Abd Al-Kareem ibn Muhammad ibn Mansoor Al-Sam’ani grew up in a family devoted to learning and achievement. His name Al-Sam’ani is derived from one of his ancestors, known as Sam’an. He was born in 506 H, corresponding to 1113 C.E. He was only four years old when he traveled with his father to Naisapur, where he managed to see Abd Al-Ghaffar Al-Shirazi and Ubayd ibn Muhammad Al-Qushayri. In Marw, he attended a scholar called Muhammad ibn Ali Nafilah Al-Kura’ie. However, he was soon to lose his father, who died when our young scholar was only five years of age. He was then under the care of his uncles.
His family was one distinguished for its pursuit of scholarship. Many of its men were scholars dedicated to learning and teaching. As a gifted boy, he found a most suitable environment to develop his talent and pursue a program of extensive but balanced education. The earliest of his teachers were his uncle Al-Hassan ibn Mansoor and Ahmad ibn Mansoor, both of whom were educated by his father. The first of these two uncles loved him dearly, and took over his upbringing after his father’s death. He felt that, in addition to his Islamic duty to look after the young orphan boy, he owed a debt to his brother, the boy’s father, who had educated him. Hence, the uncle took very good care of the boy’s education and upbringing, teaching him a number of very useful books in various fields, and nurturing in him the love of Hadith scholarship.
His younger uncle, Ahmad, had also studied under the boy’s departed father. Hence, he was keen to give the young boy whatever he could to further his education and develop his scholarly talent. Hence, he did not only teach him books, but also traveled with him to various parts of the Persian provinces where they met many scholars and read under them.
A third teacher in Al-Sam’ani’s family was his sister Amatullah Hurrah, who was a goodly woman. She had studied extensively, particularly in the Qur’anic disciplines and obtained competence certificates from a number of teachers including Muhammad ibn Al-Hassan Al-Baqillani. Under her, Al-Sam’ani studied Hadith.
But his studies were far more varied and extensive. He traveled widely, going to all main cities in Persia and various places in Central Asia, Iraq, Hijaz, Syria, and Jerusalem which was at the time under the rule of the Crusaders. He then went back to his hometown, Marw, where he got married. When his son Abd Al-Raheem was still young, he traveled with him to many areas before returning again to his hometown and devoting himself to teaching and writing. He wrote a large number of books in different disciplines. His writings are distinguished for his meticulous scholarship and attention to detail.
One of his better known books is known as Al-Ansab, which means Lineage. In this book he traces the ancestry of a great many people, whom he lists in alphabetical order. This discipline was developed over a long time, dating back to pre-Islamic days, with people specializing in it, even at a time when the overwhelming majority of the Arabs were illiterate. It is only natural that this particular branch of knowledge should start in a tribal society like Arabia, where tribal loyalty was paramount, and position of honor was gained through tribal association. It is also not surprising that, with the spread of Islam into different regions outside Arabia, interest in documenting people’s ancestry should develop. One of its main purposes was to verify claims and establish the authenticity of reports and historical accounts.
Books of ancestry and lineage are plentiful in Arabic, because they also serve as a main source of establishing the reliability of reporters. When relating Hadiths of the Prophet, reporter reliability is a most important factor in accepting a Hadith or otherwise. It should be noted that such books of ancestry are not confined to providing only data about the family ancestry of a certain person, stating parenthood, tribal affiliation, main dates and places, etc. They provide very useful information about every entry.
Let us take one brief entry as an example of what Al-Sam’ani includes in his biographical notes. Under Al-Thuwairi, the author mentions Al-Hajjaj ibn Allat, a companion of the Prophet. He mentions that the entry is derived from his great grandfather’s name, and states very briefly the story of his travel to Makkah after the Muslim conquest of Khaybar, when Al-Hajjaj gave secretly the correct information to Al-Abbas, the Prophet’s uncle, telling the Quraysh a very different story, so that he could collect debts owed to him by the people of Makkah. He also mentions that Al-Hajjaj was the father of Nasr ibn Al-Hajjaj, who was extremely handsome and mentioned by a woman overheard by Umar ibn Al-Khattab. Thus, various historical incidents are linked, as well as relation between the main figures mentioned. All this we learn in an entry that constitutes no more than an average paragraph. Yet some entries take up several pages of highly interesting information.
Al-Sam’ani died in 562 H. May God bestow His mercy on his soul.
Arab News Islam 23 December 2002
