Ibn Tabarzad
- Died
- 607 AH
- Born in
- Baghdad
Ibn Tabarzad (516–607 AH / 1123–1210 CE) was a Baghdadi hadith transmitter and tutor celebrated as the premier traditionist of elevated chains (isnad) in his era .
Lineage and early life
He was Abu Hafs Umar ibn Muhammad ibn al-Mu'ammar ibn Ahmad ibn Yahya ibn Hassan al-Baghdadi al-Darqazi al-Mu'addib, commonly known as Ibn Tabarzad (a term denoting sugar or candied sugar) . He was born in Baghdad in Dhu al-Hijjah 516 AH . He resided in the Dar al-Qazz quarter on the western side of the city, from which he took his nisba, and where he worked as a children's tutor (mu'addib) .
His elder brother, the hadith scholar Abu al-Baqa Muhammad, introduced him to hadith audition in his youth, having him listen to the leading masters of Baghdad and recording numerous notebooks in his own handwriting . Ibn Tabarzad subsequently pursued audition on his own and carefully preserved these early written manuscripts until they were sought after in his old age . Among his prominent teachers were Abu al-Qasim Hibat Allah ibn al-Husayn, Abu Ghalib ibn al-Banna, Abu al-Mawahib Ahmad ibn Muluk al-Warraq, Abu al-Hasan ibn al-Zaghuni, Abu Bakr Muhammad ibn Abd al-Baqi al-Ansari, Abu al-Fath al-Karukhi, and the vizier Ali ibn Tirad al-Zaynabi .
Journeys and teaching
Because of his longevity, Ibn Tabarzad outlived all fellow students of his teachers, becoming the sole surviving transmitter for many major authorities, such as Ibn al-Husayn and Ibn al-Banna . In 602 AH, Muzaffar al-Din Kukburi invited him and the reciter Hanbal ibn Abd Allah to Erbil to narrate hadith at his newly established Dar al-Hadith . Large crowds attended their sessions for several months before the Ayyubid ruler al-Muhassin requested them in Syria . He narrated hadith in Mosul, Harran, Aleppo, and Damascus, where hadith scholars thronged to hear his transmissions, before returning to Baghdad .
A vast number of scholars studied under him, including Ibn al-Najjar, Diya al-Din al-Maqdisi, Ibn al-Salah, and al-Mundhiri, while the last person to transmit from him by general authorization (ijaza) was Kamal al-Din Abd al-Rahman al-Mukabbir . His teacher list was compiled into a specialized repertory (Mashyakha) containing eighty-three authorities .
Standing and reception
Ibn Tabarzad was widely regarded as a trustworthy transmitter whose auditions were sound, and Ibn Nuqta explicitly deemed him reliable (thiqa) . Ibn al-Dubaythi noted his pleasant disposition and refined character among his Hanbali companions . Al-Dhahabi described him as witty and given to frequent joking . Conversely, Abu Shamah characterized him as frivolous, and Ibn al-Najjar voiced reservations regarding his religious commitment .
Death
Ibn Tabarzad died in Dar al-Qazz, Baghdad, after the late afternoon prayer on Tuesday, 9 Rajab 607 AH . His funeral prayer was performed between the quarters of al-Ittabiyyin and Dar al-Qazz, and he was buried the following afternoon at the Bab Harb cemetery .
Answer updated
List of Works
This work is a concise Hadith tract (juz') that compiles a variety of historical reports, judicial verdicts, prophetic traditions, and biographical anecdotes.
This specialized hadith tract (juz') gathers narrations compiled through the transmission chains of nineteen scholars and students.