Yahya ibn al-Husayn al-Shajari
- Died
- 499 AH
- Born in
- -
Yahya ibn al-Husayn al-Shajari (412–499 AH / 1021–1105 CE) was a Zaydi imam, hadith scholar, and genealogist based in Rayy, best known for his hadith compilation al-Amali al-Khamisiyya.
Lineage and Early Life
He was Abu al-Husayn Yahya ibn al-Husayn ibn Ismail ibn Zayd ibn al-Hasan ibn Ja'far ibn al-Husayn ibn Muhammad ibn Ja'far ibn Abd al-Rahman al-Shajari, descending from al-Qasim ibn al-Hasan ibn Zayd ibn al-Hasan ibn Ali ibn Abi Talib. He bore the regnal and honorific titles al-Murshid Billah and al-Rashid al-Murshid Billah, as well as the title al-Kiya. His father, Abu Abd Allah al-Husayn ibn Ismail, was titled al-Muwaffaq Billah. He was born in 412 AH / 1021 CE and traced his origin through the Hashemite branch of al-Shajari, being associated with Rayy and Gorgan.
Education and Political Leadership
He traveled extensively across various regions in pursuit of hadith; it was reported that he journeyed to 400 towns and studied under 400 scholars. In Baghdad, he studied under figures including Abu Abd Allah Muhammad ibn Ali al-Suri and the judge Abu al-Qasim Ali ibn al-Muhsin al-Tanukhi.
In the Caspian region of Daylam, Gilan, and the city of Rayy, he assumed the Zaydi imamate following the path of his father, al-Muwaffaq Billah. His call to the imamate (daʿwah) occurred around 491 AH, though an earlier report places his allegiance in Daylam in 446 AH. He was later succeeded in the leadership of the region by Abu Talib Yahya ibn Ahmad.
Scholarly Standing and Teaching
He was recognized as a prominent genealogist and the leading figure (muqaddam) of the Zaydiyya of his time. His contemporary al-Hakim al-Jushami described him as an ascetic scholar sought out by travelers for knowledge. The hadith master Muhammad ibn Abd al-Wahid al-Daqqaq al-Isfahani recorded meeting him in Rayy and praised his mastery of hadith transmissions.
Among those who transmitted from him were Abu Sa'd Yahya ibn Tahir al-Samman al-Razi and Abu al-Fath Nasr ibn Mahdi al-Razi. His primary legacy is his collection of Thursday hadith dictations, known as al-Amali al-Khamisiyya, which he delivered in sessions including those recorded in Rayy between 477 and 478 AH. The work was later rearranged thematically by the judge Muhyi al-Din Muhammad ibn Ahmad al-Qurashi al-Abshami under the title Tartib al-Amali al-Khamisiyya.
Death
He died in Rayy in 499 AH / 1105 CE. Other reports place his death in 479 AH or 477 AH.
Answer updated
List of Works
Tartib al-Amali al-Khamisiyya li al-Shajari is a rearranged compilation of hadith dictations (amālī). It restructures the original dictation sessions into a thematic topical order to facilitate reference for students and scholars of hadith and jurisprudence.