al-Layth ibn Sad

al-Layth ibn Sad (94–175 AH / 713–791 CE) was an Egyptian jurist, hadith scholar, and the leading religious authority of Egypt in his era Hayat al-Tabiin+1.

Origin, early life, and travels

His full name was Abu al-Harith al-Layth ibn Sad ibn Abd al-Rahman al-Fahmi Hayat al-Tabiin. His family originated from Isfahan of Persian descent, and he was affiliated through clientage (wala) to the tribe of Fahm (either as a client of Qays ibn Rifa'a, who was a client of Abd al-Rahman ibn Khalid ibn Musafir al-Fahmi, or as a client of Khalid ibn Thabit) Hayat al-Tabiin+1. He was born in the village of Qarqashanda (also vocalized as Qalqashanda) in Lower Egypt in Sha'ban 94 AH, though other reports mention 92 AH, 93 AH, or 124 AH Hayat al-Tabiin+1.

He made the pilgrimage to Mecca in 113 AH at around nineteen or twenty years of age, where he met and studied under several senior scholars of the Hijaz Tadhkirat al-Huffaz = Tab…+1. He later traveled to Iraq in 161 AH, visiting Baghdad, and also journeyed to Damascus, where he sat with the Syrian scholar Said ibn Abd al-Aziz Mukhtasar Tarikh Dimashq+1.

Teachers and students

He narrated hadith from numerous prominent Successors and scholars, including Ata ibn Abi Rabah, Nafi (the client of Ibn Umar), Ibn Shihab al-Zuhri, Ibn Abi Mulayka, Said al-Maqburi, Qatada, Hisham ibn Urwa, and Yazid ibn Abi Habib Hayat al-Tabiin+1.

Among those who transmitted from him were Abd Allah ibn al-Mubarak, Abd Allah ibn Wahb, Said ibn Abi Maryam, Yahya ibn Bukayr, Qutayba ibn Said, and his scribe Abd Allah ibn Salih, as well as his contemporary Ibn Lahi'a and his elder teacher Muhammad ibn Ajlan Awham al-Muhaddithin al-T…+1.

Standing and public life

Al-Layth was regarded as the foremost authority on Islamic jurisprudence and hadith in Egypt, holding an independent standing in legal rulings (fatwa) Awham al-Muhaddithin al-T…+1. Al-Shafi'i praised his legal acumen, remarking that al-Layth was more knowledgeable in fiqh and closer in adherence to transmitted traditions (athar) than Malik ibn Anas, but observed that his companions did not preserve and disseminate his school Awham al-Muhaddithin al-T…+1. Ahmad ibn Hanbal praised him as a scholar of vast knowledge and sound hadith transmission, while Yahya ibn Main and Ali ibn al-Madini affirmed his trustworthiness (thiqa) and reliability (thabt) al-Kamal fi Asma al-Rijal. When Malik wrote in his works, "The one among the people of knowledge with whom I am pleased informed me," he reportedly referred to al-Layth Min Alam al-Salaf.

Al-Layth enjoyed significant authority and prestige in Egypt; local governors and judges acted under his consultation, and the Abbasid caliph al-Mansur offered him the governorship of Egypt, which al-Layth declined on the grounds that he was a client and lacked the strength for it Majallat al-Risala+1. He possessed substantial wealth—with annual revenues reported between 5,000, 20,000, or 80,000 dinars—which he distributed extensively to scholars, students, and the needy, such that he never accumulated enough lingering wealth across a full year for obligatory alms (zakat) to become due upon him Mirat al-Zaman fi Tawarik…+1.

Death

Al-Layth died in Cairo on Friday, the middle of Sha'ban 175 AH (another report by Ibn Sad gives 165 AH) Mujaz Dairat al-Maarif al…+1. His funeral prayer was led by the governor Musa ibn Isa, and he was buried in the cemetery of al-Qarafa al-Sughra in Cairo, where his tomb became a well-known site al-Khitat al-Tawfiqiyya a…+1.