Abu Bakr al-Zubayri al-Akri
- Died
- 332 AH
- Born in
- Samarra
Abu Bakr al-Zubayri al-Akri (248–332 AH / 862–944 CE) was a hadith scholar based in Egypt, known for his compilation Fawa'id Abi Bakr al-Zubayri ("Hadith Benefits of Abu Bakr al-Zubayri") .
Lineage and early life
He was Muhammad ibn Bishr ibn Bitriq—also cited as Muhammad ibn Bishr ibn Abd Allah, with Bitriq being his grandfather's original name . His nisba al-Zubayri stems from his status as a client (mawla) of 'Atiq ibn Maslama ibn 'Atiq ibn 'Amir ibn 'Abd Allah ibn al-Zubayr ibn al-'Awwam; Ibn Yunus recorded that Bitriq was a Byzantine physician who accepted Islam through 'Atiq ibn Maslama . Some scholars recorded his nisba as al-Zanbari with a nun, which al-Dhahabi considered an error, though al-Dhahabi suggested he may have held a confederation (hilf) or resided among them . The nisba al-Akri is vocalized with two fathas (al-'Akari) . He was born in Samarra in 248 AH (862 CE) and settled in Egypt during his youth .
Teachers, students, and career
In Egypt, he received hadith from several prominent authorities, including Bahr ibn Nasr al-Khawlani, al-Rabi ibn Sulayman al-Muradi, Muhammad ibn Abd Allah ibn Abd al-Hakam, Bakkar ibn Qutayba, Abu Umayya al-Tarsusi, and Ibrahim ibn Marzuq . He served as the primary hadith teacher who dictated traditions on Fridays in the Mosque of Fustat . Among his students were Ibn al-Muqri, Muhammad ibn al-Muzaffar, Abu Muhammad ibn al-Nahhas, Abu Bakr ibn Abi al-Hadid, and al-Tabarani .
Controversy and standing
He was appointed by the ruler Muhammad ibn Tughj al-Ikhshid as trustee of the hospital (amin al-maristan) . When Ibn Tughj set out with his troops on a campaign to the Levant, al-Akri rode alongside him to see him off . When he returned to the mosque for his Friday dictation, the traditionists (ashab al-hadith) protested his closeness to the ruler, pulled him from his seat, reviled him, tore up the hadiths they had transcribed from him, and seated al-Samut in his place . Consequently, students ceased to gather around him .
Ibn Yunus evaluated him as trustworthy (thiqa), though he noted that "he did not resemble the scholars," an observation explained by Maslama ibn Qasim as a reflection of his administrative post rather than a defect in his hadith transmission . Maslama described him as trustworthy and truthful (thiqa saduq) .
Death
He died on Thursday, 7 Shawwal 332 AH (May 944 CE) ; an alternate report transmitted by Maslama dates his death to Thursday, 7 Sha'ban 332 AH .
Answer updated
List of Works
Fawaid Abi Bakr al-Zubayri (The Hadith Benefits of Abu Bakr al-Zubayri) is a single-part hadith booklet (juzʾ) preserving a collection of Prophetic hadiths, legal traditions, and biographical reports dictated and transmitted during teaching sessions in Egypt.