Authors · Islamic scholarship
Al-Bayhaqī
أحمد بن الحسين البيهقي
384–458 AH
From the Bayhaq region of Khurasan, Al-Bayhaqī travelled for study.
At a glance
- Hadith and transmission
- As-Sunan al-kubrā · السنن الكبرى
- He gathers transmission routes to support and discuss legal arguments.
Timeline
- 384 AHBirth
- 458 AHDeath
Biographical overview
- Full name
- Abū Bakr Aḥmad ibn al-Ḥusayn al-Bayhaqī
- Arabic name
- أحمد بن الحسين البيهقي
- Birth
- 384 AH
- Death
- 458 AH
Life and education
From the Bayhaq region of Khurasan, Al-Bayhaqī travelled for study.
Sources [1]
Understanding the work
As-Sunan al-Kubrā arranges reports by legal question and discusses their transmission. Shuʿab al-Īmān addresses the branches of faith; Dalāʾil an-Nubuwwa gathers traditions concerning prophethood.
Sources [1]
Method and contribution
He gathers transmission routes to support and discuss legal arguments. His major Sunan connect traditions with legal questions, with particular attention to Shafi‘i scholarship. That orientation does not replace examining individual reports and their accompanying critical observations.
Sources [1]
Transmission and legacy
His books also explore branches of faith and signs of prophethood. Shuʿab al-īmān has a moral and religious purpose distinct from the Sunan, while Dalāʾil an-nubuwwa gathers traditions related to the prophetic life. Identifying the work helps contextualise comparisons.
Sources [1]
A guide to reading
Read a chapter heading alongside its reports. Comparing wording and chains helps explain why an author preserves several versions. Inclusion in a collection does not replace checking a report’s assessment and a commentary; selection aims differ between works.
Sources [1]
Selected works
As-Sunan al-kubrā · السنن الكبرى
Hadith and transmissionA collection of traditions arranged for studying their teachings.
Shuʿab al-īmān · شعب الإيمان
Ethics and spiritual lifeReflection on conduct, dispositions of the heart and spiritual life.
Dalāʾil an-nubuwwa · دلائل النبوة
History and biographyA historical account bringing together events and reports about earlier periods.
Biographical sources and references
References for further reading on the life and works of Al-Bayhaqī: