Ibn al-Abnusi
- Died
- 457 AH
- Born in
- -
Ibn al-Abnusi (381–457 AH / 991–1065 CE) was a Baghdadi hadith transmitter known for his hadith collection Mashaykhat al-Abnusi .
Lineage and Education
His full name was Abu al-Husayn Muhammad ibn Ahmad ibn Muhammad ibn Ali, Ibn al-Abnusi al-Sayrafi al-Baghdadi . The nisba al-Abnusi refers to ebony wood (abnus), imported by sea and used in crafts and commerce, while al-Sayrafi designates a money-changer . Ibn al-Abnusi lived in the al-Tuthah quarter of Baghdad . When asked by al-Khatib al-Baghdadi about his birth, he stated that he was born in 381 AH, though another biographical report gives 376 AH . His brother was the hadith transmitter Abu al-Hasan Ali ibn Ahmad Ibn al-Abnusi (369–435 AH) .
He studied hadith under numerous leading authorities in Baghdad, including al-Daraqutni, Ibn Shahin, Abu al-Qasim ibn Hubabah, Abu Hafs al-Kattani, Abu Tahir al-Mukhlis, Ibn Akhi Mimi, Abu al-Hasan Ibn al-Najjar al-Kufi, and Ahmad ibn Ubayd al-Wasiti .
Scholarly Standing and Transmission
Al-Khatib al-Baghdadi studied with Ibn al-Abnusi and praised his hearing as sound (sahih al-sama'), and Shams al-Din al-Dhahabi described him as a trustworthy elder (al-shaykh al-thiqah) .
His two-part compendium of elevated and rare narrations from his teachers, Mashaykhat al-Abnusi, was transmitted from him by Abu Ghalib Ahmad ibn al-Banna and his brother Abu Abd Allah Ibn al-Banna . It was also documented under the title Juz' al-Abnusi al-kabir by later authorities such as Ibn Hajar al-Asqalani to distinguish it from the smaller collection transmitted by Abu Muhammad Abd Allah ibn Ali al-Abnusi . Among those who transmitted hadith from Ibn al-Abnusi was Abu Bakr Ahmad ibn Ali al-Hulwani .
Death
Ibn al-Abnusi died in Baghdad on the night of Monday, 29 Shawwal 457 AH (October 1065 CE), and was buried on Monday in the Bab Harb cemetery .
Answer updated
List of Works
Mashaykhat al-Abnusi is a hadith compendium (mashaykha) preserving selections of elevated and rare narrations received from teachers. Also identified on manuscript title pages as Juz' fihi Fawa'id 'Awalin Hisan Muntaqat wa-Ghara'ib, the work organizes traditions under the authorities from whom they were transmitted, documenting their chains of transmission (isnads) alongside critical observations on rare narrators and unique transmission lines.