Ahmad ibn Muhammad ibn Ahmad Al-Silafi belongs to Isfahan in Iran where he was born in 475 AH, corresponding to 1183 AD. He is better known as Abu Tahir, in accordance with the Arab customary gesture of respect, calling a man as the father of his eldest son. Al-Silafi is his best known name, which calls him after his grandfather who was nicknamed Silafah. In fact, this title, Al-Silafi, became his exclusive title, with no other scholar ever being called by it, in contrast with Asbahani or Asfahani, which was a title of all eminent scholars who came from the famous city of Isfahan.
We know very little about his family. There are no reports to suggest whether he had any brothers or sisters, nor do we know the year of his mother’s death. But from the little we know about his upbringing we know that he grew up in a highly religious environment, with his grandfather being a dedicated Sufi. His father, Muhammad, was also strongly influenced by the Sufi approach, but he also frequented scholarly circles, listening to Hadith studies.
In the second half of the fifth century of the Islamic calendar, Isfahan witnessed some great rivalries among different sects, many of which were markedly deviant from proper Islamic thought. These rivalries often led to violent conflicts with much bloodshed and loss of life. However, the city also witnessed a great intellectual flourish, with many a scholar achieving eminence in his field. However, the study of Hadith was given particular importance, to the extent that the city was a center of attraction for numerous Hadith scholars who came over to it to study under its famous scholars. This was strongly encouraged by the famous minister, known as Nazzam Al-Mulk (died in 485 AH).
Al-Silafi showed great scholarly promise at a very young age. He was endowed with sharp intelligence and a fine memory, which gave him the necessary tools to excel in the study of Hadith. He frequented the circles of the top scholars in his hometown and read the Qur’an in different methods of recitation under distinguished scholars. He was only 17 when he began to teach the Hadith in his own circle in a mosque in Isfahan. What qualified him was four years of dedicated study of Hadith that gave him a number of certificates from his teachers that he was well-equipped for the task. He recalls: “Students wrote my dictation when I was only 17, with no hair in my face, just like they did with Al-Bukhari.”
Al-Silafi realized that to achieve a really high standard in Hadith scholarship, he needed to travel in order to study under scholars in different areas. This was the tradition of Hadith scholars who wished to pursue their studies further than what they could acquire in their hometowns. Hence, Al-Silafi consulted his teachers and his father, who all supported him in his desire to travel for study. However, before leaving, he wrote a book of biographical notes on all scholars under whom he studied or from whom he learned even one or two Hadiths. The book, Mu’jam Isfahan, is said to have included more than 600 scholars.
In Ramadan 493, Al-Silafi, now 18 years of age, traveled to Baghdad, and he was keen to meet Nasr ibn Al-Bitar, a Hadith scholar who, being of old age, had the distinction of reporting Hadiths with a short chain of transmission. This is an especially valued merit, because the shorter the chain of transmission of a Hadith is the higher is its authenticity. Hence, Al-Silafi lost no time in reading under this scholar and writing a considerable number of Hadiths which he heard from him.
However, Baghdad was at the time a great center of learning in all fields of knowledge. By contrast, the city, which was the capital of the Islamic state, was the scene of much political turmoil, with the Abbasid Caliph being in a very weak position, and many an ambitious upstart conspiring to achieve a position of power.
Al-Silafi was keen to steer away from this political turmoil and to grasp as much knowledge as possible from scholarly circles. He dedicated himself to his studies, moving from one circle to another, reading mainly the Hadith and the Qur’an. By the time he completed four years in Baghdad, he had written a book of biographies of his teachers there, mentioning also the main areas and districts in the city. At this time, his father came over to visit him, and he was well-pleased when he realized the extent of his son’s scholarly achievement. The two were soon to travel for pilgrimage.
During this trip and his several months’ stay in Hijaz, Al-Silafi met a large number of scholars from different parts of the Muslim world. He also read under several scholars in both Makkah and Madinah, before returning to Baghdad. However, on his way back, he stopped at Kufah where he also read under several scholars.
Two more years of stay in Baghdad saw Al-Silafi concentrating on a more in-depth study of the Arabic language and the Shafie school of law. He also wrote and read extensively in different disciplines.
However, he later felt that there was little more to learn in his fields of interest in the city. Therefore, he decided to resume his travels, beginning with a short visit to Basrah before embarking on a very long trip, lasting nine years, (500-509 AH), to the eastern provinces of the Muslim world.
During this trip he visited a large number of towns and cities, pursuing his studies wherever he stopped. We should mention, however, that this trip was very arduous for Al-Silafi, who was a man of limited means. It is reported that sometimes he had to travel walking barefoot because he did not have money to buy shoes. He lived in guest houses allocated by some wealthy people for students traveling for study.
This trip gave Al-Silafi a great amount of scholarship. Twice he had to leave his books with trusted friends because he could not carry them with him. By the time he finished, he had written so much that it could rarely be matched by other scholars. But when his eastern travels were over, he continued his journeys, encamping this time in Damascus, where again he studied under its scholars. However, he was not particularly happy there, because of the political in-fighting between local Muslim rulers on the one hand, and because of the Crusaders who had occupied Jerusalem and coastal areas. He stayed in Damascus for two years, meeting all its scholars and learning whatever he needed to learn, while at the same time teaching in the grand Umawi Mosque. In 511 AH, he left Damascus for Soor in Lebanon, where he stayed for only a short period before traveling by sea to Alexandria.
Apparently Al-Silafi intended to stay only several months in Alexandria, gathering whatever he could learn under its scholars before traveling to the Andalus, or Islamic Spain, for further study. But his intention was not to be fulfilled. Indeed, Al-Silafi stayed in Alexandria for the rest of his long life, apart from a single 3-year visit to Cairo (515-517) where he met Sheikh Abu Sadiq Al-Madeeni and learned from him all that he had to teach. He was also in a scholarly contact with a large number of scholars, literary figures, poets and booksellers. He documented whatever he learned from them and wrote biographical notes about many of them.
His trip to Alexandria was the end of a long journey in pursuit of knowledge, and his stay there ushered the second stage of his life as a scholar of high eminence. We will write about this second stage next week, God willing.
