Al-Daraqutni

Ali ibn Umar Abu al-Hasan al-Daraqutni (306–385 AH), the hadith master of Baghdad and unrivalled scholar of his age, with whom the science of transmitted reports, the knowledge of narrators and the study of hadith defects reached their culmination. ²

Al-Hakim Abu Abd Allah used to say: "Al-Daraqutni has never seen anyone like himself." It is related that in his youth he attended the session of Ismail al-Saffar while copying a part he had with him, and the teacher was dictating. He was told: "Your hearing is not valid while you are copying." He said: "My understanding of the dictation differs from yours." He then immediately repeated eighteen hadiths, with their chains and texts, in the order of the dictation until he reached the last of them, and people marvelled. ³

Alongside knowledge of hadith, he combined knowledge of the readings (qira'at), grammar, jurisprudence and poetry, with trustworthiness, integrity and soundness of belief. It is said that the book "al-Ilal," which is transmitted from him, was in fact copied by al-Barqani from his dictation to Abu Mansur ibn Hamdan al-Sayrafi in his sessions; this is the book of Ilal that people transmit from al-Daraqutni. He died on Tuesday, the seventh of Dhu al-Qa'da in the year 385 AH, and was buried in the Maruf cemetery, aged seventy-nine years and two days. ³