Ahmad ibn Mulaib
- Died
- 275 AH
- Born in
- -
Ahmad ibn Mulaib (191–275 AH / 807–888 CE) was a Baghdadi hadith scholar and traditionist associated with the circle of Ahmad ibn Hanbal, known for his hadith tract Hadith Ibn Mulaib.
Identity and Early Life
His full name is recorded as Abu al-Fadl Ahmad ibn Mulaib ibn Hayyan al-Baghdadi al-Mukharrimi. The name of his grandfather appears in biographical sources with slight orthographic variations, including Hibban and Hassan, while al-Hakim al-Naysaburi occasionally inverted his lineage as Ahmad ibn Hayyan ibn Mulaib. His nisba al-Mukharrimi refers to al-Mukharrim, a prominent quarter in eastern Baghdad. According to his student Isma'il ibn Muhammad al-Saffar, Ibn Mulaib stated that he was born on Monday, 7 Dhu al-Qa'dah 191 AH (September 807 CE).
Scholarly Transmission
Ibn Mulaib studied under several senior scholars of Iraq, hearing hadith from Ahmad ibn Hanbal, 'Affan ibn Muslim, Abu Nu'aym al-Fadl ibn Dukayn, 'Asim ibn 'Ali, and 'Abdullah ibn Bakr al-Sahmi. He reported numerous narrations directly from Ahmad ibn Hanbal and preserved details of his practice, including how Ahmad quietly repeated the words of the caller to prayer phrase by phrase.
He taught hadith to a wide circle of traditionists. Among those who transmitted from him were Abu Ja'far Muhammad ibn 'Amr al-Razzaz—who preserved his compilation Hadith Ibn Mulaib—as well as Musa ibn Harun, Isma'il ibn Muhammad al-Saffar, Abu Bakr al-Khallal, Abu Bakr al-Najjad, and Abu 'Amr ibn al-Sammak.
Standing and Assessment
Ibn Mulaib was widely regarded as a trustworthy (thiqa) and meticulous (mutqin) transmitter of hadith. He was authenticated by leading authorities of his era, including 'Abdullah ibn Ahmad ibn Hanbal, al-Daraqutni, Musa ibn Harun, 'Abd al-Rahman ibn Yusuf ibn Khirash, and al-Husayn ibn Muhammad ibn Hatim. He was noted for rigorous retentive memory, declaring that he only narrated what he had memorized as securely as the Quran, and scholars observed his attention to textual precision, such as carefully distinguishing between the conjunctions fa and waw in hadith texts. Ibn al-Munadi described him as being among the foremost memorizers of hadith until his death, as well as being recognized for his mastery of the Quran.
Death
Ibn Mulaib died on Wednesday, 14 Jumada al-Ula 275 AH (September 888 CE). Another report recorded by Ahmad ibn Kamil simply places his death within Jumada al-Ula 275 AH. He was buried in the Najjadin cemetery (maqabir al-Najjadin) in Baghdad.
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List of Works
Hadith Ibn Mulaib is a hadith tract (juz') that gathers prophetic traditions along with their chains of transmission. The work consists of narrations transmitted through Abu Ja'far Muhammad ibn 'Amr ibn al-Bakhtari al-Razzaz, featuring texts recorded with textual precision.