al-Maqdami
- Died
- 301 AH
- Born in
- -
Abu Abd Allah al-Maqdami (d. 301 AH / 914 CE) was a judge and hadith scholar in Baghdad, recognized for his transmitter-biography work al-Tarikh wa-Asma al-Muhaddithin wa-Kunahum (The History and the Names and Agnomen of Hadith Scholars).
Lineage and Career
Muhammad ibn Ahmad ibn Muhammad ibn Abi Bakr ibn Ali ibn Ata ibn Muqaddam al-Maqdami was an affiliated client (mawla) of the Thaqif tribe and was based in Baghdad. He served as a judge (qadi) in Baghdad and held the judicial office of Mecca in 280 AH.
Scholarship and Transmission
Al-Maqdami transmitted hadith and historical reports from his father, as well as teachers including Amr ibn Ali al-Fallas, Muhammad ibn al-Muthanna, Zayd ibn Akhram, Yaqub ibn Ibrahim al-Dawraqi, Muhammad ibn Bashshar Bundar, Muhammad ibn Khalid ibn Khidash, Muhammad ibn Yahya al-Qati'i, Muqaddam ibn Muhammad al-Maqdami, and Abd Allah ibn Shabib al-Madani.
His students included Abu al-Qasim al-Tabarani—who heard from him in Mecca and included his transmissions in his hadith dictionaries—as well as Abu Bakr al-Ju'abi, Abu Hafs Umar ibn Ahmad ibn al-Zayyat, Abu Bakr al-Suli, and Abu Bakr al-Isma'ili. The historian Abu Zakariyya al-Azdi studied under him and transmitted his biographical dictionary, al-Tarikh wa-Asma al-Muhaddithin wa-Kunahum.
Standing and Death
Al-Maqdami was widely praised by biographical authorities. Al-Khatib al-Baghdadi, Ibn al-Jawzi, and al-Dhahabi evaluated him as trustworthy (thiqah), and al-Sam'ani described him as trustworthy and truthful (saduq). The judge Ahmad ibn Kamil al-Qadi noted that he possessed high proficiency in transmitting historical narratives, an assessment also relayed by Ibn Qani'.
Al-Maqdami died on the first day of Shawwal 301 AH.
Answer updated
List of Works
al-Tarikh wa Asma al-Muhaddithin wa Kunahum is a biographical dictionary of hadith transmitters. It focuses on clarifying the names, patronymics, and agnomens (kunyas) of transmitters to resolve ambiguities and prevent confusion between similarly named individuals.