Siraj al-Din al-Qazwini
- Died
- 750 AH
- Born in
- Qazvin
Abu Hafs Siraj al-Din al-Qazwini (683–750 AH / 1284–1349 CE) was a Shafi'i jurist, hadith specialist, and Quran reciter based in Iraq, known for his transmission record Mashyakhat al-Qazwini.
Early Life and Education
Umar ibn Ali ibn Umar was born in Qazwin in Rabi' al-Akhir 683 AH (1284 CE), where he spent his early childhood studying under local scholars, including Jalal al-Din Muhammad al-Qazwini. His father took him at a young age to Wasit, where he grew up and studied the standard works of Quranic recitations. He subsequently moved to Baghdad, continuing his education under scholars including Ahmad ibn Ghazal, al-Rashid Muhammad ibn Abd Allah, Muhammad ibn al-Kharrat, and Dawud ibn Mansur al-Azaji.
Al-Qazwini traveled to obtain transmission licenses across several regions. In Damascus, he received authorizations from teachers such as Taqi al-Din Sulayman ibn Hamza, Ahmad ibn Sulayman al-Ba'labakki, and Fakhr al-Din Ali ibn Ahmad Ibn al-Bukhari. In Kufa, he heard hadith from the jurist Salih ibn Abd Allah al-Sabbagh, and in Mecca, he studied under Badr al-Din Ibn Jama'a.
Scholarly Career and Students
Al-Qazwini held the position of prayer leader at the Caliph's Mosque (Jami' al-Khalifa) in Baghdad. He engaged widely in transmitting hadith and teaching, drawing many students. Among those who transmitted from him were Ibn Rajab al-Hanbali, Ahmad ibn Muhammad al-Suhrawardi, Alam al-Din Ahmad ibn Ali al-Shashtari, Abd al-Muhsin ibn Abd al-Da'im al-Kharrat, and the Quran reciter Ali ibn Abd al-Karim al-Wasiti.
His transmissions were recorded in Mashyakhat al-Qazwini (also known as al-Fihrist), a compilation of his chains of transmission in which he stated that he would include only well-known compositions and widely recognized authors. He also composed a collection of forty hadiths transmitted through a single chain (Arba'un hadithan bi-isnad wahid).
Scholarly Standing
Al-Qazwini was recognized as one of the leading hadith authorities of his time in Iraq. Ibn Hajar al-Asqalani referred to him as an authoritative reference, describing him as the great hadith master, the traditionist of Iraq, and its chief authority of transmission. Ibn Rafi' al-Sallami commended him as a Shafi'i reciter and traditionist who narrated copiously, transcribed manuscripts in his own hand, read directly with masters, and compiled selections of texts.
Death
Al-Qazwini died in Baghdad in 750 AH (1349 CE). An alternative report transmitted by Ali ibn Abd al-Muhsin al-Dawalibi from his father places his death in 748 AH, while another variant mentions 775 AH.
Answer updated
List of Works
Mashyakhat al-Qazwini (also known as al-Mashyakha al-Sirajiyya) is a catalogue of scholarly transmissions and chains of authority (mashyakha). It was prepared as a standardized, comprehensive record of transmission licenses across multiple Islamic disciplines, including Quranic readings and sciences, hadith collections, exegesis, jurisprudence, theology, Sufism, and the Arabic language, documenting chains established as the highest available in that era.