Imam al-Nasa'i's Journey for Knowledge

Imam al-Nasa'i first acquired knowledge from the scholars of his hometown. Thereafter, he travelled to the great centers of learning. His first journey was to the city of Baghlan in Balkh, Khorasan, in the year 230 AH. There, he stayed with Qutaybah ibn Sa‘id for one year and two months, during which he narrated many ahadith from him. Following in the footsteps of other hadith seekers, he journeyed to far and wide lands for the pursuit of hadith. He travelled to the Hijaz (Makkah and Madinah), Iraq (Kufa and Basra), al-Sham (Syria), al-Jazirah, Khorasan, and the border regions known as "Thughur", among others. Eventually, he settled in Egypt. [Tabaqat al-Shafi‘iyyah: 84, Tadhkirat al-Huffaz 2/698, Muqaddimah Tuhfah: 66]

Historians have recorded his scholarly journeys. Hafiz Ibn Kathir writes about his scholarly travels: "Rahala ilā al-āfāq washtaghala bismā‘ al-ḥadīth wal-ijtima‘ bil-aʼimmah al-ḥudhāq" [al-Bidayah: 123] — meaning, “Imam al-Nasa'i travelled far and wide, dedicated himself to the hearing of hadith, and met with the expert scholars (imams).”