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Ishaq ibn Rahwayh
Muslim jurist and theologian (c. 777–852) From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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Ishaq bin Ibrahim bin Makhlad bin Rahwayh Abu Ya'qub al-Hanzali al-Marwazi (Arabic: إسحاق بن إبراهيم بن مخلد بن راهويه أبو يعقوب الهَنْظَليّ المَرْوَزِيّ, 777-778 - 855 CE) commonly known as Ishaq ibn Rahwayh[a] (romanizated: Ishāq ibn Rāhawayh) was a Sunni Muslim scholar, jurist, muhaddith, exegete, and theologian. A close friend of Ahmad ibn Hanbal, he accompanied him on his travels to seek knowledge, and he was also a teacher of Bukhari and inspired him to compile the Sahih al-Bukhari.
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Origins of the Name
There has long been confusion surrounding his name. Ibn al-Sam'ani, states that his name should read as 'Rahuwayh' but that he was called 'Rahawayh', seemingly because of the difficulty of the ḍammah on the ha’. Ibn Khallikan on the other hand, proposes 'Rahwayh' and 'Rahuya'.[3]
Various stories surround the origins of his name. In a report, the Tahirid governor Abdallah ibn Tahir demanded explanation from Ishaq about the genesis of his name. Ishaq went on to explain that his father was born whilst travelling and this is how he came to acquire the epithet 'Rahuwı'.[3]
Ibn Khallikan gives a different version of a similar story. Ishaq's father was born on the road to Mecca. In Persian, the word for road is "rah" and "wayh" means to find, thus it means "the one found on the road".[3] "Ibn Rāhwayh" remained a laqab of his descendants.[4]
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Linage
He belonged to the Adnanite tribe of Banu Tamim. His full linage is Isḥāq ibn Abī al-Ḥasan Ibrāhīm ibn Mukhlad ibn Ibrāhīm ibn ʿAbd Allāh ibn Maṭar ibn ʿUbayd Allāh ibn Ghālib ibn ʿAbd al-Wārith ibn ʿUbayd Allāh ibn ʿAṭiyyah ibn Murrah ibn Kaʿb ibn Hammām ibn Asad ibn Murrah ibn ʿAmr ibn Ḥanẓalah ibn Mālik ibn Zayd Manāt ibn Tamīm ibn Murrah al-Ḥanẓalī al-Marwazī.[5][6][7]
Biography
Summarize
Perspective
Ishaq ibn Rahwayh was born in Merv, now Mary, Turkmenistan in the year 161 AH / 777–778 CE. He studied first in Khorasan and then set off on his journey at the age of thirteen. He is reported to have studied in the Hijaz, Yemen, Syria and reached Iraq in 800 CE. He especially travelled in Baghdad, which he visited several times, before settling permanently in Nishapur where he passed away.[8][9]
Among his most often listed as his teachers are the traditionists Abd Allah ibn al-Mubarak (d. 797) in Khorasan, Ibn 'Ulayya (d. 809) and Sufyan ibn ʽUyaynah (d. 814) in the Hijaz and Waki' ibn al-Jarrah (d. 812) and Yahya ibn Adam (d. 818) in Iraq. Ibn Rahwayh was also a contemporary and colleague of Ahmad Ibn Hanbal and a teacher of Bukhari, Muslim, Abu Dawud, Tirmidhi and Nasa'i.[8]
He was the leading scholar of his era, who also used to issue Fatwas.[10] During his residence in Iraq, he became one of Ahmad Ibn Hanbal's closest companions.[3] He reportedly memorized seventy thousand hadith by heart.[11][12] His teachings developed into a Sunni legal school, which doesn't survive today.[13]
Being a traditionalist, he was hostile to Ahl al-Ra'y.[9] According to Ibn Qutaybah, Ishaq believed that the Ahl al-Ra'y "abandoned the Quran and Prophetic Sunnah and adhered to Qiyas" which led them to contradictions and absurdities.[14]
Appearance
Influence
Ishaq arguably became the most influential of all Bukhari's teachers and influenced him to compile Sahih al-Bukhari.[16]
Bukhari narrates, "We were with Ishaq Ibn Rahwayh who said, "If only you would compile a book of only authentic narrations of the Prophet." This suggestion remained in my heart, so I began compiling the Sahih."[17]
Death
He died on 14th of Sha'ban 238 AH / 29 January 853 CE.[18] Many people wrote Elegies to mourn for his death.[19][18]
Works
Arabic Wikisource has original text related to this article:
The following works are listed in Ibn al-Nadim's Fihrist:[20][9]
Notes
- Can be pronounced as [/ʔɪsˤħaːq bɪn raːhuːjːah/] or [/ʔɪsˤħaːq bɪn raːhwijah/].[2]
References
Sources
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