Ayyoob As-Sakhtiyaany - Siyar A'laam An-Nubalaa

Ayyūb as-Sakhtiyānī, Abū Bakr al-‘Anzī, their ally

(‘Alayhi) the Imām, the Ḥāfiẓ [master of ḥadīth with exceptional retention], Sayyid al-‘Ulamā’ [chief of scholars][1], Abū Bakr ibn Abī Tamīmah Kaysān al-‘Anzī, their ally, the Baṣrī, the Ādamī.

He belonged to the generation of the younger Tābi‘īn.[2]

Birth: The year Ibn ‘Abbās died, 68 AH. [3]

He met Anas ibn Mālik, though we did not find any narration from him through Anas, even though he was in the same town and met him when he was in his twenties. [4]

I read to Isḥāq ibn Abī Bakr, that Ibn Khalīl informed us, al-Labbān informed us, al-Ḥaddād informed us, Abū Nu‘aym informed us; Sulaymān ibn Aḥmad narrated to us, ‘Abdullāh ibn Aḥmad informed me, ‘Abbās al-Narsī narrated to me, Wuhayb narrated to us, al-Ja‘d Abū ‘Uthmān narrated to us:

I heard al-Ḥasan say: “Ayyūb was the chief of the youth of the people of Baṣrah”. [5]

Through the same chain until Abū Nu‘aym, Abū ‘Alī al-Ṣawwāf narrated to us, Bishr narrated to us, al-Ḥumaydī told us, saying: “Ibn ‘Uyaynah met sixty-eight Tābi‘īn, and used to say: I have not seen anyone like Ayyūb”. [6]

Ḥabīb ibn al-Ḥasan informed us, Yusr ibn Anas al-Baghdādī informed us, Abū Yūnus al-Madīnī informed us, Isḥāq ibn Muḥammad told me: I heard Mālik say: “We would enter upon Ayyūb as-Sakhtiyānī, and when we mentioned a ḥadīth of the Messenger of Allāh (ṣallā Allāhu ‘alayhi wa-sallam), he would weep until we felt mercy for him”. [7]

Abū Ḥāmid ibn Jablah informed us, Muḥammad ibn Isḥāq informed us, Muḥammad ibn al-Ṣabbāḥ informed us, Sa‘īd ibn ‘Āmir informed us, from Salām, who said: “Ayyūb as-Sakhtiyānī would stand all night in prayer, concealing it. When it was morning, he would raise his voice as if he just got up”. [8]

Muḥammad ibn Aḥmad ibn al-Ḥasan informed us, al-Firyābī informed us, Aḥmad ibn Ibrāhīm informed us, Ibn Mahdī informed us, Ḥammād ibn Zayd informed us: I heard Ayyūb, when asked: “Why do you not reflect on this (meaning opinion-based rulings)?”. He said: “A donkey was asked: ‘Do you regurgitate?’ He responded: I dislike chewing falsehood”. [9]

Sulaymān informed us, ‘Alī ibn ‘Abd al-‘Azīz informed us, ‘Ārim informed us, Ḥammād informed us: “I have never seen a man smile to men more than Ayyūb does”. [10]

Sulaymān informed us, Muḥammad ibn Muḥammad al-Juthū‘ī informed us, Hudbah informed us, Salām ibn Miskīn informed us: I heard Ayyūb say: “There is no worse vile person than a sinful qāri’”. [11]

[al-Thahabī, Shams ad-Dīn, Siyar A‘lām al-Nubalā’, al-Risālah edition, 15-17/6]

[1] Those aren't just flashy titles, they're accurate descriptions of his level. Al-Imaam ath-Thahaby has a rare level of objectivity, he doesn't throw around titles like they're on sale. He's very accurate and precise.

[2] Meaning he is among the three first centuries that the Prophet ﷺ testified to their righteousness.

[3] A great way to memorize information is to make a network out of them, by connecting them as if they are a puzzle. Sometimes it's obvious, and often you need creativity.

[4] This kind of information is very critical, it could help determine whether a narration is authentic or not, by checking it against these facts.

[5] Many of the salaf were prominent since their youth.

[6] You need to imagine what that statement holds. Who's saying it, and what that number looks like in real life. Incredible!

[7] How far do you think we are from that?

[8] So that's two deeds, because masking your good deeds is a good deed itself. You may consider it three, because he's also being an example for people, so that they may wake up to pray before Fajr.
Allahu Akbar. We really don't realize how great the salaf were.

[9] I actually don't understand this analogy exactly, but I can tell he's mocking those who rely on their opinions. That includes a large portion of society in this era.
والله المستعان.

[10] That's a sunnah, because the Prophet ﷺ used to smile when he meets his companions.

[11] Qāri’: For the early salaf and companions, it is someone who memorizes the Qur'aan, recites it, and applies it. However, after that, the application aspect was no longer implied, and it was merely about memorization and being known for reciting a lot.

Translation and comments by Abdurrahmaan bnu Meehoob Al-Qaddaary.