His Name and Birth
He is the imām, the hafīdth, the great muhaddith: Abū Īsa, Muhammad ibn Īsa ibn Sawrah ibn Musa ibn al-Dahhaak al-Sulamī al-Būghī al-Tirmidhī, better known as Imām al-Tirmidhi. There are different views regarding the year in which he was born, but the general consensus is that he was born around 210 AH[1] in the city of Tirmidh.
His Life
Historical works regarding the scholars of hadīth (such as the works of al-Khatīb al-Baghdadī) serve as witnesses that the area of Khurasan was a centre of the study of hadīth during the time of the early generations. From this area arose the imāms of hadīth: Muhammad ibn Isma’īl al-Bukhārī, Muslim ibn al-Hajjaj, Abū Dawūd al-Sijistani, Muhammad ibn Mājah, Ahmed ibn Shu’ayb al-Nasa’i and lastly, Abū Īsa al-Tirmidhi. Imām al-Tirmidhi was considered by the scholars to be a student of Imām al-Bukhari and he also heard hadīth from Imām Muslim and Abū Dawūd. Though he resided in such a hub of knowledge, he followed the Sunnah of the muhaddiths by travelling to the other centres of knowledge such as Iraq and the Hijāz to sit and learn from the scholars. Thus, he travelled to hear from giants such as Abū Musab al-Zuhrī (the son of Ibn Shihab al-Zuhri) from Madīnah, Muhammad ibn Ma’mar from Basrah and Isma’īl al-Fazarī from Kufah.
Imām al-Tirmidhi was considered to be from Imām al-Bukhārī’s most exceptional students and he rose to such a high level that he had the privilege of his teacher hearing hadīths from him. Furthermore, it is narrated that Imām al-Bukhārī said to his student, “I have benefitted from you more than you have benefitted from me.” [2]
His Works
Imam al-Tirmidhi is most famously known for his vast and highly praised collection of hadīth entitled al-Jami’. Two of the most famous explanations of this are A’ridat-ul-Ahwazi of Abū Bakr ibn al-Arabī and Tuhfat-ul Ahwadhi of Abdul Rahman al-Mubarakfūri (these are amongst the many commentaries that we have referred to for the explanation of the hadīths of the Shama’il). In Ibn al-Arabi’s explanation, he states regarding the Jami’, “There is no book that matches the rank of Abū Īsa’s with respect to the sweetness of its passages, its excellence and its charm.” In Abdul Rahman al-Mubarakfūri’s explanation, he lists his other works as al-‘Ilal al-Kabir, a work on tafsir, al-Tarikh, al-Zuhd and al-Asma wa al-Kuna. Furthermore, he states, “There is also al-Shama’il al-Muhammadiyyah. It is the best of the books written concerning this subject and full of blessings.”
In al-Bajuri’s explanation of Shama’il Muhammadiyyah, he states, “His Jami’ is sufficient for you in terms of benefits regarding fiqh and hadīth and also regarding the knowledge of the way of the salaf and the khalaf. Thus, it is sufficient for the mujtahids and likewise for the laypeople.” In Dhayl Tabaqat al-Hanābilah, it is reported that Abū Isma’īl al-Ansārī said, “In my opinion, the book of al-Tirmidhi is superior in terms of its benefit than the books of al-Bukhārī and Muslim.” When he was asked for the reason regarding this, he replied, “Because only those who are well versed in knowledge will benefit from them. As for this book, he has explained the hadīths therein and thus everyone can benefit from it: the faqīh, the muhaddith and others [i.e. those lesser in knowledge].”
His Personal Qualities and Praise from Scholars for Him
He possessed a great mind, possessing both excellent memory and a high degree of intelligence. His memory is displayed by the following famous narration. Imām al-Dhahabi reports in his Siyar A’lam al-Nubala that al-Tirmidhi said, “Whilst on the route to Makkah I wrote two chapters of hadīth from a shaykh. We met and I requested him to narrate them to me whilst thinking that I had the notes that I previously wrote in my possession. He agreed and began to read whilst I realised that the papers I had were blank. The shaykh realised my papers were devoid of writing and said, ‘Have you no shame with me?’ I explained to him my circumstances and assured him that I had it all committed to memory. So he asked me to repeat them and I did. However the shaykh was not convinced and he thought that I had reviewed them before our meeting. I asked him to read to me something else and thus he read forty hadīths, then he asked me to repeat them. I did so without error, not even in a single letter.”
The praise of the scholars for this great hafidth is vast. What follows are a few examples. In Tabaqāt al-Huffaz, al-Idrisī said, “He was one of the imāms and from the role models in the science of hadīth... He is mentioned as an example of great memory.” In al-Thiqāt, Ibn Hibban said, “He is of those who collected, wrote, took to memory and studied.” In Siyar A’lam al-Nubala, it is reported that Hakim said, “I heard ‘Umar ibn Alak state, ‘Upon al-Bukhāri’s passing, he did not leave behind any individual in Khurasan of the same calibre of Abū Īsa in regards to knowledge, memory, piety or ascetism.”
His Death
He died in Tirmidh in the year 279 AH on the 13th of Rajab according to al-Dhahabi. It is reported that in the latter part of his life, he lost his sight and became blind. May Allāh have mercy upon him.