Lineage and Background
Muhammad ibn Sirin was the renowned Imam, Shaykh al-Islam, Abu Bakr al-Ansari, al-Ansi, al-Basri. He was a freedman of Anas ibn Malik, the Companion of the Prophet ﷺ, and was originally from Jirjiraya.
His father, Sirin, was captured and sold into slavery. Anas ibn Malik took ownership of him and later wrote a contract for his manumission for a large sum of money. Sirin paid the amount early, but Anas, seeing his wealth from trade, tried to delay taking the payment in hopes of retaining him. The case was brought before Umar ibn al-Khattab, who compelled Anas to honour the contract and accept the payment.
Birth and Siblings
Anas ibn Sirin, Muhammad’s brother, said that Muhammad was born two years before the end of Umar’s caliphate, and he himself was born a year after that. There is disagreement on this date—al-Hakim reported it as during Umar’s time, while others said Uthman’s. The second view appears stronger, given that Ibn Sirin was younger than al-Hasan al-Basri by several years. Reports on his age at death also differ, ranging from seventy-eight to over eighty.
Who He Met And Narrated From
Muhammad ibn Sirin met and heard from many Companions including Abu Hurayrah, Imran ibn Husayn, Ibn Abbas, Adi ibn Hatim, Ibn Umar, Ubaydah al-Salmani, Shurayh the judge, and Anas ibn Malik. He narrated hadiths to many prominent successors such as Qatadah, Ayyub, Yunus ibn Ubayd, Ibn Awn, Khalid al-Hadhdha, Hisham ibn Hassan, Awf al-A‘rabi, Qarah ibn Khalid, and many others.
Family and Appearance
He had several siblings, and a report from Zayd ibn Thabit confirmed their maternal lineage precisely. He was described as short with a large belly, thick hair parted in the middle, humorous and cheerful, and he dyed his hair with henna. He was known for remarkable accuracy in narrating hadith word for word, as opposed to al-Hasan al-Basri who focused on meanings. Many scholars such as Ibn Awn and Muadh ibn Muadh considered him unparalleled in his time.
His Knowledge, Piety, and Legal Expertise
He was praised by scholars for his deep knowledge in judicial matters, inheritance, and accounting. Al-Sha‘bi referred to him as “the deaf one,” meaning that people should turn to him. Others said he had more insight than al-Hasan in certain matters. He was praised for combining deep fiqh with extreme piety.
Abu Qilabah and others testified to his unmatched self-control and scrupulousness. He was so careful in his dealings that he once poured out a massive amount of oil after finding a dead mouse in one container, fearing impurity, and it left him in heavy debt.
His Trials and Public Perception
His debts led to imprisonment, and this trial brought him into the public eye. One report says he once avoided public gatherings for fear of fame, but circumstances led to people accusing him of consuming others’ wealth due to his debts. Nevertheless, when people saw him, they were reminded of Allah. His piety and fear of Allah were so intense that some said he would feel as though part of him died whenever he heard about death. He believed the verse in al-Anam (6:68) referred to people of innovation, and warned against listening to them.
His Status Among The Scholars
He was deeply respected by scholars like Ibn Jarir al-Tabari who described him as a jurist, pious, cultured, honest, and a reliable authority. He was cautious with hadith and rejected narrations from people of innovation. He would show joy and humour when quoting general statements and poetry, but become solemn and focused when narrating hadith with full isnad. He advised that knowledge is religion, and one must be careful who they take their religion from.
His Devotion For Worship
He maintained seven regular portions of Quran recitation, which he would complete even if missed at night. He was known to perform full ghusl daily. His extreme concern for cleanliness was such that he would wash his legs up to his calves during wudu. He was known for fasting alternate days and fasting the day of Ashura with great care. He was also cautious in speech, lowering his voice when speaking to his mother, and treating her with the utmost respect and kindness.
How He Dealt With The Rulers
He refused invitations from rulers, unlike al-Hasan al-Basri who would go and advise them. Ibn Sirin believed in keeping away from rulers altogether and not criticising them either. He was seen as the most steadfast when it came to dealing with those in authority. Even when given permission by jailers to go home at night and return in the morning, he refused, saying he would not assist in betrayal of the state.
His Character
Ibn Sirin was extremely cautious in business. He refused to use counterfeit coins, and when he died, he still had five hundred defective coins that he never used. When asked to forgive people who had spoken badly about him, he refused to forgive what Allah had prohibited. His level of waraʿ (scrupulousness) was such that if two options appeared in a matter involving his religion, he always chose the safer one. He was known to blame himself harshly and prefer others over himself. His humility was exceptional.
Dream Interpretation and Spiritual Insight
He was among the most famous interpreters of dreams, and many miraculous stories were narrated about his interpretations. He interpreted dreams with insight that seemed divinely supported.
He once interpreted a man’s dream predicting his wife would die in childbirth and that the child would live—and it came true. He interpreted another dream about three pigeons consuming pearls, saying it reflected three scholars: al-Hasan, Ibn Sirin himself, and Qatadah, each differing in how they transmitted knowledge.
Comparison with al-Hasan al-Basri
Although Ibn Sirin was considered superior by many in knowledge and precision, dreams reported after his death indicated that al-Hasan was raised seventy levels above him due to his intense sorrow and fear of Allah. One man saw in his sleep that al-Hasan was like a sinless king in Paradise, while Ibn Sirin was where he pleased, showing the different paths each took in their spiritual journey.
His Final Years Leading To His Death
Toward the end of his life, Ibn Sirin fell into debt due to business losses—either by buying food or oil and rejecting it after suspecting something about it. Some attributed this to an old sin he repented from. He continued to live with great caution, even refusing to use the common currency of al-Hajjaj. His will to his family was a powerful reminder to fear Allah, reconcile with one another, and follow the religion sincerely, echoing the will of the Prophets Ibrahim and Yaqub to their children.
He passed away in Basrah in 110 AH, with his legacy remembered for piety, knowledge, honesty, dream interpretation, and high moral conduct. Al-Awzaʿi attempted to visit him before his death on the advice of Yahya ibn Abi Kathir but arrived only during his final illness. His mother, Safiyyah, was reportedly a freedwoman of Abu Bakr al-Siddiq.
Siyar A’lām al-Nubalā by Ad Dhahabi (4/606-622)
