IDENTIFIYING THE COMPANIONS OF THE GREAT TABI'I, ZIRR IBN ḤUBAYSH, THEIR CATEGORIES, NARRATIONS AND LEVELS: COMPILATION AND STUDY

Abstract

This study examines the companions of the eminent Tabi’i Zirr ibn Hubaysh (may Allah have mercy on him) with the aim of categorizing them into levels based on their status in narrating from him. The importance of this research lies in the need to identify the levels of narrators, especially when there are variations in narrations from the same teacher. The challenge of the study stems from the lack of prior research specifically addressing the companions of Zirr ibn Hubaysh. The study employed both inductive and analytical methodologies to classify the narrators by tracing the statements of Jarh wa Ta’dil (criticism and commendation) and counting the number of narrations reported by each narrator. The research highlighted several findings, the most significant of which include: the total number of narrations from Zirr ibn Hubaysh reached 1,081, and his companions numbered 39. They were classified into eight levels in this study. Among these, ’Asim ibn Abi al-Najud was the most closely associated with him in terms of narrations but was placed in the second tier due to not reaching the rank of the most reliable and authoritative narrators in the science of Hadith. The study also demonstrated the precision of al-Bukhari and Muslim in selecting the companions of Zirr ibn Hubaysh for the chains of narration in their Sahihayn (two authentic collections)..