Affan ibn Muslim al-Saffar

Affan ibn Muslim al-Saffar (c. 134–220 AH / 751–835 CE) was a prominent hadith scholar and traditionist originally from Basra who later settled in Baghdad Qiladat al-Nahr fi Wafaya…+1. He was widely recognized for his precision in transmission and his steadfast stance during the inquisition over the createdness of the Quran Qiladat al-Nahr fi Wafaya…+1.

Lineage and Early Life

His full name was Abu Uthman Affan ibn Muslim ibn Abd Allah al-Saffar al-Bahili al-Ansari, as a client (mawla) of Uzrah ibn Thabit al-Ansari Qiladat al-Nahr fi Wafaya…+1. He was born around 134 AH and grew up in Basra before relocating to Baghdad, where he lived and taught for the remainder of his life al-Mujam al-Saghir li-Ruw…+1.

Teachers and Students

Affan studied under numerous leading traditionists of the eighth century. His teachers included Shu'bah ibn al-Hajjaj, Hammad ibn Salamah, Hammad ibn Zayd, Hammam ibn Yahya, Wuheyb ibn Khalid, and Sakhr ibn Juwayriyyah Qiladat al-Nahr fi Wafaya…+1.

He transmitted traditions to many of the foremost scholars of the subsequent generation. Among his students were Ahmad ibn Hanbal, Muhammad ibn Isma'il al-Bukhari, Yahya ibn Ma'in, Ali ibn al-Madini, Ishaq ibn Rahawayh, Abu Bakr ibn Abi Shaybah, Muhammad ibn Sa'd, and Abu Hatim al-Razi Qiladat al-Nahr fi Wafaya…+1. His personal transmissions were gathered in a dedicated tract known as Hadith Affan ibn Muslim (The Transmissions of Affan ibn Muslim) al-Mashyakha al-Baghdadiy….

Trial during the Mihna

When the Abbasid caliph al-Ma'mun instituted the inquisition (Mihna) demanding the affirmation that the Quran was created, Affan was the first scholar summoned and interrogated in Baghdad Qiladat al-Nahr fi Wafaya…+1. Al-Ma'mun issued instructions to the governor of Baghdad ordering that Affan's monthly stipend—reported as five hundred dirhams in one account and one thousand dirhams in another—be terminated if he refused to comply Qiladat al-Nahr fi Wafaya…+1. Affan refused to profess the doctrine, and upon having his stipend severed, he recited the Quranic verse: وَفِي السَّمَاءِ رِزْقُكُمْ وَمَا تُوعَدُونَ ("And in the heaven is your provision and whatever you are promised") Qiladat al-Nahr fi Wafaya….

Standing and Death

Affan was considered one of the foundational pillars of hadith transmission Qiladat al-Nahr fi Wafaya…. Yahya ibn Ma'in counted him among the five primary authorities of hadith alongside Ibn Jurayj, Malik ibn Anas, Sufyan al-Thawri, and Shu'bah Qiladat al-Nahr fi Wafaya…. Al-Ijli described him as a trustworthy and firm adherent of the Sunnah, while Abu Hatim characterized him as a reliable and meticulous imam Bahjat al-Mahafil wa Ajma…+1. Ali ibn al-Madini observed that if Affan doubted a single letter in a narration, he would omit it entirely, though he noted that he might occasionally make an inadvertent error al-Mujam al-Saghir li-Ruw…+1.

He died in Baghdad in 220 AH at the age of eighty-six, though al-Bukhari noted that his death may have occurred in that year or slightly earlier Qiladat al-Nahr fi Wafaya…+1. Another report mentions that Yahya ibn Ma'in and his contemporaries noticed a decline in his health in Safar 219 AH, with his death taking place shortly thereafter al-Mujam al-Saghir li-Ruw…+1.