Abd bin Humayd

Abd bin Humayd (d. 249 AH / 863 CE) was a Transoxian hadith scholar and Quranic commentator, best known for his hadith collection al-Musnad al-Kabir (The Great Musnad) and his comprehensive Quran commentary. al-Taqyid li-Marifat Ruwa…+1

Name and early life

His full name was Abu Muhammad Abd bin Humayd ibn Nasr al-Kashshi (also vocalized al-Kissi), originating from Kish, a town near Samarkand in Transoxiana. Siyar Aalam al-Nubala+1 Biographical sources record that his given name was Abd al-Hamid, while "Abd" served as a shortened name or honorific title (laqab). Siyar Aalam al-Nubala+1 He was born after 170 AH (ca. 786 CE). Siyar Aalam al-Nubala

Abd bin Humayd set out on extensive journeys in pursuit of hadith around the turn of the third century AH (ca. 815 CE). Tabaqat Ulama al-Hadith Describing the austerity of his early travels, he related that he used to collect and eat discarded watermelon rinds while studying hadith, and that he crossed the desert twice without drinking water. al-Taqyid li-Marifat Ruwa…

Teachers and students

Abd bin Humayd studied under leading traditionists of Iraq, the Hijaz, and Yemen, including Abd al-Razzaq al-San'ani, Yazid ibn Harun, Yahya ibn Adam, Abu Dawud al-Tayalisi, Abu Nu'aym al-Fadl ibn Dukayn, and Uthman ibn Umar ibn Faris. al-Kamal fi Asma al-Rijal+1

A broad circle of scholars transmitted hadith from him, foremost among them Muslim ibn al-Hajjaj, who narrated more than 130 traditions on his authority in his Sahih, and al-Tirmidhi. Tahdhib al-Tahdhib+1 Al-Bukhari also cited a report from him suspendedly (ta'liqan) in his Sahih under the name Abd al-Hamid. Siyar Aalam al-Nubala+1 His other students included his son Muhammad ibn Abd, Umar ibn Muhammad ibn Bujayr, and Ibrahim ibn Khuzaym al-Shashi, who served as the primary transmitter of his major compilations. Tahdhib al-Tahdhib

Scholarly standing

Abd bin Humayd attained high authority in hadith and Quranic exegesis. Qutayba ibn Sa'id advised scholars entering Transoxiana to seek out Abd bin Humayd in Kish, alongside al-Darimi in Samarkand. al-Taqyid li-Marifat Ruwa… Ibn Hibban and Abu Sa'd al-Idrisi praised him as an exacting, trustworthy authority (imam mutqin thiqah), and al-Sam'ani described him as an eminent scholar to whom students journeyed from distant regions. al-Taqyid li-Marifat Ruwa…+1

His scholarly legacy centers on his monumental hadith collection al-Musnad al-Kabir—of which a selection preserved through Ibrahim ibn Khuzaym, al-Muntakhab, has survived—and his extensive Quran commentary al-Tafsir al-Kabir. Tahdhib al-Tahdhib+1

Death

Abd bin Humayd died in Kish in Ramadan 249 AH (863 CE); one specific report places his death on Sunday with ten days remaining in the month, though Ibn Khalfun noted an alternate death date of 247 AH. Ikmal Tahdhib al-Kamal+1 According to Ghunjar's Tarikh Bukhara, Abd bin Humayd visited his ailing peer Yahya ibn Abd al-Ghaffar al-Kashshi and prayed not to outlive him; Yahya died soon after, and Abd bin Humayd died suddenly the next day without illness, after which both funerals were held together. Tahdhib al-Tahdhib+1 Later assertions that he died in Damascus were rejected by al-Dhahabi and other biographers as scribal corruptions, affirming that he had never visited the city. Tahdhib al-Tahdhib+1