Qasim al-Saraqasti

Abu Muhammad Qasim ibn Thabit al-Saraqasti (255–302 AH / 869–914 CE) was an Andalusian hadith scholar and lexicographer from Zaragoza, best known for initiating the hadith lexicon al-Dala'il fi Gharib al-Hadith Hadiyat al-Arifin Asma al…+1.

Lineage and Education

Abu Muhammad Qasim ibn Thabit ibn Hazm ibn Abd al-Rahman al-Awfi al-Saraqasti was born in 255 AH (869 CE) Hadiyat al-Arifin Asma al…. In other sources his grandfather's name is given as Abd al-Aziz al-Taratib al-Idariyya = …+1. He traveled to the Islamic East alongside his father, Thabit ibn Hazm, and the two shared the same scholarly itinerary and teachers Kashf al-Zunun an Asami a…+1. In Mecca, he transmitted hadith from Ibn al-Jarud, Muhammad ibn Ali al-Jawhari al-Sa'igh, and Ahmad ibn Hamza Tartib al-Madarik wa Taqr…+1. In Egypt, he studied under al-Nasa'i and Abu Bakr al-Bazzar Tartib al-Madarik wa Taqr…+1. He and his father were also reported to have been the first to introduce Kitab al-Ayn of al-Khalil ibn Ahmad to al-Andalus Fihris Ibn Atiyya+1.

Scholarly Standing and Reception

Al-Saraqasti was recognized for his expertise in hadith, Maliki jurisprudence, rare vocabulary (gharib), grammar, and poetry, as well as his asceticism and piety Hadiyat al-Arifin Asma al…+1. He began composing al-Dala'il fi Gharib al-Hadith (also referred to as al-Dala'il fi Sharh ma Aghfala Abu Ubayd wa-Ibn Qutaybah min Gharib al-Hadith) to explain obscure terminology omitted in the earlier compilations of Abu Ubayd al-Qasim ibn Sallam and Ibn Qutaybah Madrasat al-Hadith fi Mis…+1. He died before its completion, after which his father finalized the text Kashf al-Zunun an Asami a…+1. The compilation was subsequently transmitted by his son, Thabit ibn Qasim Fihris Ibn Atiyya+1.

The work received high acclaim among Andalusian scholars; the philologist Abu Ali al-Qali noted that he personally transcribed the book and considered it unmatched by any work produced in al-Andalus, while Ibn al-Faradi remarked that the same praise could equally apply had it been compared to works of the East Tartib al-Madarik wa Taqr…+1.

Refusal of Judgeship and Death

Al-Saraqasti was offered the post of judge (qadi) in Zaragoza by the ruler, but he refused Mujam al-Buldan+1. When his father attempted to compel him to accept the office, he requested a three-day delay to deliberate and perform prayers for divine guidance (istikharah) Mujam al-Buldan+1. He died during those three days in Zaragoza in 302 AH (914 CE), a date recorded in the hand of the Umayyad caliph al-Hakam II, though another account places his death in 303 AH Mujam al-Buldan+1. Because he was reputed to have his prayers answered, contemporaries widely held that he had prayed for his own death to avoid assuming the judgeship Siyar Aalam al-Nubala+1.