Sunan Abu Dawud
By : Imam Abu Dawud Sulaiman ibn Ash`ath ibn Ishaq ibn Bashir ibn Shaddad ibn `Umar ibn `Imran al-Azdi Sajastani (rahmatullahi alaih).
Background:
Imam Abu Dawud was born in Sajistan, a famous city in Khurasan in the year 202 A.H. He belonged to the Arab tribe, Azd. Even though he was born in Sajistan he spent the greater part of his life at Basrah which was the seat of Islamic learning in his time. Imam Abu Dawud also travelled for collecting hadith. Many times he visited Bagdad. He also went to Hijaz, Egypt, al-Jazirah, Nishapur, Syria and Isfahan.
Teachers:
Imam Abu Dawud heard hadith from 300 persons who were his teachers. Some were: Imam Ahmad ibn Hanbal, Ishaq ibn Rahawaiy, Abu Thaur, Yahya ibn Ma'in. For one to grasp his elevated status, he narrated hadith to the teachers of Imam Ahmad. Imam Ahmad ibn Hanbal also narrated one hadith from him.
Students:
Among the students of Imam Abu Dawud are great
personalities like:
Ibn Arabi, Abu `Isa al-Tirmidhi and Abu `Abdur-Rahman An Nasa'i.
They were transmitters of his famous work Sunan Abu Dawud. Imam Muslim was also one of his pupils. Imam Abu Dawud's works are:
Kitab Al Radd Ala' Ahl al Qadar
Kitab Al Masa'il
Musnad Malik
Kitab Al Marasil
Sunan Abu Dawud
Maslak:
Ibn Khalikan writes that sheikh Abu Ishaq Sheerazi includes him among the Hanbalis (tabqaatul fuquhaa). Ibn Abi Ya`ala also includes him among the Hanbalis (tabqaatul hanabilah), Shah Anwar Khashmeeri also in (faidhul baari), Isma`eel Basha al Baghdadi also in Hadyatul Aarifeen.
Imam Abu Dawud died on Friday 16th Shawwal 275 A.H. at the age of 72.
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