Juz al-Qadi al-Ashnani
- Author died
- 339 AH
- Editions
- Dar al-Kharraz
Juz' al-Qadi al-Ashnani (The Hadith Part of Judge al-Ashnani) is a hadith tract compiled from the narrations of the Baghdadi judge and traditionist Abu al-Husayn Umar ibn al-Hasan al-Ashnani (d. 339 AH / 951 CE) .
Author and Context
The compiler, Abu al-Husayn (also recorded as Abu al-Hasan) Umar ibn al-Hasan ibn Ali ibn Malik ibn Ashras al-Shaybani, known as Ibn al-Ashnani, was born in Baghdad in 259 AH (or 260 AH) . He was raised in a scholarly family; his father, al-Hasan ibn Ali ibn Malik (d. 278 AH), was also a hadith narrator . Ibn al-Ashnani studied hadith under his father, his brother Muhammad, Ibn Abi al-Dunya, Musa ibn Sahl al-Washsha, Muhammad ibn Shaddad al-Misma'i, Muhammad ibn Isa ibn Hayyan al-Mada'ini, and Muhammad ibn Maslama al-Wasiti, among others .
In his public career, Ibn al-Ashnani served as a judge in various districts of the Levant (Sham) . He was appointed judge over Madinat al-Mansur in Baghdad by the Abbasid caliph al-Muqtadir bi-Illah on Thursday, 20 Rabi' al-Thani 316 AH, succeeding Abu Ja'far Ahmad ibn Ishaq ibn al-Buhlul, but he was dismissed on Sunday after holding court for only a single session on Saturday, making his tenure in Baghdad last just three days . He died in Dhu al-Hijjah 339 AH .
Content and Transmission
The work belongs to the ajza' (singular juz') genre of hadith literature, comprising a compilation or dictation session (majlis) preserved from the author's transmissions . It was transmitted through hadith scholars who studied under him; notable narrators of his material included Ibn Uqdah, Abu Amr ibn al-Sammak, Muhammad ibn al-Muzaffar, Ibn Shahin, Abu al-Qasim ibn Hubabah, al-Mu'afa ibn Zakariyya, Abu al-Hasan al-Daraqutni, and Abu al-Husayn ibn Bushran . The tract was recorded in classical transmission indexes, including the Barnamaj of al-Qasim ibn Yusuf al-Tujibi, where it is cited as Juz' fih majlis li-Abi al-Hasan Umar ibn al-Hasan ibn Ali ibn Malik al-Ashnani al-Shaybani . A manuscript copy of the part is preserved in Dar al-Kutub al-Misriyyah in Cairo .
Scholarly Reception
Scholars held differing views regarding the author and his narrations:
- Al-Khatib al-Baghdadi observed that he had begun narrating hadith during the lifetime of Ibrahim al-Harbi, taking this early activity as evidence of his high standing in people's eyes .
- Talha ibn Muhammad described him as a prominent figure, an accomplished traditionist, and a hafiz who narrated extensively and was widely transmitted from both early and late in his life .
- Abu Ali al-Harawi considered him truthful (saduq), remarking that the only criticism he had heard was that he treated written permission (ijaza) as direct auditory transmission (sama'), and noting that he transmitted strictly from his original written records (usul) .
- Conversely, al-Hasan ibn Muhammad al-Khallal noted that he was weak (da'if) and criticized by scholars .
- Al-Daraqutni declared him untruthful, asserting that he lied in narration .
Answer updated