al-Bayani, Ibn Imam al-Sakhra
- Died
- 766 AH
- Born in
- -
Muhammad ibn Ibrahim al-Bayani (686–766 AH / 1287–1365 CE), commonly known as Ibn Imam al-Sakhra, was a Shafi'i hadith transmitter and notary from Jerusalem who taught in Damascus and Cairo.
Name and Background
His full name was Shams al-Din Abu 'Abd Allah Muhammad ibn Ibrahim ibn Muhammad ibn Abi Bakr ibn Ibrahim ibn Ya'qub ibn Ilyas (also recorded as al-Bas) al-Ansari al-Khazraji al-Bayani al-Maqdisi al-Dimashqi. He worked as a professional notary (al-shahid) and was known by the moniker Ibn Imam al-Sakhra ("the son of the imam of the Rock") because his father, Burhan al-Din Ibrahim ibn Muhammad, had served as the imam of the Dome of the Rock at al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem.
Education and Hadith Transmission
Al-Bayani was born in 686 AH (1287 CE), though another report dates his birth to 676 AH (1277 CE). In early childhood, he was brought to attend hadith audition sessions before prominent traditionists; he was presented to Zaynab bint Makki at the age of two, and to Fakhr al-Din Ibn al-Bukhari and Yusuf ibn al-Mujawir at the age of three.
As he grew older, he studied hadith directly under Ahmad ibn 'Asakir (Abu al-Fadl), hearing Sahih Muslim, the Muwatta of Imam Malik in the recension of Abu Mus'ab al-Zuhri (with the exception of parts one and five), and several specialized hadith notebooks (ajza'). In his childhood sessions before Ibn al-Bukhari, he attended readings of al-Bayhaqi's Hayat al-Anbiya' fi Quburihim ("The Life of the Prophets in Their Graves") alongside portions from the Amali of Abu al-Mufarrij al-Siqilli and 'Ubaydullah ibn Ma'ruf, while from Zaynab bint Makki he received the Kitab al-Zakah of Yusuf al-Qadi. He also received written authorizations (ijazat) from scholars in Baghdad, including Ibn Wuraydah and Ibn al-Tabbal.
Scholarly Activity and Standing
Al-Bayani transmitted a large volume of hadith. He traveled to Damascus and subsequently settled in Cairo, where traditionists and students gathered around him to transmit extensively on his authority.
His transmissions were recorded by contemporary scholars; Ibn Rafi' compiled a Mashyakha (catalogue of teachers) for him, to which Zayn al-Din al-Iraqi authored a supplement (dhayl). In addition, al-Iraqi and al-Sharif Shams al-Din Muhammad ibn 'Ali al-Husayni al-Dimashqi compiled a formal index (fihrist) documenting his narrations received through direct audition and authorization.
Death
Al-Bayani died in Cairo in late Dhu al-Qi'da 766 AH (August or September 1365 CE).
Answer updated
List of Works
Mashayakhat Ibn Imam al-Sakhrah is a fourteenth-century collection of hadith transmissions and teachers compiled for the Syrian traditionist and transmitter Muhammad ibn Ibrahim al-Bayani, known as Ibn Imam al-Sakhrah. The work documents his chains of transmission, authorizations, and direct auditions.