Abu al-Futuh al-Ta'i
- Died
- 555 AH
- Born in
- Hamadan
Abu al-Futuh al-Ta'i (476–555 AH / 1083–1160 CE) was a hadith scholar, preacher, and jurist from Hamadhan, best known for his thematic forty-hadith collection Kitab al-Arba'in fi irshad al-sa'irin ila manazil al-muttaqin .
Life and Education
His full name was Majd al-Din Abu al-Futuh Muhammad ibn Abi Ja'far Muhammad ibn 'Ali ibn Muhammad al-Ta'i al-Hamadhani . He was born in Hamadhan; when questioned about his birth year, he stated it was 476 AH (1083/1084 CE), though another source records it as 475 AH .
Al-Ta'i traveled extensively in pursuit of religious knowledge across Khurasan, Iraq, and the Jibal region . In Marw, he studied Islamic jurisprudence for a period under the father of Abu Sa'd al-Sam'ani, returning to his native Hamadhan in 509 AH . In 510 AH, he journeyed to Baghdad on pilgrimage, where he heard hadith from Abu 'Ali ibn Nabhan and scholars of his generation . Among his other prominent teachers were Find ibn 'Abd al-Rahman al-Sha'rani and Isma'il ibn al-Hasan al-Fara'idi .
Scholarly Standing and Contribution
Al-Ta'i earned recognition for his proficiency across hadith transmission, jurisprudence, belles-lettres (adab), and homiletics; Abu Sa'd al-Sam'ani commended him as eloquent in speech and pleasant in conversation .
His most notable contribution was Kitab al-Arba'in fi irshad al-sa'irin ila manazil al-muttaqin (also known as al-Arba'in al-Ta'iyya), an expansive compilation consisting of forty traditions transmitted from forty teachers, narrating from forty Companions . In this work, each hadith is accompanied by a biography of the Companion, an exposition of the text and its legal rulings, an illustrative moral narrative, and transmitted verses of poetry . The hadith scholar Salah al-Din al-'Ala'i praised the compilation, remarking that it was larger and contained greater benefit than prior forty-hadith collections .
Death
Al-Ta'i died in Shawwal 555 AH (October 1160 CE) in Hamadhan and was buried in his Sufi lodge (ribat) there .
Answer updated
List of Works
Kitab al-Arbain fi Irshad al-Sairin ila Manazil al-Muttaqin, also known as al-Arba'in al-Ta'iyya, is a comprehensive forty-hadith collection. The work combines hadith transmission, legal commentary, biographical notices, moral narratives, and poetry.