Ahmad b. Muhammad b. Abi Nasr al-Bazanti

Companion of Imam (a)

Ahmad b. Muhammad b. Abi Nasr al-Bazanti
Full Name	Ahmad b. Muhammad b. Abi Nasr al-Bazanti
Companion of	Imam al-Kazim (a), Imam al-Rida (a), and Imam al-Jawad (a)
Teknonym	Abu Ja'far
Well Known As	Al-Bazanti, Ibn Abi Nasr
Wellknown Relatives	Isma'il b. Mihran, al-Bazanti
Birth	152/769
Place(s) of Residence	Kufa
Death/Martyrdom	221/836
Works	Al-Jami' , Al-Masa'il, Al-Nawadir

ʾAbū Jaʿfar ʾAḥmad b. Muḥammad b. ʾAbī Naṣr al-Bazanțī (Arbic: ابوجعفر احمد بن ابي نصر البزنطي) (b.152/769 - d.221/836), one of the early Imami scholars in Kufa, and a companion of Imam al-Kazim (a), Imam al-Rida (a), and Imam al-Jawad (a), and one of the people of consensus.

Biography

His teknonym is Abu Ja'far, though he is well-known as "al-Bazanti". His grandfather was Abu Nasr Zayd b. 'Amr, and because of him, al-Bazanti is sometimes called Ibn Abi Nasr.

It is mentioned that al-Bazanti was in Qadisiyya around the year 200/815-6.

He was a mawla of the clan of Sakun, a branch of the tribe of Kinda. His family was a well-known Imami family in Kufa. Isma'il b. Mihran, al-Bazanti's cousin, was another famous member of his family.

His demise was in 221/836.

Relation with the Imams (a)

Al-Bazanti was mainly a companion of Imam al-Rida (a). In rijal sources, a conversation between him and Imam al-Jawad (a) is mentioned, and there is disagreement as to whether he quoted hadith from Imam al-Kazim (a).

Teachers and Students

Apart from the Imams (a), al-Bazanti learned hadith from great Imami figures such as:

• 'Abd Allah b. Sinan,
• Hammad b. 'Uthman,
• Jamil b. Darraj,
• Aban b. 'Uthman,
• 'Asim b. Humayd

Al-Bazanti was among the People of Consensus and following people have narrated hadith from him:

• Ibrahim b. Hashim al-Qummi,
• al-Husayn b. Sa'id al-Ahwazi,
• Ahmad b. Muhammad al-Barqi,
• Al-Hasan b. Mahbub,
• Ali b. Mahziyar al-Ahwazi,
• Ahmad b. Muhammad b. 'Isa al-Ash'ari
• Muhammad b. 'Isa b. 'Ubayd al-Yaqtini.

Religious Affiliation

After the martyrdom of Imam al-Kazim (a), al-Bazanti became a Waqifi, but as a result of a correspondence that he had with Imam al-Rida (a), he believed in the latter's Imamate and became one of the early supporters of Qat'iyya in Kufa, together with Hisham b. Salim and Safwan b. Yahya. According to some reports, he was the most influential supporter and promoter of the Imamate of Imam al-Rida (a).

A Representative of the School of Hisham b. Salim

Among the scholarly inclinations within the Imamiyya, al-Bazanti belonged to the school of Hisham b. Salim; he became the representative of that school after Hisham's demise, criticizing the viewpoints of the rival school of Hisham b. al-Hakam on the knowledge of the Imams.

Hadiths on the Imams' Knowledge

On the knowledge of the Imams (a), several hadiths quoted by al-Bazanti are found in hadith sources such as al-Kafi, Qurb al-isnad, Basa'ir al-darajat, and al-Ikhtisas.

A brief hadith that reflects the viewpoint of al-Bazanti and the school of Hisham b. Salim on this issue is the following: "The faith of a servant will not be perfect, unless he equally recognizes for the last Imam what he recognizes for the first Imam in proof, obedience, halal, and haram."

Status in Rijal

Main article: People of Consensus

In the discipline of Rijal, al-Bazanti is not only regarded as trustworthy but also as one of the people of consensus. It is noteworthy that because al-Bazanti's name is recorded in the chains of transmission of hadiths about the Prophet's (s) Sira (conduct), he is mentioned in Sunni rijal sources as well. However, he is not considered reliable by Sunni scholars.

Works

In addition to the hadiths quoted by him and preserved in the Four Books, the following are some of al-Bazanti's most important works:

• Al-Jami' : This work included a wide collection of hadiths on various religious teachings, especially jurisprudence. Copies of this work were available at the time of Ibn Idris al-Hilli and most likely at the time of al-Sayyid b. Tawus.

• Al-Masa'il: Ibn al-Nadim mentions this work in his al-Fihrist. In the treatise of Abu Ghalib al-Zurari, the title of this work is Masa'il al-Rida. Some parts of this work is preserved in the book Qurb al-isnad by 'Abd Allah b. Ja'far al-Himyari.

• Al-Nawadir: Al-Shaykh al-Tusi mentions this work in his al-Fihrist. Al-Najashi attributes two books with this title to al-Bazanti. In the Mustatrafat section of Ibn Idris al-Hilli's al-Sara'ir, some hadiths from this work are quoted.

It is noteworthy that al-Shaykh al-Saduq had copies of al-Bazantis works, and he frequently quotes from them in his Kitab man la yahduruh al-faqih, but unfortunately he does not mention the title of the works he has used.