Ahmad b. Muhammad b. Khalid al-Barqi
Aḥmad b. Muḥammad b. Khālid b. ʿAbd al-Raḥmān al-Barqī (Arabic: أحمد بن محمد بن خالد بن عبدالرحمن البرقي, b. 200/815-16 - d. 274/887-88 or 280/893-94) was a renowned Twelver Shi'a hadith scholar (muhaddith) and historian of 3rd/9th century. Both Shi'a and Sunni scholars have relied on his hadiths. His most important work is al-Mahasin.
Life
Al-Barqi was born around 200/815-16 In Kufa.His faher was a disciple of Imam al-Kazim (a), Imam al-Rida (a), and Imam al-Jawad (a) and a scholarly man. [1] He was called al-Barqi because his ancestor, Ahmad, settled in the Barqrud area of Qom. Among al-Barqi's family members were several traditionists and scholars of jurisprudence and hadith.
Al-Barqi Family
Scholars of rijal regard al-Barqi as one of the disciples of Imam al-Jawad (a) and Imam al-Hadi (a), [2] but there is no mention of these two Imams (a) in al-Barqi's narrations. It is just mentioned in a hadith that in a travel to Samarra, a courier came from "the Man" and according to evidences, "the man" was Imam al-hadi (a). [3] Al-Najashi states that al-Barqi passed away in 274/887-88 but 'Ali b. Muhammad Majilawayh, his grandson and his student says that he passed away in 280/893-894. [4] In his funeral Ahmad b. Muhammad b.'Isa al-Ash'ari who banished him from Qom, participated barefoot as a sign of regret for what he has done.
Position in Narrating Hadith
Reliability
All the major shi'a scholars like al-Najashi, al-Shaykh al-Tusi and al-'Allama al-Hilli have praised al-Barqi and considered him as a reliable narrator. [5] Al-Barqi also has a special position among the Sunnis.
Narrating from Unreliable Narrators and Being Banished from Qom
The fact that al-Barqi used to narrate from unreliable narrators and take mursal hadiths as reliable hadiths caused that Ahmad b. Muhammad b. 'Isa al-Ash'ari, the head of hadith scholars of Qom, banish al-Barqi from Qom but after a while al-Ash'ari returned al-Barqi to Qom and apologized him. Al-Ash'ri participated in al-Barqi's funeral bareheaded (without 'imama (turban) ) and barefoot to show his sorrow and compensate his previous action. [6]
A Response to the Criticism of Narrating from Unreliable Narrators
Al-Wahid al-Bihbahani writes: al-Barqi is certainly reliable and what the critics say is not proved and even if he trusted in unreliable narrators, we can just say that his approach in narrating hadith is not right. [7] Ibn al-Ghada'iri also says: The criticism of Qummi hadith scholars were about those who al-Barqi narrated from, not al-Barqi himself. [8]
Scientific Life
Professors
Al-Barqi has narrated approximately from 200 persons and mentioned about 100 books in the field. [9] Ayatollah al-Khoei has discussed about them several times in his book. [10]
Students
Main article: List of Students of Ahmad b. Muhammad b. Khalid al-Barqi He has several students, the most important of which are 'Abd Allah b. ja'far al-Himyari, the author of the well-known book, Qurb al-isnad; 'Ali b. Ibrahim al-Qummi, a companion of Imam al-Hadi (a), hadith scholar, jurist, and the author of Tafsir al-Qummi; and Sa'd b. 'Abd Allah al-Ash'ari al-Qummi, the author of Basa'ir al-darajat His other students are as following: • Husayn b. Sa'id al-Ahwazi • Muhammad b. al-Hasan al-Saffar • Bu Ali al-Ash'ari • Ahmad b.Idris • Ahmad b. Abd Allah • Ahmad b. Muhammad b. Abd Allah • Hasan b. Matil Daqaq • Ali b. Husayn Sa'd Abadi • Ali b. Muhammad Bandar • Ali b. Muhammad b. Abd Allah Qummi • Muhammad b. Abi al-Qasim • Muhammad b. Ahmad b. Yahya • Muhammad b. Isa • Muhammad b. Yahya • 'Ali b. Muhammad Majilawayh • Mu'alla b. Muhammad. [11]
Works
His most important works are Rijal al-Barqi and Al-Mahasin. His other works are as followings: [12] • Kitab al-buldan • Ikhtilaf al-hadith • Al-Ansab • Akhbar al-umam • Al-Tarajim wa l-ta'atuf • Adab al-nafs • Adab al-mu'ashira • Kitab al-makasib • Kitab al-rifahiyya • Kitab al-rijal
Notes
- ↑ Najāshī, Rijāl, p. 335.
- ↑ Ṭūsī, Rijāl Ṭūsī, vol. 1, p. 383; Ṭūsī, al-Fihrist, vol. 1, p. 116.
- ↑ Kashshī, Ikhtīyār maʿrifat al-rijāl, vol. 2, p. 831.
- ↑ Najāshī, Rijāl, p. 70.
- ↑ Najāshī, Rijāl, p. 76; Ṭūsī, al-Fihrist, p. 62; Ḥillī, Khulāṣat al-aqwāl, p. 63.
- ↑ Ṭūsī, al-Fihrist, p. 62; Ḥillī, Khulāṣat al-aqwāl, p. 63; ʿAllāma al-Ḥillī, Rijāl, p. 14; Farshchīyān, Pīshgāmān-i tashayyuʿ, p. 104.
- ↑ Bihbahānī,al-Fawāʾid al-rijālīyya, p. 43.
- ↑ Ibn al-Ghaḍāʾirī, al-Rijāl, p. 39.
- ↑ Āqāyī, Muqāayisa taḥlīlī-yi si chāp-i kitāb-i al-Rijāl-i Barqī.
- ↑ Khoeī, Muʿjam rijāl al-ḥadīth, vol. 2, p. 31,32,226,227,266,267.
- ↑ Khoeī, Muʿjam rijāl al-ḥadīth, vol. 2, p. 32.
- ↑ 12. Ziriklī, Al-Aʿlām, vol. 1, p. 205; Kaḥḥālah, Muʿjam al-muʾalifīn, vol. 2, p. 98.