Imam Sufyan Ibn 'Uyaynah

Imam Sufyan ibn 'Uyaynah was among the most respected Muhaddithun of his era, and one of the scholars who linked the generation of the Tabi'in to those who came after them.

Raised in an environment of knowledge, he gave his life to seeking and transmitting hadith, studying under the leading scholars of his time and eventually becoming a teacher to eminent Imams whose own names are now familiar — a chain of transmission he sits in the middle of.

He was known for an exceptional memory, a deep grasp of the Islamic sciences, and a settled commitment to preserving the Sunnah. His teaching circle in Makkah drew students from across the Muslim world.

Something one of his contemporaries said gives the measure of the man and his peers. Whenever a quality of one of the righteous was mentioned in the presence of Makhlad ibn Al-Husayn, he would say: "Do not make any mention of us while you speak about them; for a healthy person who walks is not like the infirm one who must sit."

Why Read a Scholar's Life

Knowledge does not transmit itself. It reaches us through particular people who paid a price to preserve it, and seeing how one of them actually lived changes how a reader treats what he inherited. These biographies deliberately cover not only scholarly contribution but the private side — manners, piety and worship — because those are the qualities that made the scholarship trustworthy.

The Biography of the Imams Series

Darussalam's Biography of the Imams series covers the scholars who preserved and transmitted this religion — one volume each, written to the same standard. Most are by Salahuddin Ali Abdul Mawjood. Also available:

• Sufyan Ath-Thawri
• Imam Al-Bukhari
• Imam Ahmad bin Hanbal
• Imam Abu Dawood As-Sijistani
• Imam Az-Zuhri
• Imam Sa'eed bin Al-Musayyab
• Imam Ibn Al-Qayyim
• Imam Ibn Majah
• Imam At-Tirmidhi
• Imam Ash-Shawkani
• Shaykh Muhammad Nasiruddin Al-Albani
• Imam Muslim bin Al-Hajjaj

Related Reading

• Glimpses of the Lives of Righteous People — glimpses of the lives of the righteous
• Gems and Jewels — wise sayings and incidents from Islamic history
• History of Islam (3 Vol. Set) — the history within which these scholars worked