Nasr b. Muzahim
Naṣr b. Muzāḥim b. Sayyār (Yasār) al-ʿAṭṭār al-Minqari (Arabic: نَصْر بن مُزاحم بن سَیّار (یسار) عَطّار المنقري) was among Shi'a historians living in Iraq in the 2nd/8th century. Regarding the order of transmitters of hadiths, some considered him in the same order as of Abu Mikhnaf; and al-Shaykh al-Tusi mentioned him among the companions of Imam al-Baqir (a). Historians and biographers disagree about the credit of Nasr b. Muzahim, seemingly because of the school he followed. By his late life, he participated in the uprising of Abu l-Saraya against Abbasids and Abu l-Saraya trusted him with the responsibility of the market. Some of his works are Waq'at Siffin, al-Jamal, al-Gharat, Maqtal Hujr b. 'Adi and Maqtal Husayn b. Ali (a).
| Historian | |
|---|---|
| Full Name | Nasr b. Muzahim b. Sayyar (Yasar) al-'Attar al-Minqari |
| Teknonym | Abu l-Fadl |
| Religious Affiliation | Shi'a |
| Lineage | Banu Minqar |
| Birth | Around 120/737-8 |
| Place of Birth | Kufa |
| Place of Residence | Baghdad |
| Death | 212/827-8 |
| Era | Abbasid |
| Known for | Shi'a Historian and Hadith Transmitter |
| Professors | Abu l-Jarud, Sufyan al-Thawri, ... |
| Students | Abu l-Salt al-Hirawi, Husayn b. Nasr, ... |
| Works | Waq'at Siffin, al-Jamal, ... |
| Activities | Participation in the Uprising of Abu l-Saraya |
Life
The date of his birth is not mentioned in historical sources, but it is said that he was born in Kufa and then moved to Baghdad. His lineage reached "Banu Minqar b. 'Ubayd b. Harith b. 'Amr b. Ka'b b. Sa'd b. Zayd Manat b. Tamim".
Nasr b. Muzahim spend most of his life in Baghdad. At that time, Baghdad was a newly developed city, but since it was the capital and center of caliphate, it had attracted many famous scientific figures. In Tarikh Baghdad, al-Khatib al-Baghdadi mentioned Nasr b. Muzahim among scientific figures of Baghdad. Nasr b. Muzahim passed away in 212/827-8.
Occupation
About Nasr, Ibn al-Nadim wrote, "He was from Banu Minqar clan and was a herbalist." Abu l-Faraj al-Isfahani too said, "Abu l-Saraya" trusted Nasr b. Muzahim with the market to."
Order of the Transmitters of Hadith
Some considered him in the same order of Abu Mikhnaf. It suggests that he was among the elderly, because as Ibn al-Hajar mentioned in Lisan al-Mizan, Abu Mikhnaf Lut b. Yahya passed away in 170/786-7 and it is possible that Nasr was born around 120/737-8.
Al-Shaykh al-Tusi considered him among the companions of Imam al-Baqir (a) but it disagrees with the date he passed away which was 212/827-8.
Religion, Reliability and Credit
Historians and biographers disagree about the credit of Nasr b. Muzahim, seemingly because of the school he followed. Most Sunni scholars of Rijal considered him weak [and unreliable] regarding transmission of hadith. About him, al-'Uqayli said, "Nasr b. Muzahim is Shi'a and the hadiths he has transmitted and his reports are disturbed, because they seem to have conflicts with each other."
- Al-Khatib al-Baghdadi considered him a Ghali (exaggerator) Shi'a who transmitted hadiths from weak transmitters of hadith and his reports were unreliable.
- Among Sunni sources, Ibn Habban considers him among reliable and trustworthy figures. Also, about him, Ibn Abi l-Hadid said,
- "Nasr b. Muzahim is a reliable and trustworthy person. He did not say anything out of vain desire or delusion and is among transmitters of hadiths."
- Al-Najashi and 'Allama al-Hilli, among great Shi'a scholars of rijal praised him by calling him "mustaqim al-tariqa" (on the right way) and "sālih al-amr" (having righteous deed).
- Muhammad Taqi Shushtari considered him among common people, but close to Imamiyya and preferred to mention him Zaydi due to his participation in the uprising of Abu l-Saraya.
Participation in the Uprising of Abu l-Saraya
Based on the report of Abu l-Faraj, Nasr, by his late life (200/815-6), participated in the uprising of Abu l-Saraya, who was an Alids, against Abbasids and then Abu l-Saraya trusted him with the responsibility of the market. Abu l-Faraj reported this uprising in a book he titled as Akhbar Muhammad b. Ibrahim and Abu l-Saraya.
Professors
In Baghdad, he benefited from the classes of many teachers including:
- Sufyan al-Thawri
- Shu'ba b. al-Hajjaj
- Habib b. Hassan
- 'Abd al-'Aziz b. Siyah
- Yazid b. Ibrahim al-Shushtari
- Abu l-Jarud
Students
Husayn b. Nasr, Nuh b. Habib al-Qumisi, Abu l-Salt al-Hirawi, Abu Sa'id al-Ashja', 'Ali b. Mundhir al-Tariqi and some other Kufi figures.
Works
It is said that he knew history and had several works which are:
- Waq'at Siffin
- Al-Jamal
- al-Gharat
- Maqtal Hujr b. 'Adi
- Maqtal Husayn b. Ali (a)
- 'Ayn al-warda
- Akhbar al-Mukhtar
- Al-Manaqib
- Akhbar Muhammad b. Ibrahim wa Abu l-Saraya
References
- The material for this article is mainly taken from نصر بن مزاحم عطار منقری in Farsi WikiShia.