Tarjamat Maslama ibn Makhlad lil-Mizzi
- Author died
- 742 AH
- Editions
- Dār al-Bashā’ir al-Islāmiyyah
Tarjamat Maslama ibn Makhlad wa-Bayan Suhbatifi lil-Nabi (The Biography of Maslama ibn Makhlad and Clarification of His Companionship with the Prophet) is a short biographical fatwa by the Syrian hadith scholar al-Mizzi (654–742 AH / 1256–1341 CE) examining the status and historical reports concerning the Companion Maslama ibn Makhlad .
Background and Inquiries
The treatise was composed in response to a specific inquiry regarding an incident where Maslama ibn Makhlad instructed 'Uqba ibn 'Amir to address the congregation with traditions heard from the Prophet ﷺ, prompting 'Uqba to narrate the warnings against intentionally attributing falsehoods to the Prophet and against men wearing silk . The questioner asked al-Mizzi two points: first, whether Maslama was a Companion (sahabi) or a Successor (tabi'i); and second, whether this interaction between Maslama and 'Uqba took place shortly after the death of the Prophet ﷺ or a long time afterward .
Content and Arguments
Al-Mizzi resolves both questions by establishing Maslama's status and chronology:
- Companionship and Biography: Al-Mizzi affirms that Maslama ibn Makhlad al-Ansari al-Zuraqi was among the Companions who settled in Egypt and served as its governor on behalf of the Umayyad caliph Mu'awiya ibn Abi Sufyan . He cites biographical authorities who classified him among the Companions, including Abu Sa'id ibn Yunus in Tarikh al-Misriyyin, who documented that Maslama died in Dhu al-Qi'dah 62 AH at the age of sixty .
- Timing of the Report: Al-Mizzi demonstrates that the address occurred long after the passing of the Prophet ﷺ, specifically during Maslama's governorship over Egypt . To establish this, he transmits the narration with his personal chain through his teacher Ibn al-Bukhari (Ali ibn Ahmad ibn Abd al-Wahid al-Maqdisi) back to Hisham ibn Abi Ruqayya al-Lakhmi, who witnessed Maslama speaking from the minbar against wearing silk and calling upon 'Uqba to testify .
- Hadith Criticism: Al-Mizzi authenticates the chain of transmission, highlighting that its transmitters 'Abd Allah ibn Wahb and 'Amr ibn al-Harith were authorities found in the two Sahih collections, while Hisham ibn Abi Ruqayya was an intermediate Successor deemed trustworthy by Ibn Hibban in Kitab al-Thiqat . Pointing out that 'Uqba ibn 'Amir died in 58 AH, al-Mizzi confirms that the incident necessarily took place decades after the Prophet's era .
Transmission and Publication
Manuscript audition records appended to the treatise document that it was read back to al-Mizzi during his lifetime on multiple occasions: first by Abd al-Rahman ibn Muhammad al-Ba'li in 711 AH; next by al-Mizzi's son Abd al-Rahman in 726 AH (in the presence of his daughter Zaynab and the historian Ibn Kathir); and later by Muhammad ibn Muhammad ibn Abi Bakr ibn Ahmad ibn Abd al-Da'im in Muharram 733 AH in the presence of al-Shams Ibn al-Muhandis .
The text was edited by Nizam Muhammad Salih Ya'qubi and published in 1428 AH / 2007 CE by Dar al-Basha'ir al-Islamiyyah as part of the Liqa' al-'Ashr al-Awakhir bi-al-Masjid al-Haram series .
Answer updated