The Real Reason Why Imām Sufyān رحمه الله Was Called "Thawrī"Source: Fatāwā al-Dīn al-Khāliṣ, Vol. 1, p. 203
❖ Question
Why was Imām Sufyān رحمه الله given the title “Thawrī”?
Some claim that he once entered a masjid with his left foot, and his teacher reprimanded him, saying:
“O Thawr! Why did you oppose the Sunnah by stepping with the left foot?”
Thereafter, it is said, he adopted the title “Thawrī” to remind himself of this advice.
Is this story authentic?
✦ The Response
Wa ʿalaykum al-salām wa raḥmatullāhi wa barakātuh.
All praise is due to Allah, and may peace and blessings be upon the Messenger of Allah. To proceed:
ولا حول ولا قوة إلا بالله
❖ ① Status of the Narrative
Upon extensive research in the classical biographical sources, no evidence was found to support the story mentioned above.
This anecdote—about entering the mosque with the left foot and being reprimanded—is not documented in the authentic works of rijāl (biographical literature).
❖ ② What the Scholars Actually Report
What reliably appears in the books of rijāl and history is that:
❀ “Thawr” is the name of a tribe, and Imām Sufyān's nisbah (title) “al-Thawrī” comes from that tribal affiliation.
❖ ③ Historical Reference from Ibn Khallikān
In Wafayāt al-Aʿyān, Ibn Khallikān reports:
Imām Sufyān al-Thawrī رحمه الله was once in the presence of Caliph al-Mahdī and spoke firmly.
At this, ʿĪsā ibn Mūsā rebuked him, saying:
“You speak like this to the Commander of the Faithful, when you are merely a man from the tribe of Thawr?”
Imām Sufyān replied:
“The one from Thawr who obeys Allah is better than the one from your tribe who disobeys Him.”
❖ ④ Imām Sufyān al-Thawrī’s Genealogy
The classical biographical sources record his lineage as follows:
Sufyān ibn Saʿīd ibn Masrūq ibn Ḥabīb ibn Rāfiʿ ibn ʿAbd Allāh ibn ʿAwbah ibn Abī ʿAbd Allāh ibn Munqid ibn Naṣr ibn al-Ḥārith ibn Milkān ibn Thawr ibn ʿAbd Manāh ibn Ād ibn Ṭābikhah ibn Ilyās ibn Muḍar ibn Nizār ibn ʿAdnān.
This lineage is found in:- Ibn Abī al-Dunyā, through Muḥammad ibn Khalaf al-Taymī
- Ibn Saʿd, Haytham ibn ʿAdī — all affirm his descent from Thawr ibn Ṭābikhah
Some versions slightly vary by omitting Munqid and al-Ḥārith, or by inserting Ḥamzah, but the tribal attribution remains consistent.
❖ ⑤ Refutation of Other Views
Some claimed that Imām Sufyān had a link with Thawr of Hamdān, but this opinion is not reliable and has been rejected by the scholars of biography.
❖ ⑥ Verified Sources and Citations
✔ Siyar Aʿlām al-Nubalāʾ (Vol. 7, p. 229)
✔ Al-Aʿlām by al-Ziriklī (Vol. 3, p. 104)
In Al-Aʿlām, al-Ziriklī confirms that Imām Sufyān al-Thawrī was from the Banū Thawr ibn ʿAbd Manāh al-Muḍarī.
❖ ⑦ Conclusion
The story claiming that Imām Sufyān adopted the title “Thawrī” after stepping into the masjid with the left foot and being corrected by his teacher is baseless and has no authentic foundation.
The real reason behind the title “Thawrī” is that he was a descendant of the noble tribe of Thawr — and the name is a hereditary nisbah, not a personal reminder or admonition.ھٰذا ما عندي، واللّٰه أعلم بالصواب
This is what I hold; and Allah knows best what is correct.
