Muhammad ibn Muslim az-Zuhri (d. 124 AH)
Muhammad ibn Muslim ibn Ubaydullah ibn Abdullah ibn Shihab az-Zuhri, known as Abu Bakr al-Qurashi az-Zuhri, was a leading Imam and the hadith master of his era, known for his remarkable memory, vast knowledge, and wide travels. He was from the Quraysh tribe of Zuhrah and lived primarily in Madinah before settling in Syria. He is regarded as one of the earliest scholars to systematically gather and transmit hadiths.
He was a major imam, a master of hadith, and the most huge scholar of his time. His kunya was Abu Bakr. He was born in the Hijaz but settled in al-Sham, and was known both for his profound knowledge and his close association with the Umayyad court.
Who He Narrated From
He was born in 50 AH according to Duhim and Ahmad ibn Salih, or in 51 AH according to Khalifah ibn Khayyat, while Yahya ibn Bukayr claimed he was born in 56 AH. He said that he visited Marwan ibn al-Hakam while still a youth, which supports the earlier dates.
He is reported to have heard hadith from Ibn Umar, Sahl ibn Saʿd, Anas ibn Malik (whom he met in Damascus), Saʿid ibn al-Musayyab (with whom he studied for eight years), ʿUrwah ibn al-Zubayr, Abu Idris al-Khawlani, Qabisah ibn Dhu’ayb, Ali ibn al-Husayn, Salim ibn Abdullah, Abu Bakr ibn ʿAbd al-Rahman ibn al-Harith, Abu Sufyan ibn al-Harith, and many others. He also transmitted from Abdullah ibn Kʿab ibn Malik, and is said to have heard two or three hadiths from Ibn Umar.
Among those who narrated from him were some of the greatest scholars and muhaddithin of their time and after: Ayyub al-Sakhtiyani, Yahya ibn Saʿid al-Ansari, Ibn Jurayj, Malik ibn Anas, al-Awzaʿi, Shuʿayb ibn Abi Hamzah, Ibn Ishaq, Ibn Abi Dhi’b, Sufyan ibn ʿUyaynah, and many others. His narrations were widely accepted, and he is considered one of the most reliable authorities on the traditions of the Prophet.
He narrated from many senior companions, including Ibn Umar and Jabir ibn Abdillah, though he heard only a little directly from them. His birth was said to be around 50 AH, with slight variation in reports. He may have seen Abu Hurayrah and other companions, and he affirmed that he reached puberty while visiting Marwan ibn al-Hakam. Some, like Yahya ibn Bukayr, insisted he was born later, around 56 AH. He transmitted from Sahl ibn Saʿd, Anas ibn Malik (whom he met in Damascus), and a wide array of senior Tabiʿin including Saʿid ibn al-Musayyib, ʿUrwah ibn al-Zubayr, ʿAli ibn al-Husayn, and Abu Bakr ibn Abdurrahman. His list of shaykhs is extensive and includes numerous eyewitnesses to the Prophet’s actions.
He was also a student of the younger generation of Tabiʿin such as ʿAta ibn Abi Rabah, and his own students included major imams like Malik ibn Anas, al-Layth ibn Saʿd, Maʿmar ibn Rashid, and Ibn al-Mubarak. Ali ibn al-Madini estimated that az-Zuhri narrated around two thousand hadiths, with approximately half being musnad (connected).
Background Into How Began Seeking Ilm
He played an instrumental role in the early formation of the hadith tradition. Abu al-Zinad reported that he would walk around with tablets and write down every hadith he heard, even as others mocked him for doing so. Eventually, when the Umayyad rulers compelled scholars to write down hadiths for official transmission, az-Zuhri allowed people to write from him. He is widely regarded as one of the first to formally compile and record hadith systematically. His famous statement was, “We used to dislike writing knowledge until we were forced to do so by the rulers, so I saw it as necessary for Muslims.”
His Service to the Umayyads and His Political Role
He held close ties with the Umayyad rulers and was summoned multiple times to their courts. He met ʿAbd al-Malik ibn Marwan and taught his children, continuing to serve under al-Walid, Sulayman, Umar ibn ʿAbd al-ʿAziz, Yazid, and Hisham ibn ʿAbd al-Malik. Hisham assigned him to educate his sons and accompany them for Hajj. It is reported that Yazid ibn ʿAbd al-Malik appointed him as judge alongside Sulayman ibn Habib al-Muharibi. He also went on expeditions and narrated that he traveled from Madinah to Damascus during the rise of Ibn al-Ashʿath.
He was summoned to Damascus during the rule of Abd al-Malik ibn Marwan and became involved in official scholarly and judicial matters. He later tutored the caliphs’ children and accompanied them on Hajj. Though some criticised him for his closeness to rulers, others affirmed his reliability and piety, even when he challenged caliphs like Hisham and stood up for religious integrity.
Narration Style and Knowledge
He was known for his deep involvement in hadith, law, and genealogy. Abu al-Zinad said that they used to mock his constant writing in early days, but when the need for knowledge came, his notes were unmatched. He once said he travelled for 45 years between Hijaz and Sham and did not find anyone who added to his knowledge. He had a photographic memory and said he never placed anything in his heart and then forgot it.
Az-Zuhri was known for his memory and accuracy. He said, “I never placed anything in my heart and forgot it,” and was praised by al-Layth ibn Saʿd as the most encyclopaedic scholar he had ever seen. He narrated that he remained in the company of Saʿid ibn al-Musayyib for eight years, during which time he would sit so closely that their knees touched. Despite his profound knowledge, he was modest and once said, “I never asked a scholar to repeat something.”
Moral Integrity and Humility
He was known for his generosity and humility. He disliked eating apples and the leftover drink of a rat. He preferred honey and used to host guests with it. He was so dedicated to preserving knowledge that he would wake his maid at night to review what he had just heard, even though she did not benefit from it.
He was known for his generosity and frequently fell into debt by giving to others, sometimes requiring the Umayyads to pay off his loans. Stories abound of his extreme charity, such as taking loans to hire servants for eighteen poor women or giving away his turban to a needy man. Despite this, he retained an honourable position among the scholars and the court alike. Malik said about him, “No one collected knowledge after the Prophet like Ibn Shihab.”
Promotion of Hadith Writing
Initially, he avoided allowing people to write down his hadiths, but when compelled by Hisham ibn ʿAbd al-Malik to dictate to his children, he allowed the general public to write from him. He said, “We used to dislike writing knowledge, but rulers forced us to it.”
Abu Bakr al-Hudhali reported that he never saw a scholar like az-Zuhri, despite having sat with Ibn Sirin and Hasan al-Basri.
Az-Zuhri upheld the authority of the Sunnah strictly, often repeating his statement, “Adhering to the Sunnah is salvation.” He encouraged people to transmit hadith as it was, without questioning its manner, saying, “Transmit the hadith of the Messenger of Allah as it came, without adding how.” He also affirmed, “If the meaning of the hadith is preserved and it does not make the lawful unlawful or the unlawful lawful, then reordering its parts is not problematic.”
Despite his excellence, some scholars questioned his mursal reports, including Imam al-Shafiʿi, who said, “His mursal narrations are weak,” due to his narrating from weak transmitters like Sulayman ibn Arqam. Nonetheless, the consensus among the great scholars is that he was one of the most trusted and central figures in the development of hadith.
Judgement and Authority in Fatwas
He was one of the four who gave fatwa in their generation: al-Hakam, Hammad, Qatadah, and az-Zuhri. According to Ali ibn al-Madini, az-Zuhri was the most learned among them. He had an unmatched depth of knowledge in fiqh and hadith. His views were sought by caliphs, and he was appointed to high positions of authority.
He transmitted the famous ruling of ʿUmar about ummahat al-awlad, and contributed to the legal system of his time. When asked for his own opinion, he would humbly refer back to the Prophet’s traditions and the early companions. His detailed knowledge included over 30 hadiths on issues like khulʿ and ilaʾ.
Praise from Scholars
He received extraordinary praise from his peers. Ibn al-Musayyib, Qatadah, Makʿhul, and Umar ibn ʿAbd al-ʿAziz all said there was no one more knowledgeable about the sunnah than him. Ibn ʿUyaynah and Malik both regarded him as the best of his generation in knowledge and narration. Ahmad ibn Hanbal called him the best in hadith and isnad.
Physical Appearance and Character
He was short, light-bearded, and had a slight squint. His hair was reddish and he sometimes dyed it with katm. Despite his scholarly status, he would serve others, and once fetched salty water for his teacher ʿUbaydullah ibn ʿAbdullah. He was also known to be emotional, once crying over the decline of scholars and the loss of knowledge.
He was a soldier in the Umayyad army and described as being of the rank of an amir.
Devotion to Learning and Worship
He was deeply devoted to learning and memorisation, once remaining seated reviewing a hadith all night after recalling it during wudu. He memorised the Qur’an in 80 nights and would dictate thousands of hadiths. Despite his status, he never asked a scholar to repeat a hadith and was known for accepting what he was told with complete trust.
He also displayed signs of long devoted worship to Allah; it was said there were visible marks of prostration between his eyes.
Death and Legacy
He died in 124 AH, and according to most of the major scholars including Ibn ʿUyaynah, al-Waqidi, and Ibn Saʿd. His grave is in Adma near Shaghab and Wadd, at the border between Palestine and the Hijaz, in a land that once belonged to him. there was no one more knowledgeable of the sunnah remaining on earth at that time.
He had no equal in gathering, preserving, and transmitting hadith. His death was widely mourned, and his legacy as a scholar who bridged the era of the companions and later jurists remains unmatched. He died at the age of 72.
Siyar A’lām al-Nubalā By Ad Dhahabi (5/326-350)
