Abu Ishaq al-Sarifini
- Died
- 641 AH
- Born in
- -
Abu Ishaq al-Sarifini (581–641 AH / 1185–1243 CE) was a Hanbali hadith master and scholar of Iraqi origin who traveled widely across the Islamic world and abridged Abd al-Ghafir al-Farsi’s history under the title al-Muntakhab min Kitab al-Siyaq li-Tarikh Naysabur .
Early life and education
Taqi al-Din Abu Ishaq Ibrahim ibn Muhammad ibn al-Azhar ibn Ahmad ibn Muhammad al-Iraqi al-Sarifini was born in Sarifin in 581 AH . He recited the Quran under his father and under Shaykh 'Iwad al-Sarifini . Undertaking extensive journeys across Iraq, the Levant, al-Jazira, Khurasan, and Isfahan, he attended the circles of numerous scholars .
He heard hadith in Erbil from Hanbal and Ibn Tabarzad, in Baghdad from Abu Muhammad ibn al-Akhdar, and in Damascus from Abu al-Yumn al-Kindi and the judge Abd al-Samad ibn Muhammad al-Harastani . In Nishapur he studied under al-Mu'ayyad al-Tusi and Zaynab al-Sha'riyya; in Herat under Abu Rawh al-Harawi and Abd al-Mu'izz ibn Muhammad; and in Isfahan under Ali ibn Mansur al-Thaqafi and Abu Bakr Ahmad ibn Sa'id al-Sabbagh . He also accompanied Abd al-Qadir al-Ruhawi in Harran and graduated under his tutelage .
Career and students
Al-Sarifini was appointed head of the hadith academy (mashyakhat Dar al-Hadith) in Manbij . He later left the post and settled in Aleppo, where he took charge of Dar al-Hadith al-Shaddadiyya, founded by Ibn Shaddad . He subsequently relocated to Damascus and narrated hadith there .
A prominent circle of scholars transmitted traditions from him, including Diya al-Din al-Maqdisi, Ibn al-Hulwaniyya, Majd al-Din Ibn al-Adim, Zayn al-Din al-Fariqi, Abu Ali Ibn al-Khallal, and Fakhr al-Din Ibn Asakir .
Standing
Biographers lauded al-Sarifini's reliability, breadth of transmission, and legal erudition. Ibn al-Hajib described him as a trustworthy, dependable imam of extensive transmission and personal generosity despite limited means, who possessed sound knowledge of fiqh and piety . When asked about him, Diya al-Din al-Maqdisi praised him as a reliable hafiz and jurist who was pleasant in companionship . Al-Mundhiri noted that he was a pious and trustworthy memory master who left fine compilations that remained incomplete .
Death
Al-Sarifini died in Damascus in Jumada al-Ula 641 AH at the age of sixty, and was buried at the foot of Mount Qasiyun .
Answer updated
List of Works
This biographical dictionary gathers records of the scholars, jurists, and hadith transmitters associated with Nishapur, including both native residents and visiting figures who narrated traditions or settled there. Abridged from the larger historical continuation al-Siyaq li-Tarikh Naysabur, the text condenses the source material by focusing strictly on biographical data and transmitter evaluation while omitting extended narratives, poetry, and illustrative traditions.