Abu al-Husayn ibn al-Muzaffar

Abu al-Husayn ibn al-Muzaffar (286–379 AH / 899–989 CE) was a Baghdad-based hadith master and scholar known for his extensive compilations of prophetic traditions, including a collection on the virtues of al-Abbas ibn Abd al-Muttalib al-Bidaya wa al-Nihaya+1.

Lineage and Early Life

His full name was Muhammad ibn al-Muzaffar ibn Musa ibn Isa ibn Muhammad ibn Abd Allah ibn Salama ibn Iyas al-Bazzar Tarikh Baghdad+1. Abd al-Wahid ibn Ali ibn Burhan al-Asadi stated that he was a descendant of Iyas ibn Salama ibn al-Akwa', a companion of the Prophet ﷺ Tarikh Baghdad. However, al-Khatib al-Baghdadi doubted this claim, citing Ali ibn al-Muhsin al-Tanukhi's report that Ibn al-Muzaffar dictated his genealogy up to Iyas and remarked: "I do not know that we are from the Arabs; my father and earlier ancestors were from Samarra, then my father moved to Baghdad" Tarikh Baghdad. Al-Khatib noted that since Salama ibn al-Akwa' was an Aslami Arab, Ibn al-Muzaffar would have acknowledged Arab descent had the lineage been established Tarikh Baghdad.

Ibn al-Muzaffar was born in Baghdad at the beginning of Muharram 286 AH (899 CE), and his earliest formal hearing of hadith began in Muharram 300 AH Tarikh Baghdad+1.

Travels, Education, and Students

He traveled widely to collect narrations across Mesopotamia, Syria, and Egypt, studying in centers such as Damascus, Harran, Kufa, Wasit, and al-Raqqa Tarikh Baghdad+1. Among his many teachers were Muhammad ibn Jarir al-Tabari, Abu al-Qasim al-Baghawi, Abu Ja'far al-Tahawi, Abu Bakr ibn Abi Dawud, Abu Urubah al-Harrani, and Abu al-Hasan ibn Jawsa Tarikh Baghdad.

A large number of prominent traditionists transmitted hadith from him, including al-Daraqutni, Abu Hafs ibn Shahin, Abu Nu'aym al-Isbahani, Abu Bakr al-Barqani, and Abu al-Fath ibn Abi al-Fawaris Tarikh Baghdad+1.

Scholarly Standing and Reception

Ibn al-Muzaffar was recognized by his contemporaries as an accurate, prolific, and trustworthy hadith master Tarikh Baghdad+1. Ibn Abi al-Fawaris praised him as dependable, possessing an exceptional memory, and remarked that the ultimate mastery of hadith resided with him, noting also that he was referred to as "the White Falcon" (al-Baz al-Abyad) al-Muntazam fi Tarikh al-…+1. Al-Daraqutni held him in extraordinary esteem, declining to lean back in his presence and recording thousands of traditions from him al-Bidaya wa al-Nihaya+1.

When Abu Abd al-Rahman al-Sulami asked al-Daraqutni about his reliability, al-Daraqutni declared him trustworthy and safe; when asked about alleged inclinations toward Shi'ism (tashayyu'), al-Daraqutni remarked that it was minimal and harmless al-Jami li-Kutub al-Duafa…+1. Abu al-Walid al-Baji later claimed that he displayed apparent tashayyu', an assertion that later commentators suggested may have stemmed from Ibn al-Muzaffar's compilation of a work on the virtues of al-Abbas al-Jami li-Kutub al-Duafa….

Death

Ibn al-Muzaffar died on a Friday in Baghdad and was buried on Saturday, 3 Jumada al-Ula 379 AH (August 989 CE), having lived for more than ninety years al-Bidaya wa al-Nihaya+1. A variant report places his death in Jumada al-Akhira of that year al-Bidaya wa al-Nihaya+1.