Sufyan ibn Uyainah Al-Hilali was born in Kufah in 107 A. H. corresponding to A.D. 725. Thus he belonged to the third Islamic generation. He is quoted to have said that he met 87 of the successors to the Prophet’s companions. He apparently met all the founders of the four schools of thought. He reports that it was Abu Haneefah who first placed him in a position of teaching. He arrived in Kufah when he was about 20 years of age. When Abu Haneefah saw him, he said to his students, "Now you have here the knowledge of Amr ibn Dinar." People began flocking to him asking about Amr who was the main scholar in Makkah.
We have reports suggesting that Sufyan met Imam Malik at least twice, once in Madinah and the other in Makkah. In Madinah, Sufyan sought Malik and visited him. Malik received him well, and praised his knowledge. On the other hand, both El-Shafie and Ahmad ibn Hanbal read under Sufyan and were among his students.
Although Sufyan ibn Uyainah was born in Kufah in southern Iraq, he was soon to move to Makkah where he lived most of his life. In Makkah he attended the circles of many scholars and met many of the scholars of other places who visited the city for pilgrimage. He was keen to attend the famous scholars, such as Az-Zuhri and Amr ibn Dinar. He was indeed the youngest student of Az-Zuhri whom he says arrived in Makkah in year 123, and Sufyan attended him when he was only 16. On the other hand, he attended Amr ibn Dinar’s circle for several years. But perhaps the main influence on Sufyan ibn Uyainah’s scholarly life was his father, who directed him to scholarship ever since he was a young boy, helping him to memorize the Qur’an when he was only a boy 7 years of age.
Some scholars have included Sufyan ibn Uyainah among the Hanafi scholars, but the fact is that he did not belong to the Hanafi school of thought. When he visited Kufah and met Abu Haneefah, the Hanafi school was still in its early stages. He soon returned to Makkah where he was away from the scholarly atmosphere of Iraq. Indeed Sufyan ibn Uyainah belongs to the scholars of Hadith. On the other hand, the Shafie scholars consider him as one of the main influences on their school of thought, as Imam El Shafie was his student.
Apparently Sufyan ibn Uyainah learnt from the best scholars. We have already mentioned that he was a young boy of 7 when he learnt the Qur’an by heart. He also read the Qur’an under the top scholar of Qur’anic recitation in Makkah, Abdullah ibn Katheer Ad-Dari, who was world famous as one of the 7 methods of recitation, i.e. qiraat, is known after him. Sufyan ibn Uyainah must have read under him a few years before his death in 120, when Sufyan was only 13 years of age.
One story which sums up Sufyan ibn Uyainah’s gifts as a scholar is that in which he describes his first meeting with Amr ibn Dinar, the top scholar of Hadith in Makkah. "When we went to the mosque for Zuhr prayer, I saw at the door an old scholar mounting a donkey. He said to me: "Young lad, hold this donkey for me until I go into the mosque and pray." I said: "I will not do that unless you teach me some Hadiths." He felt that I was too young for that, and said: "What will you do with Hadith?" I insisted and he related to me 8 Hadiths. I held his donkey for him and tried to memorize the Hadiths. When he finished his prayers and came out, he said: "What have you done with what I related to you? You only held me back from my prayer." I related to him all 8 Hadiths. He said: "God bless you. Come tomorrow to the circle." That was Amr ibn Dinar.
After this, Sufyan ibn Uyainah kept very close to Amr ibn Dinar for about four years, during which he learnt from him most of what he related of Hadith. Similarly, he learnt much of what Az-Zuhri related. He was a close companion of Az-Zuhri for about a year, toward the end of the latter’s life. Yet scholars of Hadith consider him one of the most accurate reporters of Az-Zuhri’s Hadiths. He was perhaps his youngest student, having met him first at the age of 16. No doubt his sharp memory and his youth were of immense value for him at the time, together with the close companionship of both Az-Zuhri and Amr ibn Dinar.
Sufyan ibn Uyainah started teaching Hadith when he was 35. Apparently that was an early time for scholars of Hadith. He reports that the first one to place him in a position of teaching Hadith in the mosque was Misaar ibn Kidam. He protested his young age for what was the custom at the time. Misaar explained: "You have learnt the Hadith from both Az-Zuhri and Amr ibn Dinar."
When Sufyan ibn Uyainah was a young man of 19, he traveled to Kufah where he met many of its scholars, including Abu Haneefah, as mentioned earlier. He paid several visits to Kufah, where he always tried to meet scholars and learn from them. It is reported that Al-Aamash, a famous scholar and reciter of the Qur’an, once asked him about the Hadiths related in Hijaz. Sufyan ibn Uyainah suggested that they exchange teaching, one Hadith for another. Thus Sufyan would teach Al-Aamash one Hadith and then Al-Aamash would teach him one in return. On a later visit, Sufyan suggested that they resume that arrangement, but Al-Aamash complained of dearth of reporting and suggested that Sufyan could be more generous and offer two Hadiths for one by Al-Aamash.
He also traveled to Baghdad and Yemen where he met Maan ibn Zaidah, the local governor. He spoke to him at length, recommending a lenient approach of government. He apparently admonished him strongly that he should take good care of his Muslim subjects. Maan asked: "Are you their father? Are you their brother?"
We do not have any books written by Sufyan ibn Uyainah surviving in original form. We know, however, that he wrote a book of commentary on the Qur’an. Recently, some of the commentary and explanations attributed to Sufyan ibn Uyainah were collected, edited and produced in a book published by Al-Maktab Al-Islami of Beirut and Ussamah Bookshop in Riyadh. A collection of Hadiths is also attributed to Sufyan, but probably it was collected by his students, not written by him. However, Sufyan ibn Uyainah is ranked among the top scholars of Hadith in the early periods, prior to the time of the six well-known main collections of Hadiths. He was also well known for his wise statements which soften hearts and make people more willing to try hard to do their religious duties and avoid every thing that God has prohibited.
Sufyan ibn Uyainah died in 198 A. H., corresponding to A.D. 814, at the age of 91 according to the lunar calendar. His nephew, Al-Hassan ibn Umran ibn Uyainah, reports that he went to pilgrimage with his uncle Sufyan in 197. "When we arrived in Muzdalifah, after attending at Arafat, and my uncle completed his prayer, he lied down to sleep. He said to me: I have been in this place 70 times, (meaning that he was offering the pilgrimage every year for 70 years). Every year I said in my supplication, ‘My Lord, do not make this my last visit to this place.’ Now I feel ashamed that I should make this request again. He died that year, before it was time for the next pilgrimage."
Sufyan ibn Uyainah was buried at Al-Hajoon, where Al-Mualla graveyard is situated in Makkah. May God bless his soul.
