Biography of Imam Muslim:

Imam, Hafiz, and Hujjah Abu al-Husayn Muslim ibn al-Hajjaj ibn Muslim ibn Ward ibn Kushadh al-Qushayri al-Naysaburi was born in Nishapur in either 202, 204, or 206 AH, where he also completed many stages of his religious education. His parents were affluent, so Imam Muslim did not have to struggle much for livelihood. He devoted his entire life to the service of Hadith sciences.

Imam Muslim's Early Hadith Learning:

At the age of eighteen, he began his study of Hadith by listening to Yahya ibn Yahya al-Tamimi — and at that time, both listening (sama‘) and writing were essential and inseparable. In 220 AH, he performed Hajj and in Makkah he heard and recorded hadith from ‘Abdullah ibn Maslamah al-Qa‘nabi, one of the foremost students of Imam Malik. In Kufa, he studied hadith from a group of scholars including Ahmad ibn Yunus, as documented in Siyar A‘lam al-Nubala’ (12/558) and Tadhkirat al-Huffaz (1/281). Later, he learned hadith from around 220 teachers in the regions of the Haramain, Iraq, and Egypt. The common method of hadith acquisition at the time involved hearing the hadith with full chains of narration (isnad) and recording them in writing.

Prominent Teachers of Imam Muslim:

Among his most important teachers were Imam Ahmad ibn Hanbal, Ahmad ibn Munzir al-Qazzaz, Ishaq ibn Rahwayh, Ibrahim ibn Sa‘id al-Jawhari, Ibrahim ibn Musa, Abu Ishaq al-Razi, Ahmad ibn Ibrahim, Ishaq ibn Musa al-Ansari (Abu Musa), Isma‘il ibn Abi Uways, Harmalah ibn Yahya (Abu Hafs Tahbibi), Hasan ibn Rabi‘ al-Burani, Abu Bakr ibn Abi Shaybah, Ya‘qub ibn Ibrahim al-Dawraqi, Abu Zur‘ah al-Razi, and Yahya ibn Ma‘in — all renowned masters and preservers of Hadith.

Imam Muslim’s Livelihood and Property:

Imam Muslim (may Allah have mercy on him) had some business interests in an old town called “Khan Mahmash.” However, most of his livelihood came from his estate, which was located in the outskirts of Nishapur.

Eyewitness Account of Imam Muslim by Imam Hakim’s Father:

Imam Hakim’s father, ‘Abdullah ibn Hamduwayh, narrated that his own father (Imam Hakim’s grandfather) once visited Imam Muslim in the town of Khan Mahmash. He described Imam Muslim as tall, fair-skinned, with a white beard. One end of his turban hung behind him between his shoulders. Imam Hakim’s father also reported seeing Imam Muslim’s grandchildren — the children of his daughters — in his home.

The Death of Imam Muslim:

The story of Imam Muslim’s death, as recorded in Tarikh Baghdad and Siyar A‘lam al-Nubala’, is quite extraordinary. It reveals the intense dedication he had for the science of hadith and the depth of his engagement in it. Ahmad ibn Salamah narrated that a hadith discussion session was held with Imam Muslim, during which a narration was mentioned that he was unfamiliar with. Upon returning home, he lit a lamp and told his family that no one should enter his room. His family informed him that someone had gifted a basket of dates, and he asked for it to be brought in. Immersed in searching for the hadith, he kept the basket nearby and, absorbed in his pursuit, unconsciously kept eating one date at a time throughout the night. By morning, he had found the details of the hadith — and the basket was empty. It is said that this incident caused his health to deteriorate, and the sun of knowledge and insight set forever. Imam Muslim passed away on the evening of Sunday, 24th Rajab 261 AH, and was buried the next day in Nishapur.

Major Works of Imam Muslim:

The following are some of the most important works authored by Imam Muslim (may Allah have mercy on him), as mentioned by Imam Hakim and other hadith scholars: Biographical Works (Rijal): ➊ Al-Asami wal-Kuna ➋ Kitab al-Tabaqat ➌ Kitab al-Wuhdan ➍ Kitab al-Afrad ➎ Kitab al-Aqran ➏ Kitab Awlad al-Sahabah ➐ Kitab Afrad al-Shamiyyin ➑ Kitab Mashayikh Malik ➒ Kitab Mashayikh al-Thawri ➓ Kitab Mashayikh Shu‘bah ⓫ Kitab Man Laysa Lahu Illa Rawin Wahid ⓬ Kitab al-Mukhadrimin ⓭ Kitab Tabaqat al-Tabi‘in. Hadith Collections (Matn al-Hadith): ➊ Kitab al-Musnad al-Kabir ‘ala al-Rijal ➋ Kitab al-Jami‘ ‘ala al-Abwab ➌ Kitab al-Musnad al-Sahih (commonly known as Sahih Muslim) ➍ Kitab Hadith ‘Amr ibn Shu‘ayb. Hadith Criticism (Naqd al-Hadith): ➊ Kitab al-Tamyiz ➋ Kitab al-‘Ilal ➌ Kitab Su’alat Ahmad ibn Hanbal ➍ Kitab Awhaam al-Muhaddithin. Jurisprudential Hadith Analysis (Fiqh al-Hadith): ➊ Kitab al-Intifa‘ Bi-Ahb al-Siba‘. These are his most notable works, not a complete list of all his writings.

Hafiz Ibn Asakir and Imam Hakim state

that Imam Muslim intended to complete his book Sahih Muslim in two parts. His plan was to compile the first part with the authentic hadiths narrated by narrators from the first tier (Tabqah Ula) and the second part with authentic hadiths from narrators of the second tier (Tabqah Thaniyah). However, he passed away after completing only the portion related to the first tier, implying that Sahih Muslim was the scholarly product of the final phase of his life.

Sahih Muslim represents the pinnacle of his expertise, and all his previous work, while valuable in its own right, can also be seen as laying the groundwork for this magnum opus. Only after mastering the narrators (rijāl), the texts (matn), and the hidden defects (‘ilal) of hadith could a book like Sahih Muslim be composed.

At the time, students of hadith were in search of a book that contained authentic narrations of the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ regarding the rules of religion, commands and prohibitions, rewards and punishments—narrations whose chains of transmission were verified and accepted by scholars. They needed a compilation that was well-organized, not unnecessarily lengthy, and sufficient in guiding one toward deep understanding, contemplation, and legal deduction—making other works unnecessary for such purposes.

Imam Muslim recognized this pressing need of the Ummah. He reflected on the importance and benefits of such a book and thus undertook the responsibility of compiling a relatively concise collection of the most authentic narrations from the vast hadith corpus. As a foundational principle for selecting hadiths, he stipulated that each narration must have an uninterrupted chain of trustworthy narrators from beginning to end, and that it must be free from any anomalies (shudhudh) or hidden defects (‘ilal).

Imam Bukhari and Imam Muslim as Contemporaries

Imam Bukhari and Imam Muslim were contemporaries. Both felt the need during the same era to compile collections of authentic Hadith based on juristic (fiqhi) order, and thus each compiled their respective collections. There is a consensus (ijma) of the Ummah on the authenticity of both Sahih Bukhari and Sahih Muslim.

Alongside this, the discussion has continued as to which of the two books holds greater merit. The commentator of Sahih Muslim, Imam Nawawi (may Allah have mercy on him), states: "The scholars unanimously agree that after the Noble Qur'an, the most authentic books are Sahih Bukhari and Sahih Muslim. The Ummah has accepted them in this status. Sahih Bukhari is more authentic of the two. It surpasses in both manifest and subtle points of benefit and insight."

It is also a fact that Imam Muslim benefited from Imam Bukhari and used to say that there is no parallel to him in the science of Hadith. Overall, Sahih Bukhari is preferred over Sahih Muslim, and this is the correct viewpoint upheld by the majority of scholars, experts of the field, and discerning critics of Hadith.

Imam Abu Ali al-Husayn al-Naysaburi and some scholars from the Maghreb (North African Muslim countries) preferred Sahih Muslim, but the majority view is that Sahih Bukhari holds the preference. The well-known jurist and Hadith critic, Hafiz Abu Bakr al-Isma‘ili (may Allah have mercy on him), clarified this position with evidence in his book "Al-Madkhal."

However, Sahih Muslim does possess certain distinctive features that are unique to it. Those who preferred Sahih Muslim over Sahih Bukhari had these very unique features in mind.

Unique Merit of Sahih Muslim

Imam Nawawi states: "Imam Muslim had a highly beneficial unique feature that was befitting only for him. That is, his book is easy to benefit from. He placed each Hadith only once in the appropriate chapter and listed its multiple chains of transmission (isnads) and varying wordings alongside it. This made it easy for the student to examine all the versions of a particular Hadith and derive benefit from them."

In this manner, the chains of narration presented by Imam Muslim inspire greater trust in the reader.

This is one of Imam Muslim’s Greatest Achievements

It is one of the greatest achievements of Imam Muslim (may Allah have mercy on him) that he narrated a single hadith not only through the chain of one of his teachers but also through the chains of other teachers. Furthermore, in the chain above, he included narrations from multiple transmitters who reported from the same teacher or various teachers. At the highest level, if the same hadith had been narrated by more than one Companion, he would also include those narrations from different chains. If a researcher today were to compile all the chains that Imam Muslim recorded for a single hadith, it would become clear that Imam Muslim did not merely rely on one teacher and that teacher’s teacher, but rather he visited multiple people who had narrated that hadith from the same teacher. He listened to the same hadith separately from various students (Tabi‘in) of that teacher who narrated it at different times and authenticated it through them. In doing so, he clarified that the teachers who narrated the same hadith consistently with identical wording in front of different audiences at various times were in fact highly reliable in terms of memorization and precision, and their narration is authentic. He also verified the reliability of those above his teachers by gathering their narrations through multiple narrators. Often, he compiled the narrations of different Companions who transmitted from the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ and presented them as supporting evidence. For each of them, he included corroborating chains (mutaba‘at), confirmed their reliability through mutual cross-verification, and selected only those ahadith that were flawless in both precision and retention. Such meticulous effort would be difficult even for the most authoritative court or verification institution in the largest of cases.

Even if there was a very minor difference in the words or the chain—such as the difference between “haddathana” and “akhbarana”—he preserved it. He also noted even the slightest variations in the text. In this way, Sahih Muslim became an exceptional practical model of comparison and verification between hadith chains and texts.

The Meticulous Effort Behind Sahih Muslim

With utmost precision and care, Imam Muslim compiled his Sahih. Without repetition, the total number of hadiths in it is 3,033, and if repeated narrations are included, the total reaches 7,563. Imam Muslim selected these from a pool of 300,000 hadiths.

It should be remembered that "300,000 hadiths" does not refer to 300,000 distinct texts or statements. The methodology of counting hadiths is clarified with the following example: if one Tabi‘i (Successor) narrates a hadith from a Companion, it is considered one hadith. If two Tabi‘is narrate the same hadith, it counts as two hadiths. Similarly, if multiple students narrate from a single Tabi‘i, each chain is counted separately. Therefore, the 300,000 refers to hadiths narrated through 300,000 unique chains of transmission (isnads).

Many people misunderstand this principle, which leads to significant confusion regarding the actual number of hadiths.