Khamis al-Hawzi
- Died
- 510 AH
- Born in
- -
Khamis al-Hawzi (442 or 447–510 AH / 1050 or 1055–1116 CE) was an Iraqi hadith master, grammarian, and man of letters from Wasit, recognized as the principal hadith authority of his city in his era.
Lineage and Background
His full name was Abu al-Karam Khamis ibn Ali ibn Ahmad ibn Ali ibn al-Husayn ibn Ibrahim ibn al-Hasan ibn Salamawayh al-Wasiti al-Hawzi, and he was also known as Ibn al-Sa'ad. His nisba derives from al-Hawz (also called Hawz Barqa), a quarter or village situated opposite the upper eastern bank of Wasit. According to Ibn Nuqta, he was born in the month of Sha'ban in 442 AH; however, his student Abu Tahir al-Silafi recorded that al-Hawzi dictated his own birth year as 447 AH.
Education and Teachers
Al-Hawzi pursued extensive training in hadith transmission, Quranic recitation, and Arabic philology. He studied under numerous scholars from Baghdad and Wasit, including Abu al-Qasim Abd al-Aziz ibn Ali al-Anmati, Abu Mansur Muhammad al-Nadim al-'Ukbari (also recorded as Ali ibn Muhammad al-Nadim), Abu al-Qasim Ali ibn Ahmad ibn al-Busri, and Abu Nasr al-Zaynabi. In Arabic grammar, he read the philological treatise al-Fasih by Thalab under the grammarian Abu Ali al-Hasan ibn al-Husayn ibn Mandal.
Scholarly Standing and Students
Scholars regarded al-Hawzi as an accomplished hadith critic and philologist whose scholarly leadership (riyasa) in Wasit was widely acknowledged. Al-Silafi praised his precision and memory, describing him as a trustworthy scholar who dictated detailed assessments of hadith transmitters entirely from memory, despite living in modest obscurity without seeking prestige. Al-Silafi gathered al-Hawzi's biographical evaluations of late Wasiti transmitters and visiting scholars into a specialized treatise (juz'), known as Su'alat al-Silafi li-Khamis al-Hawzi.
In addition to al-Silafi, his students included Ahmad ibn Salim al-Muqri', Abd al-Wahhab ibn al-Hasan al-Faradi, Abu Bakr Abd Allah ibn 'Imran al-Baqillani, and Abu Ja'far Hibat Allah ibn Yahya ibn al-Buqi. Al-Hawzi was also an accomplished poet who composed verse affirming his commitment to the tradition of the hadith scholars (ashab al-hadith) over speculative theology (kalam), as well as lines advocating the generous lending of manuscripts to students of knowledge.
Death
Al-Hawzi died in Wasit in the month of Sha'ban in 510 AH (1116 CE).
Answer updated
List of Works
Sualat al-Salafi li Khamis al-Hawzi is a hadith transmitter criticism (al-jarh wa-l-ta'dil) treatise that records evaluations delivered by Khamis al-Hawzi regarding scholars and narrators from Wasit as well as visiting scholars. The work focuses on assessing the reliability, precision, and sectarian affiliations of hadith transmitters connected to the city.