& Imām mal-bayhaq Bayhaqī (384-458AH/994-1066CE) ByAbuHasan 1 Releasedbywww.marifah.net www.marifah.net1429h Imām, āfi,scholar,jurist,shaykhal-islāmabūbakra madibnal- usaynibn Alīibn Mūsā al-khusrawjirdi, al-khurāsānī was born in Sha bān in the year 384 AH. Bayhaq is amongtheprecinctsof Nīshapūratadistanceofabout12km[fromNīshāpūr]henceheis famousasal-bayhaqī. HeattendedtheclassofAbual- asanmu ammadibnal- usaynal- Alawī,thestudentof Abū āmidibnal-sharqīfromtheageoffifteen.hereportedextensivelyfromal- ākim Abū Abdullāh,thefamous āfi.hewasveryintelligent,knowledgeable,wise,piousanda prolificauthor.hewasamajorshāfi ījuristandaprominentash arītheologian. āfi Abdal-GhāfiribnIsmā īlsaysinhistārīkh: Bayhaqī was an exemplary scholar content with little and adorned with austerityandscrupulousness.hewasajurist,a āfi,amasterofprinciples [u ūlī],pious,scrupulousinhisreligion,peerlessandunequalledinhistime, 1 Sources: Dhahabī,SiyārA lāmal-nubalā aentry:4318[vol.11,pg.457] IbnKathīr,Al-Bidāyahwaal-NihāyahYear:458AH.[Vol.8/pg.222] Al-Subkī, abaqātal-shāfa iyyah,thefourthgeneration,entry:251
outstandinginhisproficiencyandrigorousness[inthesciences.]thoughhe wasamongtheprominentstudentsofal- ākim,hesurpassedevenhis teacher[al- ākim]bymasteringvariousothersciences.hecopied adīth and memorized it froma very young age; he took to fiqh and mastered it. HetravelledtoIraq,Al-JibālandAl- ijāzandthentooktowriting.he wrote close to a thousand folios among which are pioneering works and manyofthemfirstoftheirkind.hewasamasterofboth adīthandfiqh; ofjustificationsof adīth[ ilal]andreconciliationofconflictingreports. ManyscholarsrequestedhimtorelocatetoNīshāpūrfromBayhaqinorder tobenefitfromhisbooks;hethereforeshiftedtonīshāpūrintheyear441 AH and began reciting his book Al-Ma rifah; many imāms attended the gatherings. Abual-Ma ālīimāmal- aramaynal-juwaynīsaid: ThereisnoShāfi ī juristwhoisnotindebtedtoimāmshāfi īexceptabū Bakral-Bayhaqī;hehasinsteaddoneafavourtoal-Shāfi ībywritingbooks insupportandinverificationofhismadhhab. Dhahabicommentedonhisstatement: Abu al-ma ālī is right in making such a claim. And the truth is just as he hassaidit.because,ifal-bayhaqīwishedtoformhisownmadh hab,hehad the necessary qualities and mastery of the sciences; including a comprehensiveknowledgeofdifferingopinions. ThreeDreams: When Bayhaqī was writing his book Al-Ma rifah fi al-sunan wa al-āthār, a pious scholar Mu ammadibna madsawadreaminwhichimāmshāfi īwasholdingthebookandhe said: Today,IhavewrittensevenfoliosfromthejuristA mad sbook.
AnotherscholarsawImāmShāfi īinhisdreamsittinginthemosqueandhesaid: Today,I haveavailedfromsuchandsuch adīthmentionedinthejurist s[a mad]book. AnotherjuristMu ammadibn Abdal- Azīzal-Marwaziysays: Isawachestsuspendedin theskyandlightemanatingfromit.iasked: Whatisthis? Iheardsomeonesay: Theseare thebooksofa madal-bayhaqi. All three dreams were reported by Imām Bayhaqi s son, Ismā īl ibn al-bayhaqi. Imām Dhahabīcommented: Thesearetruedreams.Indeed, āfi al-bayhaqī sbooksareof immense value and of great stature. Few can match the class or clarity of his writing. It is necessaryforeveryscholartoacquainthimselfwithhisbooks,mainlyhissunanal-kabīr. Hisprominentteachers: 1.Abū āhiribnma mishal-ziyādī,thejurist 2. AbdullāhibnYūsufal-A bahānī 3.Abū Alīal-Rūdhbārī 4.Abū Abdal-Ra mānal-sullamī 5.AbūBakribnal-Fūrak,theTheologian[al-mutakallim] 6. amzahibn Abdal- Azīzal-Muhallabī 7.AbūBakral-Hayyiri,theQā ī 8.Ya yāibnibrāhīmal-muzakkī 9.AbūSa īdal- ayrafī 10. AlīibnMu ammadibnal-saqqā 11.AbūSa īda madibnmu ammadal-mālīnī,thesufi 12.Abual- ayyibal- a lūkī 13.Hilālal- affār 14.Abual- usaynibnbishrān andscholarsfrom abaran,nawqān,baghdād,makkah,kūfah;andalsoamongthe companionsof[ ātim]al-a amm,thefamoussufi.al-subkīwritesthathestudiedunder morethanahundredteachers.
HisWorks: Hewasgrantedmunificenceinhisknowledgeandhehaswrittenverybeneficialbooks amongwhichare: 1.Sunanal-Kabīr[TheGreaterCollectionofSunnah]intenvolumeswhich ishismasterpiece.itisoutstandingbecausenobodyhascompiledabookof adīthlikeitinorganization,classificationandexcellence. 2.Ma rifaal-sunanwaal-āthār[theknowledgeofsunnasandreports]in four volumes, which is a must read for every Shāfi ī jurist. Taqiyuddin Al- SubkīsaysthatBayhaqīmeanttodemonstratetheexpanseofImāmShāfi ī s knowledgeof adīthwiththisbook. 3. Al-Asmā a wa al- ifāt [The Divine Names and Attributes] in two volumes;tājal-subkīsays: Ihaven tseenanythinglikeit. [Itwaspublished byimamal-kawtharī,withhisforewordandnotes] 4.Kitābal-Mu taqad[orkitābal-i tiqād][handbookofcreed] 5.Al-Ba ath[wa al-nushūr][resurrectionandjudgementday] 6. Al-Targhīb wa al-tarhīb[encouragement to do good and Warning to abstainfromevil] 7.Al-Da wātal-kabīr,aprayerbook.[thebiggerprayerbook] 8.Al-Da wātal- aghīr[thesmallerprayerbook] 9.Al-Zuhd[Asceticism] 10.Al-Khilāfiyyāt[TheDifferences]inthreevolumesonthedifferencesof
opinion among jurists. Al-Subkī writes that none except a master of both fiqhand adīthcangraspit. 11.Al-Mabsu fīnu ū al-shāfi ī[theextensive:documentsusedbyal- Shafi ī]intwovolumes,theproofsofshāfi īmadh hab thefirstbookofits kind. 12.Dalā ilal-nubuwwah[proofsofprophethood]infourvolumes 13.Al-Sunanal- aghīr[thesmallercollectionofsunnah]asonebigtome 14.Shu abal-īman[branchesoffaith]intwovolumes 15.Al-Mad khalila al-sunan[anintroductiontothesunnah] 16.Al-Ādāb[ThebookofEtiquette] 17.Fa a ilal-awqāt[theexcellenceofcertainspecifictimes(forworship)] intwoslimvolumes 18.Al-Arba īnal-kubrā[thegreaterquadraginta]intwoslimvolumes 19.Al-Arba īnal- ughrā[thesmallerquadraginta] 20.Al-Ru yah[thebookofdreams] 21.Al-Asrā a[thebookofascension] 22.Manāqibal-Shāfi ī[theimmensemeritsofal-shafi ī] 23.ManāqibA mad[theimmensemeritsofa madibn anbal] 24.Fa ā ilal- a ābah[thesuperiorityofthecompanions]
Amonghisprominentstudentsandthosewhonarratefromhimare: studentsandthosewhonarratefromhimare: 1.Shaykhal-IslāmAbūIsmā īlal-an ārī 2.hisownson,Ismā īlibna madal-bayhaqī 3.hisowngrandson UbaydullāhibnMu ammadibna madal-bayhaqī 4. āfi AbūZakariyyahYa yāibnmandah 5.Abū AbdullāhMu ammadibnal-fa lal-furāwī 6.Zāhiribn āhiral-sha āmiy 7.Abual-Ma ālīmu ammadibnismā īlal-fārisī 8. Abdal-Jabbāribn Abdal-Wahhābal-Dah hān 9.Abdal-JabbāribnMu ammadal-khuwārīandhisbrother 10.Abdal- amīdibnmu ammadal-khuwārī 11.AbūBakr Abdal-Ra mānibn Abdullāhibn Abdal-Ra mānal- Bu ayrīal-nīsābūrī He passed away in Nīshāpūr on the 10th of Jumādā al-ūlā, 458 AH(1066 CE). He was washedandplacedinacasketandcarriedtobayhaq[twodaysjourneyinthatage]wherehe wasburied.hewas74. MayAllāh havemercyonhimandbewellpleasedwithhim. M