al-Tabarani
- Died
- 360 AH
- Born in
- -
Sulayman ibn Ahmad al-Tabarani (260–360 AH / 873–971 CE) was a Syrian hadith master who traveled widely before settling in Isfahan, renowned for his extensive narrations and hadith compendia such as al-Mu'jam al-Kabir (The Great Dictionary) .
Early life and travels
Abu al-Qasim Sulayman ibn Ahmad ibn Ayyub ibn Mutayyir (also recorded as Matar or Nasr) al-Lakhmi al-Shami al-Tabarani was born in Safar 260 AH . His birth took place in Acre (Akka), where his mother originated, though other sources indicate he was born in Tiberias (Tabariyya), from which he derived his geographical nisba . His tribal nisba al-Lakhmi links him to the southern Arab tribe of Lakhm .
He began his formal hadith studies in 273 AH under the encouragement of his father, who took him on study travels starting in 275 AH . His journeys lasted sixteen years—recorded in another report as thirty-three years—taking him across Bilad al-Sham, Egypt, the Hijaz, Yemen, and Iraq, including Baghdad, Kufa, and Basra . In 290 AH, he arrived in Isfahan, where he settled permanently . The local official Abu Ali Ahmad ibn Muhammad ibn Rustam welcomed him, accommodated him in the city, and granted him a regular stipend from the revenue office that he received for the remainder of his life .
Teachers and students
Al-Tabarani studied under more than one thousand scholars . His teachers included Abu Zur'a al-Dimashqi, Ishaq ibn Ibrahim al-Dabari, Bishr ibn Musa al-Asadi, al-Nasa'i, Abdullah ibn Ahmad ibn Hanbal, and Hashim ibn Marthad al-Tabarani . Older traditionists and contemporaries such as Abu Muslim al-Kajji, Abu Khalifa al-Jumahi, and Ibn 'Uqda also transmitted from him .
During his six decades of teaching in Isfahan, successive generations of scholars studied with him . Among his prominent students were Abu Nu'aym al-Isfahani, Ibn Mandah, Ibn Mardawayh, Ibn 'Adi, and Abu Bakr ibn Ridhah, the last surviving direct transmitter of his compilations .
Scholarly standing and evaluation
Al-Tabarani was widely regarded as a trustworthy and prolific hadith authority, notable for his broad memory and elevated transmission chains resulting from his long life . The vizier Ibn al-Amid recalled witnessing an academic debate between al-Tabarani and Abu Bakr al-Ji'abi, where al-Tabarani's extensive memorization prevailed after demonstrating that he was the original source of a rare report cited by his interlocutor . Al-Tabarani held a high regard for his compilation al-Mu'jam al-Awsat (The Middle Dictionary), describing it as his "soul" on account of the labor he expended gathering rare transmissions and identifying unique chains, and he likewise produced al-Mu'jam al-Saghir (The Small Dictionary) to record single sample transmissions from his teachers .
Scholars noted occasional oversights in his transmissions attributed to age or memory lapses; Ibn Mardawayh observed that he mistakenly identified his teacher Abd al-Rahim al-Barqi as Ahmad . Abu Ali al-Nisaburi initially criticized him over a transmission attributed through Abdullah ibn Ahmad, but Abu Nu'aym al-Isfahani later verified the chain through another line, establishing al-Tabarani's accuracy .
Death
Al-Tabarani lost his eyesight in the final years of his life . He died in Isfahan on Tuesday night—recorded in another report as Saturday—with two nights remaining in Dhu al-Qa'dah 360 AH / September 971 CE, though a variant report places his death in Shawwal . He was one hundred years old, with some sources specifying one hundred years and ten months . He was buried beside the tomb of the Companion Humamah al-Dawsi at the Jayy city gate in Isfahan .
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List of Works
This specialized hadith monograph (juzʾ) gathers prophetic traditions and reports from early authorities regarding the merits and devotional practices of the first ten days of Dhu al-Hijjah.
This specialized biographical hadith treatise (juzʾ) documents narrators of prophetic traditions who shared the given name ʹAtaʾ, recording sample narrations through the compiler's own chains of transmission.
This hadith collection focuses on supplications and invocations, gathering transmitted chains of narration reaching the Prophet and early generations.
This specialized hadith treatise compiles prophetic traditions and early reports on archery, weapons practice, and the merit of military training.
This major hadith compilation is dedicated to gathering rare, singular, and anomalous narrations (gharaʾib and afrad) transmitted through the compiler's various teachers.
al-Mu'jam al-Kabir (The Great Dictionary) is a comprehensive hadith compendium and biographical work on the Companions of the Prophet. Arranged alphabetically by the early narrators rather than teachers, it serves the dual purpose of gathering prophetic traditions with their chains of transmission and recording biographical details concerning approximately 1,600 male and female Companions.
Hadith al-Dabb alladhi Takallama bayna yaday al-Nabi (The Hadith of the Spiny-Tailed Lizard That Spoke in the Presence of the Prophet) is a short single-hadith compilation recording a miracle narrative attributed to the Prophet Muhammad. The text details an encounter in which a bedouin challenged the Prophet, whereupon a captured spiny-tailed lizard audibly testified to the Prophet's messengership, prompting the bedouin's conversion.
al-Ziyadat fi Kitab al-Jud wa al-Sakha (Additions to the Book of Generosity and Munificence) is a hadith tract that gathers traditions, historical reports, and poetry concerning the virtues and expressions of open-handedness and liberality. Preserved as a supplementary second part to a broader treatise on generosity, it presents chained narrations documenting exemplary acts of charity and hospitality from the Prophet, the early Companions, and later figures.
al-Qism al-Thalith min al-Mujam al-Awsat lil-Tabarani (The Third Part of al-Mu'jam al-Awsat by al-Tabarani) is an academic critical edition and analytical study encompassing hadiths 651 through 900 of the original collection. Prepared as a master's thesis, it pairs an introductory study covering the source text and hadith terminology with a critically verified edition of the 250 traditions, complete with source attributions and transmission analysis.
Kitab al-Awail (The Book of Primacies) is a thematic hadith monograph devoted to documenting traditions regarding the earliest occurrences of religious, historical, and ritual events. Belonging to the traditional awail genre, the work gathers chained narrations to establish antecedents such as the first individuals to accept Islam, early ritual practices, ancient historical firsts, and eschatological events.
Turuq Hadith Man Kadhaba ‘Alayya Muta‘ammidan (The Transmission Routes of the Hadith "Whoever Intentionally Lies About Me") is a specialized hadith monograph devoted to gathering the diverse transmission chains (turuq) of the famous prophetic warning against fabricating sayings attributed to the Prophet Muhammad.
al-Ahadith allati saqatat min matbu al-Mujam al-Awsat lil-Tabarani (The Hadiths That Were Omitted from the Printed Edition of al-Muʿjam al-Awsat by al-Tabarani) is a contemporary monograph of hadith rectification (istidrak). It gathers and documents forty-six hadiths missing from the published editions of al-Mu'jam al-Awsat.
al-Mu'jam al-Saghir (The Small Lexicon) is a hadith collection designed to document the names of teachers across various lands and provide sample transmissions from each. Arranged alphabetically by the direct teachers' names, its primary focus is listing these instructors rather than offering comprehensive narrations.
al-Mu‘jam al-Kabir (vols. 13–14) constitutes the recovered thirteenth and fourteenth volume sections of the major hadith compendium al-Mu'jam al-Kabir. It contains the narrations (masanid) of Companions named Abdullah, including the 'Abadilah and others who bore the name.
Musnad al-Shamiyyin (The Hadith Compilation of the Syrians), also known in classical bibliographies as Hadith al-Shamiyyin, is a hadith collection that gathers prophetic narrations transmitted through the scholars and traditionists of the Levant (Bilad al-Sham). The work is arranged around individual Syrian narrators to document regional transmission chains.
This work is a specialized hadith selection compiled from narrations transmitted for the people of Basra. It records these Prophetic reports alongside their specific chains of transmission tracing back through the original teachers of the material.
This specialized hadith treatise focuses on Islamic ethics and virtuous conduct. It is organized into thematic chapters addressing specific virtues, manners, and noble qualities through which a believer attains honor in life and hopes for deliverance after death, presenting concise primary texts of prophetic traditions and narrated reports.
This text is a surviving section of a major hadith compendium, comprising an extant portion of the musnad of the Companion al-Nu'man ibn Bashir. It gathers these hadiths organized according to the successors who transmitted from him.
This hadith compendium gathers lengthy prophetic traditions transmitted with their full chains of narration. Representing a distinct genre dedicated to extensive and detailed narrative traditions, it compiles long reports, stories, and historical accounts from the Companions.
This work presents an academic critical edition and analytical study covering hadiths 401 through 650 of a major hadith compendium. It verifies the text and evaluates solitary and rare narrations by analyzing transmission chains, narrator reliability, and statements of narrator singularity.