Qasim ibn Muhammad ibn Abu Bakr
Encyclopedia
Al-Qāsim ibn Muhammad ibn Abu Bakr as-Siddiq (d. 106 AH or 108 AH) was an important jurist
in early Islam
. He is considered the fourth in the Naqshbandi Golden Chain
of Sufi masters. Naqshbandis also consider him to have passed the chain to his grandson Ja'far as-Sadiq. Al-Qāsim shouldn't be confused with the prophet Muhammad
's son Qasim ibn Muhammad
.
, on 36 / 38 AH (approximately).
, and the son of Muhammad ibn Abi Bakr
, one of Ali
's earliest supporters. His mother was the daughter of Yazdgerd III
, the last king of Persia. Moreover, his daughter Farwah bint al-Qasim
was the mother of the sixth Shi'a Imam, Ja'far as-Sadiq. One of his sons was Abdu r-Rahman. Besides, he was the nephew of Aishah bint Abi Bakr.
, and was considered as the most knowledgeable among them. He was highly influential in disseminating early traditions of hadith
, fiqh
(jurisprudence) and tafsir
(exegesis) of the Qur'an
.
He was a pious imam and was very knowledgeable in the narration of the Traditions. Abu Zannad said, “I never saw anyone better than him in following the Sunnah of the Prophet (s). In our time no one is considered perfect until he is perfect in following the Sunnah of the Prophet and Qasim is one of the perfected men.”
He learned hadith
and fiqh
from his aunt and from Ibn Abbas. He was a transmitter of hadith and criticised the use of a hadith if its text was put before the Quran and established Sunnah.
He was among The Seven Fuqaha of Medina
who were largely responsible for the transmission of knowledge from Medina
and were the source of much of the information of Islam
and the Sunnah
available today.
He left and went to al-Qudayd, a place between Makkah and Madinah on the 9th of Muharram, where he passed on to the next life. The year was 108 (or 109) AH/726 CE, and he was seventy years old.
Abdu r-Rahman ibn Abi Zannad said that his father mentioned, “I did not see anyone who knew the Sunnah better than al-Qasim.”
According to the 11th-century Hilyat al-Awliya: “He was able to extract the deepest juristic rulings and he was supreme in manners and ethics.”
Imam Malik narrated that Umar ibn Abd al-Aziz, considered the fifth rightly-guided caliph, said, “If it were in my hands, I would have made al-Qasim the caliph in my time.”
Sufyan said, “Some people came to al-Qasim with charity which he distributed. After he distributed it, he went to pray. While he was praying, the people began to speak negatively about him. His son said to them, ‘You are speaking behind the back of a man who distributed your charity and did not take one dirham from it for himself.’ Quickly his father scolded him saying, ‘Do not speak, but keep quiet.’” He wanted to teach his son not to defend him, as his only desire was to please God. He had no concern for the opinion of people.
Yahya ibn Sayyid said, “We never found, in our time in Madinah, anyone better than al-Qasim.” Ayyub as-Saqityani said, “I have not seen anyone better than Imam Qasim. He left 100,000 dinars behind for the poor when he passed away, and it was all from his lawful earnings.”
The Sunni Imam Malik related that Umar Ibn Abdul-Aziz said :
Ulema
Ulama , also spelt ulema, refers to the educated class of Muslim legal scholars engaged in the several fields of Islamic studies. They are best known as the arbiters of shari‘a law...
in early Islam
Islam
Islam . The most common are and . : Arabic pronunciation varies regionally. The first vowel ranges from ~~. The second vowel ranges from ~~~...
. He is considered the fourth in the Naqshbandi Golden Chain
Naqshbandi Golden Chain
The Naqshbandi Golden Chain is a lineage of spiritual masters of the Naqshbandi Sufi order related to each other going back to the Islamic prophet Muhammad...
of Sufi masters. Naqshbandis also consider him to have passed the chain to his grandson Ja'far as-Sadiq. Al-Qāsim shouldn't be confused with the prophet Muhammad
Muhammad
Muhammad |ligature]] at U+FDF4 ;Arabic pronunciation varies regionally; the first vowel ranges from ~~; the second and the last vowel: ~~~. There are dialects which have no stress. In Egypt, it is pronounced not in religious contexts...
's son Qasim ibn Muhammad
Qasim ibn Muhammad
Qasim ibn Muhammad was the son of Muhammad and Khadijah bint Khuwaylid. He died in 605 CE, before his second birthday and is buried in Jannatul Mualla cemetery, Makkah, Saudi Arabia.-Siblings:*Abd-Allah ibn Muhammad*Ibrahim ibn Muhammad...
.
Biography
Al-Qāsim ibn Muhammad ibn Abu Bakr As-Siddiq was born on a Thursday, in the holy month of RamadanRamadan
Ramadan is the ninth month of the Islamic calendar, which lasts 29 or 30 days. It is the Islamic month of fasting, in which participating Muslims refrain from eating, drinking, smoking and sex during daylight hours and is intended to teach Muslims about patience, spirituality, humility and...
, on 36 / 38 AH (approximately).
Family
Shaykh Qāsim ibn Muhammad descended from Abu Bakr As-Siddiq on his father’s side and from Ali ibn Abi Talib on his mother’s side. He was the grandson of the first Caliph Abu BakrAbu Bakr
Abu Bakr was a senior companion and the father-in-law of the Islamic prophet Muhammad. He ruled over the Rashidun Caliphate from 632-634 CE when he became the first Muslim Caliph following Muhammad's death...
, and the son of Muhammad ibn Abi Bakr
Muhammad ibn Abi Bakr
Muhammad ibn Abi Bakr was the son of Abu Bakr, who was the senior companion of the Islamic prophet Muhammad and first Rashidun Caliph. His mother was Asma bint Umais...
, one of Ali
Ali
' |Ramaḍān]], 40 AH; approximately October 23, 598 or 600 or March 17, 599 – January 27, 661).His father's name was Abu Talib. Ali was also the cousin and son-in-law of the Islamic prophet Muhammad, and ruled over the Islamic Caliphate from 656 to 661, and was the first male convert to Islam...
's earliest supporters. His mother was the daughter of Yazdgerd III
Yazdgerd III
Yazdegerd III or Yazdgerd III was the twenty-ninth and last king of the Sassanid dynasty of Iran and a grandson of Khosrau II . His father was Shahryar, whose mother was Miriam, the daughter of the Byzantine Emperor Maurice...
, the last king of Persia. Moreover, his daughter Farwah bint al-Qasim
Farwah bint al-Qasim
Farwah bint al-Qasim was the mother of Ja'far al-Sadiq, the sixth Shi'a imam. Her father was Al-Qasim ibn Muhammad ibn Abi Bakr. Her grandfather was Muhammad ibn Abi Bakr. Her great-grandfather was Abu Bakr, the first caliph of the early Islamic state....
was the mother of the sixth Shi'a Imam, Ja'far as-Sadiq. One of his sons was Abdu r-Rahman. Besides, he was the nephew of Aishah bint Abi Bakr.
Life
Al-Qāsim ibn Muhammad ibn Abu Bakr was one of the seven most famous jurists in MedinaMedina
Medina , or ; also transliterated as Madinah, or madinat al-nabi "the city of the prophet") is a city in the Hejaz region of western Saudi Arabia, and serves as the capital of the Al Madinah Province. It is the second holiest city in Islam, and the burial place of the Islamic Prophet Muhammad, and...
, and was considered as the most knowledgeable among them. He was highly influential in disseminating early traditions of hadith
Hadith
The term Hadīth is used to denote a saying or an act or tacit approval or criticism ascribed either validly or invalidly to the Islamic prophet Muhammad....
, fiqh
Fiqh
Fiqh is Islamic jurisprudence. Fiqh is an expansion of the code of conduct expounded in the Quran, often supplemented by tradition and implemented by the rulings and interpretations of Islamic jurists....
(jurisprudence) and tafsir
Tafsir
Tafseer is the Arabic word for exegesis or commentary, usually of the Qur'an. Ta'wīl is a subset of tafsir and refers to esoteric or mystical interpretation. An author of tafsir is a mufassir .- Etymology :...
(exegesis) of the Qur'an
Qur'an
The Quran , also transliterated Qur'an, Koran, Alcoran, Qur’ān, Coran, Kuran, and al-Qur’ān, is the central religious text of Islam, which Muslims consider the verbatim word of God . It is regarded widely as the finest piece of literature in the Arabic language...
.
He was a pious imam and was very knowledgeable in the narration of the Traditions. Abu Zannad said, “I never saw anyone better than him in following the Sunnah of the Prophet (s). In our time no one is considered perfect until he is perfect in following the Sunnah of the Prophet and Qasim is one of the perfected men.”
He learned hadith
Hadith
The term Hadīth is used to denote a saying or an act or tacit approval or criticism ascribed either validly or invalidly to the Islamic prophet Muhammad....
and fiqh
Fiqh
Fiqh is Islamic jurisprudence. Fiqh is an expansion of the code of conduct expounded in the Quran, often supplemented by tradition and implemented by the rulings and interpretations of Islamic jurists....
from his aunt and from Ibn Abbas. He was a transmitter of hadith and criticised the use of a hadith if its text was put before the Quran and established Sunnah.
He was among The Seven Fuqaha of Medina
The Seven Fuqaha of Medina
The Seven Fuqaha of Medina is the title of seven Muslim scholars who were the largest contributors as to the transmission of hadith and making of fatwas in Medina during the 2nd century AH .They are :* Sa'îd Ibn Al Musayyib...
who were largely responsible for the transmission of knowledge from Medina
Medina
Medina , or ; also transliterated as Madinah, or madinat al-nabi "the city of the prophet") is a city in the Hejaz region of western Saudi Arabia, and serves as the capital of the Al Madinah Province. It is the second holiest city in Islam, and the burial place of the Islamic Prophet Muhammad, and...
and were the source of much of the information of Islam
Islam
Islam . The most common are and . : Arabic pronunciation varies regionally. The first vowel ranges from ~~. The second vowel ranges from ~~~...
and the Sunnah
Sunnah
The word literally means a clear, well trodden, busy and plain surfaced road. In the discussion of the sources of religion, Sunnah denotes the practice of Prophet Muhammad that he taught and practically instituted as a teacher of the sharī‘ah and the best exemplar...
available today.
He left and went to al-Qudayd, a place between Makkah and Madinah on the 9th of Muharram, where he passed on to the next life. The year was 108 (or 109) AH/726 CE, and he was seventy years old.
Abdu r-Rahman ibn Abi Zannad said that his father mentioned, “I did not see anyone who knew the Sunnah better than al-Qasim.”
According to the 11th-century Hilyat al-Awliya: “He was able to extract the deepest juristic rulings and he was supreme in manners and ethics.”
Imam Malik narrated that Umar ibn Abd al-Aziz, considered the fifth rightly-guided caliph, said, “If it were in my hands, I would have made al-Qasim the caliph in my time.”
Sufyan said, “Some people came to al-Qasim with charity which he distributed. After he distributed it, he went to pray. While he was praying, the people began to speak negatively about him. His son said to them, ‘You are speaking behind the back of a man who distributed your charity and did not take one dirham from it for himself.’ Quickly his father scolded him saying, ‘Do not speak, but keep quiet.’” He wanted to teach his son not to defend him, as his only desire was to please God. He had no concern for the opinion of people.
Yahya ibn Sayyid said, “We never found, in our time in Madinah, anyone better than al-Qasim.” Ayyub as-Saqityani said, “I have not seen anyone better than Imam Qasim. He left 100,000 dinars behind for the poor when he passed away, and it was all from his lawful earnings.”
Legacy
His student, Abu'z-Zinad 'Abdullah ibn Dhakwan said about him :-
- "I never saw a faqih with more knowledge than al-Qasim. I never saw anyone who had more knowledge of the Sunna than him."
The Sunni Imam Malik related that Umar Ibn Abdul-Aziz said :
-
- "If I had authority in the matter, I would appoint the blind one of Banu Taym," meaning al-Qasim ibn Muhammad.
Further reading
- Classical Islam and the Naqshbandi Sufi Tradition, Shaykh Muhammad Hisham KabbaniHisham KabbaniMuhammad Hisham Kabbani is a prominent Lebanese-American Sufi Muslim. Kabbani advocates an understanding of Islam described by his supporters as fundamentally based on peace, tolerance, respect and love. Kabbani has been an outspoken critic of extremism as well as the Wahabi doctrine...
, Islamic Supreme Council of America (June 2004), ISBN 1-930409-23-0. - The Approach of Armageddon: An Islamic Perspective, Shaykh Muhammad Hisham Kabbani ", (June 2003), ISBN 1-930409-20-6.