Muhammad bin Harun bin Shuayb
- Died
- 353 AH
- Born in
- Damascus
Abu Ali Muhammad ibn Harun al-Ansari (266–353 AH / 880–964 CE) was a Damascene hadith scholar and compiler who authored the hadith monograph Sifat al-Nabi (The Description of the Prophet).
Lineage and early life
He was Abu Ali Muhammad ibn Harun ibn Shuayb. Classical biographical sources record differing accounts of his ancestry: one lineage traces him to Abd Allah ibn Abd al-Wahid; another to Alqama ibn Sa'd ibn Malik; a third traces him to Hayyan ibn Hakim ibn Alqama ibn Sa'd ibn Mu'adh; and a fourth traces his line to Thumama ibn Abd Allah ibn Anas ibn Malik, giving him the nisba al-Thumami or al-Anasi. He also carried the nisba al-Qayni from his residence in the village of Qayniyya outside the Jabiya Gate of Damascus.
He was born in Damascus in the quarter known as Lu'lu'a al-Kabira outside the Jabiya Gate in Ramadan 266 AH (880 CE), though another report dates his birth to Ramadan 276 AH.
Travels and scholarly activity
He journeyed widely in pursuit of hadith, traveling across the Levant, Egypt, Iraq, and Isfahan. During his travels and residence in Syria, he heard hadith from numerous authorities, including Bakr ibn Sahl al-Dimyati, Abu Khalifa, Zakariyya ibn Yahya al-Sijzi, Abd al-Rahman ibn Abi Hatim al-Muradi, Abu 'Ulatha Muhammad ibn Amr, and Mutayyan.
Prominent scholars transmitted hadith from him, such as Ibn Manda, Tammam al-Razi, Ibn al-Muqri', al-Afif ibn Abi Nasr, and Abd al-Wahhab al-Maydani. As an author, he collected and compiled traditional reports, producing specialized hadith treatises such as Sifat al-Nabi, which brought together narrations concerning the Prophet's physical characteristics, demeanor, and conduct.
Standing and death
While recognized as an active collector and compiler, his reliability was questioned by several hadith critics. Ibn Asakir remarked that he gathered and authored works but was not precise or proficient in his transmissions. The Damascene traditionist Abd al-Aziz al-Kattani evaluated him critically, stating that he was suspected of fabrication.
He died in 353 AH (964 CE).
Answer updated
List of Works
Sifat al-Nabi (The Description of the Prophet), also known as Dhikr Sifat al-Nabi wa-Sifat Akhlaqihi wa-Siratihi wa-Adabihi wa-Khafd Janahihi, is a hadith monograph (juz'). The work gathers traditional reports documenting the physical features, personal demeanor, and daily habits of the Prophet Muhammad.