Aswhab al-Wujuh: Imam Abu Tsawr Ibrahim ibn Khalid al-Kalbi (r.a.) in Brief

بِسۡمِ ٱللهِ ٱلرَّحۡمَـٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ 

The following is adapted and extracted from “Biographies of Some of the Aswhab al-Wujuh in the Shafi’i Madzhab.”  The Aswhab al-Wujuh are the scholars who developed and transmitted the Shafi’i madzhab from the time of the immediate students of Imam Abu ‘Abdullah Muhammad ibn Idris ash-Shafi’i (r.a.), circa 200 AH, to the time of Imam Abu Hamid Muhammad ibn Muhammad al-Ghazali (r.a.), circa 500 AH.  Thereafter there was a pressing need for recension of all this development into a single body of work.  This task was met by Imam Abu al-Qasim ‘Abd al-Karim ibn Muhammad ar-Rafi’i (r.a.) and Imam Abu Zakariya Yahya ibn Sharaf an-Nawawi (r.a.), who became known as the Shaykhayn in the madzhab. 

Imam Abu Tsawr Ibrahim ibn Khalid al-Kalbi (r.a.) was the mufti of Iraq, and a great mujtahid.  His kunya was also “Abu ‘Abdullah”.  He was born in 170 AH.  He heard from Imam Abu Muhammad Sufyan ibn ‘Uyaynah (r.a.), Imam ‘Ubaydah ibn Humayd (r.a.), Imam Abu Mu’awiyah ibn ad-Darir (r.a.), Imam Abu Sufyan Waki’ ibn Jarrah al-Kufi (r.a.), Imam Isma’il ibn ‘Aliyyah (r.a.), Imam Yazid ibn Harun (r.a.), Shaykh Mu’adz ibn Mu’adz (r.a.), Shaykh Ruh ibn ‘Ubadah (r.a.), Imam Abu ‘Abdullah Muhammad ibn Idris ash-Shafi’i (r.a.), and others.  Those who narrated from him include Imam Abu Dawud Sulayman ibn al-Ash’ats as-Sijistani (r.a.), Imam Abu ‘Abdullah Muhammad ibn Yazid ibn Majah (r.a.), Imam ‘Asakir ad-Din Abu al-Husayn Muslim ibn al-Hajjaj (r.a.), Imam Qasim ibn Zakariyyah al-Mutraz (r.a.), Shaykh Ahmad ibn al-Hasan as-Sufi (q.s.), Imam Abu Muhammad al-Husayn ibn Mas’ud al-Baghawi (r.a.), Imam Muhammad ibn Ishaq as-Siraj an-Nashaburi (r.a.), Imam Muhammad ibn Swalih ibn Dzarih al-Aqbari (r.a.), and many others. 

Imam Abu ‘Abd ar-Rahman Ahmad ibn Shu’ayb an-Nasa’i (r.a.) said that he is tsiqah.  Imam Abu Hatim Muhammad ibn Fayswal at-Tamimi ibn Hibban (r.a.) said that he was one of the great scholars of this world, that he was from the fuqaha’, ‘ulama, and great men.  He authored many books.  Imam Abu Hatim (r.a.) also said that Imam Abu Tsawr (r.a.) passed away in Swafar, in 240 AH.  He may have lived for 70 years or more.