wikishia:Featured Article/2017/16

Aban b. Taghlib (Arabic: أبانِ بن تَغْلِب) (b. ? - d. 141/758-59) was a Shi'a man of literature, reciter and commentator of the Qur'an, scholar of fiqh and hadith. Aban spent most of his life with the Followers (Tabi'un) and learned a lot from them. He had the opportunity to meet Imam al-Sajjad (a), Imam Muhammad al-Baqir (a), and Imam Ja'far al-Sadiq (a). It is said that he narrated about 30,000 hadiths from Imam al-Sadiq (a).

At the time of Aban that due to Muslims' familiarity with culture and teachings of other nations, intellectual and ideological challenges were made in different topics and different schools defended their theological and jurisprudential thoughts according to their own principles, Aban was among those who defended and preached Shi'a based on the teachings of the Ahl al-Bayt (a). Therefore, he received a great position before Imams (a) of Shi'a and his peers referred to him to listen to his knowledge in hadiths and rulings. Imam al-Baqir (a) had told Aban, "sit in the mosque of Medina and issue rulings for people! I love that people like you would be seen among Shi'a.

He learned recitation of the Qur'an before 'Asim b. Abi l-Najud, Talha b. Musarrif, and Sulayman al-A'mash and was among the three people who had the opportunity to learn the whole Qur'an before al-A'mash. He was among the greatest reciters of the Qur'an and used to recite the Qur'an in a special way which was known to reciters. Al-Shaykh al-Tusi quoted from Muhammad b. Musa b. Abi Maryam, the author of al-Lu'lu' that Aban was the most famous person of his time in reciting the Qur'an.

Shi'a scholars of rijal regarded him as authentic. But Sunni scholars of rijal have different views about him. Read more...