al-Kharaiti
- Died
- 327 AH
- Born in
- -
Abu Bakr al-Kharaiti (d. 327 AH / 939 CE) was a hadith scholar and author from Samarra who settled in Syria, known for his early compilations on ethics and adab such as Makarim al-Akhlaq (Noble Character Traits) and I'tilal al-Qulub (Ailment of Hearts) .
Origin and travels
His full name was Muhammad ibn Ja'far ibn Muhammad ibn Sahl ibn Shakir, with the kunya Abu Bakr and the nisbas al-Kharaiti, al-Samarri, and al-Askari . He was a native of Samarra (Surra Man Ra'a) in Iraq . He heard hadith from a number of scholars of his era, including Umar ibn Shabba, al-Hasan ibn Arafa, Ali ibn Harb, Ibrahim ibn Abd Allah ibn al-Junayd, Abbas ibn Abd Allah al-Tarqufi, and his brother Ahmad ibn Ja'far al-Samarri . He also traveled to Egypt, where he heard from Abd Allah ibn Muhammad al-Balawi .
Al-Kharaiti later moved to the Levant and settled there, narrating hadith across its cities . He visited Damascus twice, remaining there for over a year after an arrival recorded in 325 AH, and also transmitted hadith in Ashkelon and Mecca .
Scholarly standing and students
Al-Kharaiti was recognized by biographical authorities as a reliable narrator and a skilled compiler of traditions, ethical narratives, and historical reports . Ibn Makula stated that he authored extensively and was among the trustworthy notables . Al-Khatib al-Baghdadi noted that he had pleasant historical reports and fine compositions, and al-Dhahabi described him as an imam, a hafiz, and a truthful author . His hadith and narrations were widely acquired and preserved by scholars in Syria .
Numerous scholars transmitted from him, including Abu Sulayman ibn Zabr, Abd al-Wahhab al-Kilabi, al-Qadi Yusuf al-Miyanaji, Abu Ali ibn Muhanna al-Darani, and Abu al-Abbas Ahmad ibn Ibrahim al-Kindi . His thematic compendiums of traditions, which included his ethical study Masawi al-Akhlaq (Reprehensible Character Traits), established his reputation as a specialized transmitter of moral and adab literature .
Death
Al-Kharaiti died in Rabi' al-Awwal 327 AH / 939 CE . A contemporary report from Abu Sulayman ibn Zabr and records transmitted by Ibn Asakir place his death in Jaffa after he departed Damascus . Another report transmitted by Abd al-Aziz al-Kattani states that he died in Ashkelon .
Answer updated
List of Works
Hawatif al-Jinan (also titled Hawatif al-Jan wa-Ajib ma Yuhka an al-Kuhhan) is a specialized compilation of hadith and historical accounts documenting reports of disembodied voices of the jinn (hawatif) and pronouncements of pre-Islamic diviners and soothsayers (kuhhan) heralding the coming and prophethood of the Prophet Muhammad.
Makarim al-Akhlaq, formally titled Makarim al-Akhlaq wa-Ma'aliha wa-Mahmud Tara'iqiha, is a 4th-century AH compendium of prophetic traditions, ethical reports, and aphorisms devoted to Islamic ethics, personal refinement, and high moral standards.
Fadilat al-Shukr Lillah ala Nimatihi (The Virtue of Gratitude to God for His Blessing) is a collection of hadiths and ethical reports focusing on the virtues, manners, and obligations of gratitude toward God and people.
Al-Muntaqa min Kitab Makarim al-Akhlaq wa-Maʿaliha (Selections from the Book of Noble Character Traits and Their High Stations) is an abridgment of a classical ethical work, gathering selected prophetic traditions and narrations on moral values and virtuous conduct with connected chains of transmission.
Masawi al-Akhlaq wa-Madhmuтиha is an early Islamic treatise on ethics and reprehensible character traits, focusing on identifying and censuring bad moral conduct, ill-natured behavior, and vices through hadiths, reports from early authorities, and wisdom literature.
I'tilal al-Qulub (The Ailment of Hearts), also titled I'tilal al-Qulub fi Akhbar al-'Ushshaq, is a classical work on love, passion, and the accounts of lovers composed with chains of transmission.