Abu Bakr al-Marwazi
- Died
- 292 AH
- Born in
- -
Abu Bakr al-Marwazi (d. 292 AH / 905 CE) was a hadith transmitter and judge originally from Merv, who served in Homs and Damascus and compiled specialized hadith works, including Musnad Abi Bakr al-Siddiq.
Origin and Career
His full lineage is recorded as Ahmad ibn Ali ibn Sa'id ibn Ibrahim al-Qurashi al-Umawi al-Marwazi. He belonged to the Umayyad branch of Quraysh, though one source notes him as their client (mawla). His origins trace to Merv, and it was also reported that he was from Baghdad. Born after 200 AH, he settled in the Levant, where he was appointed as judge of Homs. He subsequently served as deputy judge in Damascus on behalf of its chief magistrate, Abu Zur'ah Muhammad ibn Uthman.
Hadith Scholarship and Reception
Al-Marwazi studied under prominent traditionists of his era, transmitting hadith from Ahmad ibn Hanbal, Yahya ibn Ma'in, Ali ibn al-Madini, Ali ibn al-Ja'd, Abu Bakr and Uthman ibn Abi Shaybah, and Abu Khaythama Zuhayr ibn Harb.
A substantial body of students received narrations from him, most notably al-Nasa'i, who narrated extensively from him, as well as Abu Awanah al-Isfarayini, Ibn Jawsa, and al-Tabarani. Al-Nasa'i evaluated him as trustworthy (thiqah) and stated in another report that there was no harm in him (la ba'sa bihi). Later biographical authorities praised him for his extensive learning and authorship; among his extant and cited compositions are Kitab al-Ilm and Kitab al-Jumu'ah.
Death
Al-Marwazi died on a Wednesday in mid-Dhu al-Hijjah 292 AH at the age of approximately ninety years, or slightly younger. He was buried the following day, on 15 Dhu al-Hijjah, after the afternoon prayer. His funeral prayer was led at the eid prayer ground in Damascus by the presiding judge Abu Hafs Umar ibn al-Hasan, who pronounced five takbirs over him, remarking that he did so out of reverence for the merit of his knowledge.
Answer updated
List of Works
Musnad Abi Bakr al-Siddiq (The Hadith Collection of Abu Bakr al-Siddiq) is a specialized hadith work belonging to the single-narrator genre (musnad mufrad). It gathers the prophetic narrations and reports transmitted on the authority of the first caliph, Abu Bakr al-Siddiq, accompanied by their chains of transmission (isnad).
al-Jumua wa Fadluha (Friday and Its Merits) is a specialized hadith monograph gathering prophetic traditions and early narrations concerning the virtues, legal rulings, and observances of the Friday prayer.