Hamza al-Kinani
- Died
- 357 AH
- Born in
- Egypt
Hamza al-Kinani (275–357 AH / 888–968 CE) was an Egyptian hadith master and scholar known for transmitting the works of al-Nasa'i and compiling the hadith monograph Juz' al-Bitaqa (The Monograph of the Card) .
Life and travels
Abu al-Qasim Hamza ibn Muhammad ibn Ali ibn al-Abbas al-Kinani was born in Egypt in Sha'ban 275 AH (888 CE) . He traveled extensively across the Islamic world in pursuit of hadith, journeying through the Hijaz, Iraq, and Syria . It is related that Abu Ubayd Allah provided him with two hundred dinars when bidding him farewell on his journey to Iraq, which helped finance his travels .
Al-Kinani studied under prominent traditionists, most notably Abu Abd al-Rahman al-Nasa'i, becoming one of the major transmitters of his works, including al-Sunan al-Kubra (The Major Sunan) . His other teachers included Abu Ya'la al-Mawsili, Abu Khalifah al-Qadi, Imran ibn Musa al-Tayyib, Muhammad ibn Sa'id al-Sarraj, and Jamahir ibn Muhammad al-Ghassani .
A substantial cohort of scholars transmitted from him, including al-Daraqutni, Ibn Mandah, Tammam al-Razi, Abd al-Ghani ibn Sa'id, Abu Muhammad al-Asili, and Abu al-Hasan al-Qabisi . The last surviving student to narrate directly from him was Ali ibn Umar ibn Himsah al-Harrani . When al-Daraqutni arrived in Egypt toward the end of al-Kinani's life, the two engaged in extensive scholarly exchange (mudhākara), during which al-Daraqutni's encyclopedic recall of traditions transmitted by Ibn Uqda deeply impressed al-Kinani .
Scholarly standing
Al-Kinani was regarded as the chief hadith authority of Egypt following Ibn Yunus . Al-Hakim al-Naysaburi identified him as one of the four preeminent figures recognized for hadith memorization across the Islamic world in his generation, while also praising his asceticism, scrupulous piety, and devotion . Al-Dhahabi noted that no contemporary in Egypt surpassed him in memorization and mastery of hadith . Other scholars, such as Abu al-Walid al-Baji and Abd al-Ghani ibn Sa'id, emphasized his exactitude, reliability, and uprightness as a transmitter .
Death
Al-Kinani died in Egypt on a Wednesday in Dhu al-Hijjah 357 AH (968 CE) . Variant reports date his death to Dhu al-Qi'dah 357 AH according to Abu Sulayman ibn Zabr, or to the end of Rabi' al-Awwal 357 AH according to Abd al-Aziz al-Kattani . He was buried near the new prayer enclosure in the cemetery known as Musalla al-Iid . It is related that upon hearing of the approaching Fatimid armies toward Alexandria, he prayed not to live to see their entry, and he died shortly beforehand .
Answer updated
List of Works
Hadith Abi al-Qasim al-Kinani is a hadith booklet (juz') that gathers a collection of traditions transmitted through chains of narration accompanied by critical remarks on their transmission paths. The text preserves fifteen traditions and reports, opening with subjects such as divine attributes, the Day of Judgment, and proper conduct, and concluding with a report on the sincerity of the Prophet's Companions.
Juz' al-Bitaqa (The Monograph of the Card), also titled Majlis al-Bitaqa and Majlis al-Sijillat, is a hadith monograph named after its opening narration regarding the slip of parchment bearing the declaration of faith that outweighs ninety-nine scrolls of sins on the Day of Judgment. In addition to this primary report, the work incorporates other distinct hadiths and non-prophetic traditions with separate chains of transmission.