Abu Bakr al-Marwazi
- Died
- 275 AH
- Born in
- -
Abu Bakr al-Marwazi (c. 200–275 AH / c. 815–888 CE) was a Baghdadi jurist and hadith scholar who was the closest and most prominent companion of Ahmad ibn Hanbal .
Background and Companionship with Ahmad
Al-Marwazi’s full name was Ahmad ibn Muhammad ibn al-Hajjaj; one report adds ibn 'Abd al-'Aziz . Born around 200 AH, he settled in Baghdad; his father hailed from Khwarazm and his mother was from Marw al-Rudh .
Al-Marwazi became the foremost disciple of Ahmad ibn Hanbal due to his scrupulous piety and virtue . Ahmad held him in high esteem, was completely at ease in his company, and placed exceptional trust in him, even telling him when dispatching him on errands: "Whatever you say is on my tongue, so I have said it" . When Ahmad passed away, al-Marwazi attended his deathbed, closed his eyes, and washed his body .
Teachers and Students
Beyond Ahmad ibn Hanbal, al-Marwazi studied and transmitted hadith from Harun ibn Ma'ruf, Muhammad ibn al-Minhal al-Darir, 'Ubayd Allah ibn 'Umar al-Qawariri, Surayj ibn Yunus, Muhammad ibn 'Abd Allah ibn Numayr, 'Uthman ibn Abi Shayba, al-'Abbas ibn 'Abd al-'Azim al-'Anbari, and Muhammad ibn 'Abd al-'Aziz ibn Abi Rizma .
His own transmissions and teachings were related by scholars including Abu Bakr al-Khallal, Muhammad ibn 'Isa ibn al-Walid, Muhammad ibn Makhlad al-'Attar, 'Abd Allah al-Khiraqi (father of Abu al-Qasim al-Khiraqi), and Abu Hamid Ahmad ibn 'Abd Allah al-Hadhdha' . Al-Marwazi transmitted an extensive collection of Ahmad’s legal responsa and ethical dictations, including the material compiled in Kitab al-Wara' (The Book of Scrupulous Piety) .
Standing and Public Renown
Scholars praised al-Marwazi for his strict adherence to the Sunnah and his defensive advocacy of orthodox doctrine . Ishaq ibn Dawud remarked that he knew no one more upright in upholding the affairs of Islam, while Abu Bakr ibn Sadaqa noted that no one defended God's religion more vigorously . 'Abd al-Wahhab al-Warraq affirmed his truthfulness and reliability against detractors .
When al-Marwazi set out on a military expedition (ghazw), crowds followed him as far as Samarra . Despite his attempts to send them back, an estimated 50,000 people remained in Samarra, prompting an onlooker to urge him to thank God for the knowledge disseminated in his name; al-Marwazi wept and replied that the knowledge belonged entirely to Ahmad ibn Hanbal .
Death
Al-Marwazi died in Jumada al-Ula 275 AH; another report specifies the 6th of Jumada al-Ula . Harun ibn al-'Abbas al-Hashimi led his funeral prayer, and he was buried near the grave of Ahmad ibn Hanbal .
Answer updated
List of Works
Akhbar al-Shuyukh wa Akhlaqihim ("Reports of the Scholars and Their Moral Character") is a biographical and ethical work. It documents reports, moral teachings, and anecdotes regarding early Islamic scholars and ascetics, drawn largely from the transmissions and observations of Ahmad ibn Hanbal.
al-Wara' (Scrupulous Piety) is a collection of ethical, legal, and pietistic questions and responses recorded from Ahmad ibn Hanbal. The work centers on scrupulous avoidance of doubtful or illicit matters in daily life, alongside anecdotes about the comportment of pious predecessors.