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11 Facts About Ibn Ishaq

1.

Ibn Ishaq, known by the title, collected oral traditions that formed the basis of an important biography of the Islamic prophet Muhammad.

2.

Ibn Ishaq's biography is known as the Al-Sirah al-Nabawiyyah, and it has mainly survived through the recension of the work by Ibn Hisham.

3.

Ibn Ishaq was influenced by the work of ibn Shihab al-Zuhri, who praised the young ibn Ishaq for his knowledge of "maghazi".

4.

Around the age of 30, ibn Ishaq arrived in Alexandria and studied under Yazid ibn Abi Habib.

5.

Also ibn Ishaq disputed with the young Malik ibn Anas, famous for the Maliki School of Fiqh.

6.

Ibn Ishaq moved to the capital and found patrons in the new regime.

7.

Ibn Ishaq collected oral traditions about the life of the Islamic prophet Muhammad.

8.

The original text of the Sirat Rasul Allah by Ibn Ishaq did not survive.

9.

Ibn Ishaq influenced later sira writers like Ibn Hisham and Ibn Sayyid al-Nas.

10.

Guillaume notices that Ibn Ishaq frequently uses a number of expressions to convey his skepticism or caution.

11.

Ibn Ishaq added that some Imams mentioned him, including Muslim ibn al-Hajjaj, who cited five of Ibn Ishaq's ahadith in his Sahih.