Ibn al-Latti
- Died
- 635 AH
- Born in
- Baghdad
Abu al-Munja Ibn al-Latti (545–635 AH / 1151–1237 CE) was a Baghdadi hadith transmitter (musnid) celebrated for his exceptionally elevated chains of transmission (uluww al-isnad) and long lifespan.
Early Life and Education
Abu al-Munja Abd Allah ibn Umar ibn Ali ibn Umar ibn Zayd al-Baghdadi al-Harimi al-Tahiri al-Qazzaz, known as Ibn al-Latti (and also given the kunya Abu al-Mahasin), was born in Baghdad on 20 Dhu al-Qa'da 545 AH in the street of Dar al-Raqiq (also cited as Dar al-Daqiq). He was introduced to hadith study at an early age through his uncle, Abu Bakr Muhammad ibn Ali ibn al-Latti, who brought him to attend the gatherings of Abu al-Qasim Sa'id ibn Ahmad ibn al-Banna in 549 AH when he was five years old.
During his youth, he heard hadith from notable masters in Baghdad, including Abu al-Waqt al-Sijzi—from whom he heard works such as Sunan al-Darimi—as well as Ibn al-Batti, Abu al-Futuh al-Ta'i, Abu al-Ma'ali ibn al-Lahhas, Umar ibn Abd Allah al-Harbi, and al-Hasan ibn Ja'far al-Mutawakkili. He also received written authorizations (ijazat) from scholars in Isfahan, among them Mas'ud ibn al-Hasan al-Thaqafi, Abu Abd Allah al-Rustami, and Abu Ja'far Muhammad ibn al-Hasan al-Saydalani.
Transmission and Travels
Ibn al-Latti traveled to the Levant and transmitted hadith in Baghdad, Damascus, Aleppo, and al-Karak, where he was invited by the Ayyubid ruler al-Nasir Dawud, whose children studied under him. Because of his longevity and the demise of his contemporaries, he became unique in transmitting from many of his early teachers, drawing numerous students and scholars.
More than two hundred traditionists narrated from him, including Ibn al-Najjar, Ibn al-Dubaythi, Diya' al-Din al-Maqdisi, Abu al-Husayn al-Yunini, and Abd al-Ahad ibn Taymiyya. A compendium of his teachers and narrations was compiled by the hadith scholar Abu Abd Allah Muhammad ibn Yusuf al-Birzali under the title Mashyakhat Abi al-Munja Ibn al-Latti.
Standing and Scrutiny
Ibn al-Latti was characterized as a pious, upright elder and a major authority for hadith transmission. The hadith critic Ibn Nuqta affirmed that his direct auditions (sama') were entirely authentic. Ibn Nuqta reported, however, that Ibn al-Latti's brother had forged several ijaza documents in his name—attributing them falsely to authorities such as Ibn Nasir—though Ibn al-Latti himself was completely unaware of the forgery, was devout, and was not known to have transmitted any narrations based on those fabricated authorizations.
Death
Ibn al-Latti died in Baghdad on 14 Jumada al-Ula 635 AH (with other reports citing the month generally), at the age of eighty-nine and a half (ninety years minus several months). He was buried at the Bab Harb cemetery, and scholars observed that his passing marked the end of elevated chains of transmission connecting back to his generation of teachers.
Answer updated
List of Works
Mashyakhat Abi al-Munja Ibn al-Latti is a hadith compendium documenting the teachers and narrations of the Baghdadi traditionist Abu al-Munja Ibn al-Latti, compiled and extracted (takhrij) by al-Hafiz Abu Abd Allah Muhammad ibn Yusuf al-Birzali.