al-Isardi, Abu al-Qasim
- Died
- 692 AH
- Born in
- -
Abu al-Qasim al-Isardi (622–692 AH / 1225–1293 CE) was a hadith scholar and traditionist based in Cairo, known for his expertise in narrator criticism and hadith transmission history, as well as his specialized treatise on the transmission and merits of Sunan al-Tirmidhi titled Fada'il al-Kitab al-Jami'.
Early Life and Education
Taqi al-Din Abu al-Qasim 'Ubayd ibn Muhammad ibn 'Abbas ibn Muhammad ibn Mawhub al-Is'ardi—also named 'Ubayd Allah in some sources—was born in 622 AH in Siirt (Is'ird). As a youth, he moved with his father to Egypt and took up residence in Cairo.
In Cairo, he heard hadith from teachers including 'Ali ibn Mukhtar al-'Amiri, al-Hasan ibn Dinar, Yusuf ibn al-Makhili, Ibn al-Muqayyir, and Ibn Rawah. In Alexandria, he received transmissions from Hibat Allah ibn Muhammad al-Maqdisi, Hamzah al-Ghazal, and Sibt al-Silafi. He also traveled to Damascus, where he studied under Makki, al-Rashid ibn Maslamah (al-Rashid al-'Iraqi), and other scholars.
Scholarly Career and Students
Al-Isardi became recognized as a hadith master (hafiz) and instructor (mufid al-Qahirah). He specialized in hadith extraction (takhrij), biographical evaluation of transmitters (asma' al-rijal), and high and low chains of transmission (al-'ali wa-al-nazil). He assembled transmission anthologies and selections for multiple scholars, including the mashyakhah of Judge Ibn al-Khuwayyi. Among his written works was al-Arba'un al-Tisa'iyyat al-'Awali, a collection of short-chained traditions. In his treatise on Abu 'Isa al-Tirmidhi's collection, Fada'il al-Kitab al-Jami', he documented its transmission paths, narrators, and conditions, designating the collection as al-Musnad al-Jami'.
A wide circle of scholars studied under him and transmitted from him, including Ibn al-Zahiri, al-Mizzi, Abu Hayyan al-Gharnati, Ibn Sayyid al-Nas (al-Ya'mari), al-Birzali, and al-Harithi and his son Shams al-Din.
Standing and Livelihood
Al-Isardi was evaluated as reliable (thiqah), meticulous (mutqin), vigilant (mutayaqqiz), and upright (salih). His teacher Ibn al-Zahiri praised him and gave him precedence over other students.
His student Ibn Sayyid al-Nas noted that al-Isardi had a family and lived in modest circumstances and persistent poverty while maintaining personal dignity. He earned his livelihood by working as a legal witness (shahadah) and copyist (wiraqah). On one occasion during a festival (Eid) when al-Isardi was without means, Ibn Daqiq al-Id came to his assistance by handing him a handful of silver coins, telling him that this money had been his due.
Death
Al-Isardi died in Cairo in Sha'ban 692 AH (specifically recorded as 6 Sha'ban 692 AH / 1293 CE) at the age of seventy.
Answer updated
List of Works
Fadail Sunan al-Tirmidhi (also titled Fadail al-Kitab al-Jami li-Abi Isa al-Tirmidhi) is a specialized hadith treatise on the merits, transmission history, methodology, and narrator chains of the Jami of Abu Isa al-Tirmidhi.