Author: Hafiz Zubair Ali Zai (رحمہ اللہ)
➊ Imam Yahya bin Ma‘een (رحمہ اللہ) said regarding him:
“He is trustworthy, the son of a trustworthy, the son of a trustworthy.”
(Tarikh Baghdad, 4/215, No. 1906, chain authentic)
➋ Imam Abbas bin Muhammad al-Dawri (رحمہ اللہ) said:
“We considered him like Ahmad bin Hanbal and Yahya bin Ma‘een.”
(Tarikh Baghdad, 4/214, chain authentic)
➌ Abu al-Hasan ‘Ali bin Ahmad bin Zakariya bin al-Khaseeb al-Atarablisi said regarding Salih bin Ahmad bin Abdullah al-‘Ajli:
“He is trustworthy, the son of a trustworthy, the son of a trustworthy.”
(Tarikh Baghdad, 4/214, chain authentic)
He also said:
“Both Ahmad bin Hanbal and Ibn Ma‘een used to narrate from him.”
(Tarikh Baghdad, 4/214, chain authentic)
➍ Waleed bin Bakr al-Andalusi (رحمہ اللہ) said:
“Abu al-Hasan Ahmad bin Abdullah bin Salih al-Kufi was among the Imams of Hadith scholars — trustworthy, meticulous, devout, and ascetic.”
(Tarikh Baghdad, 4/214, chain authentic)
➎ Al-Khatib al-Baghdadi (رحمہ اللہ) said:
“He was religious and pious.”
(Tarikh Baghdad, 4/214, chain authentic)
➏ Malik bin ‘Isa al-Qafsi al-Maghribi (رحمہ اللہ) regarded him as the greatest scholar of Hadith.
(Tarikh Baghdad, 4/214, chain authentic)
➐ Shams al-Din Abu al-Khair Muhammad bin Muhammad al-Jazari (رحمہ اللہ) said:
“He settled in Tripoli, Maghrib; he was an Imam, a distinguished scholar, trustworthy, and he narrated Qira'at (recitations) from his father.”
(Ghayat al-Nihayah fi Tabaqat al-Qurra, 1/73, No. 323)
➑ Hafiz al-Dhahabi (رحمہ اللہ) said:
“The Imam, the Hafiz, the exemplar.”
(Tadhkirat al-Huffaz, 2/560, No. 582)
And he also said:
“The unparalleled Imam, the ascetic.”
(Siyar A‘lam al-Nubala, 12/505)
He mentioned regarding Imam al-‘Ajli’s book on Jarh and Ta‘deel:
“He has a beneficial work in Jarh and Ta‘deel. I have studied it and extracted benefits from it which demonstrate his deep mastery of the craft and extensive memorization.”
(Siyar A‘lam al-Nubala, 12/506)
➒ Ibn Nasir al-Din al-Dimashqi (رحمہ اللہ) said:
“He was an Imam, a Hafiz, a paragon among the meticulous, and he was considered like Ahmad bin Hanbal and Yahya bin Ma‘een. His book on Jarh and Ta‘deel indicates his vast memorization and great skill.”
(Shadharat al-Dhahab, 2/141)
➓ Salah al-Din Khalil bin Aibak al-Safadi said regarding Imam al-‘Ajli’s work on Jarh and Ta‘deel:
“It is a beneficial book that indicates his Imamate and the breadth of his memorization.”
(al-Wafi bil-Wafayat, 5/177, No. 674)
(For further references, see Tabaqat al-Huffaz by al-Suyuti, p. 246, No. 547, etc.)
(21 April 2010)
Name and Lineage
Abu al-Hasan Ahmad bin Abdullah bin Salih bin Muslim bin Salih al-‘Ajli al-Kufi al-Atarablisi.Birth
He was born in 182 AH in Kufa (Iraq).Teachers
His teachers included Shababa bin Sawwar, Muhammad bin Ja‘far (known as Ghundar), Husayn bin ‘Ali al-Ju‘fi, Abu Dawood ‘Umar bin Sa‘d bin ‘Ubayd al-Hafari, Abu ‘Amir ‘Abd al-Malik bin ‘Amr al-‘Uqdi al-Qaisi, Muhammad bin ‘Ubayd al-Tanafisi, Ya‘la bin ‘Ubayd al-Tanafisi, Muhammad bin Yusuf al-Firyabi and others (رحمہم اللہ).Students
His students included Salih bin Ahmad bin Abdullah bin Salih al-‘Ajli, Sa‘eed bin ‘Uthman bin Sa‘eed al-Tajibi al-Andalusi, Muhammad bin Futays bin Wasel al-Ghafiqi al-Albiri, Abu ‘Uthman Sa‘eed bin Khameer bin ‘Abdur-Rahman al-Qurtubi, Abu Muhammad Qasim bin Muhammad bin Qasim bin Muhammad bin Sayyar al-Qurtubi al-Bayani (author of al-Iydah fi al-Radd ‘ala al-Muqallideen), Abu Sa‘eed ‘Uthman bin Jarir bin Humaid al-Kilabi al-Bayri, and Abdullah bin Muhammad bin Abi al-Waleed al-Qurtubi, among others (رحمہم اللہ).Works
- Ma‘rifat al-Thiqat min Rijal Ahl al-‘Ilm wal-Hadith wa min al-Du‘afa wa Dhikr Madhahibihim wa Akhbarahum (commonly referred to as al-Tarikh or al-Thiqat)
- Kitab al-Jarh wa al-Ta‘deel
- Questions of Abu Muslim Salih bin Ahmad al-‘Ajli to his father (which might be part of the same work)
Authentication and Scholarly Status
There is consensus among the scholars that Imam al-‘Ajli was a trustworthy, eminent, and sound-believing scholar.➊ Imam Yahya bin Ma‘een (رحمہ اللہ) said regarding him:
“He is trustworthy, the son of a trustworthy, the son of a trustworthy.”
(Tarikh Baghdad, 4/215, No. 1906, chain authentic)
➋ Imam Abbas bin Muhammad al-Dawri (رحمہ اللہ) said:
“We considered him like Ahmad bin Hanbal and Yahya bin Ma‘een.”
(Tarikh Baghdad, 4/214, chain authentic)
➌ Abu al-Hasan ‘Ali bin Ahmad bin Zakariya bin al-Khaseeb al-Atarablisi said regarding Salih bin Ahmad bin Abdullah al-‘Ajli:
“He is trustworthy, the son of a trustworthy, the son of a trustworthy.”
(Tarikh Baghdad, 4/214, chain authentic)
He also said:
“Both Ahmad bin Hanbal and Ibn Ma‘een used to narrate from him.”
(Tarikh Baghdad, 4/214, chain authentic)
➍ Waleed bin Bakr al-Andalusi (رحمہ اللہ) said:
“Abu al-Hasan Ahmad bin Abdullah bin Salih al-Kufi was among the Imams of Hadith scholars — trustworthy, meticulous, devout, and ascetic.”
(Tarikh Baghdad, 4/214, chain authentic)
➎ Al-Khatib al-Baghdadi (رحمہ اللہ) said:
“He was religious and pious.”
(Tarikh Baghdad, 4/214, chain authentic)
➏ Malik bin ‘Isa al-Qafsi al-Maghribi (رحمہ اللہ) regarded him as the greatest scholar of Hadith.
(Tarikh Baghdad, 4/214, chain authentic)
➐ Shams al-Din Abu al-Khair Muhammad bin Muhammad al-Jazari (رحمہ اللہ) said:
“He settled in Tripoli, Maghrib; he was an Imam, a distinguished scholar, trustworthy, and he narrated Qira'at (recitations) from his father.”
(Ghayat al-Nihayah fi Tabaqat al-Qurra, 1/73, No. 323)
➑ Hafiz al-Dhahabi (رحمہ اللہ) said:
“The Imam, the Hafiz, the exemplar.”
(Tadhkirat al-Huffaz, 2/560, No. 582)
And he also said:
“The unparalleled Imam, the ascetic.”
(Siyar A‘lam al-Nubala, 12/505)
He mentioned regarding Imam al-‘Ajli’s book on Jarh and Ta‘deel:
“He has a beneficial work in Jarh and Ta‘deel. I have studied it and extracted benefits from it which demonstrate his deep mastery of the craft and extensive memorization.”
(Siyar A‘lam al-Nubala, 12/506)
➒ Ibn Nasir al-Din al-Dimashqi (رحمہ اللہ) said:
“He was an Imam, a Hafiz, a paragon among the meticulous, and he was considered like Ahmad bin Hanbal and Yahya bin Ma‘een. His book on Jarh and Ta‘deel indicates his vast memorization and great skill.”
(Shadharat al-Dhahab, 2/141)
➓ Salah al-Din Khalil bin Aibak al-Safadi said regarding Imam al-‘Ajli’s work on Jarh and Ta‘deel:
“It is a beneficial book that indicates his Imamate and the breadth of his memorization.”
(al-Wafi bil-Wafayat, 5/177, No. 674)
(For further references, see Tabaqat al-Huffaz by al-Suyuti, p. 246, No. 547, etc.)
Important Note
According to our knowledge, no scholar before the fourteenth century Hijri criticized Imam al-‘Ajli as being lenient (mutasahil). Instead, there was unanimous agreement on his authentication and praise. Eminent scholars even compared him with Imam Ahmad bin Hanbal and Imam Yahya bin Ma‘een (رحمہم اللہ). Therefore, attributing leniency to him by the contemporary followers of ‘Allama al-Mu‘allimi al-Yamani is incorrect, invalid, and rejected.Death
He passed away in 261 AH in Tripoli (Maghrib, i.e., Morocco) and was buried near the coast along with his son Salih (رحمہما اللہ).(21 April 2010)
