Hurairah

Abu Hurairah (Abū Ḥārīrah), born Abd al-Rahman ibn Sakhr al-Azdi, was a companion of the Prophet Muhammad and one of the most prolific narrators of hadith in early Islam. According to traditional accounts, he joined the Prophet’s circle in Medina and devoted himself to learning and transmitting the Prophet’s sayings and actions. He is popularly known by the kunya Abu Hurairah, meaning “father of the kitten,” a name linked to his affection for a cat whose name was Hurairah.

He is credited with a very large corpus of hadith reports. In Sunni Islam, his narrations are widely cited and form a substantial portion of the hadith literature. Estimates of the number of hadiths attributed to him vary, commonly placed around 5,000 to 6,000, though exact counts differ among compilations. His reports cover topics including prayer, ethics, jurisprudence, and daily conduct.

Reception and assessment differ by tradition. In Sunni sources, he is revered as a reliable and diligent transmitter who spent much time in the Prophet’s company. Some scholars have debated the authenticity of specific narrations attributed to him, and Shia sources frequently critique him relative to other narrators. Nevertheless, his influence on Islamic thought is widely recognized, and his narrations continue to be used in legal and devotional contexts.

He died in Medina around 60 AH (circa 679–680 CE).