Abu al-Hasan al-Harbi
- Died
- 386 AH
- Born in
- -
Abu al-Hasan al-Harbi (296–386 AH / 909–996 CE) was a Baghdadi hadith transmitter who became the senior-most surviving transmitter of elevated transmission chains in Baghdad in his later years .
Identity and Early Life
His full name was Ali ibn Umar ibn Muhammad ibn al-Hasan ibn Shadhan ibn Ibrahim ibn Ishaq . In addition to the nisba al-Harbi—referencing the Harbiya quarter in western Baghdad—he was known by several other nisbas and appellations, including al-Himyari, al-Hadrami, al-Khattali, al-Sukkari, al-Sayrafi, and al-Kayyal .
He stated that his birth occurred at the beginning of Muharram 296 AH (909 CE) . He commenced his studies and audition of hadith in 303 AH under Ahmad ibn al-Hasan ibn Abd al-Jabbar al-Sufi, a prominent companion of Yahya ibn Ma'in .
Teachers, Transmission, and Students
Al-Harbi outlived the other students of his generation and became the last surviving narrator to transmit directly from al-Sufi, as well as from Abbad al-Sirini, Ali ibn Ishaq ibn Zatiya al-Makhrami, and al-Hasan ibn al-Tayyib . His other teachers included Ibrahim ibn Muhammad ibn Ayyub al-Sa'igh, Abu Nasr Ahmad ibn Muhammad ibn Hisham al-Taliqani, and Abu al-Qasim al-Baghawi .
He taught and held dictation sessions at the Jami' al-Mansur mosque in Baghdad . A broad circle of prominent scholars transmitted from him, including al-Qadi Abu al-Tayyib al-Tabari, al-Qadi Abu Ya'la ibn al-Farra', Abu al-Husayn Ahmad ibn Muhammad ibn al-Naqqur, Abu al-Qasim al-Azhari, al-Hasan ibn Muhammad al-Khallal, Ahmad ibn Muhammad al-Atiqi, Ali ibn al-Muhassin al-Tanukhi, Abd al-Aziz al-Azji, Muhammad ibn Ahmad ibn Hasnun al-Narsi, and Ali ibn Umar ibn al-Qazwini . His transmissions were gathered in five parts known as al-Harbiyyat (or al-Fawa'id al-muntaqat al-ghara'ib al-hisan), the first of which comprised the transmissions of Yahya ibn Ma'in via al-Sufi, while the remaining parts gathered hadiths from his other teachers .
Scholarly Standing and Reception
Biographers recorded mixed assessments of al-Harbi's transmissions, largely stemming from issues related to his reliance on manuscripts and the loss of his eyesight. Al-Atiqi praised him as trustworthy and dependable (thiqah ma'mun), noting that most of his audition was preserved in his brother's handwriting . Abu al-Qasim al-Azhari regarded him as personally truthful (saduq) and trustworthy (thiqah), but explained that some hadith students had read texts to him that were not in his authentic records and forged additions (alhaqu fihi al-sama'), which other scholars subsequently detected and rejected .
Abd al-Aziz al-Azji maintained that al-Harbi's hearing was sound (sahih al-sama') and that the interpolations occurred only after he had lost his sight, emphasizing that al-Harbi bore no personal fault for what students read to him in that state . In contrast, Abu Bakr al-Barqani evaluated him critically, declaring him weak and stating that his narrations carried little weight .
Death
Al-Harbi lost his eyesight toward the end of his life . He died in Shawwal 386 AH (996 CE), with Ibn al-Tawzi reporting that his death occurred on the night of Saturday, three nights before the end of the month .
Answer updated
List of Works
Mashyakhat Abi al-Hasan al-Sukkari is a hadith tract (juzʾ) containing prophetic narrations and reports transmitted through various teachers. The narrations encompass legal rulings, devotional practices, and moral exhortations, covering topics such as using the tooth-stick for night prayer, the prescription of Hajj, the legal threshold for amputation in theft, witr prayer, funeral etiquette, and eschatological signs.
Hadith Abi al-Hasan al-Sukkari is a hadith compendium (juzʾ) compiling traditions narrated on the authority of the compiler's teachers.
al-Juzʾ al-Thani min al-Harbiyyat (The Second Part of the Harbiyyat) is a hadith tract comprising narrations related directly from the compiler's teachers. It forms the second section of the broader five-part Harbiyyat collection, titled al-Fawaʾid al-muntaqah al-gharaʾib al-hisan.
al-Fawaid al-Muntaqat an al-Shuyukh al-Awali, commonly known as al-Harbiyyat, is a multi-part hadith collection gathering rare, sound, and elevated narrations transmitted through prominent shaykhs. The work consists of five parts: the first covers transmissions from Yahya ibn Maʾin via Ahmad ibn al-Hasan ibn Abd al-Jabbar al-Sufi, while the remaining four parts gather hadiths narrated directly from the compiler's teachers.
al-Thalith min al-Fawaʾid al-Muntaqat lil-Harbi is a hadith collection compiling prophetic hadiths and non-prophetic reports narrated through elevated transmission chains and selected rare reports. It forms the third fascicle (juzʾ) of the five-part compilation known as al-Harbiyyat, presenting narrations received directly from the compiler's teachers.