Imam Ibn Abī Ḥātim al-Rāzī
Name: Abū Muḥammad ʿAbd al-Raḥmān ibn Muḥammad ibn Idrīs ibn al-Mundhir al-Ḥanẓalī al-Rāzī
Born: 240-1 AH/854-5 CE
Demise: 327/938
His Life and Works
His Life
Imam ʿAbd al-Raḥmān ibn Abī Ḥātim al-Rāzī raḥimahullāh, son of the famed muḥaddith Abū Ḥātim al-Rāzī (d. 277/890), was a muḥaddith, mufassir, and transmitter critic, who was born in Rayy (north-eastern Iraq) to a family originating from the village of Jazz near Isfahan. During the late third/ninth century, Rayy appears to have been in a state of almost constant political turmoil, with rulers swiftly succeeding one another. More pertinent to his academic trajectory was the ongoing religious tension between the ahl al-ḥadīth and the ahl al-raʾy,[1][SA1] [SA2] serving as a consistent backdrop to the political affairs and impacting the scholarly perspectives of some of his teachers.
Raised and nurtured in an environment of knowledge, Ibn Abī Ḥātim memorised the Qurʾān at a young age, only after which his father permitted him to engage in the study of ḥadīth. Beginning his ḥadīth studies in his hometown of Rayy under the guidance of his father and Abū Zurʿah al-Rāzī (d. 264/878), Ibn Abī Ḥātim continued his pursuit of knowledge through intermittent travels to Iraq, Shām, Hijaz, Egypt, and finally, to Isfahan between 255/869 and 264/878. Upon returning to Rayy, he remained there while maintaining correspondence with several ʿulamāʾ he met during his travels. Notably, Ibn Abī Ḥātim embarked on three major journeys in search of knowledge, the first accompanied by his father in 255/869 when he was still very young, and the other two, in 262/876 and 264/878, undertaken independently.
He tirelessly pursued knowledge even at the expense of his own comforts. He narrates of himself:
كنا بمصر سبعة أشهر، لم نأكل فيها مرقة، كل نهارنا مقسم لمجالس الشيوخ، وبالليل النسخ والمقابلة. قال: فأتينا يوما أنا ورفيق لي شيخا، فقالوا: هو عليل، فرأينا في طريقنا سمكة أعجبتنا، فاشتريناه، فلما صرنا إلى البيت، حضر وقت مجلس، فلم يمكنا إصلاحه، ومضينا إلى المجلس، فلم نزل حتى أتى عليه ثلاثة أيام، وكاد أن يتغير، فأكلناه نيئا، لم يكن لنا فراغ أن نعطيه من يشويه.
We were in Egypt for seven months without having eaten any gravy. Each day was divided up for [attending] the classes of various teachers, and [each] night for copying and comparing. One day, a companion and I went to a teacher only to be told that he is sick. On our way home, we saw a fish that we liked, so we bought it. When we reached home, it was time for [another] class, so we were unable to prepare it. We went to the class until three days passed and it was almost spoilt. So, we ate it raw, as we did not have enough time to give it to someone to cook.
He then concludes with the popular adage:
لا يستطاع العلم براحة الجسد.
Knowledge cannot be attained whilst the body is in comfort.
Ibn Abī Ḥātim held the beliefs of Ahl al-Sunnah and is claimed to be a follower of the Ḥanbalī madhhab in fiqh. He passed away in his hometown, Rayy, in Muḥarram of 327/938 at the age of 87. He was married for 70 years but did not have any children.
His Works
Imam Ibn Abī Ḥātim authored several works—as many as nineteen—in various fields which include fiqh, ḥadīth, ʿaqīdah, and tafsīr, some of which are now lost. Abū Yaʿlā al-Khalīlī (d. 446/1054) mentioned:
وله من التصانيف ما هو أشهر من أن يوصف في الفقه والتواريخ واختلاف الصحابة والتابعين وعلماء الأمصار.
He has writings too famous [to need] to be described: on jurisprudence, biographies, and the differences of opinion amongst the Companions, Successors, and the scholars of various regions.
Some of his extant works are listed below:
- ʿIlal al-ḥadīth — ḥadīth
- Al-Jarḥ wa al-taʿdīl — ḥadīth
- Aṣl al-sunnah wa iʿtiqād al-dīn — ʿaqīdah
- Ādāb al-Shāfiʿī wa manāqibuhū — manāqib
Praise of the Author
Abū Yaʿlā al-Khalīlī said in his praise:
كان يقال: أئمة ثلاثة في زمان واحد؛ ابن أبي داود، وابن خزيمة، وعبد الرحمن بن أبي حاتم.
It used to be said: Three leading scholars existing in one era; Ibn Abī Dāwūd, Ibn Khuzaymah, and ʿAbd al-Raḥmān ibn Abī Ḥātim.
Imam al-Dhahabī (d. 748/1348) mentioned:
كان بحرا لا تكدره الدلاء.
He was an ocean, unaffected by the [drawing of] buckets.
Ibn Kathīr (d. 774/1373) said regarding his stature:
كان من العبادة والزهد والورع والحفظ على جانب كبير.
He was devoted to worship, asceticism, piety, and preservation.
Al-Khalīlī also mentioned:
وكان زاهدًا يُعَدُّ من الأبدال
And he was an ascetic considered among the abdāl [a special category of saints].
Teachers and Students
Ibn Abī Ḥātim studied under many great ʿulamāʾ and influenced many more. Some of his famous teachers and students are listed below:
Teachers:
- Abū Ḥātim al-Rāzī
- Abū Zurʿah al-Rāzī
- Ṣāliḥ ibn Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal (d. 265/878)
Students:
- Abū Aḥmad ibn ʿAdī (d. 365/976) – author of al-Kāmil
- Abū Aḥmad al-Ḥākim al-Kabīr (d. 378/988)
- Abū al-Shaykh al-Aṣbahānī (d. 369/979)