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And when did we start taking our Jarh wa Ta'dil from Christians especially when we have Ulema saying he was an Imam of AhlusSunnah? This is what hatred of the salaf leads to!

how interesting. you said about hatred of Salaf while you are the first one WHO CRITICIZED BAQILLANI. saying Baqillani was wrong, in my opinion is showing hatred to Baqillani (salaf)

anyway, read what musnad al-Asr, THE HAFIDH of his time, Abu Tahir al-Silafi said about Ibn Kullab reported with authentic isnad through al-Dhahabi






قال الذهبي في السير :أنبأني أحمد بن سلامة، عن الحافظ عبد الغني بن سرور، أنشدنا أبو طاهر السلفي لنفسه في رجب سنة ست وستين وخمس مئة:


وأتباع ابن كلاب كلاب * على التحقيق هم من شر آل

translation:

And the followers of ibn Kullab are dogs ** upon research/investigation they are from the worst group



Then at the end of the poem of Hafidh Abu Tahir al-Silafi , Hafidh Shams al-Din gives his approval and says





صدق الناظم رحمه الله، وأجاد، فلان يعيش المسلم أخرس أبكم خير له من أن يمتلئ باطنه كلاما وفلسفة !.


so this is the reality. Don't be shocked. this is the fact. just like Baqillani and other senior Asharites said Allah has Two Eyes and Two Hands.

Hafidh Abu Tahir Silafi is millions times more trustworthy then any of zubair types !!

who is abu tahir silafi ?
Ahmad b. Muhammad b. Ahmad b. Muhammad b. Ibrahim, Abu Tahir b. Abi Ahmad al-Isbahani al-Silafi, the Hafidh. Abu Tahir al-Silafi, the great Hafidh, travelled a lot and settled eventually in Alexandria, Egypt. He had many teachers, over a thousand. The number of students he had is too many. al-Dhahabi said: “The Imam, the ‘Allâma, the Muhaddith, the Hafidh, the Mufti, the Shaykh al-Islam..” (al-Dhahabi, Siyar A’lam al-Nubala’ 21:5). He was born in 475 or around this year. He died in 576 AH, becoming 100 years old at the least.. Refer for him to: Ibn Manzur, Tahdhib Tarikh Dimashq 1:449; Sibt b. al-Jawziy, Mir’at 8:362; Ibn Khallikân, Wafayât 1:150; al-Dhahabi ,al-‘Ibar 4:227 and al-Tadhkirah 4:1298, but the best biography can be found in his Siyar from the beginning of vol.21.

read complete biography by Adil Salahi arabnews :
Scholar of renown: Abu Tahir Al-Silafi — I
Edited By Adil Salahi, Arab News Staff

Ahmad ibn Muhammad ibn Ahmad Al-Silafi belongs to Isfahan in Iran where he was born in 475 AH, corresponding to 1183 AD. He is better known as Abu Tahir, in accordance with the Arab customary gesture of respect, calling a man as the father of his eldest son. Al-Silafi is his best known name, which calls him after his grandfather who was nicknamed Silafah. In fact, this title, Al-Silafi, became his exclusive title, with no other scholar ever being called by it, in contrast with Asbahani or Asfahani, which was a title of all eminent scholars who came from the famous city of Isfahan.

We know very little about his family. There are no reports to suggest whether he had any brothers or sisters, nor do we know the year of his mother’s death. But from the little we know about his upbringing we know that he grew up in a highly religious environment, with his grandfather being a dedicated Sufi. His father, Muhammad, was also strongly influenced by the Sufi approach, but he also frequented scholarly circles, listening to Hadith studies.

In the second half of the fifth century of the Islamic calendar, Isfahan witnessed some great rivalries among different sects, many of which were markedly deviant from proper Islamic thought. These rivalries often led to violent conflicts with much bloodshed and loss of life. However, the city also witnessed a great intellectual flourish, with many a scholar achieving eminence in his field. However, the study of Hadith was given particular importance, to the extent that the city was a center of attraction for numerous Hadith scholars who came over to it to study under its famous scholars. This was strongly encouraged by the famous minister, known as Nazzam Al-Mulk (died in 485 AH).

Al-Silafi showed great scholarly promise at a very young age. He was endowed with sharp intelligence and a fine memory, which gave him the necessary tools to excel in the study of Hadith. He frequented the circles of the top scholars in his hometown and read the Qur’an in different methods of recitation under distinguished scholars. He was only 17 when he began to teach the Hadith in his own circle in a mosque in Isfahan. What qualified him was four years of dedicated study of Hadith that gave him a number of certificates from his teachers that he was well-equipped for the task. He recalls: “Students wrote my dictation when I was only 17, with no hair in my face, just like they did with Al-Bukhari.”

Al-Silafi realized that to achieve a really high standard in Hadith scholarship, he needed to travel in order to study under scholars in different areas. This was the tradition of Hadith scholars who wished to pursue their studies further than what they could acquire in their hometowns. Hence, Al-Silafi consulted his teachers and his father, who all supported him in his desire to travel for study. However, before leaving, he wrote a book of biographical notes on all scholars under whom he studied or from whom he learned even one or two Hadiths. The book, Mu’jam Isfahan, is said to have included more than 600 scholars.

In Ramadan 493, Al-Silafi, now 18 years of age, traveled to Baghdad, and he was keen to meet Nasr ibn Al-Bitar, a Hadith scholar who, being of old age, had the distinction of reporting Hadiths with a short chain of transmission. This is an especially valued merit, because the shorter the chain of transmission of a Hadith is the higher is its authenticity. Hence, Al-Silafi lost no time in reading under this scholar and writing a considerable number of Hadiths which he heard from him.

However, Baghdad was at the time a great center of learning in all fields of knowledge. By contrast, the city, which was the capital of the Islamic state, was the scene of much political turmoil, with the Abbasid Caliph being in a very weak position, and many an ambitious upstart conspiring to achieve a position of power.

Al-Silafi was keen to steer away from this political turmoil and to grasp as much knowledge as possible from scholarly circles. He dedicated himself to his studies, moving from one circle to another, reading mainly the Hadith and the Qur’an. By the time he completed four years in Baghdad, he had written a book of biographies of his teachers there, mentioning also the main areas and districts in the city. At this time, his father came over to visit him, and he was well-pleased when he realized the extent of his son’s scholarly achievement. The two were soon to travel for pilgrimage.

During this trip and his several months’ stay in Hijaz, Al-Silafi met a large number of scholars from different parts of the Muslim world. He also read under several scholars in both Makkah and Madinah, before returning to Baghdad. However, on his way back, he stopped at Kufah where he also read under several scholars.

Two more years of stay in Baghdad saw Al-Silafi concentrating on a more in-depth study of the Arabic language and the Shafie school of law. He also wrote and read extensively in different disciplines.

However, he later felt that there was little more to learn in his fields of interest in the city. Therefore, he decided to resume his travels, beginning with a short visit to Basrah before embarking on a very long trip, lasting nine years, (500-509 AH), to the eastern provinces of the Muslim world.

During this trip he visited a large number of towns and cities, pursuing his studies wherever he stopped. We should mention, however, that this trip was very arduous for Al-Silafi, who was a man of limited means. It is reported that sometimes he had to travel walking barefoot because he did not have money to buy shoes. He lived in guest houses allocated by some wealthy people for students traveling for study.

This trip gave Al-Silafi a great amount of scholarship. Twice he had to leave his books with trusted friends because he could not carry them with him. By the time he finished, he had written so much that it could rarely be matched by other scholars. But when his eastern travels were over, he continued his journeys, encamping this time in Damascus, where again he studied under its scholars. However, he was not particularly happy there, because of the political in-fighting between local Muslim rulers on the one hand, and because of the Crusaders who had occupied Jerusalem and coastal areas. He stayed in Damascus for two years, meeting all its scholars and learning whatever he needed to learn, while at the same time teaching in the grand Umawi Mosque. In 511 AH, he left Damascus for Soor in Lebanon, where he stayed for only a short period before traveling by sea to Alexandria.

Apparently Al-Silafi intended to stay only several months in Alexandria, gathering whatever he could learn under its scholars before traveling to the Andalus, or Islamic Spain, for further study. But his intention was not to be fulfilled. Indeed, Al-Silafi stayed in Alexandria for the rest of his long life, apart from a single 3-year visit to Cairo (515-517) where he met Sheikh Abu Sadiq Al-Madeeni and learned from him all that he had to teach. He was also in a scholarly contact with a large number of scholars, literary figures, poets and booksellers. He documented whatever he learned from them and wrote biographical notes about many of them.

His trip to Alexandria was the end of a long journey in pursuit of knowledge, and his stay there ushered the second stage of his life as a scholar of high eminence. We will write about this second stage next week, God willing.

Scholar of renown: Abu Tahir Al-Silafi-II
Edited by Adil Salahi, Arab News Staff

A remarkable change in Al-Silafi’s life took place when he arrived in Alexandria in 511 AH, at the age of 36. Prior to his arrival there, he had spent half his life traveling in pursuit of knowledge, reading under many hundreds of scholars, and leading a life of dire poverty, often traveling on foot. He had met numerous scholars of Hadith and read under them or attended their teaching circles. So, on his arrival in Alexandria, the city with which he fell in love, he was an expert in Hadith of a very high standard. He was also a distinguished scholar of the Qur’an, having read several methods of recitation with a high standard of accuracy. At the same time, he was a scholar of Fiqh following the Shafie school of law. He had an in-depth knowledge of the Arabic language and was well-read in poetry.

With such talent and scholarship, Al-Silafi soon earned a position of high respect among the people of Alexandria who loved him. Some of the attraction of the city for Al-Silafi was seen in the fact that Alexandria was a resting point for travelers from the western parts of the Muslim world on their way to the east for pilgrimage or pursuit of scholarship and on their way back home. Thus, Al-Silafi was able to meet many of the Andalus and Maghrib scholars. Moreover, Alexandria was the place to which many scholars had emigrated from Syria as a result of the Crusades and from Sicily when it was overtaken by Christians. Besides, although Alexandria was part of the Fatimi Shia state, its people were able to enjoy a greater measure of freedom of belief than people in Cairo, the capital city.

When Al-Silafi was well-established in Alexandria, he married a local lady known as Sitt Al-Ahl, whom he describes as a devout woman belonging to a highly religious family. She was wealthy and she allowed him to manage her property, which gave him a settled life. She was to give him only one daughter, Khadeejah, who became a scholar of Hadith in her own right. In fact, some highly distinguished scholars of Hadith, such as Al-Mundhiri, were to read under her and to obtain her certificate confirming their scholarship. Her son, Abd Al-Rahman ibn Makki, was also to become a highly distinguished scholar of Hadith.

Al-Silafi was soon to acquire a reputation of being the top scholar of Hadith in Alexandria. He was renowned for his accuracy of reporting and his diligence in his scholarship. But he continued to give his lessons either in the mosque or in his own home for nearly a quarter of a century. Later, Ali ibn Al-Sillar, who was an admirer of Al-Silafi, was to become the governor of the city. Indeed, in 544 AH, he established a school for Al-Silafi, which was the first in Egypt for teaching the Shafie school of law. The school was first known as Al-Adiliyah, and later was called Al-Silafiyah. This is seen as a step toward undermining the Fatimi influence in Egypt.

At first, Al-Silafi was the only teacher and administrator in the school, but soon the number of students increased, and he had to select some of his best students to help him in teaching. The school had a morning program for young students who were large in number. It also had a late afternoon program of lectures and classes for adults. These covered different subjects, like the Hadith, Fiqh and the Qur’an. What added to the popularity of the school was the fact that it was recognized as a center of Sunni learning, when the Shia scholarship dominated other parts of Egypt. The school also attracted many students from abroad because of the high standing in which Al-Silafi was held.

Al-Silafi was known to be very serious in his life and in his approach to scholarship. This is not surprising because a scholar of Hadith was always expected to demonstrate the highest standard of propriety. A scholar who is seen to be frivolous was discarded, even if he was of the highest standard in his scholarship. The established tradition in Hadith scholarship was that a scholar should always demonstrate a standard of propriety that befits what he learns and teaches. Since Al-Silafi concentrated on Hadith scholarship from his early years, such an attitude was, to him, second nature. When he was due to teach or dictate, whether in Fiqh, Hadith or other related subjects, he would begin by performing his ablutions, and he would sit giving an air of awe. He would make only the necessary moves, laughing only when the occasion arises but his laughter would never be very loud. At no point did he ever give his audience a feeling that he was tired or bored. He would not allow any side discussion, even by the most distinguished personalities in his audience.

It is true to say that Al-Silafi is known in scholarly circles as a highly distinguished scholar of Hadith and Qur’anic recitations. In fact, he attained the position of being the top scholar on Earth with the shortest route of transmission in both Hadith and the Qur’an. This is a quality of distinction, because it means that the number of reporters of Hadith and the Qur’an between him and the Prophet was small, which is a quality that contributes to authenticity. He attained this by having studied in his youth under scholars of old age, and then he lived to an old age. In fact, he was over one hundred years of age when he died. But he was also a distinguished Fiqh scholar, teaching the Shafie Fiqh, and acquiring in-depth knowledge of the Maliki school of law. He was also a poet of a good standard, although he wrote poetry mostly for educational purposes.

Al-Silafi wrote many books. Several scholars have mentioned this, stating that he wrote extensively. However, most of his writings, which are mainly concerned with Hadith, have been lost. Some manuscripts have survived. However, one of his main works, Mu’jam Al-Safar was recently edited although I am not certain if it has been published. Al-Silafi also chose some books by contemporary or earlier scholars which he edited and commented on, before teaching these books to his students. Thus, the books he taught benefited by his meticulous and diligent scholarship. However, none of these has yet been edited and published, although some of these are available in manuscript form in different libraries.

As mentioned earlier, Al-Silafi attained to a very old age, but he retained his fine memory and his sharp mind until his final days. Indeed, he is reported to have been teaching Hadith until sunset on his last day on earth. Some of his students were reading while he was listening and he corrected even the most subtle of mistakes they made. This is remarkable because he died on Friday, Rabie’ Al-Thani 5, 576 AH, at the age of 101 by the lunar calendar, 98 by the Gregorian calendar. May God shower His mercy on him.

(Concluded)