# Al-Tarazi (laqab borne by several hadith scholars)

**Al-Tarazi** (الطرازي) is the laqab (honorific nickname appended to a scholar's name) borne in the biographical literature by several distinct hadith scholars. The nisba derives from one who makes or uses embroidered garments (النسبة لمن يعمل الثياب المطرزة أو يستعملها), as al-Dhahabi's *Siyar A'lam al-Nubala* explains in its notice of one of the laqab's bearers.<sup>[1](https://mail.shamela.ws/book/10906/10820)</sup>

| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Meaning of the nisba | "One who makes or uses embroidered garments," per the *Siyar* apparatus<sup>[1](https://mail.shamela.ws/book/10906/10820)</sup> |
| Occupational background | *Tiraz*, from the Persian word for embroidery, named the textiles, the inscribed bands, and the state factories producing them<sup>[2](https://www.metmuseum.org/en/essays/tiraz-inscribed-textiles-from-the-early-islamic-period)</sup> |
| Namesakes | Ali ibn Muhammad al-Tarazi (d. 422 AH), "musnid Khurasan," a Hanbali of Nishapur; Sa'id ibn al-Qasim al-Tarazi (d. 362 AH), Muhammad ibn Mahmud al-Tarazi of Bukhara (d. c. 570 AH), and Muhammad ibn Ali al-Tarazi (5th-century Imami of Iraq)<sup>[1](https://mail.shamela.ws/book/10906/10820)</sup><sup> • </sup><sup>[3](https://www.islamweb.net/ar/library/content/60/3445/%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%B7%D8%B1%D8%A7%D8%B2%D9%8A)</sup><sup> • </sup><sup>[4](https://tarajm.com/people/59485)</sup><sup> • </sup><sup>[5](https://civilica.com/doc/1146359/)</sup> |

## Name, lineage, and the laqab al-Tarazi

The laqab al-Tarazi is an occupational nisba: al-Dhahabi's dictionary defines it as belonging to one who makes or uses embroidered garments.<sup>[1](https://mail.shamela.ws/book/10906/10820)</sup> The trade itself was substantial. The word *tiraz* comes from the Persian word for embroidery and referred to the textiles themselves, to the embroidered inscription bands, and to the factories that produced them.<sup>[2](https://www.metmuseum.org/en/essays/tiraz-inscribed-textiles-from-the-early-islamic-period)</sup> An official called Nazir al-Tiraz or Sahib al-Tiraz oversaw the workshops, monitoring textile quality and the correct inscription of caliphal titles.<sup>[6](https://jfava.ut.ac.ir/article_102129_en.html)</sup> Tiraz became a prominent symbol of sovereignty, prompting the Umayyads of al-Andalus (756–1031 CE) to establish their own workshop specializing in silk fabrics.<sup>[7](https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/09518967.2023.2181525)</sup>

## A crowded name: the other al-Tarazis

Several distinct scholars carried the laqab.

**Ali ibn Muhammad al-Tarazi (d. 422 AH).** The *Siyar* contains a full tarjama for Abu al-Hasan [Ali ibn Muhammad](https://www.edgepedia.org/ali-ibn-muhammad) ibn Muhammad ibn Ahmad ibn Uthman al-Baghdadi al-Tarazi al-Hanbali, called "musnid Khurasan" and one of the senior Nishapuris; he died on 24 [Dhu al-Hijja](https://www.edgepedia.org/dhu-al-hijja) 422 AH.<sup>[1](https://mail.shamela.ws/book/10906/10820)</sup> He transmitted from Abu al-Abbas al-Asamm and was the last to transmit from him by sama', with Abu Nu'aym al-Hafiz continuing by ijaza after al-Asamm's death.<sup>[1](https://mail.shamela.ws/book/10906/10820)</sup>

**Sa'id ibn al-Qasim al-Tarazi (d. 362 AH).** Abu Amr Sa'id ibn al-Qasim ibn al-Ala al-Bardhi'i, then al-Tarazi, was an imam and hadith scholar who settled in Taraz in [Turkestan](https://www.edgepedia.org/turkestan); al-Hakim reported his death notice in 362 AH, and Abu Nu'aym al-Isbahani called him one of the huffaz.<sup>[3](https://www.islamweb.net/ar/library/content/60/3445/%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%B7%D8%B1%D8%A7%D8%B2%D9%8A)</sup> His case shows the nisba could also be topographic, taken from the city of Taraz; the 20th-century scholar Seyyid Mahmud et-Tarazi (1893–1991) likewise took it from long residence in Taraz.<sup>[8](https://dergipark.org.tr/en/download/article-file/2625416)</sup>

**Muhammad ibn Mahmud al-Tarazi of Bukhara.** Abu al-Rida' Sidad al-Din, one of the shaykhs of Bukhara, was born there in 499 AH and died around 570 AH; he studied fiqh there under Abd al-Aziz ibn Umar ibn Maza and heard from Bakr ibn Muhammad al-Zanjari.<sup>[4](https://tarajm.com/people/59485)</sup>

**Muhammad ibn Ali al-Tarazi.** A modern Persian study documents an Imami figure of the first half of the fifth century AH in Iraq, whose father was among the shaykhs of al-Khatib al-Baghdadi, and al-Khatib narrated through him from his grandfather as well. His book *al-Rawayat al-Shahidat li-l-Sa'adat bi-l-'Ibadat* reached Ibn Tawus in the author's own hand, as a wijada.<sup>[5](https://civilica.com/doc/1146359/)</sup>

## References

1. [Al-Dhahabi, Siyar A'lam al-Nubala, tarjama of Ali ibn Muhammad al-Tarazi (Shamela edition)](https://mail.shamela.ws/book/10906/10820)
2. [Tiraz: Inscribed Textiles from the Early Islamic Period, Metropolitan Museum of Art](https://www.metmuseum.org/en/essays/tiraz-inscribed-textiles-from-the-early-islamic-period)
3. [Al-Dhahabi, Siyar A'lam al-Nubala, tarjama of Sa'id ibn al-Qasim al-Tarazi (Islamweb library)](https://www.islamweb.net/ar/library/content/60/3445/%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%B7%D8%B1%D8%A7%D8%B2%D9%8A)
4. [Muhammad ibn Mahmud al-Tarazi, tarajm.com](https://tarajm.com/people/59485)
5. [Bazpazhuhi Shakhsiyat Muhammad ibn Ali Tarazi va Kitab-i U (Civilica)](https://civilica.com/doc/1146359/)
6. [Workflow of Dar al-Tiraz and Their Organizational Interactions, Journal of Fine Arts, University of Tehran](https://jfava.ut.ac.ir/article_102129_en.html)
7. [How al-Andalus wrapped itself in a silk cocoon: the tiraz between Umayyad economic policy and Mediterranean trade, Mediterranean Historical Review (2023)](https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/09518967.2023.2181525)
8. [Seyyid Mahmud et-Tarazi: life and Qur'an translation study, TİAD (2022)](https://dergipark.org.tr/en/download/article-file/2625416)

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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Society and history › Philosophy, religion, and mythology › Religion and spirituality › Religious biographies › Jewish, Islamic, and Dharmic religious leaders › Islamic religious leaders and scholars › Sunni imams and classical Islamic scholars › Hadith scholars and traditionists*

*Initially written Oct 10, 2026 · Edited: Oct 11, 2026; Oct 15, 2026*

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License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license