{ "id": "epb5kg2f4n", "slug": "ishaq-ibn-ibrahim-al-azrai", "title": "Ishaq ibn Ibrahim al-Azra'i", "updated": "2026-10-15", "topic_path": [ { "id": "society", "label": "Society and history", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/topics/society" }, { "id": "society.belief", "label": "Philosophy, religion, and mythology", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/topics/society.belief" }, { "id": "society.belief.religion", "label": "Religion and spirituality", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/topics/society.belief.religion" }, { "id": "society.belief.religion.people", "label": "Religious biographies", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/topics/society.belief.religion.people" }, { "id": "society.belief.religion.people.non_christian_leaders", "label": "Jewish, Islamic, and Dharmic religious leaders", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/topics/society.belief.religion.people.non_christian_leaders" }, { "id": "society.belief.religion.people.islamic_leaders", "label": "Islamic religious leaders and scholars", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/topics/society.belief.religion.people.islamic_leaders" }, { "id": "society.belief.religion.people.islamic_sunni_scholars", "label": "Sunni imams and classical Islamic scholars", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/topics/society.belief.religion.people.islamic_sunni_scholars" }, { "id": "society.belief.religion.people.islamic_sunni_scholars.hadith_scholars", "label": "Hadith scholars and traditionists", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/topics/society.belief.religion.people.islamic_sunni_scholars.hadith_scholars" }, { "id": "society.belief.religion.people.islamic_sunni_scholars.hadith_scholars.syrian-and-palestinian-traditionists", "label": "Syrian and Palestinian traditionists", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/topics/society.belief.religion.people.islamic_sunni_scholars.hadith_scholars.syrian-and-palestinian-traditionists" } ], "geo": [ { "id": "geo.mena.t500.society.belief.religion.people.islamic_sunni_scholars.hadith_scholars", "label": "Middle East and North Africa · 500 BC to AD 999: Hadith scholars and traditionists", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.mena.t500.society.belief.religion.people.islamic_sunni_scholars.hadith_scholars", "path": [ { "id": "geo.mena", "label": "Middle East and North Africa", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.mena" }, { "id": "geo.mena.t500", "label": "Middle East and North Africa · 500 BC to AD 999", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.mena.t500" }, { "id": "geo.mena.t500.society", "label": "Society and history", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.mena.t500.society" }, { "id": "geo.mena.t500.society.belief", "label": "Philosophy, religion, and mythology", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.mena.t500.society.belief" }, { "id": "geo.mena.t500.society.belief.religion", "label": "Religion and spirituality", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.mena.t500.society.belief.religion" }, { "id": "geo.mena.t500.society.belief.religion.people", "label": "Religious biographies", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.mena.t500.society.belief.religion.people" }, { "id": "geo.mena.t500.society.belief.religion.people.non_christian_leaders", "label": "Jewish, Islamic, and Dharmic religious leaders", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.mena.t500.society.belief.religion.people.non_christian_leaders" }, { "id": "geo.mena.t500.society.belief.religion.people.islamic_leaders", "label": "Islamic religious leaders and scholars", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.mena.t500.society.belief.religion.people.islamic_leaders" }, { "id": "geo.mena.t500.society.belief.religion.people.islamic_sunni_scholars", "label": "Sunni imams and classical Islamic scholars", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.mena.t500.society.belief.religion.people.islamic_sunni_scholars" }, { "id": "geo.mena.t500.society.belief.religion.people.islamic_sunni_scholars.hadith_scholars", "label": "Hadith scholars and traditionists", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.mena.t500.society.belief.religion.people.islamic_sunni_scholars.hadith_scholars" } ] } ], "excerpt": "Ishaq ibn Ibrahim al-Azra'i (إسحاق بن إبراهيم الأذرعي) was a hadith transmitter and shaykh of Damascus who heard from al-Nasa'i and died in the 340s AH.", "snippet": "Ishaq ibn Ibrahim al-Azra'i (إسحاق بن إبراهيم الأذرعي) was a hadith transmitter and shaykh of Damascus who heard from al-Nasa'i and died in the 340s AH.", "node": "society.belief.religion.people.islamic_sunni_scholars.hadith_scholars.syrian-and-palestinian-traditionists", "markdown": "# Ishaq ibn Ibrahim al-Azra'i\n\n**Ishaq ibn Ibrahim al-Azra'i** (إسحاق بن إبراهيم بن هاشم الأذرعي) was a fourth-century AH hadith transmitter of Damascus, titled by al-Dhahabi \"Imam, Muhaddith, Rabbani, Qudwa\" and identified as Abu Ya'qub Ishaq ibn Ibrahim ibn Hashim al-Nahdi al-Azra'i, shaykh of Damascus.[1](https://ftp.shamela.ws/book/10906/9749) He heard hadith in Egypt, Homs, and Damascus, transmitted from al-Nasa'i and Abu Zur'a al-Nasri among others, and died in the 340s AH.[2](https://www.islamweb.net/ar/library/content/60/3310/%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%A3%D8%B0%D8%B1%D8%B9%D9%8A)\n\n| Key fact | Detail |\n|---|---|\n| Identity | Abu Ya'qub Ishaq ibn Ibrahim ibn Hashim al-Nahdi al-Azra'i, shaykh of Damascus; entry 271 of the nineteenth tabaqa in al-Dhahabi's *Siyar*[1](https://ftp.shamela.ws/book/10906/9749) |\n| Nisba | Al-Azra'i refers to the Azra'at of Syria (أذرعات الشام); the reading \"al-Awza'i\" in al-Ibar is noted as a corruption[1](https://ftp.shamela.ws/book/10906/9749) |\n| Teachers | Yahya ibn Ayyub, Miqdam ibn Dawud, Abu Yazid al-Qaratisi, and al-Nasa'i in Egypt; Musa ibn Isa ibn al-Mundhir in Homs; Abu Zur'a al-Nasri in Damascus[2](https://www.islamweb.net/ar/library/content/60/3310/%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%A3%D8%B0%D8%B1%D8%B9%D9%8A) |\n| Students | Ibn Jumay', Ibn Mandah, Tammam al-Razi, Ibn Abi Kamil, and Abd al-Rahman ibn Umar ibn Nasr[2](https://www.islamweb.net/ar/library/content/60/3310/%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%A3%D8%B0%D8%B1%D8%B9%D9%8A) |\n| Jarh wa ta'dil | 4 recorded statements, all positive: thiqah; \"imam, muhaddith, qudwa\"; \"thiqah, abid, muhaddith 'arif\"[3](https://hdith.com/encyclopedia/rawi/p-17997) |\n| Death | 342 AH (Sha'ban, al-Risala edition) or 344 AH (yawm al-nahr, other texts), at over ninety years, in Damascus[1](https://ftp.shamela.ws/book/10906/9749) • [3](https://hdith.com/encyclopedia/rawi/p-17997) |\n| Namesake | Not to be confused with Ishaq ibn Ibrahim Ibn Rahawayh (ibn Makhlad, of Nishapur, d. 238 AH)[4](https://shamela.ws/book/1293/107) |\n\n## Life, travels and teachers\n\nAl-Dhahabi's notice records his hearing of hadith in three locales. In Egypt he heard from Yahya ibn Ayyub, Miqdam ibn Dawud, Abu Yazid al-Qaratisi, and Ahmad ibn Shu'ayb al-Nasa'i; in Homs from Musa ibn Isa ibn al-Mundhir; and in Damascus from Abu Zur'a al-Nasri.[2](https://www.islamweb.net/ar/library/content/60/3310/%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%A3%D8%B0%D8%B1%D8%B9%D9%8A) The Mawsuat al-Rawi database adds Abd Allah ibn Ja'far al-Rafi'i to the teacher list.[3](https://hdith.com/encyclopedia/rawi/p-17997)\n\nThose who narrated from him include Ibn Jumay', Ibn Mandah, Tammam al-Razi, Abu Abd Allah ibn Abi Kamil, and Abd al-Rahman ibn Umar ibn Nasr.[2](https://www.islamweb.net/ar/library/content/60/3310/%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%A3%D8%B0%D8%B1%D8%B9%D9%8A) A structured biographical database gives his places of residence as Homs, Damascus, and Egypt, with his birth date and place unknown.[5](https://tarajm.com/people/58099)\n\n## Standing in jarh wa ta'dil\n\nThe recorded verdicts are uniformly positive. The Mawsuat al-Rawi database counts four statements of jarh wa ta'dil on al-Azra'i: a grade of thiqah; the description \"imam, muhaddith, qudwa\"; and \"thiqah, abid, and muhaddith 'arif\" (trustworthy, a worshipper, and a knowing hadith scholar).[3](https://hdith.com/encyclopedia/rawi/p-17997) Abu al-Husayn al-Razi described him as \"among the leading people of Damascus, its worshippers and its scholars\".[2](https://www.islamweb.net/ar/library/content/60/3310/%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%A3%D8%B0%D8%B1%D8%B9%D9%8A) No recorded criticism appears in these sources.\n\nA piety report is transmitted from Abd al-Qahir ibn Abd al-Aziz al-Sa'igh: al-Azra'i prayed for blindness, became blind and struggled with purity, then prayed for its return and his sight was restored.[2](https://www.islamweb.net/ar/library/content/60/3310/%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%A3%D8%B0%D8%B1%D8%B9%D9%8A)\n\n## Narrations and works\n\nThe database records four appearances of al-Azra'i in isnads, with the ending category \"mawquf\" listed.[3](https://hdith.com/encyclopedia/rawi/p-17997) One recorded chain runs: al-Azra'i from Muhammad ibn Ali from Ahmad ibn Abi al-Hawari from Zuhayr ibn Abbad from Mansur ibn Ammar.[3](https://hdith.com/encyclopedia/rawi/p-17997)\n\n## Disambiguation: not Ibn Rahawayh\n\nThe famous namesake is Ishaq ibn Ibrahim ibn Makhlad ibn Ibrahim ibn Matr, Abu Ya'qub al-Hanzali, known as Ibn Rahawayh al-Marwazi, resident of Nishapur, whom Ibn Hajar calls \"one of the imams\" who traveled the lands.[4](https://shamela.ws/book/1293/107) The two differ in father (Hashim versus Makhlad), in locale (Damascus versus Nishapur), and in era: Ibn Rahawayh died in 238 or 237 AH, roughly a century before al-Azra'i's death in the 340s AH.[4](https://shamela.ws/book/1293/107) Ibn Rahawayh's profile was also far larger; Abu Hatim's testimony, quoted in the *Tahdhib*, concerns his dictating his Tafsir from memory.[4](https://shamela.ws/book/1293/107)\n\n## By the numbers\n\nThe database record is compact: 4 statements of jarh wa ta'dil, all positive; 4 appearances in isnads, classified under the mawquf category; three residence locales (Homs, Damascus, Egypt); and a reported age at death of over ninety years.[3](https://hdith.com/encyclopedia/rawi/p-17997) • [5](https://tarajm.com/people/58099)\n\n## References\n\n1. [Al-Dhahabi, *Siyar A'lam al-Nubala'* (al-Risala edition), vol. 15, p. 478, entry for al-Azra'i, Shamela](https://ftp.shamela.ws/book/10906/9749)\n2. [*Siyar A'lam al-Nubala'*, nineteenth tabaqa: al-Azra'i, IslamWeb library](https://www.islamweb.net/ar/library/content/60/3310/%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%A3%D8%B0%D8%B1%D8%B9%D9%8A)\n3. [Ishaq ibn Ibrahim ibn Hashim al-Azra'i, Mawsuat al-Rawi (hdith.com)](https://hdith.com/encyclopedia/rawi/p-17997)\n4. [Ibn Hajar, *Tahdhib al-Tahdhib*, entry for Ishaq ibn Ibrahim ibn Makhlad (Ibn Rahawayh), Shamela](https://shamela.ws/book/1293/107)\n5. [Ishaq ibn Ibrahim ibn Hashim al-Nahdi al-Azra'i, tarajm.com](https://tarajm.com/people/58099)\n\n---\n*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 › Syrian and Palestinian traditionists*\n\n*Initially written Oct 10, 2026 · Edited: Oct 11, 2026; Oct 15, 2026*\n\n*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*\n\nLicense: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license\n", "same_as": [], "url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/ishaq-ibn-ibrahim-al-azrai", "markdown_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/ishaq-ibn-ibrahim-al-azrai.md", "license": { "name": "Edgepedia Community License 1.0", "url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license", "summary": "Free with credit, commercial use included. AI training is open to everyone. For other uses, organizations over USD 100M in revenue or 100M monthly users license separately.", "spdx": "LicenseRef-Edgepedia-Community-1.0" }, "credit": "\"Ishaq ibn Ibrahim al-Azra'i\", Edgepedia (EdgeChat), https://www.edgepedia.org/ishaq-ibn-ibrahim-al-azrai. Edgepedia Community License 1.0.", "credit_md": "\"[Ishaq ibn Ibrahim al-Azra'i](https://www.edgepedia.org/ishaq-ibn-ibrahim-al-azrai)\", Edgepedia (EdgeChat), [https://www.edgepedia.org/ishaq-ibn-ibrahim-al-azrai](https://www.edgepedia.org/ishaq-ibn-ibrahim-al-azrai). [Edgepedia Community License 1.0](https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license).", "credit_html": "\"Ishaq ibn Ibrahim al-Azra'i\", Edgepedia (EdgeChat), https://www.edgepedia.org/ishaq-ibn-ibrahim-al-azrai. Edgepedia Community License 1.0.", "speakable": "Ishaq ibn Ibrahim al-Azra'i was a hadith transmitter and shaykh of Damascus who heard from al-Nasa'i and died in the 340s AH." }