Sufyan ibn `Uyaynah
Encyclopedia
Abū Muḥammad Sufyān ibn `Uyaynah ibn Maymūn al-Hilālī al-Kūfī (725 – ) was a prominent eighth century Islam
ic religious scholar from Mecca
. He was is from the third generation of Islam
referred to as the Tābi`u al-Tābiʻīn, "the followers of the followers." He specialized in the field of hadith
and Qur`an exegesis
and was described by al-Dhahabī
as shaykh al-Islam
—a preeminent Islamic authority. Some of his students achieved much renown in their own right, establishing schools of thought that have survived until the present.
in present day Iraq
where he was a governor for Khālid ibn ʻAbdillāh al-Qasrī. However, when al-Qasrī was removed from his position his successor sought out his governors causing `Uyaynah to flee to Mecca where he then settled.
Ibn `Uyaynah was born in the year 725 CE/107 AH. He was the client (mawlā
) of Muḥammad ibn Muzāḥim and began his religious studying while still young. He said of himself that he first sat formally with a religious instructor at 12 when he attended the lessons of ʻAbd al-Karīm Abū Umayyah. Subsequent teachers include ʻAmr ibn Dīnār, al-Zuhrī
, Ziyād ibn ʻAllāqah, Abū Isḥāq, al-Aswad ibn Qays, Zayd ibn Aslam, ʻAbdullāh ibn Dīnār, Manṣūr ibn al-Muʻtamir, ʻAbd al-Raḥmān ibn al-Qāsim and many others.
By his own account, Ibn `Uyaynah read the entire Qur'an (perhaps meaning that he had memorized it) by the age of four and began writing hadith at age seven. Upon turning 15, his father gave him the following advice which he later said he never turned away from:
He lived in Mecca
and had nine brothers. Of the brothers, five pursued studies in hadith with Sufyān becoming the most renowned of them. The names of the remaining four are Muḥammad, Ibrāhīm, Ādam and ʻImrām.
of the inhabitants of the Hejaz
region of what is now Saudi Arabia
. He was lauded by Muḥammad Ibn Ismāʼīl al-Bukhārī
for his memorizing ability, an essential quality for a hadith narrator. Not just a transmitter of recorded knowledge, his student al-Shāfiʿī said he had not seen anyone more adept at explaining the meaning of hadiths than Ibn `Uyaynah. His humility was also illustrated by al-Shāfiʿī's mention of Ibn `Uyaynah's reluctance to give religious verdicts
. Ibn Mahdī preferred him to a contemporary of his, Sufyān al-Thawrī, in their understanding of the Qur'an
and hadith
.
Statements attributed to Ibn `Uyaynah illustrate his respect for religious knowledge, acting upon that knowledge and the sacrifice necessary to obtain it. In one statement he said that whatever increase a person experiences in their intellect is matched by a decrease in material wealth. And, that knowledge that does not benefit an individual is of detriment to them.
Ibn `Uyaynah's students were numerous. Many of them would embark on a religious pilgrimage (Hajj)
to Mecca
intending to meet him and then crowding him during the days of Hajj. Some of Ibn `Uyaynah's teachers were also his students, for example, al-ʻAmash, Ibn Jurayj, and Shuʼbah. Both Abū ʿAbdullāh Muhammad ibn Idrīs al-Shāfiʿī
the namesake of the Shāfiʻī school of jurisprudence and Aḥmad ibn Muḥammad ibn Ḥanbal
the namesake of the Ḥanbalī
school. Al-Nawawī, a prominent Shāfiʻī scholar, cited Ibn `Uyaynah as from "the grandfathers of the Shāfiʻī scholars in their methodology in jurisprudence
". Other notable students include ʻAbdullāh ibn al-Mubārak, ʻAbd al-Raḥmān ibn Mahdī, Yaḥyā ibn Maʻīn
and Isḥāq ibn Rāhūyah.
The hadith Ibn `Uyaynah narrated are found in the six canonical hadith collections
.
seventy times, saying that each time he went he supplicated Allah
that that not be the last time he visit the places of Hajj. He said he was shy to ask this again on the seventieth occasion and returned to Mecca and died there within the next year. He died on Saturday February 25, 814 CE, the first day of Rajab
, 198 AH, at the age of 91. He was buried in the al-Ḥajūn district of Mecca.
with his Jāmiʻ which followed the Muwaṭṭaʼ of Mālik ibn Anas
. The subject of his book was Prophetic narrations (sunan) and subsequent narrations (āthār) and another contained "some" Qur`an exegesis
. Al-Ubbī, a latter religious scholar, claimed this work to be one of the first compilations in Islam
.
In summary, his two known works are:
Islam
Islam . The most common are and . : Arabic pronunciation varies regionally. The first vowel ranges from ~~. The second vowel ranges from ~~~...
ic religious scholar from Mecca
Mecca
Mecca is a city in the Hijaz and the capital of Makkah province in Saudi Arabia. The city is located inland from Jeddah in a narrow valley at a height of above sea level...
. He was is from the third generation of Islam
Islam
Islam . The most common are and . : Arabic pronunciation varies regionally. The first vowel ranges from ~~. The second vowel ranges from ~~~...
referred to as the Tābi`u al-Tābiʻīn, "the followers of the followers." He specialized in the field 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....
and Qur`an exegesis
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 :...
and was described by al-Dhahabī
Al-Dhahabi
Muhammad ibn Ahmad ibn `Uthman ibn Qaymaz ibn `Abd Allah, Shams al-Din Abu `Abd Allah al-Turkmani al-Diyarbakri al-Fariqi al-Dimashqi al-Dhahabi al-Shafi`i , known as Al-Dhahabi , a Shafi'i Muhaddith and historian of Islam.-Biography:...
as shaykh al-Islam
Sheikh ul-Islam
Shaykh al-Islām is a title of superior authority in the issues of Islam....
—a preeminent Islamic authority. Some of his students achieved much renown in their own right, establishing schools of thought that have survived until the present.
Biography
Ibn `Uyaynah's father, `Uyaynah ibn Abī ʻImrān, was originally from KufaKufa
Kufa is a city in Iraq, about south of Baghdad, and northeast of Najaf. It is located on the banks of the Euphrates River. The estimated population in 2003 was 110,000....
in present day Iraq
Iraq
Iraq ; officially the Republic of Iraq is a country in Western Asia spanning most of the northwestern end of the Zagros mountain range, the eastern part of the Syrian Desert and the northern part of the Arabian Desert....
where he was a governor for Khālid ibn ʻAbdillāh al-Qasrī. However, when al-Qasrī was removed from his position his successor sought out his governors causing `Uyaynah to flee to Mecca where he then settled.
Ibn `Uyaynah was born in the year 725 CE/107 AH. He was the client (mawlā
Mawla
The word Mawlā or patron has two meanings. Mawla is an Arabic word "مولی", prominently used in Islamic literature which means protector.“Call them by their fathers: that is juster in the sight of Allah. But if you know not their father'sthey are your Brothers in faith and those entrusted to you...
) of Muḥammad ibn Muzāḥim and began his religious studying while still young. He said of himself that he first sat formally with a religious instructor at 12 when he attended the lessons of ʻAbd al-Karīm Abū Umayyah. Subsequent teachers include ʻAmr ibn Dīnār, al-Zuhrī
Ibn Shihab al-Zuhri
For the geographer from Al-Andalus see Mohammed Ibn Abu Bakr al-ZuhriMuhammad ibn Muslim ibn Ubaydullah ibn Shihab al-Zuhri , usually called simply Ibn Shihab or al-Zuhri...
, Ziyād ibn ʻAllāqah, Abū Isḥāq, al-Aswad ibn Qays, Zayd ibn Aslam, ʻAbdullāh ibn Dīnār, Manṣūr ibn al-Muʻtamir, ʻAbd al-Raḥmān ibn al-Qāsim and many others.
By his own account, Ibn `Uyaynah read the entire Qur'an (perhaps meaning that he had memorized it) by the age of four and began writing hadith at age seven. Upon turning 15, his father gave him the following advice which he later said he never turned away from:
My son, the meanderings of childhood have now departed you, associate yourself with good and you will be from its people. And, know that none will be content with the religious scholars unless obedient to them so obey them and be content, serve them and grasp some of their knowledge.
He lived in Mecca
Mecca
Mecca is a city in the Hijaz and the capital of Makkah province in Saudi Arabia. The city is located inland from Jeddah in a narrow valley at a height of above sea level...
and had nine brothers. Of the brothers, five pursued studies in hadith with Sufyān becoming the most renowned of them. The names of the remaining four are Muḥammad, Ibrāhīm, Ādam and ʻImrām.
Scholastic career
Ibn `Uyaynah was praised by contemporaries for both his knowledge and humility. ʻAbd al-Raḥmān ibn Mahdī described him as from the most knowledgeable people of the hadithHadith
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....
of the inhabitants of the Hejaz
Hejaz
al-Hejaz, also Hijaz is a region in the west of present-day Saudi Arabia. Defined primarily by its western border on the Red Sea, it extends from Haql on the Gulf of Aqaba to Jizan. Its main city is Jeddah, but it is probably better known for the Islamic holy cities of Mecca and Medina...
region of what is now Saudi Arabia
Saudi Arabia
The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia , commonly known in British English as Saudi Arabia and in Arabic as as-Sa‘ūdiyyah , is the largest state in Western Asia by land area, constituting the bulk of the Arabian Peninsula, and the second-largest in the Arab World...
. He was lauded by Muḥammad Ibn Ismāʼīl al-Bukhārī
Muhammad al-Bukhari
Muhammad Ibn Ismail Ibn Ibrahim Ibn al-Mughirah Ibn Bardizbah al-Bukhari , popularly known as Bukhari or Imam Bukhari, , was a Sunni Islamic scholar of Persia...
for his memorizing ability, an essential quality for a hadith narrator. Not just a transmitter of recorded knowledge, his student al-Shāfiʿī said he had not seen anyone more adept at explaining the meaning of hadiths than Ibn `Uyaynah. His humility was also illustrated by al-Shāfiʿī's mention of Ibn `Uyaynah's reluctance to give religious verdicts
Fatwa
A fatwā in the Islamic faith is a juristic ruling concerning Islamic law issued by an Islamic scholar. In Sunni Islam any fatwā is non-binding, whereas in Shia Islam it could be considered by an individual as binding, depending on his or her relation to the scholar. The person who issues a fatwā...
. Ibn Mahdī preferred him to a contemporary of his, Sufyān al-Thawrī, in their understanding 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...
and 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....
.
Statements attributed to Ibn `Uyaynah illustrate his respect for religious knowledge, acting upon that knowledge and the sacrifice necessary to obtain it. In one statement he said that whatever increase a person experiences in their intellect is matched by a decrease in material wealth. And, that knowledge that does not benefit an individual is of detriment to them.
Ibn `Uyaynah's students were numerous. Many of them would embark on a religious pilgrimage (Hajj)
Hajj
The Hajj is the pilgrimage to Mecca, Saudi Arabia. It is one of the largest pilgrimages in the world, and is the fifth pillar of Islam, a religious duty that must be carried out at least once in their lifetime by every able-bodied Muslim who can afford to do so...
to Mecca
Mecca
Mecca is a city in the Hijaz and the capital of Makkah province in Saudi Arabia. The city is located inland from Jeddah in a narrow valley at a height of above sea level...
intending to meet him and then crowding him during the days of Hajj. Some of Ibn `Uyaynah's teachers were also his students, for example, al-ʻAmash, Ibn Jurayj, and Shuʼbah. Both Abū ʿAbdullāh Muhammad ibn Idrīs al-Shāfiʿī
Muhammad ibn Idris ash-Shafi`i
Abū ʿAbdullāh Muhammad ibn Idrīs al-Shafiʿī was a Muslim jurist, who lived from 767 CE to 820 CE. He was active in juridical matters and his teaching eventually led to the Shafi'i school of fiqh named after him. Hence he is often called Imam al-Shafi'i...
the namesake of the Shāfiʻī school of jurisprudence and Aḥmad ibn Muḥammad ibn Ḥanbal
Ahmad ibn Hanbal
Ahmad bin Muhammad bin Hanbal Abu `Abd Allah al-Shaybani was an important Muslim scholar and theologian. He is considered the founder of the Hanbali school of fiqh...
the namesake of the Ḥanbalī
Hanbali
The Hanbali school is one the schools of Fiqh or religious law within Sunni Islam. The jurisprudence school traces back to Imam Ahmad ibn Hanbal but was institutionalized by his students. Hanbali jurisprudence is considered very strict and conservative, especially regarding questions of dogma...
school. Al-Nawawī, a prominent Shāfiʻī scholar, cited Ibn `Uyaynah as from "the grandfathers of the Shāfiʻī scholars in their methodology in jurisprudence
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....
". Other notable students include ʻAbdullāh ibn al-Mubārak, ʻAbd al-Raḥmān ibn Mahdī, Yaḥyā ibn Maʻīn
Yahya ibn Ma'in
-Biography:He was a close friend of Imam Ahmad ibn Hanbal.He is often quoted regarding Ilm ar-RijalImam Yahya ibn Ma’een was a famous Muhaddith and expert of Rijaal...
and Isḥāq ibn Rāhūyah.
The hadith Ibn `Uyaynah narrated are found in the six canonical hadith collections
Six major Hadith collections
The six major Hadith collections are collections of hadith by Islamic scholars who, approximately 200 years after Muhammad's death and by their own initiative, collected "hadith" attributed to Muhammad...
.
Death
Ibn `Uyaynah performed the religious pilgrimage (Hajj)Hajj
The Hajj is the pilgrimage to Mecca, Saudi Arabia. It is one of the largest pilgrimages in the world, and is the fifth pillar of Islam, a religious duty that must be carried out at least once in their lifetime by every able-bodied Muslim who can afford to do so...
seventy times, saying that each time he went he supplicated Allah
Allah
Allah is a word for God used in the context of Islam. In Arabic, the word means simply "God". It is used primarily by Muslims and Bahá'ís, and often, albeit not exclusively, used by Arabic-speaking Eastern Catholic Christians, Maltese Roman Catholics, Eastern Orthodox Christians, Mizrahi Jews and...
that that not be the last time he visit the places of Hajj. He said he was shy to ask this again on the seventieth occasion and returned to Mecca and died there within the next year. He died on Saturday February 25, 814 CE, the first day of Rajab
Rajab
Rajab is the seventh month of the Islamic calendar. The lexical definition of Rajaba is "to respect", of which Rajab is a derivative.This month is regarded as one of the four sacred months in Islam in which battles are prohibited...
, 198 AH, at the age of 91. He was buried in the al-Ḥajūn district of Mecca.
Works
Ibn `Uyaynah compiled one of the early collections of hadithHadith
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....
with his Jāmiʻ which followed the Muwaṭṭaʼ of Mālik ibn Anas
Malik ibn Anas
Mālik ibn Anas ibn Mālik ibn Abī 'Āmir al-Asbahī is known as "Imam Malik," the "Sheikh of Islam", the "Proof of the Community," and "Imam of the Abode of Emigration." He was one of the most highly respected scholars of fiqh in Sunni Islam...
. The subject of his book was Prophetic narrations (sunan) and subsequent narrations (āthār) and another contained "some" Qur`an exegesis
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 :...
. Al-Ubbī, a latter religious scholar, claimed this work to be one of the first compilations in Islam
Islam
Islam . The most common are and . : Arabic pronunciation varies regionally. The first vowel ranges from ~~. The second vowel ranges from ~~~...
.
In summary, his two known works are:
- al-Jāmiʼ
- al-Tafsīr