions, authentic, weak, and ḥadīths that the Ṣaḥābī was not alone in transmitting.[32]
The most reliable narrator from Abū Hurayrah
Scholars differed regarding who the most reliable (athbat) narrator is from Abū Hurayrah (raḍī Allāhu ʿanh). The first opinion is that it is Saʿīd ibn al-Musayyab, as stated by Imām Abū Ḥātim and ʿAlī ibn al-Madīnī. Imām Ibn al-Madīnī thereafter said, ‘After him (Saʿīd ibn al-Musayyab, the most reliable) is Abū Salamah ibn ʿAbd ar-Raḥmān, Abū Ṣāliḥ as-Sammān, and Ibn Sīrīn. The second opinion related from Imām Ibn Maʿīn is that he mentioned the following names without distinguishing between the first and the next, ‘The reliable narrators of Abū Hurayrah (raḍī Allāhu ʿanh) are: Ibn al-Musayyab, Abū Ṣālih, Ibn Sīrīn, al-Maqburī, al-Aʿraj, and Abū Rāfiʿ.’ Nevertheless, we can conclude that Saʿīd ibn al-Musayyab was from among the most reliable narrators, if not the most reliable.
Saʿīd ibn al-Musayyab ibn Huzn al-Qurashī al-Makhzūmī (d. 94 AH) was one of the seven jurists (fuqahāʾ) of Madīnah and the most senior of them.[33] He has been mentioned in the chains of 1231 ḥadīths of al-Kutub at-Tisʿah (the nine books).[34] From Abū Hurayrah (raḍī Allāhu ʿanh), he is reported to have narrated 681 ḥadīths. Imām Ibn Ḥajar mentions regarding his status, ‘[He is] one of the reliable scholars and great jurists, there is an agreement that his mursal narrations are the most authentic. ʿAlī ibn al-Madīnī said regarding him, “I do not know, among the tābiʿūn anyone with more knowledge than him.”’[35]
ʿAbdullāh ibn ʿUmar
The second most prolific narrator of ḥadīth was Abū ʿAbd ar-Raḥmān ʿAbdullāh ibn ʿUmar ibn al-Khaṭṭāb al-Qurashī al-ʿAdawī (raḍī Allāhu ʿanh). He was born 10 years before hijrah. He accepted Islām early with his father in Makkah and migrated with him whilst he was young. He was either thirteen or fourteen years old at the time of the battle of Badr but he participated in the battle of Khandaq when he was fifteen years old and the battles after it. He maintained a strict neutrality in conflicts that erupted among the Muslims following the assassination of ʿUthmān (raḍī Allāhu ʿanh). ʿAbdullāh ibn ʿUmar’s association with the Prophet (ﷺ), his kindship with Ḥafṣah Umm al-Muʾminīn, and with certain other Ṣaḥābah offered him a superb opportunity to learn ḥadīths; and his long life provided him with the time to spread ḥadīths among the Muslims who assiduously sought them.[36] The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said regarding him, ‘Indeed ʿAbdullāh is a pious man.’[37] He lived for 60 years after the demise of the Prophet (ﷺ) and passed away in Makkah in 73 AH, three months after Ibn az-Zubayr (raḍī Allāhu ʿanh) was killed.[38]
The number of his ḥadīths
The total number of his ḥadīths is 2630.[39] This is the number mentioned in the Juz of Ibn Ḥazm and Imām Ibn al-Jawzī’s Talqīh Fuhūm al-Athar. Imām Ibn al-Jawzī (raḥimahullāh) states, ‘ʿAbdullāh ibn ʿUmar narrated 2630 ḥadīths.’[40] ʿAllāmah ʿIrāqī and Shaykh Zakariyyā al-Anṣārī said, ‘Ibn ʿUmar (raḍī Allāhu ʿanh) narrated 2630.’[41] Imām Nawawī (raḥimahullāh) mentioned this in his commentary of Bukhārī, ‘He narrated from the Prophet (ﷺ) 2630 ḥadīths. Imām Bukhārī and Muslim both narrated 170; Imām Bukhārī narrated 81 ḥadīths alone, and Imām Muslim narrated 31 ḥadīths alone. He narrated the most ḥadīths after Abū Hurayrah.’[42]
Mawlānā Zakariyyā Kandhlawī regarding him, ‘He is from those [Ṣaḥābah] who narrated a lot. It has been said that he reported 2630 ḥadīths.’[43] In his Tahdhīb Asmāʾ wa ’l-Lughāt, Imām Nawawī mentions that he narrated 1630: ‘He narrated 1630 ḥadīths from the Prophet (ﷺ).’[44] However, this is incorrect. Imām Ibn Ḥajar al-Haythamī followed him in this number in his Sharḥ al-Arbaʿūn in the beginning of the third ḥadīth’s commentary. Shaykh Muḥammad ʿAwwāmah says:
The correct [number] is that he narrated 2630 ḥadīths. This is how it has come in Imām Ibn Ḥazm’s book, Asmāʾ aṣ-Ṣaḥābah wa ar-Ruwāt. He (Imām Ibn Ḥazm) has mentioned him alongside others who narrated thousands of ḥadīths. Likewise, this is how the number has come in Imām Ibn al-Jawzī’s, Talqīḥ Fuhūm Ahl al-Athar.[45]
The most reliable narrator from Ibn ʿUmar
The most reliable narrator from ʿAbdullāh Ibn ʿUmar (raḍī Allāhu ʿanh) was Imām Nāfiʿ mawlā Ibn ʿUmar (d. 117 AH). Imām al-Marwazī said, ‘I asked Imām Aḥmad, “Who is more reliable: Sālim or Nāfiʿ?” He smiled and replied, “Allah knows best.” I said, “What does your heart incline to?” He replied, “I consider — and Allah knows best — Nāfiʿ [to be more reliable].”’ According to Imām Bukhārī, the chain in which Imām Mālik narrates from Nāfiʿ from Ibn ʿUmar is the most reliable chain of transmission, known as ‘Silsilat adh-Dhahab’ (the Golden Chain). Imām Nāfiʿ has been mentioned 2844 times in the chains of the ḥadīths of al-Kutub at-Tisʿah and has related 2616 ḥadīths from Ibn ʿUmar (raḍī Allāhu ʿanh). He is a reliable narrator who was also a faqīh (jurist).[46]
Anas ibn Mālik
The next Ṣaḥābī who narrated a lot was Anas ibn Mālik ibn an-Naḍr al-Khazrajī. He was ten years old when the Prophet (ﷺ) migrated to Madīnah. Imām Bukhārī narrated in his At-Tārīkh al-Kabīr with his chain to Imām Zuhrī, who said that Anas (raḍī Allāhu ʿanh) reported, ‘The Prophet (ﷺ) arrived in Madīnah when I was ten years old.’[47] He was a young boy during the battle of Badr but still went with the Prophet (ﷺ) to assist him. Besides the Battle of Badr, he participated in many other battles with the Prophet (ﷺ). In Al-Iṣābah, Ḥāfiẓ Ibn Ḥajar narrated from Isḥāq ibn ʿUthmān: ‘I asked Mūsā ibn Anas, “How many battles did Anas participate in with the Prophet (ﷺ)?” He replied, “Eight battles.”’[48] He served the Prophet (ﷺ) for ten years[49] and the Prophet (ﷺ) supplicated for him to be blessed with a long life, abundant wealth, and children, all which were granted to him. He passed away in 93 AH at 103 years old,[50] and he was the last of the Ṣaḥābah to pass away in Baṣrah.[51]
The number of his ḥadīths
The total number of his ḥadīths is 2286.[52] Imām Ibn al-Jawzī (raḥimahullāh) states, ‘Anas ibn Mālik (raḍī Allāhu ʿanh) narrated 2286 ḥadīths.’[53] ʿAllāmah ʿIrāqī and Shaykh Zakariyyā al-Anṣārī said, ‘Anas (raḍī Allāhu ʿanh) narrated 2286 ḥadīths.’[54] Imām Suyūṭī has also mentioned this number: ‘Anas ibn Mālik (raḍī Allāhu ʿanh) has narrated 2286 ḥadīths.’[55] Shaykh Aḥmad Shākir commented, ‘According to Ibn al-Jawzī, the number of his ḥadīths is 2286 and 2178 of them has been reported in the Musnad of Imām Aḥmad (raḥimahullāh).’[56] Imām Nawawī mentions the number of his ḥadīths: ‘He has reported from the Prophet (ﷺ) 2286 ḥadīths. Imām Bukhārī and Muslim both narrated 168 of his ḥadīths; Imām Bukhārī narrated 83 of it alone, and Imām Muslim narrated 71 alone.’[57]
The most reliable narrator from Anas ibn Mālik
There is a difference of opinion regarding who is the most reliable from Anas ibn Mālik (raḍī Allāhu ʿanh). The first opinion is that it is Imām Zuhrī, followed by Qatādah, and then Thābit. Imām Ibn Ḥātim has mentioned this. The second opinion is that it is Qatādah followed by Thābit, and this has been mentioned by Imām Abū Dāwūd.
The full name of Imām Ibn Shihāb az-Zuhrī is Muḥammad ibn Muslim ibn ʿUbaydullah ibn ʿAbdillāh ibn Shihāb az-Zuhrī (d. 124 AH). He has been mentioned 5729 times in the chains of the ḥadīths of al-Kutub at-Tisʿah. He has narrated 99 ḥadīths from Anas (raḍī Allāhu ʿanh). Imām Abū Dāwūd said, ‘The total number of Zuhrī’s ḥadīths is 2200 ḥadīths.’ Imām Ibn Ḥajar says regarding his status, ‘The faqīh (jurist), the ḥāfiẓ, there is consensus upon his eminence and precision.’
As for Imām Qatādah ibn Diʿāmah as-Sadūsī (d. 117/118 AH), he has narrated 413 ḥadīths from Anas (raḍī Allāhu ʿanh) based on al-Kutub at-Tisʿah. Imām Ibn Ḥajar mentions his status as, ‘reliable and precise.’
Imām Thābit ibn Aslam al-Bunānī (d. after 120 AH) narrated 238 ḥadīths from Anas (raḍī Allāhu ʿanh) based on al-Kutub at-Tisʿah. His status is mentioned in at-Taqrīb as: ‘reliable and a worshipper.’
As evident, from the three narrators, only Imām Zuhrī (raḥimahullāh) was a jurist, a quality which gives his narrations an extra merit.[58]
ʿĀʾishah bint Abī Bakr
Umm al-Muʾminīn ʿĀʾishah bint Abī Bakr al-Ḥumayrāʾ (raḍī Allāhu ʿanhā) occupies the fourth place among the mukthirūn. She was born around seven years before hijrah. She was naturally endowed with a retentive memory and a developed faculty; having memorised a large number of the ancient Arab poems, on which she was a recognised authority. During her lifetime, she was also honoured for her expertise in medicine and Islamic law.[59] Her virtues were many, the most notable one being that she was granted superiority over all females. Anas (raḍī Allāhu ʿanh) reported that the Messenger of Allāh (ﷺ) said, ‘The superiority of ʿĀʾishah over all women is like the superiority of tharīd (dish made of meat and bread) over all other foods.’[60] She was known for her outstanding knowledge. ʿAllāmah Zurqānī said, ‘The daughter of Abū Bakr aṣ-Ṣiddīq, the Mother of the Believers, the most knowledgeable of all women.’[61] Furthermore, she was qualified enough to independently issue fatāwā (religious juridical verdicts) amongst the galaxy of Ṣaḥābah. Qāsim ibn Muḥammad said, ‘ʿĀʾishah would issue verdicts independently in the time of Abū Bakr, ʿUmar, ʿUthmān, and those after them.’[62] She passed away in 57 AH and was buried in the cemetery of al-Baqīʿ.[63]
The number of her ḥadīths
The total number of her ḥadīths is 2210.[64] Imām Ibn al-Jawzī (raḥimahullāh) states, ‘ʿĀʾishah Umm al-Muʾminīn narrated 2210 ḥadīths.’[65] ʿAllāmah ʿIrāqī and Shaykh Zakariyyā al-Anṣārī said, ‘ʿĀʾishah (raḍī Allāhu ʿanhā) narrated 2210.’[66] Imām Suyūṭī also mentions this number. He says, ‘ʿĀʾishah, Umm al-Muʾminīn, narrated 2210 [ḥadīths].’[67] In his Talkhīs, Imām Nawawī said regarding her, ‘There are many authentic reports regarding her virtues, and she is one of the six Ṣaḥābah who narrated the most from the Prophet (ﷺ). She narrated 2210 ḥadīths. Imām Bukhārī and Muslim both narrated 174 of these ḥadīths; Imām Bukhārī narrated 54 ḥadīths alone, and Imām Muslim narrated 68 ḥadīths alone.’[68] In his Tahdhīb, he mentions the exact same thing verbatim and then follows it up with: ‘A large number from among the Ṣaḥābah and tābiʿūn narrated from her, and her virtues and merits are well-known.’[69]
The most reliable narrator from ʿĀʾishah
The most reliable narrators from ʿĀʾishah (raḍī Allāhu ʿanhā) as stated by Imām Ibn ʿUyaynah are Qāsim, ʿAmrah, and ʿUrwah. Imām Ibn ʿUyaynah has considered Masrūq and ʿUrwah to be on the same level and Imām Zuhrī has given preference to ʿUrwah over ʿAmrah. Imām Ibn ʿUyaynah has described the chain that goes via Qāsim as a chain ‘intertwined with gold’. He says, ‘ʿAbdullāh ibn ʿUmar narrating from Qāsim from ʿĀʾishah is intertwined with gold.’ Qāsim ibn Muḥammad al-Madanī (d. 106 AH) narrated 499 ḥadīths from ʿĀʾishah (raḍī Allāhu ʿanhā). Imām Ibn Ḥajar said regarding his status, ‘He is reliable and is one of the fuqahāʾ of Madīnah.’ As for ʿUrwah ibn az-Zubayr (d. 94 AH), he narrated 2125 ḥadīths from ʿĀʾishah (raḍī Allāhu ʿanhā). He was also a faqīh, as stated in at-Taqrīb. Lastly, ʿAmrah bint ʿAbd ar-Raḥmān al-Anṣāriyyah (d. 103 AH) narrated 310 ḥadīths from ʿĀʾishah (raḍī Allāhu ʿanhā)[70] and was also a faqīhah in her own right. All these three narrators had a close connection with ʿĀʾishah (raḍī Allāhu ʿanhā) and so they each learned knowledge directly from her. Thus, all three are considered the most reliable narrators of ʿĀʾishah (raḍī Allāhu ʿanhā).
ʿAbdullāh ibn ʿAbbās
The next Ṣaḥābī is Abū al-ʿAbbās ʿAbdullāh ibn ʿAbbās ibn ʿAbd al-Muṭṭalib (raḍī Allāhu ʿanh), the cousin of the Prophet (ﷺ). He was born three years before hijrah. He was called al-baḥr (the ocean) and al-ḥabr (the scholar) due to the vastness of his knowledge. The Prophet (ﷺ) supplicated for him, ‘O Allah, teach him the book (i.e. the Qurʾān).’[71] ʿUmar ibn al-Khaṭṭāb (raḍī Allāhu ʿanh) would honour him, and rely upon his knowledge. On many occasions, ʿUmar (raḍī Allāhu ʿanh) gave him preference over the young and old. Other than being one of the Ṣaḥābah who narrated the most from the Prophet (ﷺ) in ḥadīth, he was also the one from whom a lot of fatāwā (religious verdicts) were narrated.[72] The Prophet (ﷺ) passed away when he was fifteen years old. Ibn al-Qaṭṭān says, ‘He did not hear from the Prophet (ﷺ) except around ten ḥadīths.’[73] Imām Ibn Ḥajar (raḥimahullāh) states that this estimation is incorrect, because the Ṣaḥīḥs of Imām Bukhārī and Muslim alone contain more than ten ḥadīth related by him directly from the Prophet (ﷺ). There is, however, no doubt that the number of ḥadīths related by him directly from the Prophet (ﷺ) is very small in comparison to what he related via other Ṣaḥābah.[74] He passed away in Ṭāʾif in 68 AH and Muḥammad ibn al-Ḥanafiyyah prayed his funeral prayer.[75]
The number of his ḥadīths
The total number of his ḥadīth is 1660.[76] Imām Ibn al-Jawzī (raḥimahullāh) states, ‘ʿAbdullāh ibn ʿAbbās narrates 1660 ḥadīth.’[77] ʿAllāmah ʿIrāqī and Shaykh Zakariyyā al-Anṣārī said, ‘Ibn ʿAbbās (raḍī Allāhu ʿanh) narrated 1660.’[78] Imām Suyūṭī (raḥimahullāh) mentions the same number. He says, ‘Ibn ʿAbbās narrated 1660 [ḥadīths].’ Shaykh Muḥammad ʿAwwāmah comments, ‘Shaykhān (Imām Bukhārī and Muslim) both narrated 95 ḥadīths; Imām Bukhārī narrated 120 ḥadīths alone, and Imām Muslim narrated 49 ḥadīths alone.’[79] Imām Nawawī (raḥimahullāh) said, ‘He narrated 1660 ḥadīths from the Prophet (ﷺ).’[80] Shaykh Aḥmad Shākir comments under the number of his ḥadīths, ‘According to Ibn al-Jawzī, he narrated 1660 ḥadīths, and in Musnad Aḥmad, 1696 of his ḥadīths have been reported.’[81] Given the repetitions in the Musnad of Imām Aḥmad, differences of this kind are not far-fetched. Thus, the increase in the amount of ḥadīths of Musnad Aḥmad can be explained as mere repetitions of the same ḥadīths.
The most reliable narrator from Ibn ʿAbbās
Imām Ibn al-Madīnī has stated that the most reliable narrator from Ibn ʿAbbās (raḍī Allāhu ʿanh) is Saʿīd ibn Jubayr. Imām Ibn Maʿīn has deemed Saʿīd ibn Jubayr and Ṭāwūs to be of the same calibre. Saʿīd ibn Jubayr al-Asadī (d. 95 AH) related 770 ḥadīths from Ibn ʿAbbās (raḍī Allāhu ʿanh) based on al-Kutub at-Tisʿah. His status mentioned in at-Taqrīb is, ‘Reliable, trustworthy and a jurist.’ As for Ṭāwūs, he is Ṭāwūs ibn Kaysān al-Yamānī Abū ʿAbd ar-Raḥmān. Some have suggested that his name was Dhakwān and Ṭāwūs[82] was his title. He related 418 ḥadīths from Ibn ʿAbbās (raḍī Allāhu ʿanh) based on al-Kutub at-Tisʿah. His status mentioned in at-Taqrīb is, ‘Reliable, a jurist, and virtuous.’[83]
Jābir ibn ʿAbdillāh
The next Ṣaḥābī is Abū ʿAbdillāh — and some say Abū Muḥammad and Abū ʿAbd ar-Raḥmān — Jābir ibn ʿAbdillāh ibn ʿAmr ibn Ḥarām al-Anṣārī as-Salami (raḍī Allāhu ʿanh). He is a Ṣaḥābī and the son of a Ṣaḥābī. He participated in nineteen battles with the Prophet (ﷺ). It has been reported on the authority of Abu Zubayr who heard Jābir ibn ʿAbdillāh say, ‘I fought in the company of the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) in nineteen battles. I did not participate in the Battle of Badr and the Battle of Uḥud as my father prevented me. After ʿAbdullāh (his father) was martyred on the Day of Uḥud, I never lagged behind the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) and joined every battle (he fought).”[84] He was the last Ṣaḥābī to pass away in Madīnah in 78 AH at the age of 94.
The number of his ḥadīths
The total number of his ḥadīths is 1540.[85] Imām Ibn al-Jawzī states, ‘Jābir ibn ʿAbdillāh (raḍī Allāhu ʿanh) narrated 1540 ḥadīths.’[86] ʿAllāmah ʿIrāqī and Shaykh Zakariyyā al-Anṣārī said, ‘Jābir (raḍī Allāhu ʿanh) narrated 1540.’[87] Imām Suyūṭī (raḥimahullāh) mentions the same number. He says, ‘Jābir ibn ʿAbdillāh (raḍī Allāhu ʿanh) narrated 1540 ḥadīths.’[88] Imām Nawawī (raḥimahullāh) said regarding him, ‘He is from the senior Ṣaḥābah and from among those who narrated the most from the Prophet (ﷺ). He narrated 1540 ḥadīthS from the Prophet (ﷺ). Imām Bukhārī and Muslim both narrated 58 ḥadīths; Imām Bukhārī narrated 26 ḥadīths alone, and Imām Muslim narrated 126 aḥadīth alone.’[89] Shaykh Aḥmad Shākir comments on the number of his ḥadīths saying, ‘He has narrated 1540 ḥadīths and 1206 of them have been reported in the Musnad of Imām Aḥmad.’[90]
The most reliable narrator from Jābir ibn ʿAbdillāh
Among the most reliable narrators from Jābir ibn ʿAbdillāh is ʿAṭāʾ ibn Abī Rabāḥ al-Qurashī (d. 114 AH). He related 301 ḥadīths from Jābir (raḍī Allāhu ʿanh) based on al-Kutub at-Tisʿah. Imām Ibn Ḥajar said regarding his status, ‘He is reliable, a jurist, and virtuous. However, he would make irsāl.’[91] The next reliable narrator from Jābir (raḍī Allāhu ʿanh) is ʿAmr ibn Dīnār al-Athram al-Jumahī (d. 126 AH). He related 216 ḥadīths from Jābir (raḍī Allāhu ʿanh) based on al-Kutub at-Tisʿah. Imām Aḥmad said regarding him, ‘ʿAmr is the most reliable (athbat), then [it is] ʿAṭāʾ and Ibn Jurayj. Imām Ibn al-Madīnī said, ‘Ibn ʿAbbās had six companions: ʿAṭāʾ, Ṭāwūs, Mujāhid, Saʿīd ibn Jubayr, Jābir ibn Zayd, and ʿIkramah. The most knowledgeable regarding all of them was ʿAmr ibn Dinār. He met all of them. And the most knowledgeable regarding them and ʿAmr ibn Dinār was Sufyān ibn ʿUyaynah and Ibn Jurayj.’ Imām Shuʿbah says regarding ʿAmr ibn Dīnār, ‘I have not seen anyone like ʿAmr in precision.’ Imām Ibn al-Qaṭṭān said, ‘ʿAmr is more reliable according to me than Qatādah.’ He is considered as a reliable and precise narrator.[92]
Abū Saʿīd al-Khuḍrī
His full name is Saʿd ibn Mālik ibn Sinān al-Anṣārī, Abū Saʿīd al-Khuḍrī (raḍī Allāhu ʿanh). He was born around ten years before hijrah. His father and his son were also Saḥābah. He was thirteen years old during the battle of Badr so he did not participate in it,[93] but he participated in twelve battles after it with the Prophet (ﷺ). His father was martyred in the battle of Uḥud. Ḥanẓalah ibn Abī Sufyān al-Jumahī reports from his teacher that they said, ‘There was none among the junior Ṣaḥābah more knowledgeable (afqah( than Abū Saʿīd.’ Like Abū Hurayrah (raḍī Allāhu ʿanh), he had been one of the Aṣḥāb aṣ-Suffah (People of the Veranda) who lived on the porch of the Prophet (ﷺ)’s dwelling by the mosque in order to dedicate themselves to an austere life of prayer and learning.[94] He passed away in Madīnah at the age of 94 in 74 AH.[95]
The number of his ḥadīths
The total number of his ḥadīths is 1170.[96] Imām Ibn al-Jawzī states, ‘Abū Saʿīd al-Khuḍrī has narrated 1170 ḥadīth.’[97] ʿAllāmah ʿIrāqī and Shaykh Zakariyyā al-Anṣārī said, ‘Abū Saʿīd al-Khuḍrī (raḍī Allāhu ʿanh) narrated 1170.’[98] After mentioning the number of ḥadīths related by the first six Ṣaḥābah, Imām Suyūṭī (raḥimahullāh) says, ‘Other than these six Ṣaḥābah, there is no one among the Ṣaḥābah whose ḥadīths are more than a thousand besides Abū Saʿīd al-Khuḍrī (raḍī Allāhu ʿanh) for he has narrated 1170 ḥadīths.’[99] Imām Nawawī mentioned the number of ḥadīths related by him, saying, ‘1170 ḥadīths have been reported from him from the Prophet (ﷺ). They (i.e. Imām Bukhārī and Muslim) both narrated 43 of his ḥadīths; Imām Bukhārī narrated 16 ḥadīths alone, and Imām Muslim narrated 52 ḥadīths alone.’[100] Shaykh Aḥmad Shākir comments on him saying, ‘According to Ibn al-Jawzī, he narrated 1170 ḥadīths, and 958 of them have been reported in the Musnad of Imām Aḥmad.’[101]
The most reliable narrator from Abū Saʿīd al-Khuḍrī
Three people can be considered as the most reliable narrators from Abū Saʿīd al-Khuḍrī (raḍī Allāhu ʿanh). The first is al-Mundhir ibn Mālik Abū Naḍrah al-Baṣrī (d. 108/109 AH). He related 45 ḥadīths from Abū Saʿīd al-Khuḍrī (raḍī Allāhu ʿanh) based on al-Kutub at-Tisʿah. He is considered reliable and Imām Abū Ḥātim has given him preference over ʿAṭiyyah al-ʿAwfī. As for ʿAṭiyyah al-ʿAwfī, he is ʿAṭiyyah ibn Saʿd al-ʿAwfī (d. 111). He related 11 ḥadīths from Abū Saʿīd al-Khuḍrī (raḍī Allāhu ʿanh) based on al-Kutub at-Tisʿah. Imām Ibn Ḥajar mentions regarding him in at-Taqrīb: ‘He is ṣadūq (honest but not precise), he makes a lot of mistakes and was a shīʿī and a mudallis (hid the name of his teacher when narrating).’ Lastly, ʿAṭāʾ ibn Yasār al-Hilālī (d. 94 AH) related 23 ḥadīths from Abū Saʿīd al-Khuḍrī (raḍī Allāhu ʿanh) based on al-Kutub at-Tisʿah. He is deemed reliable but there is a difference of opinion regarding his transmission from Ibn Masʿūd (raḍī Allāhu ʿanh).[102]
CONCLUSION
From among the Ṣaḥābah, seven narrators reported more than a thousand ḥadīths, and they are known as the Mukthirūn. The most prolific of them was Abū Hurayrah (raḍī Allāhu ʿanh), as he transmitted 5374 ḥadīths. The second most prolific was ʿAbdullāh ibn ʿUmar (raḍī Allāhu ʿanh), as he transmitted 2630 ḥadīths. The third was Anas ibn Mālik (raḍī Allāhu ʿanh) who transmitted 2286 ḥadīths, followed by Umm al-Muʾminīn ʿĀʾishah, who transmitted 2210 ḥadīths. In fifth place is ʿAbdullāh ibn ʿAbbās who transmitted 1660 ḥadīths, followed in sixth place by Jābir ibn ʿAbdillāh, who transmitted 1540 ḥadīths. Lastly, Abū Saʿīd al-Khuḍrī (raḍī Allāhu ʿanh) transmitted 1170 ḥadīths, making him the last of the seven Ṣaḥābah who transmitted the most ḥadīths from the Prophet (ﷺ).
The names of some Ṣaḥābah who also narrated a lot of ḥadīths from the Prophet (ﷺ) were also given, such as ʿAbdullāh ibn ʿAmr ibn al-Āṣ and Ibn Masʿūd. However, because their numbers were not more than a thousand, they could not technically be included in the category of the Mukthirūn, as the scholars stipulated that term for only those Ṣaḥābah who narrated more than a thousand ḥadīths. Although it appears as if they narrated very large quantities, it was clarified that their numbers include repeated ḥadīths, as well as those that could be inauthentic. Furthermore, the seven Ṣaḥābah lived at a time when memorising was a common practise among the Arabs, and they — among others — dedicated their lives for the purpose of acquiring knowledge and spreading it to others. Therefore, it makes the large quantities of ḥadīths related by them much more comprehensible.
The Ṣaḥābah were the primal authorities from whom the teachings of Islām were handed down. Allāh Taʿālā has declared their reliability and uprightness in several places in the Qurʾān such as: {Muḥammad is the Messenger of Allah. And those with him are firm with the disbelievers and compassionate with one another. You see them bowing and prostrating ˹in prayer˺, seeking Allah’s bounty and pleasure. The sign ˹of brightness can be seen˺ on their faces from the trace of prostrating ˹in prayer˺}.[103] Likewise, He declared that He is pleased with them: {…Allah is pleased with them, and they are pleased with Him. This is ˹only˺ for those in awe of their Lord}.[104] Therefore, we do not question their reliability. In terms of precision, however, the Ṣaḥābah had varying strengths among them. The Mukhtirūn did not only have strong retentive memories but also dedicated their lives to spreading the teaching that they acquired from the Prophet (ﷺ).
May Allāh be pleased with them all.
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[1] The reporters of many traditions.
[2] Muḥammad Zubayr Ṣiddīqī, Ḥadīth Literature: Its Origins Development & Special Features (The Islamic Texts Society, 2012), 14-15.
[3] As-Sakhāwī, Fatḥ al-Mughīth bi Sharḥ Alfiyyah al-Ḥadīth (Riyadh: Dār al-Manāhij, ʿAbd al-Karīm al-Khuḍayr ed, 1426 AH), 3:97-98.
[4] Imām Abū ʿAbd ar-Raḥmān Baqī ibn Makhlad compiled the narrations of the Ṣaḥābah (raḍī Allāhu ʿanhum) in his Musnad and mentioned the number of their narrations. He mentioned the asḥāb al-ulūf meaning: those from whom more than two thousand ḥadīths have been reported, then the asḥāb al-alf meaning: those from whom less than two thousand ḥadīths have been reported, then the asḥāb al-miʾīn meaning: those from whom less than a thousand but more than a hundred ḥadīths have been reported. Imām Baqī’s Musnad is from among the most important sources of the Sunnah. Imām Ibn Ḥazm (raḥimahullāh) said, ‘Musnad Baqī: He (Baqī ibn Makhlad) has narrated approximately 1300 Ṣaḥābah, and ordered each of their ḥadīths according to the chapters of fiqh. Thus, his work is both a Musnad and a Muṣannaf.” Aḥmad ibn Muḥammad at-Tilmisānī, Nafḥ aṭ-Tīb, 1:581. We have not heard of the presence of this book in any Islamic library, and we do not know for sure whether all of it is lost, or whether some of it can be found in the remains that survived the destruction of Andalusia. Aḥmad Shākir, al-Bāʾith al-Ḥathīth (Damascus: Muʾassasah Risālah Nāshirūn, 2015), 249.
[5] An-Nawawī, At-Taqrīb wa ’t-Taysīr (Beirut: Dār al-Kitāb al-ʿArabī, 1st edn, 1985), 93.
[6] This is a collection of ḥadīths handed down on the authority of one single individual, be he or she a Companion, or a member of any succeeding generation. The term Juz is also applied to collections of ḥadīths that were compiled on a specific subject, such as intention, and so forth. Muḥammad Zubayr Ṣiddīqī, Ḥadīth Literature: Its Origins Development & Special Features (The Islamic Texts Society, 2012), 10.
[7] It was first published with his Jawāmiʿ as-Sīrah, and then separately in one big volume.
[8] As-Suyūṭī, Tadrīb ar-Rāwī ʿalā Taqrīb an-Nawāwī (Beirut: Dār al-Kitāb al-ʿArabī, Muḥammad ʿAwwāmah ed, 1st edn, 1985), 188.
[9] Ash-Shahrazūrī, Muqaddimah Ibn aṣ-Ṣalāḥ (Dār as-Salām, 2020), 348.
[10] Ibn Kathīr, Al-Bāʾith al-Ḥathīth (Damascus, Muʾassasah ar-Risālah Nāshirūn, 2015), 251.
[11] This is in reference to ʿAbdullāh ibn ʿAbbās. He was named al-baḥr due to the vastness of his knowledge. Zakariyyā al-Anṣārī (d. 925 AH), Fatḥ al-Bāqī ʿalā Alfiyyah al-ʿIrāqī (Beirut: DKI), 15.
[12] Al-ʿIrāqī, Sharḥ at-Tabṣirah wa at-Tadhkirah (Beirut: DKI), 3:14-15.
[13] As-Suyūṭī, Tadrīb ar-Rāwī ʿalā Taqrīb an-Nawāwī, 2:218.
[14] Al-Qurṭubī, Al-Mufhim limā Ashkala min Kitāb Talkhīṣ Muslim, 6:237.
[15] ʿAlī ibn Ādam al-Ithyūbī, Mashāriq al-Anwār al-Wahhājah wa Maṭāliʿ al-Asrār al-Bahhājah fī Sharḥ Sunan al-Imām Ibn Mājah (Riyadh: Dār al-Mughnī, 2006), 1:49.
[16] “The wife of the benevolent guide” refers to ʿĀʾishah (raḍī Allāhu ʿanhā).
[17] Muḥammad ibn ʿAbd al-Bāqī Zurqānī, Sharḥ Zurqānī ʿalā ’l-Muwaṭṭaʾ (Cairo: Dār al-Ḥadīth, 2015), 1:34.
[18] Imām Ḥākim ibn ʿAbdullāh an-Naysāpūrī, Al-Mustadrak ʿalā ’ṣ-Ṣaḥīḥayn (Beirut: Dār al-Kutub al-ʿIlmiyyah, 1990), 3:579.
[19] Muṣṭafā as-Sibāʿī, The Sunnah and Its Role in Islamic Legislation (IIPH), 368-369.
[20] At-Tirmidhī, Jāmiʿ at-Tirmidhī (Egypt: Shirkat Maktabat wa-Maṭbaʿat Muṣṭafā al-Bābī al-Ḥalbī, 1975), 5:684.
[21] Muḥammad ʿAjāj Khaṭīb, Abū Hurayrah Rāwiyat al-Islām (Cairo: Maktabat Wahbah, 1982), 69-71.
[22] Saʿīd ibn Abi ’l-Ḥasan Yasār al-Baṣrī (d. 100AH/719CE) was the brother of the famous al-Ḥasan al-Baṣrī. Dhahabī, Siyar Aʿlām an-Nubalā, 4:588-9.
[23] Ash-Shahrazūrī, Muqaddimah Ibn aṣ-Ṣalāḥ (Dar as-Salam, 1st edn, 2020), 347.
[24] Al-ʿIrāqī, Sharḥ at-Tabṣirah wa ’t-Tadhkirah (Beirut: DKI), 3:15-16.
[25] Al-ʿIrāqī, Sharḥ at-Tabṣirah wa ’t-Tadhkirah (Beirut: DKI), 3:15.
[26] Orientalists and those who follow them show astonishment at the powerful memory of Abū Hurayrah (raḍī Allāhu ʿanh) but were they to view the matter with more justice and with more insight into the society in which Abū Hurayrah lived, they would neither be surprised nor incredulous. Memorization, for certain, is one of the distinctive abilities of the Arabs. Among the Companions and the Successors, we know of wonderful stories of retentive memories… It is not odd to say that Abū Hurayrah (raḍī Allāhu ʿanh) had a powerful memory, for we must remember that, as is related in the Musnad of Baqī ibn Makhlad, that Abū Hurayrah related a total of 5374 ḥadīths. That number is obviously minute when compared to the 700,000 that Imām Aḥmad and Abū Zurʿah memorised. So why should we be so surprised? There were Arabs in the past that memorised a total of 5000 long poems, and there are many examples of this throughout Arab history. Now, considering the long period of time that Abū Hurayrah accompanied the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ), it is not surprising that he related more than 5000 ḥadīths, especially when we consider his retentive memory. Muṣṭafā as-Sibāʿī, The Sunnah and Its Role in Islamic Legislation, 372-3.
[27] Aḥmad ash-Shaykh Najī, Aḍ-Ḍawʾ al-Lāmiʿ al-Mubīn ʿan Manāhij al-Muḥaddithīn (Beirut: DKI), 122.
[28] These three numbers have come in Kashf an-Niqāb of Ḥāfiẓ al-ʿAlāʾī and it is correct. Shaykh Muḥammad ʿAwwāmah, Tadrīb ar-Rāwī ʿalā Taqrīb an-Nawāwī, 189.
[29] As-Suyūṭī, Tadrīb ar-Rāwī ʿalā Taqrīb an-Nawāwī (Dar al-Yusr and Dar al-Minhāj, 2016), 5:188.
[30] Ibn al-Jawzī, Talqīḥ Fuhūm al-Athar fī ʿUyūn at-Tārīkh wa ’s-Siyar (Beirut: Dār al-Arqam, 1997), 263.
[31] Al-ʿIrāqī, Sharḥ at-Tabṣirah wa ’t-Tadhkirah (Beirut: DKI), 3:15.
[32] As-Suyūṭī, Tadrīb ar-Rāwī ʿalā Taqrīb an-Nawāwī (Beirut: Dār al-Kitāb al-ʿArabī, Muḥammad ʿAwwāmah ed, 1st edn, 1985), 188-189.
[33] An-Nawawī, Tahdhīb Asmāʾ wa ’l-Lughāt (Beirut: DKI), 1:219.
[34] Al-Kutub at-Tisʿah includes Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī, Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim, Sunan an-Nasāʾī, Sunan Abī Dāwūd, Jāmiʿ at-Tirmidhī, Sunan Ibn Mājah, Sunan ad-Dārimī, Muwaṭṭa Imām Mālik, and Musnad Imām Aḥmad.
[35] Fahad ibn ʿAbd al-ʿAzīz al-ʿAmmār, Maʿrifat ar-Ruwāt al-Mukthirīn wa Athbat Aṣḥābihim (Riyadh: Maktabah Rushd, 2003), 176.
[36] Muḥammad Zubayr Ṣiddīqī, Ḥadīth Literature: Its Origins Development & Special Features (The Islamic Texts Society, 2012), 20.
[37] Muttafaq ʿalayh report. Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī 3741 and Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim 140:2479.
[38] An-Nawawī, At-Talkhīṣ Sharḥ Jāmiʿ aṣ-Ṣaḥīḥ (Riyadh: Dār Ṭaybah, 1st edn, 2008), 2:442-243.
[39] Fahad ibn ʿAbd al-ʿAzīz al-ʿAmmār, Maʿrifat ar-Ruwāt al-Mukthirīn wa Athbat Aṣḥābihim (Riyadh: Maktabah Rushd, 2003), 91.
[40] Ibn al-Jawzī, Talqīḥ Fuhūm al-Athar fī ʿUyūn at-Tārīkh wa ’s-Siyar (Beirut: Dār al-Arqam, 1997), 263.
[41] Al-ʿIrāqī, Sharḥ at-Tabṣirah wa ’t-Tadhkirah (Beirut: DKI), 3:15.
[42] An-Nawawī, At-Talkhīṣ Sharḥ Jāmiʿ aṣ-Ṣaḥīḥ (Riyadh: Dār Ṭaybah, 1st edn, 2008), 2:442.
[43] Zakariyyā Kandhlawī, Awjaz al-Masālik (Damascus: Dār al-Qalam, 2003), 1:301.
[44] An-Nawawī, Tahdhīb Asmāʾ wa ’l-Lughāt (Beirut: DKI), 279.
[45] As-Suyūṭī, Tadrīb ar-Rāwī ʿalā Taqrīb an-Nawāwī (Beirut: Dār al-Kitāb al-ʿArabī, Muḥammad ʿAwwāmah ed, 1st edn, 1985), 191.
[46] Fahad ibn ʿAbd al-ʿAzīz al-ʿAmmār, Maʿrifat ar-Ruwāt al-Mukthirīn wa Athbat Aṣḥābihim (Riyadh: Maktabah Rushd, 2003), 93.
[47] Al-Bukhārī, At-Tārīkh al-Kabīr (Hyderabad: Dāʾirat al-Maʿārif al-ʿUthmāniyyah), 2:330.
[48] Al-ʿAsqalānī, Al-Iṣābah fī Tamyīz aṣ-Ṣaḥābah (Beirut: Dār al-Kutub al-ʿIlmiyyah, 1415 AH), 1:276.
[49] An-Nawawī, At-Talkhīṣ Sharḥ Jāmiʿ aṣ-Ṣaḥīḥ (Riyadh: Dār Ṭaybah, 1st edn, 2008), 2:499.
[50] Ibn ʿAbd al-Barr al-Qurṭubī, Al-Istīʿāb fī Maʿrifat al-Aṣḥāb (Beirut, Dār al-Jīl, 1992), 1:109.
[51] Ibn al-Jawzī, Talqīh Fuhūm al-Athar (Beirut: Dār al-Arqam, 1997), 110.
[52] Fahad ibn ʿAbd al-ʿAzīz al-ʿAmmār, Maʿrifat ar-Ruwāt al-Mukthirīn wa Athbat Aṣḥābihim (Riyadh: Maktabah Rushd, 2003), 14.
[53] Ibn al-Jawzī, Talqīḥ Fuhūm al-Athar fī ʿUyūn at-Tārīkh wa ’s-Siyar (Beirut: Dār al-Arqam, 1997), 263.
[54] Al-ʿIrāqī, Sharḥ at-Tabṣirah wa ’t-Tadhkirah (Beirut: DKI), 3:15.
[55] As-Suyūṭī, Tadrīb ar-Rāwī ʿalā Taqrīb an-Nawāwī (Beirut: Dār al-Kitāb al-ʿArabī, 1st edn, 1985), 191.
[56] Ibn Kathīr, Al-Bāʾith al-Ḥathīth (Damascus, Muʾassasah ar-Risālah Nāshirūn, 2015), 250.
[57] An-Nawawī, At-Talkhīṣ Sharḥ Jāmiʿ aṣ-Ṣaḥīḥ (Riyadh: Dār Ṭaybah, 1st edn, 2008), 2:499.
[58] Fahad ibn ʿAbd al-ʿAzīz al-ʿAmmār, Maʿrifat ar-Ruwāt al-Mukthirīn wa Athbat Aṣḥābihim (Riyadh: Maktabah Rushd, 2003), 4-6.
[59] Muḥammad Zubayr Ṣiddīqī, Ḥadīth Literature: Its Origins Development & Special Features (The Islamic Texts Society, 2012), 21.
[60] At-Tirmidhī, Jāmiʿ at-Tirmidhī (Egypt: Shirkat Maktabah wa-Maṭbaʿah Muṣṭafā al-Bābī al-Ḥalbī, 1975), 5:706.
[61] Az-Zurqānī, Sharḥ Zurqānī ʿala ’l-Muwaṭṭaʾ (Cairo: Dār al-Ḥadīth, 2015), 1:26.
[62] An-Nawawī, At-Talkhīṣ Sharḥ Jāmiʿ aṣ-Ṣaḥīḥ (Riyadh: Dār Ṭaybah, 1st edn, 2008), 2:321.
[63] Zakariyyā Kandhlawī, Awjaz al-Masālik (Damascus: Dār al-Qalam, 2003), 1:267.
[64] Fahad ibn ʿAbd al-ʿAzīz al-ʿAmmār, Maʿrifat ar-Ruwāt al-Mukthirīn wa Athbat Aṣḥābihim (Riyadh: Maktabah Rushd, 2003), 213.
[65] Ibn al-Jawzī, Talqīḥ Fuhūm al-Athar fī ʿUyūn at-Tārīkh wa ’s-Siyar (Beirut: Dār al-Arqam, 1997), 263.
[66] Al-ʿIrāqī, Sharḥ at-Tabṣirah wa ’t-Tadhkirah (Beirut: DKI), 3:15.
[67] As-Suyūṭī, Tadrīb ar-Rāwī ʿalā Taqrīb an-Nawāwī (Beirut: Dār al-Kitāb al-ʿArabī, 1st edn, 1985), 191.
[68] An-Nawawī, At-Talkhīṣ Sharḥ Jāmiʿ aṣ-Ṣaḥīḥ (Riyadh: Dār Ṭaybah, 1st edn, 2008), 2:320.
[69] An-Nawawī, Tahdhīb Asmāʾ wa al-Lughāt (Beirut: DKI), 351.
[70] Fahad ibn ʿAbd al-ʿAzīz al-ʿAmmār, Maʿrifat ar-Ruwāt al-Mukthirīn wa Athbat Aṣḥābihim (Riyadh: Maktabah Rushd, 2003), 213-215.
[71] Al-Bukhāri, Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī, 75.
[72] An-Nawawī, At-Talkhīṣ Sharḥ Jāmiʿ aṣ-Ṣaḥīḥ (Riyadh: Dār Ṭaybah, 1st edn, 2008), 2:385.
[73] Fahad ibn ʿAbd al-ʿAzīz al-ʿAmmār, Maʿrifat ar-Ruwāt al-Mukthirīn wa Athbat Aṣḥābihim (Riyadh: Maktabah Rushd, 2003), 107.
[74] Muḥammad Zubayr Ṣiddīqī, Ḥadīth Literature: Its Origins Development & Special Features (The Islamic Texts Society, 2012), 21.
[75] An-Nawawī, At-Talkhīṣ Sharḥ Jāmiʿ aṣ-Ṣaḥīḥ (Riyadh: Dār Ṭaybah, 1st edn, 2008), 2:386.
[76] Fahad ibn ʿAbd al-ʿAzīz al-ʿAmmār, Maʿrifat ar-Ruwāt al-Mukthirīn wa Athbat Aṣḥābihim (Riyadh: Maktabah Rushd, 2003), 107.
[77] Ibn al-Jawzī, Talqīḥ Fuhūm al-Athar fī ʿUyūn at-Tārīkh wa ’s-Siyar (Beirut: Dār al-Arqam, 1997), 263.
[78] Al-ʿIrāqī, Sharḥ at-Tabṣirah wa at-Tadhkirah (Beirut: DKI), 3:15.
[79] As-Suyūṭī, Tadrīb ar-Rāwī ʿalā Taqrīb an-Nawāwī (Beirut: Dār al-Kitāb al-ʿArabī, Muḥammad ʿAwwāmah ed, 1st edn, 1985), 191.
[80] An-Nawawī, At-Talkhīṣ Sharḥ Jāmiʿ aṣ-Ṣaḥīḥ (Riyadh: Dār Ṭaybah, 1st edn, 2008), 2:386.
[81] Ibn Kathīr, Al-Bāʾith al-Ḥathīth (Damascus, Mu ʾassasah ar-Risālah Nāshirūn, Aḥmad Shākir ed, 2015), 250.
[82] This is the title of Dhakwān ibn Kaysān Al-Yamānī. Although some scholars are of the opinion that his name was, in fact, Tāwūs, others called it a title. Imām Yaḥya ibn Maʿīn said. ‘He was given the title Tawūs because he was the best-looking (like the outstanding beauty of a peacock) of the qurrāʾ.’
[83] Fahad ibn ʿAbd al-ʿAzīz al-ʿAmmār, Maʿrifat ar-Ruwāt al-Mukthirīn wa Athbat Aṣḥābihim (Riyadh: Maktabah Rushd, 2003), 107-108.
[84] Muslim An-Naysābūrī, Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim (1813).
[85] Fahad ibn ʿAbd al-ʿAzīz al-ʿAmmār, Maʿrifat ar-Ruwāt al-Mukthirīn wa Athbat Aṣḥābihim (Riyadh: Maktabah Rushd, 2003), 57.
[86] Ibn al-Jawzī, Talqīh Fuhūm al-Athar (Beirut: Dār al-Arqam, 1997) 263.
[87] Al-ʿIrāqī, Sharḥ at-Tabṣirah wa ’t-Tadhkirah (Beirut: DKI), 3:15.
[88] As-Suyūṭī, Tadrīb ar-Rāwī ʿalā Taqrīb an-Nawāwī (Beirut: Dār al-Kitāb al-ʿArabī, 1st edn, 1985), 191.
[89] An-Nawawī, At-Talkhīṣ Sharḥ Jāmiʿ aṣ-Ṣaḥīḥ (Riyadh: Dār Ṭaybah, 1st edn, 2008), 2:366.
[90] Ibn Kathīr, Al-Bāʾith al-Ḥathīth (Damascus, Mu ʾassasah ar-Risālah Nāshirūn, Aḥmad Shākir ed, 2015), 250.
[91] When a tābiʿī omits the name of a Ṣaḥābī and narrates directly from the Prophet (ﷺ). This is seen as a flaw in the chain of transmission as it may be that a tābiʿī might have been narrating from another tābiʿī and not a Ṣaḥābī.
[92] Fahad ibn ʿAbd al-ʿAzīz al-ʿAmmār, Maʿrifat ar-Ruwāt al-Mukthirīn wa Athbat Aṣḥābihim (Riyadh: Maktabah Rushd, 2003), 57-59.
[93] Ibn al-Jawzī, Talqīh Fuhūm al-Athar (Beirut: Dār al-Arqam, 1997), 110-111.
[94] Muḥammad Zubayr Ṣiddīqī, Ḥadīth Literature: Its Origins Development & Special Features (The Islamic Texts Society, 2012), 22.
[95] An-Nawawī, At-Talkhīṣ Sharḥ Jāmiʿ aṣ-Ṣaḥīḥ (Riyadh: Dār Ṭaybah, 1st edn, 2008), 533.
[96] As-Sakhāwī, Fatḥ al-Mughīth, 3:97. As-Suyūṭī, Tadrīb ar-Rāwī, 2:219-20, and Sharḥ Tabsirah, 3:16.
[97] Ibn al-Jawzī, Talqīh Fuhūm al-Athar (Beirut: Dār al-Arqam, 1997), 263.
[98] Al-ʿIrāqī, Sharḥ at-Tabṣirah wa ’t-Tadhkirah (Beirut: DKI), 3:15.
[99] As-Suyūṭī, Tadrīb ar-Rāwī ʿalā Taqrīb an-Nawāwī (Beirut: Dār al-Kitāb al-ʿArabī, 1st edn, 1985), 191.
[100] An-Nawawī, At-Talkhīṣ Sharḥ Jāmiʿ aṣ-Ṣaḥīḥ (Riyadh: Dār Ṭaybah, 1st edn, 2008), 533.
[101] Ibn Kathīr, Al-Bāʾith al-Ḥathīth (Damascus, Mu ʾassasah ar-Risālah Nāshirūn, 2015), 250.
[102] Fahad ibn ʿAbd al-ʿAzīz al-ʿAmmār, Maʿrifat ar-Ruwāt al-Mukthirīn wa Athbat Aṣḥābihim (Riyadh: Maktabah Rushd, 2003), 167-168.
[103] Qurʾān 48:29.
[104] Qurʾān 98:8.