Ali ibn Nasr al-Tusi
- Died
- 312 AH
- Born in
- -
Ali ibn Nasr al-Tusi (also recorded as al-Hasan ibn Ali ibn Nasr al-Tusi; d. 312 AH / 924 CE or 308 AH / 920–921 CE) was a hadith scholar and memorizer (hafiz) from Tus, recognized for his work Mukhtasar al-Ahkam, an extraction (mustakhraj) based on the collection of al-Tirmidhi.
Life and Education
His full name is given as Abu Ali al-Hasan ibn Ali ibn Nasr ibn Mansur al-Tusi, though biographical records also mention him under the names Ali ibn Nasr or al-Husayn ibn Ali ibn Nasr, and he was known by the nickname Kardush (or Kardash).
Al-Tusi traveled across Khurasan, Iraq, and the Hijaz to study hadith. In Khurasan, his teachers included Muhammad ibn Rafi, Ishaq ibn Mansur, Muhammad ibn Aslam, and Abd Allah ibn Hashim. In Iraq, he narrated from scholars such as Abu Musa Muhammad ibn al-Muthanna, Bundar, Yahya ibn Hakim, Zayd ibn Akhzam, and Ahmad ibn Mani. In the Hijaz, he studied under al-Zubayr ibn Bakkar, hearing from him his genealogical compilation Kitab al-Nasab. His prominent senior contemporary Abu Hatim al-Razi also wrote from him and transmitted accounts on his authority.
Al-Tusi resided for an extended period in Nishapur, where he lived near Abu Bakr ibn Khuzaymah, and he also taught in Qazwin. His students included Abu Bakr Abd Allah ibn Muhammad ibn Muslim al-Isfara'ini, Abu Bakr Ahmad ibn Ali al-Razi, Ahmad ibn Muhammad ibn Abdus, Muhammad ibn Ja'far al-Busti, and Abu Sahl al-Su'luki.
Scholarly Standing
Al-Tusi was regarded by hadith critics as a dependable narrator. When Ibn Abi Hatim was asked about him, he evaluated him as trustworthy and reliable. Abu Ya'la al-Khalili similarly described him as trustworthy and knowledgeable in hadith, while Abu Nu'aym al-Isfahani noted that he was an owner of authoritative original manuscripts (sahib usul).
Abu Ahmad al-Hakim reported that some scholars raised doubts regarding the authenticity of his transmission of al-Zubayr ibn Bakkar's Kitab al-Nasab; however, al-Hakim al-Naysaburi and Abu Nu'aym maintained that al-Tusi had directly heard the text from al-Zubayr.
His hadith methodology was later evaluated through his compilation Mukhtasar al-Ahkam. Zayn al-Din al-Iraqi and Ibn Hajar al-Asqalani pointed out that its traditions and chapter divisions match those of al-Tirmidhi's Jami, often converging on the same teachers, and noted that al-Tusi cited al-Tirmidhi's authentications in the passive form ("it is said: a hasan hadith") rather than asserting them directly, confirming its function as a mustakhraj.
Death
Sources differ regarding the year and location of al-Tusi's death. According to al-Hakim al-Naysaburi, he died in 312 AH (924 CE), with reports placing his death either in Tarsus or Tus. Al-Khalili, by contrast, stated that he died in 308 AH (920–921 CE) while on a military expedition.
Answer updated
List of Works
Mukhtasar al-Ahkam, also known as Mustakhraj al-Tusi ala Jami al-Tirmidhi, is a hadith work composed as an extraction (mustakhraj) based on the Jami of al-Tirmidhi. Following the methodology of the mustakhraj genre, it gathers the prophetic traditions found in Jami al-Tirmidhi and transmits them through independent chains of narration that converge with al-Tirmidhi's direct teachers or earlier authorities.