Boasting of the people whose sessions (of knowledge) were attended by one thousand scribes

All praise is due to Allah and peace be upon our Prophet Muhammad ibn `Abdullah (peace be upon him), his family, his pious Companions, and upon those who followed him righteously until the Day of Recompense.

Abu Al Fadl Zein Al Din `Abdul-Rahim ibn Al Husayn Al Iraqy who died in 896 AH. You can read in the introduction of his book "Al Arba`in Al `Ushariyyah" which reads: "The dependence of this purified Shari`ah on chain of narrations is a special quality that Allah granted to this nation from His Bounty. The sessions of Hadith were crowded with attendants until the matter went to the people who are not concerned. Therefore, the sessions of writing knowledge were ceased because of the negligence of determinations and the seekers' desire to stop and prevent these sessions."

I entitled my paper with "Boasting of the people whose sessions (of knowledge) were attended by one thousand scribes." I collected this paper from the books of biographies and I ask Allah to benefit the people by this paper and ask Him to bring back the glory of the purified scholars.

Amen!

Of those scholars: Abu Marawan: `Abdul-Malek ibn Ziyadat Allah ibn `Aly ibn Husayn ibn Muhammad ibn Asad At-Tamimy At-Tibny from the people of (Cordoba). He was born on the 6^th of Dhul-Hijjah in 396 AH. from a house full of knowledge, smartness, literature, goodness, and reformation.

He paid great attention to writing knowledge and Hadith, however, he excelled in literature and poetry. He used to go on two journeys to the east in which he wrote about a group of the people of knowledge. Then he returned to Cordoba to dictate knowledge, therefore, many people attended his sessions. When he saw their number, he said few verses:

When one thousand scribes gather around me writing so and so spoke to me or told me

pens call upon me announcing   these are the boasters not bottles of milk

He was killed on 457 AH. in his house. May Allah show mercy on his soul![1]

Of these scholars: Abu Muslim: Ibrahim ibn `Abdullah ibn Muslim ibn Ma`iz Al Kajjy, Al Basry, the memorizer and the one who used to verify Hadiths. Al Khatib reported with his chain of narration until he reached Ahmad ibn Ja`far ibn Muslim: When Abu Muslim Al Kajjy came to us, he narrated Hadith in the courtyard of (Ghassan). His sessions were attended by seven conveyers (of speech) and each one conveyed the speech to the next. From crowdedness, people used to write after him while standing and holding the inkwells because the courtyard was full. People counted the attendants who reached several and forty thousand inkwells in addition to the beholders. Ibn Salam said: It was reported to me that Abu Muslim vowed to give ten thousand Dirhams in charity if he became a Hadith narrator. Adh-Dhahaby said: "This narration was authentically reported by Al Khatib in his history."

Abu Muslim Ibrahim ibn `Abdullah Al Kajjy died on Sunday, in 7^th of Al Muharram, 292 AH.[2

Of those scholars: Al Hasan ibn `Isa ibn Masrigs, Abu Ali An-Naysabury who was a Christian leader. He embraced Islam at the hand of Ibn Al Mubarak because he supplicated Allah to make him embrace Islam. He went on seeking knowledge and met scholars. He was religious, pious, trustworthy, and a scholar. People counted twelve thousand scribes attended his session, especially when he was teaching a chapter on divorce. He taught Fuqaha' (Muslim jurists) and scholars of Hadith in Nishapur (a region in Khurasan) and died in 240 AH.[3]

Of them also: Ibrahim ibn Ishaq ibn Ibrahim ibn Bashir Al Baghdady, Al Harby, the Imam, the memorizer, the scholar, the Shaykh of Islam, Abu Ishaq and he was born in 198 AH. He was compared to Imam Ahmad ibn Hanbal in his asceticism, knowledge, and piety. Thirty thousand scribes used to attend his sessions. He used to say: I do not know any group of people who are better than the scholars of Hadith. One of them used to walk with his inkwell and say: how did the Prophet (peace be upon him) do and how did he offer Salah. Beware to sit with the people of heresy because if a person innovates (in religion), he will not be successful.

He died in Baghdad and was buried in his house on Monday, 7^th of Dhul-Hijjah, in 285 AH during the time of Al Mu`tadid. He has a book called "Gharib-ul-Hadith" in linguistics. [4]

Of them: Ja`far ibn Muhammad ibn Al Hasan ibn Al Mustafad, Al Firyaby, Abu Bakr, the Imam, the memorizer, the judge, who was born in 207 AH. Ten thousand scribes used to attend his sessions and write down after him. Abu Ahmad ibn `Ady said: We used to attend the sessions of Ja`far Al-Firyaby along with ten thousand people. A person used to spend the time in his sessions to find a room in the next day. He died on Wednesday night in Muharram when he was at the age of 94. He dug a grave for himself in the graves of Abu Ayyub 5 years before his death and did not die there.[5]

Of them: Muhammad ibn A Husayn ibn Dawud ibn `Ali, Al `Alawy, Al Hasany Al Naysabury, Abu Al Hasan, the Imam, the scholar of Hadith, the one who narrated Musnad Khurasan. People used to count one thousand scribes in his sessions. He taught and dictated to the people for three years and died suddenly in Jumada Al Akhirah in 401 AH.[6]

[1] As-Silah (115\1)

[2] "Tarikh Baghdad" (121\6) and "Tadhkirat Al Huffazh" (146\2)

[3] "Tarikh Baghdad" (351\7) and "Tadhib At-Tahdhib" (272\2)

[4] "Siyar A`lam An-Nubala'" (356\13) and "Shadharat Adh-Dhahab" (190\2)

[5] "Siyar A`lam An-Nubala'" (62\14) and "Ad-Dibaj Al-Mudhahhab" (322\1)

[6] "Siyar A`lam An-Nubala'" (98\17) and " Shadharat Adh-Dhahab " (162\3)