Muhammad b. Muslim al-Thaqafi
| Companion of | Imam al-Baqir (a), Imam al-Sadiq (a), Imam al-Kazim (a) |
|---|---|
| Teknonym | Abu Ja'far |
| Epithet | al-Awqas • al-A'war • al-Haddaj • al-Kufi ... |
| Place of Birth | Kufa |
| Place(s) of Residence | Kufa, Medina |
| Works | al-Arba'mi'a mas'ala fi abwab al-halal wa l-haram |
Muḥammad b. Muslim al-Thaqafī al-Kūfī (Arabic: محمد بن مسلم الثقفي الکوفي) (d. 150/767-8) was a prominent companion of Imam al-Baqir (a) and Imam al-Sadiq (a) and one of the People of Consensus (Ashab al-ijma'). The scholars of rijal regard him as the most learned jurist among Shi'a hadith transmitters. According to a hadith from Imam al-Sadiq (a), Muhammad b. Muslim was one of the revivers of the teachings of Imam al-Baqir (a).
Biography
| People of Consensus
Comapnions of Imam al-Baqir (a)
Companions of Imam al-Sadiq (a)
Companions of Imam al-Kazim (a) and Imam al-Rida (a) |
Muhammad b. Muslim was born in Kufa.[1] He was a mawla of the tribe of Thaqif and his teknonym was Abu Ja'far.
In rijal sources, several epithets has been attributed to him, including al-Awqas, al-A'war, al-Haddaj, al-Qasir, al-Tahhan, al-Samman, al-Ta'ifi, and al-Thaqafi.[2]
Scholarly Status
Muhammad b. Muslim studied under Imam al-Baqir (a) in Medina for four years.[3] According to a report, Imam al-Sadiq (a) counted Muhammad b. Muslim among the trustees of his father, Imam al-Baqir (a), in matters of religion and a protector of Shiism.[4] Imam al-Sadiq (a) would refer the people who were not able to stay in contact with himself to Muhammad b. Muslim.[5]
According to a hadith, the Imam (a) said about Muhammad that "None of the Shi'a were more knowledgeable in jurisprudence than Muhammad b. Muslim."[6]
It is reported that great Sunni figures such as Abu Hanifa would refer to him in scholarly issues.[7]
He heard thirty-thousand hadiths from Imam al-Baqir (a) and sixteen thousand hadiths from Imam al-Sadiq (a).[8]
In the Viewpoint of Scholars
Scholars of rijal have regarded Muhammad b. Muslim as one of the People of Consensus.[9]
Al-Najashi describes Muhammad as "the noblest companion," the "most trustworthy person," and "a righteous jurist."[10]
Al-Shaykh al-Tusi counts him among the companion of Imam al-Baqir (a), , and companion of Imam al-Kazim (a).[11] Al-Barqi mentions that Sunnis also quoted hadith from Muhammad, and al-Shaykh al-Mufid regards him as a leading jurist from whom the Shi'a learned jurisprudence and about whose integrity there is no disagreement.[12]
Teachers and Students
Muhammad b. Muslim quoted hadith from Imam al-Baqir (a) and Imam al-Sadiq (a) directly. He also quoted hadith from the prominent companions of the Infallibles (a) such as
Many hadith transmitters quoted hadith from Muhammad, such as the following:
Works
Muhammad b. Muslim produced a work, entitled al-Arba'mi'a mas'ala fi abwab al-halal wa l-haram, in which four-hundred fiqh problems were discussed.[14]
Demise
Muhammad b. Muslim passed away in 150/767-8.[15]
Notes
- ↑ Najāshī, Rijāl, p. 323.
- ↑ Ṭūsī, Ikhtīyār maʿrifat al-rijāl, vol. 1, p. 383.
- ↑ Mufīd, al-Ikhtiṣāṣ, p. 203.
- ↑ Khoei, Muʿjam rijāl al-ḥadīth, vol. 17, p. 254.
- ↑ Ṭūsī, Ikhtīyār maʿrifat al-rijāl, vol. 1, p. 383.
- ↑ Majlisī, Biḥār al-anwār, vol. 47, p. 394.
- ↑ Ṭūsī, Ikhtīyār maʿrifat al-rijāl, vol. 1, p. 386.
- ↑ Ṭūsī, Ikhtīyār maʿrifat al-rijāl, vol. 1, p. 386.
- ↑ Ṭūsī, Ikhtīyār maʿrifat al-rijāl, vol. 2, p. 507.
- ↑ Najāshī, Rijāl, p. 325-326.
- ↑ Ṭūsī, al-Rijāl, p. 144, 294, 342.
- ↑ Mamaqānī, Tanqīḥ al-maqāl, vol. 3, p. 184.
- ↑ Subḥānī, Mawsūʿat ṭabaqāt al-fuqahā, vol. 2, p. 522.
- ↑ Najāshī, Rijāl, p. 324.
- ↑ Mamaqānī, Tanqīḥ al-maqāl, vol. 3, p. 184.
References
- Khoei, Sayyid Abū l-Qāsim al-. Muʿjam rijāl al-ḥadīth. Beirut: Dār al-Zahrā, 1409 AH.
- Mamaqānī, ʿAbd Allāh b. Ḥasan. Tanqīḥ al-maqāl fī ʿilm al-rijāl. Najaf: Maṭbaʿat al-Murtaḍawīyya, 1352 AH.
- Majlisī, Muḥammad Bāqir al-. Biḥār al-anwār. Beirut: Muʾassisat al-Wafāʾ, 1403 AH.
- Mufīd, Muḥammad b. Muḥammad al-. Al-Ikhtiṣāṣ. Qom: Muʾassisat al-Nashr al-Islāmī, 1413 AH.
- Najāshī, Aḥmad b. ʿAlī al-. Rijāl al-Najāshī. Qom: Muʾassisat al-Nashr al-Islāmī, 1424 AH.
- Subḥānī, Jaʿfar. Mawsūʿat ṭabaqāt al-rijāl. Qom: Muʾassisat Imām al-Ṣādiq (a), 1418 AH.
- Ṭūsī, Muḥammad b. al-Ḥasan al-. Ikhtīyār maʿrifat al-rijāl, known as Rijāl Kashshī. Qom: Āl-i al-Bayt li Iḥyāʾ al-Turāth, [n.d].