Rijal:

narrators of the Muwatta of Imam Muhammad
(an unedited extract)

B

Bashir ibn Sa'd Abu'n-Nu'man ibn Tha'labah al-Ansari al-Khazraji. He was a major Companion who was present at Badr, and he was the father of an-Nu'man ibn Bashir. He became a shaheed at 'Ayn at-Tamr, as az-Zurqani mentioned.

Bilal ibn al-Harith ibn 'Asim ibn Sa'id ibn Qurrah ibn Khaladah ibn Tha'labah Abu 'Abd ar-Rahman al-Mazani. He came to the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, in the deputation from Muzaynah in 5 AH, and he carried the banner for Muzaynah on the day of the the Opening [of Makkah to Islam]. Later he lived in Basra, and he died in 60 AH in the last days of Mu'awiyah, may Allah be pleased with him, as is in Asad al-Ghabah fi Ma'rifah as-Sahabah by 'Izz ad-Din ibn Muhammad who is better known as Ibn al-Athir al-Jazari.

Bilal ibn Ribah the mu'adhdhin whose mother was Hamamah. He was the mawla of Abu Bakr, may Allah be pleased with him, and he was present at Badr and all of the major events. He died in Damascus in 17 or 18 AH, but some say 20 AH, or even 21 AH when he was just over sixty years old. Some said he died in Madinah, but that is wrong. That is how it is in al-Isabah and other works such as the Tahdhib of an-Nawawi.

Bishr [hadith 159]. This chain of transmission is thus in some copies, but in others it is Bisr, and in some Muhammad ibn Bishr. Until now, I have not been able to find out who he is or who his shaykh Ahmad is so that I could find out from the books on the narrators whether or not they are trustworthy, and perhaps Allah will graciously bestow that knowledge on me later. However, according to Dr Taqi ad-Din an-Nadwi he is Bishr ibn Musa al-Asadi.

Bukayr ibn 'Amir is Abu Isma'il Bukayr - the diminutive form -˚ibn 'Amir al-Bajli the Kufan about whom there is disagreement. He narrated from Qays ibn Abi Hazim, Abu Zur'ah ibn 'Amr ibn Jarir and others. From him narrated ath-Thawri, Waki' and others. Ahmad once said, "His hadith are fine, there is no harm in him," but another time, "He is not strong." an-Nasa'i regarded him as weak, and Abu Zur'ah and Ibn Ma'in. Ibn 'Adi said, "He was not given much to narration, and his narrations are few, but I have not found any texts of his which are to be rejected, and he is one of those whose hadith are written down." Ibn Sa'd and al-Hakim said that he was a trustworthy narrator, and Ibn Hibban mentions him in ath-Thiqat. That is how it is in Tahdhib at-Tahdhib.

Bukayr was a trustworthy narrator from whom the six narrated. He died in 120 AH or after, said az-Zurqani.

Bushayr ibn Yasar al-Harithi al-Ansari, their mawla, the Madinan. Ibn Ma'in said that he was a trustworthy narrator. Ibn Sa'd said, "He was a great shaykh and a faqih who lived to meet most of the Companions, but he narrated few hadith." an-Nasa'i said he was a trustworthy narrator. Thus it is in Tahdhib at-Tahdhib.

Busr ibn Mihjan was an utterly truthful Follower as is said in at-Taqrib. At-Tahawi mentioned from Abu Dawud al-Burnasi from Ahmad ibn Salih al-Misri that he said, "I asked a large number as to who was his [Mihjan's] son of the group of men around him and no two of them differed in saying that he was Bishr, as ath-Thawri said." Abu 'Umar said, "Malik said Busr and ath-Thawri said Bishr, but most people take the position that Malik took." That is how it is in al-Isti'ab fi Ahwal al-Ashab by Ibn 'Abd al-Barr. For his father see Mihjan ad-Dili.

Busr ibn Sa'id was a Madinan worshipper and a trustworthy narrator who was a hafidh, and one of the universal men, said az-Zurqani.

D

Damrah ibn Sa'id al-Mazini narrated from Abu Sa'id, Anas and a number of others, and from him narrated Malik, Ibn 'Uyaynah and they regarded him as a trustworthy narrator, as is in al-Kashif by adh-Dhahabi. His father Sa'id was Ibn Abi Hannah, and al-Mazini is from the tribe of Mazin ibn an-Najjar.

Damrah ibn Sa'id ibn Abi Hannah 'Amri ibn Ghaziyah al-Ansari al-Mazini by ascription to Mazin a tribe of the Ansar. Ibn Ma'in, an-Nasa'i, Abu Hatim and al-'Ijli said he was a trustworthy narrator. Ibn Hibban mentioned him in ath-Thiqat. Thus it is in Tahdhib at-Tahdhib.

Dawud ibn Qays al-Farra' - by ascription to the sale and sewing of furs as is mentioned by as-Sam'ani - is Abu Sulayman Dawud ibn Qays al-Farra' ad-Dabbagh the Madinan who narrated from as-Sa'ib ibn Yazid, Zayd ibn Aslam, Nafi' the mawla of Ibn 'Umar, Nafi' ibn Jubayr ibn Mut'im and others. From him narrated the two Sufyans, Ibn al-Mubarak, Yahya al-Qattan, Waki' and others. ash-Shafi'i, Ahmad Ibn Ma'in, Abu Zur'ah, Abu Hatim, an-Nasa'i, as-Saji, Ibn al-Madini and others regarded him as a trustworthy narrator, and the author of at-Tahdhib and Tahdhib at-Tahdhib mentioned their expressions. He died in the time (wilayah) of Abu Ja'far.

Dawud ibn Sa'd ibn Qays [hadith 128]. It is thus in some copies and in some other copies it is Dawud ibn Qays who is probably the aforementioned Dawud ibn Qays al-Farra' the Madinan.

Dhu'l-Yadayn -˚"Two Hands". Ibn Hajar said, "Most take the position that his name was al-Khirbaq relying upon what occurred in the hadith of 'Imran ibn Husayn according to Muslim whose wording is, 'A man stood up to him, said to be al-Khirbaq in whose hands there was lengthÄ' This is what those do who unite together the hadith of Abu Hurairah with the hadith of 'Imran, which is the weightiest in my view, even though Ibn Khuzaymah and those who follow him inclined to regard them as separate [hadith about different men]. What made them do that was the difference that occurs in the development [of the hadith], because in the hadith of Abu Hurairah there is that the salam was after two [raka'ahs] and in the hadith of 'Imran that it was after three."

F

Father of 'Ubaydullah ibn 'Abdullah ibn 'Utbah [hadith 177] see 'Abdullah ibn 'Utbah ibn Mas'ud al-Hudhali.

Father of Muhammad ibn 'Abdullah ibn 'Abd ar-Rahman ibn Abi Sa'sa'ah was 'Abdullah ibn 'Abd ar-Rahman ibn Abi Sa'sa'ah. an-Nasa'i regarded him as a trustworthy narrator, as is in Is'af al-Mubatta' of as-Suyuti.

Father of Sa'id al-Maqburi. His name was Kaysan ibn Sa'id al-Maqburi the Madinan, Abu Sa'id the mawla of Umm Sharik. He was a firmly established trustworthy narrator and he died in 100 AH. His son Sa'id al-Maqburi was a Madinan and a trustworthy narrator, and he died around 120 AH, or a little before or after that, as is in at-Taqrib.

8 January, 2005 10:58