Hadith Abi Nasr al-Yunarti
- Author died
- 527 AH
- Editions
- Manuscript published in the free Jawāmi‘ al-Kalim software affiliated with the Islamweb website
Hadith Abi Nasr al-Yunarti is a collection of hadith narrations transmitted by the Persian hadith scholar and Qur'anic reciter Abu Nasr al-Yunarti (466–527 AH / 1074–1133 CE), preserving the reports he gathered during his scholarly travels across Iraq and Khorasan .
Author and Context
The compiler, Abu Nasr al-Hasan ibn Muhammad ibn Ibrahim ibn Ahmad ibn Ali ibn Hayyuwayh al-Muqri' al-Yunarti, was named after Yunart, a village outside the gates of Isfahan . Born in late 466 AH (1074 CE), he devoted himself to collecting traditions and copying manuscripts, journeying through Khorasan and Iraq to study under prominent authorities . In 524 AH, he arrived in Baghdad, where he transmitted Jami' al-Tirmidhi . Al-Yunarti died in Shawwal 527 AH (1133 CE) , although the historian Yahya ibn Mandah reported his death in Isfahan as having occurred around 530 AH .
Content and Sources
The material transmitted under al-Yunarti's name encompasses hadiths and textual parts gathered from numerous teachers in major centers of learning:
- In Isfahan, his authorities included Abu Bakr Muhammad ibn Ahmad ibn Majah and Abu Mansur Muhammad ibn Ahmad ibn Shukruwayh .
- In Nishapur, he received narrations from al-Hasan ibn Ahmad al-Samarqandi and was the final student to travel to and hear traditions directly from Abu Bakr Ahmad ibn Khalaf al-Shirazi before his death .
- In Balkh, he transmitted from Abu al-Qasim Ahmad ibn Muhammad al-Khalili .
- His transmission chains for canonical works also relied on Abu 'Amir Mahmud ibn al-Qasim al-Azdi and Abu al-Muzaffar Abd Allah ibn 'Ata' al-Bughawardani .
Al-Yunarti compiled a multi-part biographical dictionary (Mu'jam) of his own narrations and shuyukh , and selected specialized hadith parts for colleagues, including a collection extracted for his traveling companion Abu 'Asim al-Suwayqi .
Transmission and Reception
Al-Yunarti's hadith texts and transmissions were disseminated through several notable pupils, including Abu Musa al-Madini, Ahmad ibn Salih ibn Shafi' al-Jili, Abu al-Fath Nasr ibn Futyan, Abu al-Ma'ali 'Arafa ibn al-Baqli, Abu al-Futuh As'ad al-'Ijli, Abu al-Majid Muhammad ibn Hamid, and Abu al-Faraj Thabit al-Madini . Abu Sa'd al-Sam'ani received a comprehensive written authorization (ijazah) encompassing all of al-Yunarti's heard transmissions .
Scholars commended al-Yunarti's fastidious care for his manuscripts, describing them as clean and orderly (nazif al-ajza'), and praised the clarity of his penmanship as well as the sweetness of his voice when reciting hadiths aloud . However, the traditionist Ismail ibn Muhammad al-Hafiz noted that aside from the neatness of his texts, al-Yunarti did not possess deep critical mastery of hadith scholarship .
Answer updated