Al-Dhahabī was renowned for his asceticism, piety, and firm religious commitment. Our survey of his life shows that he enjoyed meeting celebrated ascetics and Sufis noted for their devotion and adherence to the transmitted reports.

His pupil Taqī al-Dīn Ibn Rāfiʿ al-Salamī (d. 774 AH) said: “He was virtuous, righteous, humble, of fine character, pleasant in conversation; most of his time was spent compiling, abridging, and engaging in worship. He kept a nightly litany, and he possessed murūʾa (manly honor), ʿaṣabiyya (protective zeal), and generosity.” (1)

Al-Zarkashī (d. 794 AH) observed: “He combined complete renunciation of the world with universal altruism, eagerness to outstrip others in good deeds, and longing for what lies ahead.” (2)

It is enough for al-Dhahabī that he devoted his entire life to studying and teaching the ḥadīth of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ.

Al-Dhahabī’s books were already circulating in his own day and in the generations that followed; they were regarded as among the greatest sources on which later writers relied.

Ibn Ḥajar said: “People were eager for his compositions; they traveled to him for their sake and exchanged them through reading, copying, and audition.” (3)

His disciple al-Ḥusaynī remarked: “Caravans carried many of them to the farthest reaches of the lands.” (4)

A quick look at the supplements, abridgments, and sequels produced to his works is enough to reveal their tremendous importance.

Al-Dhahabī was a school unto himself, from which many hadith masters and scholars emerged.

And his vast, comprehensive knowledge of ḥadīth and its sciences, as well as of history and its disciplines, secured for him a distinguished standing