201 – Ibn Ḥaykūyah, Muḥammad ibn Yaḥyā ibn Zakariyyā al-Rāzī *

The judge, leading scholar, and ḥadith expert Abū al-Ḥasan Muḥammad ibn Yaḥyā ibn Zakariyyā al-Rāzī, a Shāfiʿī.

Al-Khalīlī mentions him, saying, “He is a great scholar. I heard Ibn Thābit—meaning ʿAlī ibn Aḥmad—declare, ‘In Qazwīn I have never seen anyone besides him who knows this field.’”

He heard ḥadith from Sahl ibn Saʿd and ʿAlī ibn Abī Ṭāhir; after travelling he studied with Abū Shuʿayb al-Ḥarrānī, Muḥammad ibn Yaḥyā al-Marwazī, Muṭayyan, Abū Khalīfah, and Abū Yaʿlā. He was prolific both in ḥadith transmission and in jurisprudence.

He remained in the company of Ibn Surayj until the latter’s death.

He composed several works on legal theory and jurisprudence.

He served as judge in Qazwīn for four years, up to 327 AH, during which he built the maqṣūrah (enclosed prayer area) and ordered the construction of a minbar. He was later appointed judge in Hamadhān as well.

He was fiercely devoted to the Sunnah and a staunch supporter of its adherents.

His father (1), Ḥaykūyah al-Muʿaddal, was a reliable and trusted transmitter. He had heard from Yaḥyā ibn ʿAbdak and Kathīr ibn Shihāb; I met a number of his companions. He died in 318 AH.

Judge Abū al-Ḥasan himself was martyred in 338 AH.