Imam Muslim ibn al-Hajjaj

Imam Muslim ibn al-Hajjaj al-Naysaburi رَحْمَةُ الـلّٰـهِ عَـلَيْه — The Compiler of Sahih Muslim Imam Abul Husayn Muslim ibn al-Hajjaj al-Qushayri al-Naysaburi رَحْمَةُ الـلّٰـهِ عَـلَيْه was born in 202 AH (817 CE) in the city of Nishapur (Naysabur) in Persia. He was one of the greatest hadith scholars (Muhadditheen) in Islamic history. From a young age, he devoted himself to the study of hadith and began his scholarly travels at the age of fourteen. He journeyed extensively across the Muslim world — to the Hijaz, Iraq, Syria, Egypt and other lands — seeking out and learning from the most eminent hadith scholars of his time. He studied under more than 220 scholars, including the great Imam Bukhari رَحْمَةُ الـلّٰـهِ عَـلَيْه, whom he greatly admired and considered his teacher. His greatest contribution to Islam is his hadith collection known as Sahih Muslim (Al-Musnad al-Sahih al-Mukhtasar), universally regarded as the second most authentic book of hadith after Sahih al-Bukhari. He painstakingly examined approximately 300,000 narrations and selected around 7,500 (including repetitions) — roughly 4,000 unique ahadith — for inclusion, applying the most rigorous standards of authentication. Imam Muslim رَحْمَةُ الـلّٰـهِ عَـلَيْه was renowned for his precision in the chain of narrators (isnad), his deep understanding of the hidden defects ('ilal) of hadith, and his masterful arrangement of the collection by topic. Scholars have praised his methodology for its clarity and systematic organisation. Imam Muslim رَحْمَةُ الـلّٰـهِ عَـلَيْه passed away on the 24th of Rajab 261 AH (875 CE) in Nishapur, where he is buried. His Sahih remains one of the most studied books in the Islamic world and a cornerstone of hadith scholarship.