Abu Bakr ibn Mardawayh
- Died
- 410 AH
- Born in
- Isfahan
Abu Bakr ibn Mardawayh (323–410 AH / 935–1019 CE) was a hadith master, Quranic exegete, and historian from Isfahan, recognized as the leading hadith authority of his city and best known for his large narration-based commentary on the Quran and his history of Isfahan .
Lineage and Early Life
He was Ahmad ibn Musa ibn Mardawayh ibn Furak ibn Musa ibn Ja'far al-Isbahani, often referred to as Ibn Mardawayh al-Kabir (the Elder) to distinguish him from his grandson, the hadith transmitter Abu Bakr Ahmad ibn Muhammad ibn Ahmad ibn Mardawayh . Some residents of Isfahan vocalized his ancestor's name as Mirduyah rather than Mardawayh . Born in 323 AH, he was raised in an educated household; his brother Abu Abd Allah Muhammad ibn Musa ibn Mardawayh was an authority in jurisprudence who taught and issued fatwas in Isfahan for thirty years .
Education and Scholarly Activity
Ibn Mardawayh began his studies at an early age. He transmitted one hadith directly from his father, Abu 'Imran Musa ibn Mardawayh, who had sat with Ibrahim ibn Mattawayh before dying in 356 AH . He studied hadith extensively under prominent scholars of his era, including Sulayman ibn Ahmad al-Tabarani, Abu Bakr Muhammad ibn 'Ubayd Allah al-Shafi'i, Abu Sahl ibn Ziyad al-Qattan, Isma'il ibn 'Ali al-Khatbi, Maymun ibn Ishaq, and Da'laj ibn Ahmad al-Sijzi .
He remarked that he had never written anything down after the afternoon prayer and noted that he lost his sight earlier in life than his peers, continuing to dictate hadith entirely from memory after becoming blind . His dictation sessions reached three hundred gatherings, preserved as his Amali . Among his notable students who transmitted from him were Abu Nu'aym al-Isbahani, Abu al-Qasim 'Abd al-Rahman ibn Mandah, Abu al-Khayr Muhammad ibn Ahmad ibn Rara, Abu Mas'ud Sulayman ibn Ibrahim al-Milhanji, and Abu Mansur Muhammad ibn Ahmad ibn Shakruwayh .
Scholarly Standing
Ibn Mardawayh was widely acclaimed for his memory, reliability, and precision. Contemporary scholar Abu Bakr ibn Abi 'Ali stated that Ibn Mardawayh was too prominent in virtue, knowledge, and trustworthiness for his hadith to require appraisal . Imam Isma'il observed that had Ibn Mardawayh lived in Khurasan, his renown would have exceeded that of al-Hakim al-Naysaburi . Later scholars such as al-Dhahabi commended his deep discernment regarding biographical evaluation of transmitters (rijal) and mastery of the discipline, praising his work al-Mustakhraj 'ala Sahih al-Bukhari . His grandson recounted his strict piety and refusal to accept gifts or sweets from men of status in exchange for access or narration .
Death
Ibn Mardawayh died on 25 Ramadan 410 AH (1019 CE) in Isfahan, according to the report transmitted by Yahya ibn 'Abd al-Wahhab ibn Mandah, though another report places his death in 416 AH .
Answer updated
List of Works
Majlisan min al-Amali Ahaduhuma fi Sifat Allah (Two Dictation Sessions from the Amali, One of Them on the Attributes of God) is a hadith treatise comprising two preserved sessions from dictation gatherings, the second of which focuses on narrations concerning divine attributes.
Juz Amma min al-Tafsir al-Musnad is an extant portion of a narration-based Quranic exegesis (tafsir bi-l-ma'thur), covering the thirtieth section of the Quran through reports with complete chains of transmission.
Thalathat Majalis min Amali Ibn Mardawayh (Three Sessions from the Dictations of Ibn Mardawayh) is a hadith tract (juz') preserving three dictation sessions that record prophetic traditions with their chains of transmission.