Shuʿba bin al-Ḥajjāj bin al-Ward, Abū Busṭām al-ʿAtakī (Arabic: شُعْبَة بِن الحَجَّاْج بِن الْوَرْد أَبُو بُسطام الْعَتَكِي) (c. 85–160/704–776 AH/CE) was an early, devout Muslim, who was known for both his knowledge of poetry and of ḥadīth. His scrupulousness in ḥadīth transmission, alongside other scholars such as Sufyān al-Thawrī, is understood to have laid the foundation for the concretization of ḥadīth sciences.
Shuʿba bin al-Ḥajjāj | |
|---|---|
| Title | King of Hadith[1] |
| Personal | |
| Born | 85 AH[2] |
| Died | 160 AH[3] |
| Religion | Islam |
| Main interest(s) | Hadith studies |
Biography
editShuʿba bin al-Ḥajjāj was born with a speech impediment (althagh) sometime between the years 80–86 AH, though likely 85, in Wāsiṭ, a historical city located on the west bank of the Tigris River in central ʿIrāq. He then moved to Baṣra as a child, where lived, studied, and later died in 160/776 AH/CE due to plague.[2] Another famous scholar and ḥadīth transmitter, Sufyān al-Thawrī, called Shuʿba "commander of the faithful concerning ḥadīth" (amīr al-mu'minīn fī al-ḥadīth), but Shuʿba himself is quoted by Ibn Qutayba al-Dīnawarī as saying "By God, truly in poetry I am more sound than in ḥadīth."[2] He was instrumental in transmitting ḥadīth, and is understood to be one of the first individuals mentioned as a zāhid amongst the early ḥadīth transmitters. Although Abū Ḥanīfa and ʿAbd Allāh bin Ṣāliḥ al-ʿAjlī al-Kūfī levelled critiques against his transmissions.[4][5] It is mentioned in al-Dhahabi's Tārīkh al-Islām that Shuʿba studied masāʿil (juridical affairs) under both Anas Ibn Mālik and Ḥasan al-Baṣrī, but not much is known of his juridical endeavors.[3] However, his appearance in the ḥadīth transmitted by individuals such as Sufyan al-Thawri, Muslim ibn al-Hajjaj and al-Bukhari show the prominent place he held in the early circles of ḥadīth transmitters and other scholars. Furthermore, there are many reports that mention the devotion of Shuʿba, including: helping the poor, avoiding ostentatious displays of knowledge and wealth, and participating in renunciatory acts.[6]
References
edit- ^ Shu’bah ibn Al-Hajjaj: The 'King of Hadith'
- ^ a b c Ibn Qutayba al-Dīnawarī, al-Maʿārif, v. 1, 501.
- ^ a b Al-Dhahabī, Tārīkh al-Islām, shamela, v.1, 430.
- ^ ʿAbd Allāh bin Ṣāliḥ al-ʿAjlī al-Kūfī, Maʿrifa al-Thiqāt al-Rijāl Ahl al-ʿIlm wa al-Ḥadīth, v. 1, 456.
- ^ Brill, Encyclopaedia of Islam, S̲h̲uʿba b. al- Ḥad̲j̲d̲j̲ād̲j̲
- ^ Abu al-Faraj al-Jawzī, Al-Muntaẓim fi Tārīkh al-Mulūk wa al-Umam, v. 8, 243–5.
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