Hammam ibn Munabbih
- Died
- 131 AH
- Born in
- -
Hammam ibn Munabbih (d. 131 AH / 748–749 CE) was a Yemenite hadith scholar from the generation of the Successors (Tabi'un) based in Sanaa, best known for compiling an early record of Prophetic traditions from Abu Hurayrah entitled al-Sahifah al-Sahiha (The Sound Booklet).
Lineage and Early Life
He was Abu 'Uqbah Hammam ibn Munabbih ibn Kamil ibn Sayj al-Abnawi al-San'ani al-Yamani. His family belonged to the Abna', descendants of Persian soldiers who had settled in Yemen; his father, Munabbih, originally hailed from Herat in Khurasan and accepted Islam during the lifetime of the Prophet ﷺ. Hammam was the brother of the scholar and chronicler Wahb ibn Munabbih, as well as Ma'qil and Ghaylan. In his early life, he took part in military campaigns and purchased books for his brother Wahb.
Hadith Transmission and Scholarship
Hammam traveled to Medina, where he studied under Abu Hurayrah and recorded traditions directly from him. In addition to Abu Hurayrah, he transmitted hadith from Mu'awiyah ibn Abi Sufyan, 'Abd Allah ibn 'Abbas, 'Abd Allah ibn 'Umar, and 'Abd Allah ibn al-Zubayr. His narrations were transmitted by Ma'mar ibn Rashid, his brother Wahb ibn Munabbih, his nephew 'Uqayl ibn Ma'qil, and 'Ali ibn al-Hasan ibn Anas.
Hammam compiled al-Sahifah al-Sahiha, a collection of approximately 140 hadiths transmitted from Abu Hurayrah under a single chain of transmission. The collection was later preserved in its entirety by Ahmad ibn Hanbal in his Musnad Ahmad through the transmission of 'Abd al-Razzaq al-San'ani from Ma'mar ibn Rashid, and many of its narrations were selected for the canonical compilations of Muhammad ibn Isma'il al-Bukhari and Muslim ibn al-Hajjaj.
Standing and Death
Biographical critics evaluated Hammam as a reliable transmitter; Yahya ibn Ma'in, Ahmad ibn 'Abd Allah al-'Ijli, and Ibn Hibban declared him trustworthy (thiqah).
He lived to an advanced age, until his eyebrows fell over his eyes from old age, and he survived to witness the rise of the Abbasid revolutionary movement. During this late period, Ma'mar ibn Rashid studied his text with him by reading to him and having Hammam read the remainder. Hammam died in Sanaa in 131 AH (748–749 CE) according to Ibn Sa'd, while a report cited by al-Bukhari dates his death to 132 AH (749–750 CE).
Answer updated
List of Works
Also titled al-Sahifah al-Sahiha ("The Sound Booklet"), this early collection of hadith gathers traditions narrated from Abu Hurayrah. Containing approximately 140 narrations transmitted under a single chain of transmission, it represents one of the earliest surviving written records of Prophetic traditions.