alTirmidhi

Imam Abu Isa Muhammad ibn Isa al-Tirmidhi, commonly known as al-Tirmidhi, was a prominent Islamic scholar of hadith who lived in the 9th century. He was born in Termez, in Transoxiana (present-day Uzbekistan), around 824 CE, and died in Nishapur, Khurasan, around 892 CE. His nisba indicates his origin from Termez, and he traveled widely to study and collect prophetic traditions.

Al-Tirmidhi is best known for compiling Jami' al-Tirmidhi, also called Sunan al-Tirmidhi, one of the six major hadith collections in Sunni Islam. The work organizes hadith by topic and is notable for its accompanying judgments on authenticity and reliability. He developed a method of grading narrations and frequently notes points of scholarly agreement or dispute, providing a valuable conduit for later jurists and historians.

In addition to the Jami', al-Tirmidhi authored other works, including Al-Shama'il al-Muhammadiyya, a collection describing the appearance and manners of the Prophet Muhammad. His writings contributed to the development of hadith criticism and the dissemination of traditional Islamic knowledge. Al-Tirmidhi’s methods and judgments influenced subsequent generations of hadith scholars and remain integral to the study of early Islamic literature.