Imam al-Tirmidhi

A student of al-Bukhari, he compiled al-Jamiʿ, grading each hadith and recording how jurists acted on it, and al-Shamaʾil on the Prophet’s ﷺ description and character.

Abu ʿIsa Muhammad ibn ʿIsa al-Tirmidhi was born around 209 AH near Tirmidh, on the Oxus river (in today’s Uzbekistan). He travelled to Khurasan, Iraq and the Hijaz to collect hadith and studied with the leading masters of his age, including Imam al-Bukhari, Imam Muslim and Abu Dawud. He was especially close to al-Bukhari, who held him in high regard.

His great work, al-Jamiʿ — known as Sunan al-Tirmidhi — is one of the six major hadith collections. It is unique because after most hadith he states its grade (sahih, hasan or daʿif), mentions which Companions narrated on the same topic, and records how the jurists acted on it. This makes it a school of hadith and fiqh in one book; the term hasan as a category of hadith became widely used through it.

He also compiled al-Shamaʾil al-Muhammadiyyah, a much-loved collection describing the appearance, character and daily life of the Prophet ﷺ, and a work on the hidden defects of narrations (al-ʿIlal).

Al-Tirmidhi was known for his strong memory, his piety and his frequent weeping out of fear of Allah. He lost his sight in later life and died in Rajab 279 AH at Bugh, near Tirmidh, where he was buried.