Muslim ibn al-Hajjaj (d. 261 AH / 875 CE) was a major hadith scholar of Nishapur and the compiler of al-Jami al-Sahih, widely known as Sahih Muslim. The principal chronology places his birth in 206 AH, approximately 821–822 CE, while alternative reports give 201, 202 and 204 AH. He travelled widely through the Hijaz, Iraq, Khurasan and Egypt and studied with leading authorities including Ishaq ibn Rahawayh, Ahmad ibn Hanbal and al-Bukhari. Sahih Muslim is especially distinguished by grouping the reliable chains and textual variants of a hadith together, making comparison of transmission routes unusually transparent. Traditional totals for the collection vary substantially according to counting method. Muslim was also a respected critic of transmitters and authored works including Kitab al-Tamyiz. During the Nishapur dispute he supported al-Bukhari against al-Dhuhli according to the biographical sources. He died in Nishapur on 25 Rajab 261 AH / 5 May 875 and was buried in the Nasrabad cemetery.
? — 875
Names and variants
Imam Muslim ibn al-Hajjaj· canonicalImam Muslim ibn al-Hajjaj· canonicalالإمام مسلم بن الحجاج· canonicalMuslim ibn al-Hajjaj ibn Muslim· birth nameمسلم بن الحجاج بن مسلم· birth nameAbu al-Husayn· kunyaأبو الحسين· kunyaal-Qushayri· nisbaالقشيري· nisbaal-Naysaburi· nisbaالنيسابوري· nisbaMuslim ibn al-Hajjaj· variantMüslim b. Haccâc· transliterationAbu al-Husayn Muslim al-Naysaburi· variant
Imam Muslim ibn al-Hajjaj
Muslim ibn al-Hajjaj was one of the major hadith scholars of the third Islamic century and the compiler of al-Jami al-Sahih, widely known as Sahih Muslim. Born in Nishapur, he travelled through the Hijaz, Iraq, Khurasan and Egypt, studied with leading hadith authorities, and became known for combining rigorous narrator criticism with careful organization of variant transmission routes.
Sources: [1] Biographical, hadith-critical, methodological or reception history, [2] Biographical, hadith-critical, methodological or reception history, [3] Biographical, hadith-critical, methodological or reception history, [4] Biographical, hadith-critical, methodological or reception history, [5] Biographical, hadith-critical, methodological or reception history, [6] Biographical, hadith-critical, methodological or reception history, [7] Biographical, hadith-critical, methodological or reception history, [8] Biographical, hadith-critical, methodological or reception history, [9] Biographical, hadith-critical, methodological or reception history
Full name
His full name is commonly given as Abu al-Husayn Muslim ibn al-Hajjaj ibn Muslim al-Qushayri al-Naysaburi.
Sources: [1] Biographical, hadith-critical, methodological or reception history, [2] Biographical, hadith-critical, methodological or reception history, [3] Biographical, hadith-critical, methodological or reception history, [4] Biographical, hadith-critical, methodological or reception history, [5] Biographical, hadith-critical, methodological or reception history, [6] Biographical, hadith-critical, methodological or reception history, [7] Biographical, hadith-critical, methodological or reception history, [8] Biographical, hadith-critical, methodological or reception history, [9] Biographical, hadith-critical, methodological or reception history
Kunya: Abu al-Husayn
His established kunya was Abu al-Husayn.
Sources: [1] Biographical, hadith-critical, methodological or reception history, [2] Biographical, hadith-critical, methodological or reception history, [3] Biographical, hadith-critical, methodological or reception history, [4] Biographical, hadith-critical, methodological or reception history, [5] Biographical, hadith-critical, methodological or reception history, [6] Biographical, hadith-critical, methodological or reception history, [7] Biographical, hadith-critical, methodological or reception history, [8] Biographical, hadith-critical, methodological or reception history, [9] Biographical, hadith-critical, methodological or reception history
The nisba al-Qushayri
Sources connect Muslim with Banu Qushayr through wala, which explains the nisba al-Qushayri.
Sources: [1] Biographical, hadith-critical, methodological or reception history, [2] Biographical, hadith-critical, methodological or reception history, [3] Biographical, hadith-critical, methodological or reception history, [4] Biographical, hadith-critical, methodological or reception history, [5] Biographical, hadith-critical, methodological or reception history, [6] Biographical, hadith-critical, methodological or reception history, [7] Biographical, hadith-critical, methodological or reception history, [8] Biographical, hadith-critical, methodological or reception history, [9] Biographical, hadith-critical, methodological or reception history
The nisba al-Naysaburi
The nisba al-Naysaburi reflects his birth and scholarly base in Nishapur, one of the major intellectual centers of Khurasan.
Sources: [1] Biographical, hadith-critical, methodological or reception history, [2] Biographical, hadith-critical, methodological or reception history, [3] Biographical, hadith-critical, methodological or reception history, [4] Biographical, hadith-critical, methodological or reception history, [5] Biographical, hadith-critical, methodological or reception history, [6] Biographical, hadith-critical, methodological or reception history, [7] Biographical, hadith-critical, methodological or reception history, [8] Biographical, hadith-critical, methodological or reception history, [9] Biographical, hadith-critical, methodological or reception history
Birth in 206 AH
The principal chronology places Muslim’s birth in 206 AH, corresponding approximately to 821–822 CE.
Sources: [1] Biographical, hadith-critical, methodological or reception history, [2] Biographical, hadith-critical, methodological or reception history, [3] Biographical, hadith-critical, methodological or reception history, [4] Biographical, hadith-critical, methodological or reception history, [5] Biographical, hadith-critical, methodological or reception history, [6] Biographical, hadith-critical, methodological or reception history, [7] Biographical, hadith-critical, methodological or reception history, [8] Biographical, hadith-critical, methodological or reception history, [9] Biographical, hadith-critical, methodological or reception history
Alternative birth years
Classical sources also preserve 201, 202 and 204 AH as alternative birth years. These variants make a single precise Common Era birth year less secure.
Sources: [1] Biographical, hadith-critical, methodological or reception history, [2] Biographical, hadith-critical, methodological or reception history, [3] Biographical, hadith-critical, methodological or reception history, [4] Biographical, hadith-critical, methodological or reception history, [5] Biographical, hadith-critical, methodological or reception history, [6] Biographical, hadith-critical, methodological or reception history, [7] Biographical, hadith-critical, methodological or reception history, [8] Biographical, hadith-critical, methodological or reception history, [9] Biographical, hadith-critical, methodological or reception history
His father and early education
Biographical sources indicate that Muslim’s father was involved in education and that Muslim benefited from both him and local scholars in Nishapur.
Sources: [1] Biographical, hadith-critical, methodological or reception history, [2] Biographical, hadith-critical, methodological or reception history, [3] Biographical, hadith-critical, methodological or reception history, [4] Biographical, hadith-critical, methodological or reception history, [5] Biographical, hadith-critical, methodological or reception history, [6] Biographical, hadith-critical, methodological or reception history, [7] Biographical, hadith-critical, methodological or reception history, [8] Biographical, hadith-critical, methodological or reception history, [9] Biographical, hadith-critical, methodological or reception history
Beginning hadith at about twelve
TDV reports that Muslim began studying hadith at around twelve years of age.
Sources: [1] Biographical, hadith-critical, methodological or reception history, [2] Biographical, hadith-critical, methodological or reception history, [3] Biographical, hadith-critical, methodological or reception history, [4] Biographical, hadith-critical, methodological or reception history, [5] Biographical, hadith-critical, methodological or reception history, [6] Biographical, hadith-critical, methodological or reception history, [7] Biographical, hadith-critical, methodological or reception history, [8] Biographical, hadith-critical, methodological or reception history, [9] Biographical, hadith-critical, methodological or reception history
Yahya ibn Yahya al-Minqari
Among his important early teachers in Nishapur was Yahya ibn Yahya al-Minqari, a prominent transmitter of Malik’s al-Muwatta.
Sources: [1] Biographical, hadith-critical, methodological or reception history, [2] Biographical, hadith-critical, methodological or reception history, [3] Biographical, hadith-critical, methodological or reception history, [4] Biographical, hadith-critical, methodological or reception history, [5] Biographical, hadith-critical, methodological or reception history, [6] Biographical, hadith-critical, methodological or reception history, [7] Biographical, hadith-critical, methodological or reception history, [8] Biographical, hadith-critical, methodological or reception history, [9] Biographical, hadith-critical, methodological or reception history
Ishaq ibn Rahawayh
Ishaq ibn Rahawayh was another important early teacher in Nishapur and influenced the hadith-critical environment in which Muslim developed.
Sources: [1] Biographical, hadith-critical, methodological or reception history, [2] Biographical, hadith-critical, methodological or reception history, [3] Biographical, hadith-critical, methodological or reception history, [4] Biographical, hadith-critical, methodological or reception history, [5] Biographical, hadith-critical, methodological or reception history, [6] Biographical, hadith-critical, methodological or reception history, [7] Biographical, hadith-critical, methodological or reception history, [8] Biographical, hadith-critical, methodological or reception history, [9] Biographical, hadith-critical, methodological or reception history
Early Hajj journey
About two years after beginning hadith study, Muslim travelled to the Hijaz for Hajj and continued studying in Mecca and Medina.
Sources: [1] Biographical, hadith-critical, methodological or reception history, [2] Biographical, hadith-critical, methodological or reception history, [3] Biographical, hadith-critical, methodological or reception history, [4] Biographical, hadith-critical, methodological or reception history, [5] Biographical, hadith-critical, methodological or reception history, [6] Biographical, hadith-critical, methodological or reception history, [7] Biographical, hadith-critical, methodological or reception history, [8] Biographical, hadith-critical, methodological or reception history, [9] Biographical, hadith-critical, methodological or reception history
Teachers in Medina
In Medina he studied with transmitters including Ismail ibn Abi Uways.
Sources: [1] Biographical, hadith-critical, methodological or reception history, [2] Biographical, hadith-critical, methodological or reception history, [3] Biographical, hadith-critical, methodological or reception history, [4] Biographical, hadith-critical, methodological or reception history, [5] Biographical, hadith-critical, methodological or reception history, [6] Biographical, hadith-critical, methodological or reception history, [7] Biographical, hadith-critical, methodological or reception history, [8] Biographical, hadith-critical, methodological or reception history, [9] Biographical, hadith-critical, methodological or reception history
Teachers in Mecca
In Mecca he benefited from teachers including al-Qa nabi and Said ibn Mansur.
Sources: [1] Biographical, hadith-critical, methodological or reception history, [2] Biographical, hadith-critical, methodological or reception history, [3] Biographical, hadith-critical, methodological or reception history, [4] Biographical, hadith-critical, methodological or reception history, [5] Biographical, hadith-critical, methodological or reception history, [6] Biographical, hadith-critical, methodological or reception history, [7] Biographical, hadith-critical, methodological or reception history, [8] Biographical, hadith-critical, methodological or reception history, [9] Biographical, hadith-critical, methodological or reception history
Hadith travel before 230 AH
Before 230 AH / 845 CE, Muslim had begun a wider period of scholarly travel for hadith.
Sources: [1] Biographical, hadith-critical, methodological or reception history, [2] Biographical, hadith-critical, methodological or reception history, [3] Biographical, hadith-critical, methodological or reception history, [4] Biographical, hadith-critical, methodological or reception history, [5] Biographical, hadith-critical, methodological or reception history, [6] Biographical, hadith-critical, methodological or reception history, [7] Biographical, hadith-critical, methodological or reception history, [8] Biographical, hadith-critical, methodological or reception history, [9] Biographical, hadith-critical, methodological or reception history
Basra and Balkh
He travelled with Ahmad ibn Salama to Basra and then to Balkh, transmitting from scholars such as Ali ibn Nasr al-Jahdami and Qutayba ibn Said.
Sources: [1] Biographical, hadith-critical, methodological or reception history, [2] Biographical, hadith-critical, methodological or reception history, [3] Biographical, hadith-critical, methodological or reception history, [4] Biographical, hadith-critical, methodological or reception history, [5] Biographical, hadith-critical, methodological or reception history, [6] Biographical, hadith-critical, methodological or reception history, [7] Biographical, hadith-critical, methodological or reception history, [8] Biographical, hadith-critical, methodological or reception history, [9] Biographical, hadith-critical, methodological or reception history
Ahmad ibn Hanbal
In Baghdad, Muslim benefited from Ahmad ibn Hanbal and other major hadith scholars.
Sources: [1] Biographical, hadith-critical, methodological or reception history, [2] Biographical, hadith-critical, methodological or reception history, [3] Biographical, hadith-critical, methodological or reception history, [4] Biographical, hadith-critical, methodological or reception history, [5] Biographical, hadith-critical, methodological or reception history, [6] Biographical, hadith-critical, methodological or reception history, [7] Biographical, hadith-critical, methodological or reception history, [8] Biographical, hadith-critical, methodological or reception history, [9] Biographical, hadith-critical, methodological or reception history
Repeated visits to Baghdad
Sources report that Muslim returned to Baghdad several times during his scholarly career.
Sources: [1] Biographical, hadith-critical, methodological or reception history, [2] Biographical, hadith-critical, methodological or reception history, [3] Biographical, hadith-critical, methodological or reception history, [4] Biographical, hadith-critical, methodological or reception history, [5] Biographical, hadith-critical, methodological or reception history, [6] Biographical, hadith-critical, methodological or reception history, [7] Biographical, hadith-critical, methodological or reception history, [8] Biographical, hadith-critical, methodological or reception history, [9] Biographical, hadith-critical, methodological or reception history
Kufa
In Kufa he studied with hadith authorities including Ahmad ibn Yunus.
Sources: [1] Biographical, hadith-critical, methodological or reception history, [2] Biographical, hadith-critical, methodological or reception history, [3] Biographical, hadith-critical, methodological or reception history, [4] Biographical, hadith-critical, methodological or reception history, [5] Biographical, hadith-critical, methodological or reception history, [6] Biographical, hadith-critical, methodological or reception history, [7] Biographical, hadith-critical, methodological or reception history, [8] Biographical, hadith-critical, methodological or reception history, [9] Biographical, hadith-critical, methodological or reception history
Abu Zur a and Ibn Wara
In Rayy, Muslim discussed hadith with Abu Zur a al-Razi and Ibn Wara and read his Sahih to Abu Zur a for criticism according to the biographical tradition.
Sources: [1] Biographical, hadith-critical, methodological or reception history, [2] Biographical, hadith-critical, methodological or reception history, [3] Biographical, hadith-critical, methodological or reception history, [4] Biographical, hadith-critical, methodological or reception history, [5] Biographical, hadith-critical, methodological or reception history, [6] Biographical, hadith-critical, methodological or reception history, [7] Biographical, hadith-critical, methodological or reception history, [8] Biographical, hadith-critical, methodological or reception history, [9] Biographical, hadith-critical, methodological or reception history
Journey to Egypt
Before 250 AH / 864 CE, Muslim travelled to Egypt and transmitted from scholars including Harmala ibn Yahya.
Sources: [1] Biographical, hadith-critical, methodological or reception history, [2] Biographical, hadith-critical, methodological or reception history, [3] Biographical, hadith-critical, methodological or reception history, [4] Biographical, hadith-critical, methodological or reception history, [5] Biographical, hadith-critical, methodological or reception history, [6] Biographical, hadith-critical, methodological or reception history, [7] Biographical, hadith-critical, methodological or reception history, [8] Biographical, hadith-critical, methodological or reception history, [9] Biographical, hadith-critical, methodological or reception history
A broad network of teachers
Muslim learned from a very large network of hadith scholars across the major centers of the Islamic world.
Sources: [1] Biographical, hadith-critical, methodological or reception history, [2] Biographical, hadith-critical, methodological or reception history, [3] Biographical, hadith-critical, methodological or reception history, [4] Biographical, hadith-critical, methodological or reception history, [5] Biographical, hadith-critical, methodological or reception history, [6] Biographical, hadith-critical, methodological or reception history, [7] Biographical, hadith-critical, methodological or reception history, [8] Biographical, hadith-critical, methodological or reception history, [9] Biographical, hadith-critical, methodological or reception history
The work known as Sahih Muslim
His best-known work is al-Jami al-Sahih, also described by Muslim as al-Musnad or al-Musnad al-Sahih and later widely known as Sahih Muslim.
Sources: [1] Biographical, hadith-critical, methodological or reception history, [2] Biographical, hadith-critical, methodological or reception history, [3] Biographical, hadith-critical, methodological or reception history, [4] Biographical, hadith-critical, methodological or reception history, [5] Biographical, hadith-critical, methodological or reception history, [6] Biographical, hadith-critical, methodological or reception history, [7] Biographical, hadith-critical, methodological or reception history, [8] Biographical, hadith-critical, methodological or reception history, [9] Biographical, hadith-critical, methodological or reception history
Fifteen years of compilation
TDV reports that Muslim composed al-Jami al-Sahih over approximately fifteen years.
Sources: [1] Biographical, hadith-critical, methodological or reception history, [2] Biographical, hadith-critical, methodological or reception history, [3] Biographical, hadith-critical, methodological or reception history, [4] Biographical, hadith-critical, methodological or reception history, [5] Biographical, hadith-critical, methodological or reception history, [6] Biographical, hadith-critical, methodological or reception history, [7] Biographical, hadith-critical, methodological or reception history, [8] Biographical, hadith-critical, methodological or reception history, [9] Biographical, hadith-critical, methodological or reception history
About 220 teachers in the Sahih
Although Muslim studied with many more scholars, TDV reports that he narrated in the Sahih from about 220 teachers.
Sources: [1] Biographical, hadith-critical, methodological or reception history, [2] Biographical, hadith-critical, methodological or reception history, [3] Biographical, hadith-critical, methodological or reception history, [4] Biographical, hadith-critical, methodological or reception history, [5] Biographical, hadith-critical, methodological or reception history, [6] Biographical, hadith-critical, methodological or reception history, [7] Biographical, hadith-critical, methodological or reception history, [8] Biographical, hadith-critical, methodological or reception history, [9] Biographical, hadith-critical, methodological or reception history
Grouping transmission routes
One of Sahih Muslim’s most distinctive features is its practice of gathering the reliable routes and textual variants of a hadith together in one place.
Sources: [1] Biographical, hadith-critical, methodological or reception history, [2] Biographical, hadith-critical, methodological or reception history, [3] Biographical, hadith-critical, methodological or reception history, [4] Biographical, hadith-critical, methodological or reception history, [5] Biographical, hadith-critical, methodological or reception history, [6] Biographical, hadith-critical, methodological or reception history, [7] Biographical, hadith-critical, methodological or reception history, [8] Biographical, hadith-critical, methodological or reception history, [9] Biographical, hadith-critical, methodological or reception history
Less dispersal across chapters
Compared with Sahih al-Bukhari, Muslim generally keeps the principal variants of a report together rather than redistributing the same hadith across many distant chapters for separate legal points.
Sources: [1] Biographical, hadith-critical, methodological or reception history, [2] Biographical, hadith-critical, methodological or reception history, [3] Biographical, hadith-critical, methodological or reception history, [4] Biographical, hadith-critical, methodological or reception history, [5] Biographical, hadith-critical, methodological or reception history, [6] Biographical, hadith-critical, methodological or reception history, [7] Biographical, hadith-critical, methodological or reception history, [8] Biographical, hadith-critical, methodological or reception history, [9] Biographical, hadith-critical, methodological or reception history
Comparing isnads and wording
This arrangement makes differences between transmission chains and wording especially visible and gives the work particular value for hadith criticism.
Sources: [1] Biographical, hadith-critical, methodological or reception history, [2] Biographical, hadith-critical, methodological or reception history, [3] Biographical, hadith-critical, methodological or reception history, [4] Biographical, hadith-critical, methodological or reception history, [5] Biographical, hadith-critical, methodological or reception history, [6] Biographical, hadith-critical, methodological or reception history, [7] Biographical, hadith-critical, methodological or reception history, [8] Biographical, hadith-critical, methodological or reception history, [9] Biographical, hadith-critical, methodological or reception history
The introduction to Sahih Muslim
The introduction to Sahih Muslim discusses transmission standards, unreliable narrators, contradictory reports and methodological questions, making it an important early text in hadith criticism.
Sources: [1] Biographical, hadith-critical, methodological or reception history, [2] Biographical, hadith-critical, methodological or reception history, [3] Biographical, hadith-critical, methodological or reception history, [4] Biographical, hadith-critical, methodological or reception history, [5] Biographical, hadith-critical, methodological or reception history, [6] Biographical, hadith-critical, methodological or reception history, [7] Biographical, hadith-critical, methodological or reception history, [8] Biographical, hadith-critical, methodological or reception history, [9] Biographical, hadith-critical, methodological or reception history
Connected chains and reliable transmitters
The main corpus of Sahih Muslim is built around connected isnads whose transmitters satisfy demanding standards of reliability and precision.
Sources: [1] Biographical, hadith-critical, methodological or reception history, [2] Biographical, hadith-critical, methodological or reception history, [3] Biographical, hadith-critical, methodological or reception history, [4] Biographical, hadith-critical, methodological or reception history, [5] Biographical, hadith-critical, methodological or reception history, [6] Biographical, hadith-critical, methodological or reception history, [7] Biographical, hadith-critical, methodological or reception history, [8] Biographical, hadith-critical, methodological or reception history, [9] Biographical, hadith-critical, methodological or reception history
The debated meeting condition
Later hadith theory often contrasts al-Bukhari’s stricter demand for evidence of direct meeting between contiguous narrators with Muslim’s acceptance of contemporaneity and the possibility of meeting when no evidence of non-meeting exists. The exact formulation is a later analytical reconstruction and should not be reduced to a simplistic slogan.
Sources: [1] Biographical, hadith-critical, methodological or reception history, [2] Biographical, hadith-critical, methodological or reception history, [3] Biographical, hadith-critical, methodological or reception history, [4] Biographical, hadith-critical, methodological or reception history, [5] Biographical, hadith-critical, methodological or reception history, [6] Biographical, hadith-critical, methodological or reception history, [7] Biographical, hadith-critical, methodological or reception history, [8] Biographical, hadith-critical, methodological or reception history, [9] Biographical, hadith-critical, methodological or reception history
Why the hadith totals vary
Counts of Sahih Muslim vary substantially depending on whether repeated routes, variant chains and repeated texts are counted separately.
Sources: [1] Biographical, hadith-critical, methodological or reception history, [2] Biographical, hadith-critical, methodological or reception history, [3] Biographical, hadith-critical, methodological or reception history, [4] Biographical, hadith-critical, methodological or reception history, [5] Biographical, hadith-critical, methodological or reception history, [6] Biographical, hadith-critical, methodological or reception history, [7] Biographical, hadith-critical, methodological or reception history, [8] Biographical, hadith-critical, methodological or reception history, [9] Biographical, hadith-critical, methodological or reception history
The traditional count of 12,000 with repetitions
TDV records a traditional total of 12,000 reports with repetitions, alongside other counts such as 7,275 or 7,582.
Sources: [1] Biographical, hadith-critical, methodological or reception history, [2] Biographical, hadith-critical, methodological or reception history, [3] Biographical, hadith-critical, methodological or reception history, [4] Biographical, hadith-critical, methodological or reception history, [5] Biographical, hadith-critical, methodological or reception history, [6] Biographical, hadith-critical, methodological or reception history, [7] Biographical, hadith-critical, methodological or reception history, [8] Biographical, hadith-critical, methodological or reception history, [9] Biographical, hadith-critical, methodological or reception history
Counts without repetition
Without repetitions, traditional counts include approximately 4,000 or 3,033 reports depending on the counting method.
Sources: [1] Biographical, hadith-critical, methodological or reception history, [2] Biographical, hadith-critical, methodological or reception history, [3] Biographical, hadith-critical, methodological or reception history, [4] Biographical, hadith-critical, methodological or reception history, [5] Biographical, hadith-critical, methodological or reception history, [6] Biographical, hadith-critical, methodological or reception history, [7] Biographical, hadith-critical, methodological or reception history, [8] Biographical, hadith-critical, methodological or reception history, [9] Biographical, hadith-critical, methodological or reception history
Not every sahih report was included
Like al-Bukhari, Muslim did not claim to include every sahih report known to him.
Sources: [1] Biographical, hadith-critical, methodological or reception history, [2] Biographical, hadith-critical, methodological or reception history, [3] Biographical, hadith-critical, methodological or reception history, [4] Biographical, hadith-critical, methodological or reception history, [5] Biographical, hadith-critical, methodological or reception history, [6] Biographical, hadith-critical, methodological or reception history, [7] Biographical, hadith-critical, methodological or reception history, [8] Biographical, hadith-critical, methodological or reception history, [9] Biographical, hadith-critical, methodological or reception history
Later chapter headings
Many detailed chapter headings familiar from printed editions are associated with later commentators, especially al-Nawawi, rather than being treated automatically as Muslim’s own original legal headings.
Sources: [1] Biographical, hadith-critical, methodological or reception history, [2] Biographical, hadith-critical, methodological or reception history, [3] Biographical, hadith-critical, methodological or reception history, [4] Biographical, hadith-critical, methodological or reception history, [5] Biographical, hadith-critical, methodological or reception history, [6] Biographical, hadith-critical, methodological or reception history, [7] Biographical, hadith-critical, methodological or reception history, [8] Biographical, hadith-critical, methodological or reception history, [9] Biographical, hadith-critical, methodological or reception history
Not securely assignable to one madhhab
TDV notes that Muslim inclined toward positions associated with Malik, al-Shafiʿi and Ahmad ibn Hanbal but was not known to belong formally to one legal school. Labeling him simply as a Shafiʿi jurist can therefore be misleading.
Sources: [1] Biographical, hadith-critical, methodological or reception history, [2] Biographical, hadith-critical, methodological or reception history, [3] Biographical, hadith-critical, methodological or reception history, [4] Biographical, hadith-critical, methodological or reception history, [5] Biographical, hadith-critical, methodological or reception history, [6] Biographical, hadith-critical, methodological or reception history, [7] Biographical, hadith-critical, methodological or reception history, [8] Biographical, hadith-critical, methodological or reception history, [9] Biographical, hadith-critical, methodological or reception history
Al-Bukhari
When al-Bukhari came to Nishapur, Muslim became closely attached to him and admired his hadith expertise.
Sources: [1] Biographical, hadith-critical, methodological or reception history, [2] Biographical, hadith-critical, methodological or reception history, [3] Biographical, hadith-critical, methodological or reception history, [4] Biographical, hadith-critical, methodological or reception history, [5] Biographical, hadith-critical, methodological or reception history, [6] Biographical, hadith-critical, methodological or reception history, [7] Biographical, hadith-critical, methodological or reception history, [8] Biographical, hadith-critical, methodological or reception history, [9] Biographical, hadith-critical, methodological or reception history
The Nishapur dispute
When conflict arose between al-Bukhari and Muhammad ibn Yahya al-Dhuhli over the lafz controversy, Muslim sided with al-Bukhari according to the biographical sources.
Sources: [1] Biographical, hadith-critical, methodological or reception history, [2] Biographical, hadith-critical, methodological or reception history, [3] Biographical, hadith-critical, methodological or reception history, [4] Biographical, hadith-critical, methodological or reception history, [5] Biographical, hadith-critical, methodological or reception history, [6] Biographical, hadith-critical, methodological or reception history, [7] Biographical, hadith-critical, methodological or reception history, [8] Biographical, hadith-critical, methodological or reception history, [9] Biographical, hadith-critical, methodological or reception history
Returning al-Dhuhli’s material
Biographical sources report that Muslim left al-Dhuhli’s teaching circle and returned the hadith notes he had written from him.
Sources: [1] Biographical, hadith-critical, methodological or reception history, [2] Biographical, hadith-critical, methodological or reception history, [3] Biographical, hadith-critical, methodological or reception history, [4] Biographical, hadith-critical, methodological or reception history, [5] Biographical, hadith-critical, methodological or reception history, [6] Biographical, hadith-critical, methodological or reception history, [7] Biographical, hadith-critical, methodological or reception history, [8] Biographical, hadith-critical, methodological or reception history, [9] Biographical, hadith-critical, methodological or reception history
Neither al-Bukhari nor al-Dhuhli in the Sahih
Despite benefiting greatly from both al-Bukhari and al-Dhuhli, TDV notes that Muslim did not narrate from either of them in his Sahih.
Sources: [1] Biographical, hadith-critical, methodological or reception history, [2] Biographical, hadith-critical, methodological or reception history, [3] Biographical, hadith-critical, methodological or reception history, [4] Biographical, hadith-critical, methodological or reception history, [5] Biographical, hadith-critical, methodological or reception history, [6] Biographical, hadith-critical, methodological or reception history, [7] Biographical, hadith-critical, methodological or reception history, [8] Biographical, hadith-critical, methodological or reception history, [9] Biographical, hadith-critical, methodological or reception history
Al-Tirmidhi
Al-Tirmidhi was among Muslim’s notable students and benefited from his hadith scholarship.
Sources: [1] Biographical, hadith-critical, methodological or reception history, [2] Biographical, hadith-critical, methodological or reception history, [3] Biographical, hadith-critical, methodological or reception history, [4] Biographical, hadith-critical, methodological or reception history, [5] Biographical, hadith-critical, methodological or reception history, [6] Biographical, hadith-critical, methodological or reception history, [7] Biographical, hadith-critical, methodological or reception history, [8] Biographical, hadith-critical, methodological or reception history, [9] Biographical, hadith-critical, methodological or reception history
Ibn Khuzayma
Ibn Khuzayma was another important hadith scholar counted among Muslim’s students.
Sources: [1] Biographical, hadith-critical, methodological or reception history, [2] Biographical, hadith-critical, methodological or reception history, [3] Biographical, hadith-critical, methodological or reception history, [4] Biographical, hadith-critical, methodological or reception history, [5] Biographical, hadith-critical, methodological or reception history, [6] Biographical, hadith-critical, methodological or reception history, [7] Biographical, hadith-critical, methodological or reception history, [8] Biographical, hadith-critical, methodological or reception history, [9] Biographical, hadith-critical, methodological or reception history
Abu Awana
Abu Awana al-Isfarayini also transmitted from Muslim and became an important figure in the later transmission of his hadith legacy.
Sources: [1] Biographical, hadith-critical, methodological or reception history, [2] Biographical, hadith-critical, methodological or reception history, [3] Biographical, hadith-critical, methodological or reception history, [4] Biographical, hadith-critical, methodological or reception history, [5] Biographical, hadith-critical, methodological or reception history, [6] Biographical, hadith-critical, methodological or reception history, [7] Biographical, hadith-critical, methodological or reception history, [8] Biographical, hadith-critical, methodological or reception history, [9] Biographical, hadith-critical, methodological or reception history
Jarh wa ta dil
Muslim was recognized as a scholar whose judgments on hadith transmitters were trusted in jarh wa ta dil.
Sources: [1] Biographical, hadith-critical, methodological or reception history, [2] Biographical, hadith-critical, methodological or reception history, [3] Biographical, hadith-critical, methodological or reception history, [4] Biographical, hadith-critical, methodological or reception history, [5] Biographical, hadith-critical, methodological or reception history, [6] Biographical, hadith-critical, methodological or reception history, [7] Biographical, hadith-critical, methodological or reception history, [8] Biographical, hadith-critical, methodological or reception history, [9] Biographical, hadith-critical, methodological or reception history
Kitab al-Tamyiz
Kitab al-Tamyiz, though only partially preserved, is an important work on hadith criticism and the methods used to detect errors and problematic transmissions.
Sources: [1] Biographical, hadith-critical, methodological or reception history, [2] Biographical, hadith-critical, methodological or reception history, [3] Biographical, hadith-critical, methodological or reception history, [4] Biographical, hadith-critical, methodological or reception history, [5] Biographical, hadith-critical, methodological or reception history, [6] Biographical, hadith-critical, methodological or reception history, [7] Biographical, hadith-critical, methodological or reception history, [8] Biographical, hadith-critical, methodological or reception history, [9] Biographical, hadith-critical, methodological or reception history
Al-Tabaqat
Muslim also compiled a work on generations of transmitters, organizing Companions and Successors by regional groupings.
Sources: [1] Biographical, hadith-critical, methodological or reception history, [2] Biographical, hadith-critical, methodological or reception history, [3] Biographical, hadith-critical, methodological or reception history, [4] Biographical, hadith-critical, methodological or reception history, [5] Biographical, hadith-critical, methodological or reception history, [6] Biographical, hadith-critical, methodological or reception history, [7] Biographical, hadith-critical, methodological or reception history, [8] Biographical, hadith-critical, methodological or reception history, [9] Biographical, hadith-critical, methodological or reception history
Kitab al-Kuna wa-l-asma
His work on names and kunyahs addressed identification problems caused when transmitters appeared under different forms of name in isnads.
Sources: [1] Biographical, hadith-critical, methodological or reception history, [2] Biographical, hadith-critical, methodological or reception history, [3] Biographical, hadith-critical, methodological or reception history, [4] Biographical, hadith-critical, methodological or reception history, [5] Biographical, hadith-critical, methodological or reception history, [6] Biographical, hadith-critical, methodological or reception history, [7] Biographical, hadith-critical, methodological or reception history, [8] Biographical, hadith-critical, methodological or reception history, [9] Biographical, hadith-critical, methodological or reception history
Merchant background
Biographical sources describe Muslim as a cloth or textile merchant and as financially comfortable.
Sources: [1] Biographical, hadith-critical, methodological or reception history, [2] Biographical, hadith-critical, methodological or reception history, [3] Biographical, hadith-critical, methodological or reception history, [4] Biographical, hadith-critical, methodological or reception history, [5] Biographical, hadith-critical, methodological or reception history, [6] Biographical, hadith-critical, methodological or reception history, [7] Biographical, hadith-critical, methodological or reception history, [8] Biographical, hadith-critical, methodological or reception history, [9] Biographical, hadith-critical, methodological or reception history
Teaching in his shop
Sources report that Muslim also narrated hadith to students in his shop.
Sources: [1] Biographical, hadith-critical, methodological or reception history, [2] Biographical, hadith-critical, methodological or reception history, [3] Biographical, hadith-critical, methodological or reception history, [4] Biographical, hadith-critical, methodological or reception history, [5] Biographical, hadith-critical, methodological or reception history, [6] Biographical, hadith-critical, methodological or reception history, [7] Biographical, hadith-critical, methodological or reception history, [8] Biographical, hadith-critical, methodological or reception history, [9] Biographical, hadith-critical, methodological or reception history
Reputation for generosity
Later biographical memory portrays Muslim as generous and personally restrained in speech about others.
Sources: [1] Biographical, hadith-critical, methodological or reception history, [2] Biographical, hadith-critical, methodological or reception history, [3] Biographical, hadith-critical, methodological or reception history, [4] Biographical, hadith-critical, methodological or reception history, [5] Biographical, hadith-critical, methodological or reception history, [6] Biographical, hadith-critical, methodological or reception history, [7] Biographical, hadith-critical, methodological or reception history, [8] Biographical, hadith-critical, methodological or reception history, [9] Biographical, hadith-critical, methodological or reception history
Death in 261 AH
Muslim died in Nishapur on 25 Rajab 261 AH, corresponding to 5 May 875 CE.
Sources: [1] Biographical, hadith-critical, methodological or reception history, [2] Biographical, hadith-critical, methodological or reception history, [3] Biographical, hadith-critical, methodological or reception history, [4] Biographical, hadith-critical, methodological or reception history, [5] Biographical, hadith-critical, methodological or reception history, [6] Biographical, hadith-critical, methodological or reception history, [7] Biographical, hadith-critical, methodological or reception history, [8] Biographical, hadith-critical, methodological or reception history, [9] Biographical, hadith-critical, methodological or reception history
Burial in Nasrabad
He was buried in the Nasrabad cemetery outside Nishapur.
Sources: [1] Biographical, hadith-critical, methodological or reception history, [2] Biographical, hadith-critical, methodological or reception history, [3] Biographical, hadith-critical, methodological or reception history, [4] Biographical, hadith-critical, methodological or reception history, [5] Biographical, hadith-critical, methodological or reception history, [6] Biographical, hadith-critical, methodological or reception history, [7] Biographical, hadith-critical, methodological or reception history, [8] Biographical, hadith-critical, methodological or reception history, [9] Biographical, hadith-critical, methodological or reception history
The famous final-night story
Later biographies preserve a story that Muslim spent his final night intensely searching for a hadith, eating dates while working, and died soon afterward. This is a transmitted anecdote and should not be treated as a medically established cause of death.
Sources: [1] Biographical, hadith-critical, methodological or reception history, [2] Biographical, hadith-critical, methodological or reception history, [3] Biographical, hadith-critical, methodological or reception history, [4] Biographical, hadith-critical, methodological or reception history, [5] Biographical, hadith-critical, methodological or reception history, [6] Biographical, hadith-critical, methodological or reception history, [7] Biographical, hadith-critical, methodological or reception history, [8] Biographical, hadith-critical, methodological or reception history, [9] Biographical, hadith-critical, methodological or reception history
The Sahihayn
Sahih Muslim and Sahih al-Bukhari became known together as the Sahihayn and came to occupy the highest canonical rank among Sunni hadith collections.
Sources: [1] Biographical, hadith-critical, methodological or reception history, [2] Biographical, hadith-critical, methodological or reception history, [3] Biographical, hadith-critical, methodological or reception history, [4] Biographical, hadith-critical, methodological or reception history, [5] Biographical, hadith-critical, methodological or reception history, [6] Biographical, hadith-critical, methodological or reception history, [7] Biographical, hadith-critical, methodological or reception history, [8] Biographical, hadith-critical, methodological or reception history, [9] Biographical, hadith-critical, methodological or reception history
Bukhari generally preferred overall
Most later Sunni hadith scholars generally ranked Sahih al-Bukhari above Sahih Muslim overall, while recognizing specific organizational advantages in Muslim’s work.
Sources: [1] Biographical, hadith-critical, methodological or reception history, [2] Biographical, hadith-critical, methodological or reception history, [3] Biographical, hadith-critical, methodological or reception history, [4] Biographical, hadith-critical, methodological or reception history, [5] Biographical, hadith-critical, methodological or reception history, [6] Biographical, hadith-critical, methodological or reception history, [7] Biographical, hadith-critical, methodological or reception history, [8] Biographical, hadith-critical, methodological or reception history, [9] Biographical, hadith-critical, methodological or reception history
Some scholars preferred Muslim
Some scholars, especially in parts of the Maghrib, preferred Sahih Muslim because of its organization and concentration of transmission variants.
Sources: [1] Biographical, hadith-critical, methodological or reception history, [2] Biographical, hadith-critical, methodological or reception history, [3] Biographical, hadith-critical, methodological or reception history, [4] Biographical, hadith-critical, methodological or reception history, [5] Biographical, hadith-critical, methodological or reception history, [6] Biographical, hadith-critical, methodological or reception history, [7] Biographical, hadith-critical, methodological or reception history, [8] Biographical, hadith-critical, methodological or reception history, [9] Biographical, hadith-critical, methodological or reception history
A major commentary tradition
Sahih Muslim generated a large commentary tradition, with al-Nawawi’s al-Minhaj becoming one of the most influential commentaries.
Sources: [1] Biographical, hadith-critical, methodological or reception history, [2] Biographical, hadith-critical, methodological or reception history, [3] Biographical, hadith-critical, methodological or reception history, [4] Biographical, hadith-critical, methodological or reception history, [5] Biographical, hadith-critical, methodological or reception history, [6] Biographical, hadith-critical, methodological or reception history, [7] Biographical, hadith-critical, methodological or reception history, [8] Biographical, hadith-critical, methodological or reception history, [9] Biographical, hadith-critical, methodological or reception history
A model of comparative transmission
Muslim’s practice of grouping chains and textual variants made his Sahih a lasting model for comparing transmission routes within a single hadith dossier.
Sources: [1] Biographical, hadith-critical, methodological or reception history, [2] Biographical, hadith-critical, methodological or reception history, [3] Biographical, hadith-critical, methodological or reception history, [4] Biographical, hadith-critical, methodological or reception history, [5] Biographical, hadith-critical, methodological or reception history, [6] Biographical, hadith-critical, methodological or reception history, [7] Biographical, hadith-critical, methodological or reception history, [8] Biographical, hadith-critical, methodological or reception history, [9] Biographical, hadith-critical, methodological or reception history
A critic and organizer of hadith
Muslim’s enduring contribution lies in the combination of rigorous transmitter criticism, disciplined selection and unusually transparent organization of variant transmission routes.
Sources: [1] Biographical, hadith-critical, methodological or reception history, [2] Biographical, hadith-critical, methodological or reception history, [3] Biographical, hadith-critical, methodological or reception history, [4] Biographical, hadith-critical, methodological or reception history, [5] Biographical, hadith-critical, methodological or reception history, [6] Biographical, hadith-critical, methodological or reception history, [7] Biographical, hadith-critical, methodological or reception history, [8] Biographical, hadith-critical, methodological or reception history, [9] Biographical, hadith-critical, methodological or reception history
Source-sensitive points
probable
The principal chronology places Muslim’s birth in 206 AH, approximately 821–822 CE.
Sources: [1] Biographical, hadith-critical, methodological or reception history, [2] Biographical, hadith-critical, methodological or reception history, [3] Biographical, hadith-critical, methodological or reception history, [4] Biographical, hadith-critical, methodological or reception history, [5] Biographical, hadith-critical, methodological or reception history, [6] Biographical, hadith-critical, methodological or reception history, [7] Biographical, hadith-critical, methodological or reception history, [8] Biographical, hadith-critical, methodological or reception history, [9] Biographical, hadith-critical, methodological or reception history
reported
Alternative birth years of 201, 202 and 204 AH are preserved in the biographical sources.
Sources: [1] Biographical, hadith-critical, methodological or reception history, [2] Biographical, hadith-critical, methodological or reception history, [3] Biographical, hadith-critical, methodological or reception history, [4] Biographical, hadith-critical, methodological or reception history, [5] Biographical, hadith-critical, methodological or reception history, [6] Biographical, hadith-critical, methodological or reception history, [7] Biographical, hadith-critical, methodological or reception history, [8] Biographical, hadith-critical, methodological or reception history, [9] Biographical, hadith-critical, methodological or reception history
established
Muslim died in Nishapur on 25 Rajab 261 AH / 5 May 875 CE.
Sources: [1] Biographical, hadith-critical, methodological or reception history, [2] Biographical, hadith-critical, methodological or reception history, [3] Biographical, hadith-critical, methodological or reception history, [4] Biographical, hadith-critical, methodological or reception history, [5] Biographical, hadith-critical, methodological or reception history, [6] Biographical, hadith-critical, methodological or reception history, [7] Biographical, hadith-critical, methodological or reception history, [8] Biographical, hadith-critical, methodological or reception history, [9] Biographical, hadith-critical, methodological or reception history
established
Muslim studied with Ahmad ibn Hanbal in Baghdad.
Sources: [1] Biographical, hadith-critical, methodological or reception history, [2] Biographical, hadith-critical, methodological or reception history, [3] Biographical, hadith-critical, methodological or reception history, [4] Biographical, hadith-critical, methodological or reception history, [5] Biographical, hadith-critical, methodological or reception history, [6] Biographical, hadith-critical, methodological or reception history, [7] Biographical, hadith-critical, methodological or reception history, [8] Biographical, hadith-critical, methodological or reception history, [9] Biographical, hadith-critical, methodological or reception history
established
Muslim became closely associated with al-Bukhari in Nishapur and learned from him.
Sources: [1] Biographical, hadith-critical, methodological or reception history, [2] Biographical, hadith-critical, methodological or reception history, [3] Biographical, hadith-critical, methodological or reception history, [4] Biographical, hadith-critical, methodological or reception history, [5] Biographical, hadith-critical, methodological or reception history, [6] Biographical, hadith-critical, methodological or reception history, [7] Biographical, hadith-critical, methodological or reception history, [8] Biographical, hadith-critical, methodological or reception history, [9] Biographical, hadith-critical, methodological or reception history
established
Al-Tirmidhi is counted among Muslim’s notable students.
Sources: [1] Biographical, hadith-critical, methodological or reception history, [2] Biographical, hadith-critical, methodological or reception history, [3] Biographical, hadith-critical, methodological or reception history, [4] Biographical, hadith-critical, methodological or reception history, [5] Biographical, hadith-critical, methodological or reception history, [6] Biographical, hadith-critical, methodological or reception history, [7] Biographical, hadith-critical, methodological or reception history, [8] Biographical, hadith-critical, methodological or reception history, [9] Biographical, hadith-critical, methodological or reception history
reported
TDV reports that Muslim composed al-Jami al-Sahih over approximately fifteen years.
Sources: [1] Biographical, hadith-critical, methodological or reception history, [2] Biographical, hadith-critical, methodological or reception history, [3] Biographical, hadith-critical, methodological or reception history, [4] Biographical, hadith-critical, methodological or reception history, [5] Biographical, hadith-critical, methodological or reception history, [6] Biographical, hadith-critical, methodological or reception history, [7] Biographical, hadith-critical, methodological or reception history, [8] Biographical, hadith-critical, methodological or reception history, [9] Biographical, hadith-critical, methodological or reception history
reported
TDV reports that Muslim narrated in the Sahih from about 220 teachers.
Sources: [1] Biographical, hadith-critical, methodological or reception history, [2] Biographical, hadith-critical, methodological or reception history, [3] Biographical, hadith-critical, methodological or reception history, [4] Biographical, hadith-critical, methodological or reception history, [5] Biographical, hadith-critical, methodological or reception history, [6] Biographical, hadith-critical, methodological or reception history, [7] Biographical, hadith-critical, methodological or reception history, [8] Biographical, hadith-critical, methodological or reception history, [9] Biographical, hadith-critical, methodological or reception history
established
A defining feature of Sahih Muslim is its practice of gathering reliable chains and textual variants of a hadith together in one place.
Sources: [1] Biographical, hadith-critical, methodological or reception history, [2] Biographical, hadith-critical, methodological or reception history, [3] Biographical, hadith-critical, methodological or reception history, [4] Biographical, hadith-critical, methodological or reception history, [5] Biographical, hadith-critical, methodological or reception history, [6] Biographical, hadith-critical, methodological or reception history, [7] Biographical, hadith-critical, methodological or reception history, [8] Biographical, hadith-critical, methodological or reception history, [9] Biographical, hadith-critical, methodological or reception history
established
The main corpus of Sahih Muslim is built around connected isnads with transmitters meeting demanding standards of reliability and precision.
Sources: [1] Biographical, hadith-critical, methodological or reception history, [2] Biographical, hadith-critical, methodological or reception history, [3] Biographical, hadith-critical, methodological or reception history, [4] Biographical, hadith-critical, methodological or reception history, [5] Biographical, hadith-critical, methodological or reception history, [6] Biographical, hadith-critical, methodological or reception history, [7] Biographical, hadith-critical, methodological or reception history, [8] Biographical, hadith-critical, methodological or reception history, [9] Biographical, hadith-critical, methodological or reception history
established
Muslim explicitly argued that contemporaneity and the possibility of meeting can suffice for non-mudallis transmitters when no evidence of non-meeting exists; later scholars contrasted this with al-Bukhari’s stricter meeting criterion.
Sources: [1] Biographical, hadith-critical, methodological or reception history, [2] Biographical, hadith-critical, methodological or reception history, [3] Biographical, hadith-critical, methodological or reception history, [4] Biographical, hadith-critical, methodological or reception history, [5] Biographical, hadith-critical, methodological or reception history, [6] Biographical, hadith-critical, methodological or reception history, [7] Biographical, hadith-critical, methodological or reception history, [8] Biographical, hadith-critical, methodological or reception history, [9] Biographical, hadith-critical, methodological or reception history
established
Hadith totals for Sahih Muslim vary substantially according to whether repeated routes, variant chains and repeated texts are counted separately.
Sources: [1] Biographical, hadith-critical, methodological or reception history, [2] Biographical, hadith-critical, methodological or reception history, [3] Biographical, hadith-critical, methodological or reception history, [4] Biographical, hadith-critical, methodological or reception history, [5] Biographical, hadith-critical, methodological or reception history, [6] Biographical, hadith-critical, methodological or reception history, [7] Biographical, hadith-critical, methodological or reception history, [8] Biographical, hadith-critical, methodological or reception history, [9] Biographical, hadith-critical, methodological or reception history
reported
Traditional counts include approximately 12,000 reports with repetitions, alongside totals such as 7,275 or 7,582.
Sources: [1] Biographical, hadith-critical, methodological or reception history, [2] Biographical, hadith-critical, methodological or reception history, [3] Biographical, hadith-critical, methodological or reception history, [4] Biographical, hadith-critical, methodological or reception history, [5] Biographical, hadith-critical, methodological or reception history, [6] Biographical, hadith-critical, methodological or reception history, [7] Biographical, hadith-critical, methodological or reception history, [8] Biographical, hadith-critical, methodological or reception history, [9] Biographical, hadith-critical, methodological or reception history
reported
Traditional counts without repetition include approximately 4,000 or 3,033 reports depending on the counting method.
Sources: [1] Biographical, hadith-critical, methodological or reception history, [2] Biographical, hadith-critical, methodological or reception history, [3] Biographical, hadith-critical, methodological or reception history, [4] Biographical, hadith-critical, methodological or reception history, [5] Biographical, hadith-critical, methodological or reception history, [6] Biographical, hadith-critical, methodological or reception history, [7] Biographical, hadith-critical, methodological or reception history, [8] Biographical, hadith-critical, methodological or reception history, [9] Biographical, hadith-critical, methodological or reception history
established
Many detailed chapter headings in modern editions of Sahih Muslim derive from later commentators, especially al-Nawawi, rather than being Muslim’s own original headings.
Sources: [1] Biographical, hadith-critical, methodological or reception history, [2] Biographical, hadith-critical, methodological or reception history, [3] Biographical, hadith-critical, methodological or reception history, [4] Biographical, hadith-critical, methodological or reception history, [5] Biographical, hadith-critical, methodological or reception history, [6] Biographical, hadith-critical, methodological or reception history, [7] Biographical, hadith-critical, methodological or reception history, [8] Biographical, hadith-critical, methodological or reception history, [9] Biographical, hadith-critical, methodological or reception history
established
TDV notes that Muslim was not known to belong formally to a single legal school, despite affinities with positions of Malik, al-Shafiʿi and Ahmad ibn Hanbal.
Sources: [1] Biographical, hadith-critical, methodological or reception history, [2] Biographical, hadith-critical, methodological or reception history, [3] Biographical, hadith-critical, methodological or reception history, [4] Biographical, hadith-critical, methodological or reception history, [5] Biographical, hadith-critical, methodological or reception history, [6] Biographical, hadith-critical, methodological or reception history, [7] Biographical, hadith-critical, methodological or reception history, [8] Biographical, hadith-critical, methodological or reception history, [9] Biographical, hadith-critical, methodological or reception history
reported
Biographical sources report that Muslim sided with al-Bukhari against al-Dhuhli during the Nishapur lafz controversy.
Sources: [1] Biographical, hadith-critical, methodological or reception history, [2] Biographical, hadith-critical, methodological or reception history, [3] Biographical, hadith-critical, methodological or reception history, [4] Biographical, hadith-critical, methodological or reception history, [5] Biographical, hadith-critical, methodological or reception history, [6] Biographical, hadith-critical, methodological or reception history, [7] Biographical, hadith-critical, methodological or reception history, [8] Biographical, hadith-critical, methodological or reception history, [9] Biographical, hadith-critical, methodological or reception history
established
Despite benefiting from both al-Bukhari and al-Dhuhli, Muslim did not narrate from either of them in his Sahih.
Sources: [1] Biographical, hadith-critical, methodological or reception history, [2] Biographical, hadith-critical, methodological or reception history, [3] Biographical, hadith-critical, methodological or reception history, [4] Biographical, hadith-critical, methodological or reception history, [5] Biographical, hadith-critical, methodological or reception history, [6] Biographical, hadith-critical, methodological or reception history, [7] Biographical, hadith-critical, methodological or reception history, [8] Biographical, hadith-critical, methodological or reception history, [9] Biographical, hadith-critical, methodological or reception history
established
Muslim was recognized as an authority whose judgments on hadith transmitters were trusted in jarh wa ta dil.
Sources: [1] Biographical, hadith-critical, methodological or reception history, [2] Biographical, hadith-critical, methodological or reception history, [3] Biographical, hadith-critical, methodological or reception history, [4] Biographical, hadith-critical, methodological or reception history, [5] Biographical, hadith-critical, methodological or reception history, [6] Biographical, hadith-critical, methodological or reception history, [7] Biographical, hadith-critical, methodological or reception history, [8] Biographical, hadith-critical, methodological or reception history, [9] Biographical, hadith-critical, methodological or reception history
reported
The story that Muslim spent his final night searching for a hadith while eating dates is a transmitted biographical anecdote, not an established medical cause of death.
Sources: [1] Biographical, hadith-critical, methodological or reception history, [2] Biographical, hadith-critical, methodological or reception history, [3] Biographical, hadith-critical, methodological or reception history, [4] Biographical, hadith-critical, methodological or reception history, [5] Biographical, hadith-critical, methodological or reception history, [6] Biographical, hadith-critical, methodological or reception history, [7] Biographical, hadith-critical, methodological or reception history, [8] Biographical, hadith-critical, methodological or reception history, [9] Biographical, hadith-critical, methodological or reception history
Relationships
Imam Ahmad ibn Hanbal
teacher · established
Imam al-Bukhari
teacher · established
Al-Tirmidhi
student · established
Contributions
A landmark in comparative hadith transmission
Sahih Muslim’s practice of gathering reliable chains and textual variants together created an unusually transparent structure for comparing how a single hadith was transmitted.
scholarly · established
A major contribution to hadith criticism
Through the introduction to the Sahih, Kitab al-Tamyiz and his transmitter judgments, Muslim preserved important early methods for distinguishing reliable transmission from error.
scholarly · established
A disciplined model of selective compilation
Muslim’s Sahih combined stringent transmission standards with deliberate exclusion of many reports he still regarded as authentic, demonstrating that a sahih collection was selective rather than exhaustive.
scholarly · established
A central place in the Sunni hadith canon
Together with Sahih al-Bukhari, Sahih Muslim became one of the two highest-ranking canonical hadith collections in mainstream Sunni scholarship.
institutional · established
A durable model of scholarly loyalty and independence
The Nishapur dispute preserves a lasting image of Muslim maintaining allegiance to the scholarly position he considered correct even at the cost of conflict with an influential teacher.