al-Adani
- Died
- 243 AH
- Born in
- Mecca
Muhammad ibn Yahya al-Adani (d. 243 AH / 857 CE) was a hadith scholar and narrator based in Mecca, known for his compilation al-Musnad (The Supported Traditions).
Biography and Hadith Transmission
His full name was Abu Abd Allah Muhammad ibn Yahya ibn Abi Umar al-Adani; it was also reported that Abu Umar was the kunya of his father Yahya. Originating from Aden, he took up residence in Mecca, where he served as a prominent resident scholar of the Sacred Sanctuary. He was noted for his devotion, performing the pilgrimage seventy-seven times and reportedly maintaining circumambulation (tawaf) without interruption for sixty years.
He studied under several prominent traditionists, notably accompanying Sufyan ibn Uyaynah over a sustained period, and transmitting from his father Yahya, Fudayl ibn Iyad, Waki ibn al-Jarrah, Mutamir ibn Sulayman, and Marwan ibn Muawiya. His students included major collectors of hadith such as Muslim ibn al-Hajjaj, al-Tirmidhi, and Ibn Majah, while al-Nasa'i narrated from him via an intermediary. Among his other students were Ishaq ibn Ahmad al-Khuza'i, al-Hakam ibn Ma'bad, and Muhammad ibn Ishaq al-Sarraj.
Scholarly Standing
Al-Adani was held in high regard by contemporary authorities. When asked whom traditionists should record hadith from in Mecca, Ahmad ibn Hanbal designated al-Adani. Both Yahya ibn Ma'in and al-Daraqutni declared him trustworthy (thiqah), and Ibn Hibban included him in his compendium of reliable transmitters. Abu Hatim al-Razi characterized him as a righteous and truthful (saduq) narrator, though he observed that he possessed some inattention (ghaflah) and noted a fabricated report among his transmissions from Ibn Uyaynah.
Death
According to al-Bukhari, al-Adani died in Mecca with eleven nights remaining in Dhu al-Hijjah 243 AH (857 CE). Al-Dhahabi noted that he lived into his nineties.
Answer updated
List of Works
Kitab al-Iman (The Book of Faith) is a 3rd-century AH hadith collection. The work compiles prophetic traditions and transmitted reports concerning the definition, branches, and theological facets of faith (iman).