Ishaq ibn Ibrahim al-Khatli
- Died
- 283 AH
- Born in
- -
Ishaq ibn Ibrahim al-Khatli (d. 283 AH / 896 CE) was a Baghdad-based hadith scholar known for compiling the hadith collection Kitab al-Dibaj (The Brocade) .
Identity and Transmission
His full name was Abu al-Qasim Ishaq ibn Ibrahim ibn Muhammad ibn Khazim—or Hazim—ibn Sunayn al-Khatli, frequently referred to in chains of transmission as Ishaq ibn Ibrahim ibn Sunayn ; in another report, his lineage is given as Ishaq ibn Ibrahim ibn Muhammad ibn Sufyan . He took up residence in Baghdad and narrated traditions across Iraq, Syria (al-Sham), and Upper Mesopotamia (al-Jazira) .
His teachers included Ali ibn al-Ja'd, Abu Nasr al-Tammar, Kamil ibn Talha, Dawud ibn Umar al-Dabbi, Hisham ibn Ammar, Abu al-Rabi' al-Zahrani, Ishaq ibn Isma'il al-Taliqani, and al-Mundhir ibn Ammar al-Kufi . He transmitted hadith to a number of notable scholars, among them Abu Amr Uthman ibn Ahmad Ibn al-Sammak—who transmitted al-Dibaj directly from him—Abu Sahl ibn Ziyad al-Qattan, Abu Bakr al-Shafi'i, Abu Ja'far Muhammad ibn Amr al-Razzaz, al-Baghandi, and Abu Muhammad ibn Sa'id .
Scholarly Assessment
Biographical authorities differed over his reliability as a transmitter. Al-Khatib al-Baghdadi declared him trustworthy (thiqah) . Conversely, Al-Daraqutni evaluated him as "not strong" (laysa bi-l-qawi), and Al-Hakim al-Naysaburi reported him as weak (da'if) and on another occasion as not strong . Ibn al-Qattan al-Fasi treated him as an unknown narrator (majhul) . Al-Dhahabi remarked that his compilation al-Dibaj contains uncorroborated and objectionable reports (munkarat) .
Death
Al-Khatli died in the month of Shawwal, 283 AH (896 CE), according to the dating recorded by Abu al-Husayn ibn al-Munadi, having reportedly reached eighty years of age .
Answer updated
List of Works
Kitab al-Dibaj (The Brocade) is a collection of hadith and pious maxims. Structured across multiple parts (ajza'), the work brings together traditional narrations, including prophetic traditions, reports on virtues, and moral and spiritual wisdoms (al-hikam).