Jan 14
Death of Imam Muslim
Wednesday 25 Rajab, 1447
Jan 14
Wednesday 25 Rajab, 1447
Imam Muslim ibn al-Hajjaj is a renowned Islamic scholar. He is one of the most recognised scholars who compiled the Hadiths, the actions and sayings of Prophet Muhammad ﷺ. He was born in Nishapur in the 3rd century AH. He spent most of his life verifying and preserving the teachings of Prophet Muhammad ﷺ. He wrote Sahih Muslim, which is the second most authentic book after Sahih al-Bukhari. Muslims around the world refer to his book for the authentication of Hadiths.
Imam Muslim was not only a brilliant scholar but also a great human being. He was renowned for his honesty and profound humility. He remains steadfast and patient throughout his life journey and continues to serve Islam through his scholarly abilities. His passion remains the same till his death.
Nishapur is a city in Iran that is now well known for learning Islam. Imam Muslim showed a keen interest in studying Hadith at a very young age. He was so invested in studying Hadith that he visited several places, like Syria, Egypt, Hijaz, and Iraq. He studied under the supervision of many scholars to acquire the best knowledge. He also studied under the guidance of Imam al-Bukhari, which shaped his personality and helped him maintain discipline in verifying narrations.
He studied with other scholars as well, including Ishaq ibn Rahwayh and Ahmad ibn Hanbal, both renowned scholars of the time. Imam Muslim is the author of one of the most legitimate collections of Hadith known as “Sahih Muslim”. He had a strict criterion to review the reliability and authenticity of Hadith. He organized the collection of hadiths according to certain themes, setting a standard in Islamic history.
He spent the final years of his life in his hometown, Nishapur. He immersed himself in teaching and refining his compilation to produce the best version. He earned great respect from other scholars and students who admired his dedication and sincerity in collecting Hadith. Imam Muslim spent his life in modesty and did not care for any worldly thing. Religion was his utmost priority. The environment of his hometown, Nishapur, was rich in scholarly knowledge but also faced its own challenges.
Occasionally, arguments arose due to differences of opinion among scholars, one of which was between him and his teacher, Imam al-Bukhari. But this argument did not cause any rift, and his respect for Imam Sahih remains unwavering. During his last years, he spent most of his time revising Sahih Muslim to ensure that every word was accurate. He spent most of his nights reviewing and verifying the narrations to ensure his work remained authentic. His health started to decline, but his passion remained the same.
His death is one of the most touching moments of Islamic history. His death is a reflection that one should not hesitate to find the truth. Several historians suggest that his final time is also connected to his passion related to Hadith. It is said that he was in a scholarly gathering one day, where someone asked a certain question. Imam Muslim did not prefer to answer and wanted to make sure about the authentic answer. Thus, he decided to verify the answer from his collection.
According to the sources, he took a basket of dates and multiple volumes of his book with him and told everyone not to disturb him until he found the answer. He spent the whole night studying and trying to verify the narration from his manuscripts. When his family checked on him later, he was found motionless in the heaps of his manuscripts. He died while searching for the truth.
There are some variations in the exact year of his passing, but most of the scholars agree that he died in 261 AH in his hometown. He left his students and other scholars in great sorrow. It is suggested that it is a sign of the sincerity of his passion towards Hadith that his soul departed while he was engaged in an act of worship.
Imam Muslim spent his life with sincerity and humility. He devoted his life to seeking knowledge and the pursuit of truth. His book “Sahih Muslim” is the main legacy he left behind. Other than that, his life is an example that one should always seek truthfulness. Sahih Muslim is one of the most valuable and recognized books of Hadith after Sahih Al-Bukhari. It is a reliable source of Hadith in Islamic knowledge. His work has benefited many scholars and students from his time till now to understand the teachings of Prophet Muhammad ﷺ.
There are numerous lessons that we can learn from the death of Imam Muslim. His life is an example for Muslims to be sincere and truthful towards Islamic knowledge. He did not care for anything else and even died while searching for the truth.
One main lesson that we can learn is to keep our intentions true while seeking knowledge. He was not looking for any recognition but was deeply motivated to serve Islam. He was a man with utmost humility, which teaches us that do not to chase fame or status.
Another thing that we can learn from his death is the importance of finding the truth. He continued to seek for truth even during his last moments and not caring about anything. It also reminds us that seeking Islamic knowledge is an act of worship. Those who seek this knowledge are special to Allah سُبْحَانَهُ وَتَعَالَى.
Imam Muslim is known as one of the reputable Hadith scholars. He spent his life collecting and authenticating the sayings of Prophet Muhammad ﷺ. Sahih Muslim is the book written by him, which is considered one of the benchmarks of Hadith collection.
He died in Nishapur, which was his hometown, on 261 AH.