At-Tahawi

بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم الحمد لله رب العالمين الصلاة والسلام على نبيه الكريم وعلى آله وأصحابه أجمعين

In the name of Allaah, the Most Beneficent, the Most Merciful. All praise is due to Allaah, Lord of the worlds. Peace and blessings upon His noble Prophet, upon his family and all of his companions.

Name and Lineage

He is Abu Ja’far Ahmad ibn Muhammad ibn Salaamah ibn Salamah ibn ‘Abd al-Malik al-Azdi al-Misri at-Tahaawi al-Hanafi. The attribution is to the village of Taha in one of the districts of Egypt. He was born in the year 239 AH, according to the preferred opinion.

His Teachers and Students

Teachers

He studied under, and heard from: Ahmad ibn Shu’ayb an-Nasaa’i,‘Abd al-Ghani ibn Rifaa, Haroon ibn Sa’eed al-Ayli, Yoonus ibn ‘Abd al-’Ala, Bahr ibn Nasr al-Khawlani, Muhammad ibn ‘Abdullah ibn ‘Abd al-Hakam, Eesa ibn Mathrood; Ibraheem ibn Munqidh; ar-Rabee’ ibn Sulayman al-Muradi, his maternal uncle Abu Ibraheem al-Muzani, Bakkar ibn Qutaybah; Miqdam ibn Dawood al-Ru’ayni; Ahmad ibn ‘Abdullah ibn al-Barqi; Muhammad ibn Aqeel al-Firyabi; Yazeed ibn Sinaan al-Basri, Muhammad ibn Ishaaq and others of their generation.

Students

Those who narrated from him: His son ‘Ali ibn Ahmad, Yoosuf ibn al-Qaasim al-Miyanji, Abu al-Qaasim at-Tabaraani, Abu al-Qaasim al-Qurtubi, Muhammad ibn Bakr ibn Matrooh, Ahmad ibn al-Qaasim al-Khashshab, Abu Bakr ibn al-Muqri, Ahmad ibn ‘Abd al-Waarith az-Zajjaaj; ‘Abd al-’Azeez ibn Muhammad al-Jawhari, the judge of Upper Egypt, Abu al-Hasan Muhammad ibn Ahmad al-Ikhmimee, Muhammad ibn al-Hasan ibn ‘Umar at-Tanookhi; Muhammad ibn al-Mudhaffar al-Haafidh, Ibn Yoonus al-Misri, Maslamah ibn Qaasim, and many others besides them from the people of the Damascus, Egyptians, and those who traveled widely in the pursuit of hadeeth.

His Works

Sharh Ma’ni al-Athaar
Sharh Mushkil al-Athaar
Ahkaam al-Quraan al-Kareem
Tasswiya Bayna Haddathana wa Akhbarana
Sunan ash-Shafi'i
Mukhtasar at-Tahawi fi al-Fiqh al-Hanafi
al-Aqeedah (The actual name is هذا ذكر البيان.. الى فقهاء الملة)
Ash-Shurut as-Sagheer
Al-Jami' al-Kabeer fi ash-Shurut

There are works of his that are lost such as:

Akhbaar Abi Haneefah wa as-haabihi
Ikhtilaf ar-Riwayaat ‘Ala Madhab al-Kufiyyeen
Kitab al-Ashraba
At-Tareekh al-Kabeer
Al-Hikayaat wa’n Nawadir
Hukm Ardh Makkah
Ar-Radd ‘Ala Abi Ubayd Fi Ma Akhta Fihi Kitab an-Nasab
Ar-Radd Ala al-Karabisi
Ar-Radd ‘Ala Eesa ibn Aban
Sharh al-Mughni
Sharh al-Jami al-Sagheer
Ash-Shuroot al-Awsat
ash-Shuroot al-Kabeer
al-Faraa’idh
al-Mukhtasar al-Kabeer
al-Mukhtasar as-Sagheer
Al-Wasiyah

And others.

Events of his Life

At-Tahaawi’s turn to the Hanafi Madhhab and his Persuit of Knowledge

The mother of Imam at-Tahaawi mother was the sister of Imam Abu Ibraheem Isma’eel ibn Yahya al-Muzani, the star pupil of imam ash-Shaafi’i, may Allaah have mercy on them both. Therefore, at first at-Tahaawi studied the Shaafi’i school under his maternal uncle. His interest peaked into the Hanafi madhhab when he observed that his uncle would look into the works of imam Abu Haneefah [what it means by works is looking into his madhhab]. This piqued his interest, as he himself noted.

Ibn Khallikan stated in his [وفيات الأعيان] :

“Abu Ya’la al-Khaleeli mentioned in his book al-Irshad, in the biography of al-Muzani, that At-Tahaawi was the son of al-Muzani’s sister, and that Muhammad ibn Ahmad ash-Shurooti [Ahmad ibn Muhammad] said: I said to at-Tahaawi, ‘Why did you differ from your uncle and choose the madhhab of Abu Haneefah?’ He replied, ‘Because I used to see my uncle continuously looking into the books of Abu Haneefah.’”

This is apparent to one who reads the Mukhtasar of imam al-Muzani where he often left the opinion of imam ash-Shaafi’i and adopted the same opinion as imam Abu Haneefah.

Imam adh-Dhahabi reported in [سير أعلام النبلاء] from Imam at-Tahaawi:

“The first person from whom I wrote down ḥadeeth was al-Muzani, and I adopted the view of ash-Shaafi’i. Then, after some years, Aḥmad ibn Abi ‘Imraan came to Egypt as a judge; I kept his company and adopted his sayings.”

The chief judge of Egypt used to be Bakkar ibn Qutaybah al-Hanafi under whom Imam at-Tahaawi was a scribe [كاتب]. After Bakkar passed away, Ahmad ibn Abi ‘Imraan al-Hanafi was appointed in his stead.

At-Tahaawi traveled through Egypt and other lands to acquire what the scholars possessed in terms of hadeeth and other sciences. He was very diligent in attending to every knowledgeable visitor to Egypt from various regions until he gathered knowledge from them. He listened to the companions of Ibn 'Uyaynah and Ibn Wahb and their rank of scholars.

He then also traveled to Syria, where he learned in al-Quds, Gaza, and ‘Asqalaan and studied in Dimashq (Damascus) under the judge Abu Khaazim ‘Abd al-Hameed al-Hanafi, just as he had studied in Egypt under Ibn Abi 'Imraan and Bakkar.

Adh-Dhahabi said:

“He journeyed to Syria in the year 268 AH, where he met al-Qaadhi Abu Khaazim and also studied jurisprudence under him.”

Al-Qaadhi Abu Khaazim ‘Abd al-Hameed was the judge of Syria. He was later appointed to Baghdad as well. He studied under the students of the students of Abu Haneefah.

At-Tahaawi frequently visited the judges who arrived in Egypt seeking knowledge from them until he became a leading figure of his time. Scholars from various regions traveled to him to benefit from his abundant knowledge, despite their differing paths.

Reports of At-Tahaawi with Scholars and Judges

At-Tahaawi was appointed as a deputy to the judge in Egypt Abu ‘Ubaydullah Muhammad ibn ‘Abdah, who endorsed and enriched him. Muhammad was appointed approximately three years after Bakkar had passed away. Al-Hasan ibn Zulak said: "Egypt was without a judge for three years after Bakkar bin Qutaybah. Then Khumarawayh, the governor of Egypt, appointed Abu 'Ubaydullah Muhammad ibn 'Abdah as the head of grievances in Egypt. He served in this position until the end of the year 277 AH, and then he was appointed as a judge.”

Ibn Zulak reported from ‘Abdullah ibn ‘Umar al-Faqeeh from At-Tahaawi:

“Muhammad ibn 'Abdah al-Qaadhi, used to hold a sitting for Fiqh every Thursday evening, attended by jurists and hadeeth scholars. When he finished and performed the Maghrib prayer, the people would leave except for those with specific needs who would stay. One night, we saw beside the judge an old man wearing a long turban and having a beautiful beard that we did not recognize. When the sitting concluded and the judge prayed, he turned and said, 'Let Abu Sa’eed [Al-Farabi], and Abu Ja'far remain,' and the people departed. Then the judge stood up to pray, and when he finished, candles were lit before him, and he said, 'Let us discuss something.'

That old man asked: 'What did Abu ‘Ubaydah ibn 'Abdullah ibn Mas'ood narrate from his mother and father?' Abu Sa’eed al-Farabi did not say anything, so I said: 'Bakkar ibn Qutaybah told us, Abu Ahmad told us, Sufyaan narrated from Abd al-A'la ath-Thalabi from Abu 'Ubaydah ibn ‘'Abdullah from his mother and father that the Messenger of Allaah (peace be upon him) said: ‘Indeed, Allaah is jealous for the believer, so let him be jealous.’

The old man then asked me: 'Do you know what you’re speaking about?' I replied: 'What is the matter?' He said: 'I saw you this afternoon with the jurists in their field, and now I see you among the hadeeth scholars in their field; few can combine these two states.' I said: 'This is from the favor and grace of Allaah.'

Ibn Zulak said, Abdullah ibn 'Uthman narrated to me and said: I heard Abu Ja'far at-Tahawi say:

“Abu al-Jaysh, the son of Ahmad ibn Tulun, the prince of Egypt, had a testimonial. The witnesses were present, and every time a witness wrote his testimony, the prince and the judge would read it. Each witness would write: 'I bear witness that the prince, Abu al-Jaysh, son of Ahmad ibn Tulun, is a client of the Commander of the Faithful.'

When it was my turn to testify, I wrote: 'I bear witness to the acknowledgment of the prince, Abu al-Jaysh, son of Ahmad ibn Tulun, a client of the Commander of the Faithful; may Allaah prolong his life and sustain his honor and elevation in all matters contained in this document.' When the prince read it, he asked the judge: 'Who is this?' The judge replied: 'This is my scribe.' The prince then asked: 'father of who?' The judge replied: 'Abu Ja'far.' The prince said: 'And you, Abu Ja'far, may Allaah prolong your life and sustain your honor.' As a result of this, I found myself envied by the crowd.'”

Ibn Zulak said, Abu al-Qasim al-Qurashi said:

"I attended a session with At-Tahaawi, and Abu Uthman was there as the judge of Egypt. A man from Aswan entered and asked Abu Ja'far about a matter. At-Tahawi replied: 'According to the opinion of the judge, may Allaah support him, it is such-and-such.' The man responded: 'I did not come to the judge; I came to you.' At-Tahaawi said: 'O man, it is as I said.' The man repeated his question, and then Abu Uthman remarked: 'Please advise him, may Allaah support you.' At-Tahawi said: 'If the judge has permitted, I will advise him.' Subsequently, he advised the man. This incident is regarded as a testament to At-Tahaawi's manners and virtue."

Ibn Zulak said:

"Abdur-Rahman ibn Ishaq al-Jawhari was a wise and knowledgeable jurist, well-versed in calculations, with an extensive work on arithmetic. He never left his study circle in the mosque, attending every night…

Abdur-Rahman was very respectful towards at-Tahawi, to the extent that he would wait for him to mount his horse first. He would say: 'He is our scholar and our example,' and he remarked: 'He is eleven years older than me. The judiciary is too insignificant for me to take pride over Abu Ja'far.'"

His Death

He passed away on Thursday night, at the beginning of Dhu al-Qa'dah in the year 321 AH. This is the date mentioned by the vast majority of the scholars except Ibn an-Nadeem who erred and stated the year was 322 AH.

What was said about him

1- Al-Haafidh Ibn Asaakir in Tareekh Dimashq (7/368) narrated from At-Tahaawi’s student, the historian of Egypt, Abu Sa’eed ibn Yoonus:

“He was trustworthy, established, a jurist, intelligent, he left none like him behind.”

2- Maslamah ibn Qaasim, another student of his, said in as-Silah, as recorded by al-Haafidh Ibn Hajar in al-Lisan (1/376):

“He was trustworthy and established, of great status, a jurist in practice, knowledgeable of scholarly differences, and discerning in authorship.”

3- Ibn ‘Abd al-Barr said in Jaami’ Bayaan al-’Ilm wa’l Fadhlihi (2/897):

“He was among the most knowledgeable people regarding the lives and reports of the scholars, because he followed the school of Kufa (i.e. Hanafi madhhab) and was knowledgeable of madhhab of all jurists.”

4- Abu Ya’la al-Khaleeli said in al-Irshad (1/431):

“At-Tahaawi authored compiled works in Hadeeth and was knowledgeable in Hadeeth.”

5- As-Saymari said in Akbhaar Abi Haneefah wa As-haabihi (pg. 162):

“The leadership of the Hanafi madhhab in Egypt ends at him.”

6- As-Sam’ani said in al-Ansaab (8/218):

“He was an imam, trustworthy, established , jurist, knowledgeable. He left none like him behind.”

7- Ibn al-Jawzi in al-Muntadhim (6/250) said:

“He was reliable, sharp in understanding, and intelligent.”

8- Ibn al-Atheer said in Al-Lubaab Fi Tahtheeb al-Ansaab (2/276):

“He was an Imam, a jurist from the Hanafis. And he was trustworthy and established.”

9- Adh-Dhahabi said in As-Siyar (15/27):

“He was a great imam, a leading scholar, the hadeeth scholar of Egypt, and its jurist.” He then said, “Whoever looks at his books will know his high level of knowledge and learning.”

10- He also said in Tareekh al-Islam (7/439):

“He was a jurist, hadeeth scholar, and preserver of knowledge, one of the leading figures. He was trustworthy, reliable, intelligent, and a jurist.”

11- And he said in Tadhkiraat al-Huffaadh (3/808):

“He was a great imam and hadeeth scholar, the author of excellent books.”

12- And he said in al-’Ibar (2/186):

“Shaykh of the Hanafis. He wrote many books and excelled in Fiqh and Hadeeth.”

13- As-Safadi said in al-Wafi bi al-Wafayaat (8/9):

“He was trustworthy, noble, a jurist, and intelligent. No one like him came after him.”

14- Ibn Katheer in his Tareekh (11/147) said:

“He was a Hanafi jurist, author of books with abundant benefits. He was one of the most trustworthy, reliable, and leading preservers of hadeeth.”

15- Abd al-Qaadir al-Qurashi in al-Jawaahir al-Mudhiyyah (1/102) said:

“Abu Ja’far at-Tahawi, the jurist, imam, and hadeeth scholar.”

16- Al-Maqrizi said:

“He was a Hanafi jurist and hadeeth scholar, one of the leading figures.”

17- Badr ad-Deen al-’Ayni in Nukhbat al-Afkaar said:

“As for at-Tahaawi, there is consensus on his trustworthiness, piety, honesty, complete virtue, and great mastery in hadeeth, its ‘Illal, and abrogation. No one replaced him in this. Everyone who mentioned him among the scholars of hadeeth and history praised him, such as at-Tabaraani, Abu Bakr al-Khateeb, Abu Abdullah al-Humaydi, al-Haafidh Ibn Asakir, and others from earlier and later generations like al-Haafidh Abu al-Hajjaj al-Mizzi, al-Haafidh adh-Dhahabi, Ibn Katheer, and other authors of notable works.”

18- Ibn Taghri Birdi in an-Nujoom adh-Dhahirah (3/239) said:

“He was a Hanafi jurist, hadeeth scholar, and preserver, one of the leading figures, Shaykh al-Islam. He was the top imam of his time in fiqh, hadeeth, scholarly disagreement, legal rulings, language, and grammar. He authored many excellent works.”

19- Ibn Qutlubugha in Taaj at-Tarajim (8) said:

“He was trustworthy, noble, a jurist, and an imam.”

20- As-Suyooti in Tabaqaat al-Huffaadh (p. 337) said:

“He was a great imam and hadeeth scholar, author of excellent books. He was trustworthy, reliable, and a jurist. No one like him came after him.”

21- Ad-Dawoodi in Tabaqaat al-Mufassireen (1/74) said:

“He was a great imam and hadeeth scholar.”

22- Mahmood ibn Sulayman al-Kafawi in his Tabaqaat said:

“He was a great and highly respected imam, famous everywhere. He was an imam in hadeeth and historical reports and authored important and respected works.”

23- At-Tameemi in al-Tabaqaat as-Saniyyah (2/49) said:

“He was a jurist, imam, hadeeth scholar, author of outstanding books, eloquent statements, abundant knowledge, and many virtues.”

24- Ibn al-’Imaad al-Hanbali in Shadharat al-Dhahab (2/288) said:

“He was the leading Hanafi shaykh, trustworthy and reliable, and excelled in fiqh and hadeeth.”

And Allaah knows best.

والله أعلم