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Abū ʿAbd Allāh Muḥammad ibn Yazīd Ibn Mājah al-Rabʿī al-Qazwīnī
Religion Islam
Denomination Sunni
Personal
Born c. 824 CE
Qazvin, Persia, Abbasid Caliphate
(present-day Iran)
Died c. 887 or 889 CE
Qazvin, Persia, Abbasid Caliphate
Senior posting
Title Ibn Mājah

Ibn Majah (full name: Abū ʿAbd Allāh Muḥammad ibn Yazīd Ibn Mājah al-Rabʿī al-Qazwīnī) was an important scholar from the Middle Ages. He was born in Persia (modern-day Iran) around 824 CE. Ibn Majah is famous for collecting hadith, which are sayings and actions of the Prophet Muhammad. His collection, called Sunan Ibn Mājah, is one of the six most important hadith books for Sunni Muslims.

Early Life and Travels

IranQazvin
A map of present-day Iran showing Qazvin, where Ibn Majah was born and died.

Ibn Majah was born in Qazvin, a city in what is now Iran, in 824 CE. His family were connected to the Rabīʻah tribe. The name Mājah was actually a nickname for his father.

To learn more, Ibn Majah traveled across the Islamic world. He visited places like Iraq, Mecca, the Levant (which includes parts of modern-day Syria, Lebanon, Jordan, and Israel), and Egypt. During his travels, he studied with many famous teachers. These teachers included Ibn Abi Shaybah, Muḥammad ibn ʻAbdillāh ibn Numayr, and Hishām ibn ʻAmmār.

A scholar named Abū Yaʻlā al-Khalīlī described Ibn Majah as "reliable," "prominent," and "a religious authority." He also said Ibn Majah had great knowledge and a strong memory.

Ibn Majah passed away in Qazvin around 887 CE.

His Important Works

Ibn Majah wrote several important books during his lifetime. These works helped preserve knowledge for future generations.

  • Sunan Ibn Mājah: This is his most famous work. It is one of the six main collections of hadith for Sunni Muslims.
  • Kitāb al-Tafsīr: This book was about Tafsir, which means explaining the meanings of the Qur'an.
  • Kitāb al-Tārīkh: This was a history book. It likely listed and described the people who passed down hadith.

About the Sunan

The Sunan Ibn Mājah is a large collection. It contains about 1,500 chapters and around 4,000 hadith. When Ibn Majah finished writing it, he read it to another respected hadith scholar named Abu Zur’a al-Razi.

Abu Zur’a al-Razi was very impressed. He said that if people got their hands on this book, many other hadith collections might not be needed anymore. This shows how important and complete Ibn Majah's work was considered.

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