# Salih ibn Ahmad al-Tamimi
**Salih ibn Ahmad al-Tamimi** (صالح بن أحمد بن محمد بن أحمد التميمي) was a fourth-century AH Sunni hadith scholar of Hamadhan, identified in the biographical literature as Abu al-Fadl Salih ibn Ahmad ibn Muhammad ibn Ahmad al-Tamimi al-Ahnafi al-Hamadhani, known as al-Simsar (the broker), and remembered as a prolific author and a narrator graded thiqa (trustworthy) by several critics.[1](https://shamela.ws/book/10906/10367) The biographical record is thin and internally inconsistent: the death year is given as 368/369 AH by Abu Nu'aym and as 384 AH (eight days remaining of Sha'ban) by the parallel text of al-Dhahabi's *Siyar A'lam al-Nubala'* and by al-Dhahabi's *Ta'rikh*, and none of the sources cited here confirms the date 381 AH / 991 CE sometimes attached to him.[1](https://shamela.ws/book/10906/10367) • [2](https://www.islamweb.net/ar/library/content/60/3782/%D8%B5%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%AD-%D8%A8%D9%86-%D8%A3%D8%AD%D9%85%D8%AF) • [3](https://hadithtransmitters.hawramani.com/%d8%b5%d8%a7%d9%84%d8%ad-%d8%a8%d9%86-%d8%a3%d8%ad%d9%85%d8%af-%d8%a3%d8%a8%d9%88-%d8%a7%d9%84%d9%81%d8%b6%d9%84-%d8%a7%d9%84%d8%aa%d9%85%d9%8a%d9%85%d9%8a-%d8%a7%d9%84%d8%a3%d8%ad%d9%86%d9%81%d9%8a/)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Identity | Abu al-Fadl Salih ibn Ahmad ibn Muhammad ibn Ahmad al-Tamimi, al-Ahnafi al-Hamadhani, called al-Simsar; described as imam, scholar, hafiz, and thabt[1](https://shamela.ws/book/10906/10367) |
| Dates | Born 303 AH; death given as 368/369 AH (Abu Nu'aym) or 384 AH, eight days remaining of Sha'ban (Siyar parallel text, al-Dhahabi's Ta'rikh)[1](https://shamela.ws/book/10906/10367) • [2](https://www.islamweb.net/ar/library/content/60/3782/%D8%B5%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%AD-%D8%A8%D9%86-%D8%A3%D8%AD%D9%85%D8%AF) |
| Nisba | Al-Kumuladhi, after Kumuladh, a village of Hamadhan named by Yaqut; al-Sam'ani instead gives al-Kumulabadhi[1](https://shamela.ws/book/10906/10367) |
| Works | A Musnad, a Tafsir, a book on his shaykhs, a book on the tabaqat of the Hamadhanis, and a book on the sunan of hadith transmission; no survival is documented[1](https://shamela.ws/book/10906/10367) • [4](https://beta.sunnah.com/narrator/19409) |
| Grading | Shirawayh al-Daylami: "a pillar among the pillars of hadith, thiqa, hafiz, dayyin, wara', saduq"; al-Khatib al-Baghdadi: "imam, scholar, hafiz, thabt"; al-Suyuti: "thiqa thabt hafiz"[2](https://www.islamweb.net/ar/library/content/60/3782/%D8%B5%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%AD-%D8%A8%D9%86-%D8%A3%D8%AD%D9%85%D8%AF) • [4](https://beta.sunnah.com/narrator/19409) |
| Teachers and students | Heard from his father, Ahmad ibn Muhammad ibn Aws, Muhammad ibn al-Muthanna (Hamawayh), and Abd al-Rahman ibn Abi Hatim al-Razi; transmitted to Tahir ibn Abd Allah ibn Mahla and Hamd al-Zajjaj[2](https://www.islamweb.net/ar/library/content/60/3782/%D8%B5%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%AD-%D8%A8%D9%86-%D8%A3%D8%AD%D9%85%D8%AF) |
## Identity and disambiguation
The name Salih ibn Ahmad al-Tamimi is not unique to one transmitter. Al-Dhahabi's *Siyar* contains a separate, earlier entry for a Salih ibn Ahmad, father of the narrator Zuhayr, who heard from his father, Affan, Abu al-Walid, and [Ali ibn al-Madini](https://www.edgepedia.org/ali-ibn-al-madini), and whose students included his son Zuhayr.[5](https://www.islamweb.net/ar/library/content/60/2345/%D8%B5%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%AD-%D8%A8%D9%86-%D8%A3%D8%AD%D9%85%D8%AF) A third namesake, Salih ibn Ahmad al-Qirati (son of Abu Maqatil), was criticized by hadith scholars, and twentieth-century scholarship had to argue explicitly that chains containing "Salih ibn Ahmad" refer to the Hamadhani rather than to him.[6](https://shamela.ws/book/337/506) The biographical record chiefly concerns the Hamadhani hadith master.
## Life, teachers and students
The *Siyar* entry gives his full name as Salih ibn Ahmad ibn [Muhammad](https://www.edgepedia.org/muhammad-name) ibn Ahmad al-Tamimi, with the kunya Abu al-Fadl, and the descriptive names al-Ahnafi al-Hamadhani and al-Simsar, the last being his profession as a broker.[1](https://shamela.ws/book/10906/10367) • [4](https://beta.sunnah.com/narrator/19409) A narrator database records the city of Baghdad in connection with him and extends the lineage to Salih ibn Abd Allah ibn Qays ibn al-Hdhyl.[4](https://beta.sunnah.com/narrator/19409)
**The nisba.** The byname al-Kumuladhi points to Kumuladh, a village of Hamadhan that Yaqut mentions in his geographical dictionary; al-Sam'ani instead vocalizes the name as al-Kumulabadhi, after a place he calls Kumulabadh.[1](https://shamela.ws/book/10906/10367)
His recorded teachers are his father Ahmad ibn Muhammad, Ahmad ibn Muhammad ibn Aws, Muhammad ibn al-Muthanna (Hamawayh), and Abd al-Rahman ibn Abi Hatim al-Razi; his recorded students are Tahir ibn Abd Allah ibn Mahla and Hamd al-Zajjaj.[2](https://www.islamweb.net/ar/library/content/60/3782/%D8%B5%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%AD-%D8%A8%D9%86-%D8%A3%D8%AD%D9%85%D8%AF) The *Siyar* also cross-references his entries in other biographical dictionaries, including *Tadhkirat al-Huffaz* 3/985-986, *Tabaqat al-Huffaz* 391, and *Tarikh Baghdad* 9/331.[1](https://shamela.ws/book/10906/10367)
## Works and transmissions
Abu Nu'aym, quoted in the *Siyar*, called him "the pillar of our city in the abundance of usul and hadith, a man of knowledge and mastery," and credited him with a *Musnad*, a *Tafsir*, and a book on his shaykhs.[1](https://shamela.ws/book/10906/10367) [Ibn al-Imad](https://www.edgepedia.org/ibn-al-imad) adds that he composed a book on the tabaqat (generations) of the Hamadhanis and a book on the sunan of hadith transmission.[4](https://beta.sunnah.com/narrator/19409) The *Siyar* parallel text says his written works were abundant.[2](https://www.islamweb.net/ar/library/content/60/3782/%D8%B5%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%AD-%D8%A8%D9%86-%D8%A3%D8%AD%D9%85%D8%AF) None of these titles is documented as surviving.
## Standing in rijal criticism
The critics who name him grade him favorably, in their own words:
- Shirawayh al-Daylami called him "a pillar among the pillars of hadith, thiqa, hafiz, dayyin, wara', saduq," that is, trustworthy, a hadith master, pious, and truthful.[2](https://www.islamweb.net/ar/library/content/60/3782/%D8%B5%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%AD-%D8%A8%D9%86-%D8%A3%D8%AD%D9%85%D8%AF)
- Al-Khatib al-Baghdadi called him "imam, scholar, hafiz, thabt" (precise in retention).[4](https://beta.sunnah.com/narrator/19409)
- Ibn al-Imad al-Hanbali called him "hafiz, fahim, thiqa, thabt" and repeated the description "a cornerstone of hadith, thiqa saduq, hafiz, devout and pious."[4](https://beta.sunnah.com/narrator/19409)
- [Al-Suyuti](https://www.edgepedia.org/al-suyuti) called him "thiqa thabt hafiz."[4](https://beta.sunnah.com/narrator/19409)
- Yusuf ibn Abd al-Hadi al-Hanbali's *Tadhkirat al-Huffaz* records him as "muhaddith of Hamadhan" and quotes al-Dhahabi's *Ta'rikh* calling him al-Hafiz.[3](https://hadithtransmitters.hawramani.com/%d8%b5%d8%a7%d9%84%d8%ad-%d8%a8%d9%86-%d8%a3%d8%ad%d9%85%d8%af-%d8%a3%d8%a8%d9%88-%d8%a7%d9%84%d9%81%d8%b6%d9%84-%d8%a7%d9%84%d8%aa%d9%85%d9%8a%d9%85%d9%8a-%d8%a7%d9%84%d8%a3%d8%ad%d9%86%d9%81%d9%8a/)
The *Siyar* parallel text also reports that supplication at his grave was answered, a hagiographical note recorded by its transmitters.[2](https://www.islamweb.net/ar/library/content/60/3782/%D8%B5%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%AD-%D8%A8%D9%86-%D8%A3%D8%AD%D9%85%D8%AF)
## Points of disagreement among critics
**Death date.** Abu Nu'aym, as quoted in the *Siyar*, gives his death as 368/369 AH. The parallel text of the *Siyar* gives his birth as 303 AH and his death as eight days remaining of Sha'ban 384 AH, and al-Dhahabi's *Ta'rikh*, quoted in the *Tadhkirat al-Huffaz*, likewise says he died in 384.[1](https://shamela.ws/book/10906/10367) • [2](https://www.islamweb.net/ar/library/content/60/3782/%D8%B5%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%AD-%D8%A8%D9%86-%D8%A3%D8%AD%D9%85%D8%AF) • [3](https://hadithtransmitters.hawramani.com/%d8%b5%d8%a7%d9%84%d8%ad-%d8%a8%d9%86-%d8%a3%d8%ad%d9%85%d8%af-%d8%a3%d8%a8%d9%88-%d8%a7%d9%84%d9%81%d8%b6%d9%84-%d8%a7%d9%84%d8%aa%d9%85%d9%8a%d9%85%d9%8a-%d8%a7%d9%84%d8%a3%d8%ad%d9%86%d9%81%d9%8a/) The date 381 AH / 991 CE sometimes given for him is not confirmed by these entries, and the discrepancy between 368/369 and 384 remains unresolved in the sources themselves.
**A weak isnad.** The *Siyar* entry notes a chain in which he transmits via Baqiyya from Abu Farwa al-Ruhawi (Yazid ibn Sinan); an editorial note states that this isnad is weak because of Baqiyya's tadlis (concealment of his immediate source) and the weakness of Abu Farwa.[1](https://shamela.ws/book/10906/10367) The criticism recorded here attaches to the chain's other links, not to his memory or his later life.
**The Qirati namesake.** The twentieth-century scholar al-Mu'allimi, in *Al-Tankil bi-ma fi Ta'nib al-Kawthari min al-Abatil*, argued with seven lines of evidence that the Salih ibn Ahmad appearing in a given isnad is Abu al-Fadl al-Tamimi al-Hamadhani, "the hafiz, thiqa, and ma'mun (reliable)," not the criticized Qirati, citing al-Sakhawi's *Fath al-Mughith* p. 449.[6](https://shamela.ws/book/337/506) He describes the Qirati as accused of stealing hadith out of craving for 'uluw (elevated chains), and notes a chronological impossibility in the Qirati's alleged narration from al-Qasim ibn Abi Salih, who died in 338 AH, given that the earliest named shaykh of al-Qasim is [Abu Hatim al-Razi](https://www.edgepedia.org/abu-hatim-al-razi), who died in 277 AH.[6](https://shamela.ws/book/337/506)
## References
1. [Siyar A'lam al-Nubala' (al-Dhahabi), vol. 16, p. 518, entry for Salih ibn Ahmad al-Tamimi al-Kumuladhi, Shamela](https://shamela.ws/book/10906/10367)
2. [Siyar A'lam al-Nubala', tabaqa 21: Salih ibn Ahmad, Islamweb library](https://www.islamweb.net/ar/library/content/60/3782/%D8%B5%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%AD-%D8%A8%D9%86-%D8%A3%D8%AD%D9%85%D8%AF)
3. [Hadith Transmitters Encyclopedia: Salih ibn Ahmad Abu al-Fadl al-Tamimi al-Ahnafi, muhaddith of Hamadhan](https://hadithtransmitters.hawramani.com/%d8%b5%d8%a7%d9%84%d8%ad-%d8%a8%d9%86-%d8%a3%d8%ad%d9%85%d8%af-%d8%a3%d8%a8%d9%88-%d8%a7%d9%84%d9%81%d8%b6%d9%84-%d8%a7%d9%84%d8%aa%d9%85%d9%8a%d9%85%d9%8a-%d8%a7%d9%84%d8%a3%d8%ad%d9%86%d9%81%d9%8a/)
4. [Sunnah.com Narrators Encyclopedia: Salih ibn Ahmad al-Hamadhani (303–384 AH)](https://beta.sunnah.com/narrator/19409)
5. [Siyar A'lam al-Nubala', tabaqa 14: a different Salih ibn Ahmad (father of Zuhayr), Islamweb library](https://www.islamweb.net/ar/library/content/60/2345/%D8%B5%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%AD-%D8%A8%D9%86-%D8%A3%D8%AD%D9%85%D8%AF)
6. [Al-Tankil bi-ma fi Ta'nib al-Kawthari min al-Abatil (al-Mu'allimi), discussion of Salih ibn Ahmad, Shamela](https://shamela.ws/book/337/506)
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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 › Khorasanian and Transoxanian traditionists › Hadith scholars of Hamadan and Jurjan*
*Initially written Oct 10, 2026 · Edited: Oct 11, 2026; Oct 15, 2026*
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