His Birth And Lineage
He is Muhammad Ibn Yazeed Ibn Abdullaah Ibn Maajah al-Qazweenee, his kunyah was Abu Abdullaah. Yazeed is famous from Maajah who was the slave of Rabee’a. He was the scholar of hadeeth of Khurasaan.

He was born in 209H in Qazween.

His Search For Knowledge
He became highly inclined and keen in seeking the knowledge of hadeeth due to which he travelled to the various cities. He visited Koofah, Rai, Basrah, Baghdaad, Hijaaz, Shaam and Egypt and far away countries.

His Teachers And Those He Narrated From

* He learnt the knowledge of hadeeth from the students of Imaam Maalik and Imaam Laith Ibn Sa’ad
* Muhammad Ibn Abdullaah Ibn Numair
* Jabaarah Ibn Muflis
* Ibraaheem Ibn Mundhir Hazaamee
* Abdullaah Ibn Mu’awiyyah
* Hishaam Ibn A’amaar
* Muhammad Ibn Rameh
* Dawood Ibn Rasheed

And many more…

His Students And Those Who Narrated From Him

* Muhammad Ibn Eesaa Abharee
* Abu Tayyib al-Baghdaadee
* Abu Amr Ahmad Ibn Hakeem
* Ishaaq Ibn Muhammad al-Qazweenee
* Abul-Hasan Qattaan
* Ibn Seebawiyyah
* Suleimaan Ibn Yazeed Faamee
* Ahmad Ibn Ibraaheem
* Ahmad Ibn Rooh al-Baghdaadee
* Alee Ibn Sa’eed al-Askaree

And many more…

His Works

1. Kitaab Sunan Ibn Maajah
2. Kitaab at-Tafseer. Haafidh Ibn Katheer said it was very detailed.
3. Kitaab at-Taareekh. Haafidh Ibn Katheer said this book on history included events from the time of the Companions (radi-Allaahu ‘anhum).

The Scholars Praise Of Imaam Ibn Maajah
Haafidh Ibn Hajr said,

“One of the Imaams, Haafidh (preserver).”

Abu Ya’ala Khaleelee said,

“Highly trustworthy that is agreed upon, everyone was agreed, his statement was evidence. He was well acquainted with hadeeth in knowledge and memory was excellent.”

Haafidh Ibn Katheer said,

“The righteous and the scholar. He was well acquainted with ahaadeeth and was very firm in following the Sunnah in the principle issues as well as the subsidiary issues.”

His Sunan
Imaam Ibn Maajah said,

“After completing my Sunan I presented it to Imaam Abu Zur’ah ar-Raazee. After consulting it he said, ‘I think if this reached the hands of the people then all the books of ahaadeeth before and the ones of this time will be in vain. There are possibly not even 30 ahaadeeth that have very weak chains.’”

Haafidh adh-Dhahabee said,

“Abu Abdullaah’s book (Sunan Ibn Maajah) is a very good book and if it did not include (some) very weak narrations it would have been great.”

According to Abul-Hasan Qattan, the student of Imaam Ibn Maajah, his Sunan has 1,500 chapters and approximately 4,000 ahaadeeth.

It has 4,341 ahaadeeth, from them 3,002 ahaadeeth have been transmitted in the five books of hadeeth. The remaining 1,339 are additional narrations.

Explanations Of Sunan Ibn Maajah

1. Misbaah az-Zajaajah Ala Sunan Ibn Maajah by Allaamah as-Suyootee
2. Kifaayatul-Haajah Fee Sharh Ibn Maajah by Shaykh Abul-Hasan Ibn Abdul-Haadee as-Sindhee
3. Sharh Sunan Ibn Maajah by Shaykh al-Allaamah Abu Sa’eed Sharf-ud-Deen Dehlawee
4. Miftaah al-Haajah Sharh Sunan Ibn Maajah by Shaykh Muhammad Ibn Abdullaah al-Alawee al-Haydrabaadee
5. Injaaz al-Haajah Sharh Sunan Ibn Maajah Li-Fadheelatush Shaykh al-Muftee Muhammad Alee Janbaaz al-Baakistaanee. Also Nimzaaj Mukhtaarah Min Makhtoot Injaaz

His Death
He died on the 22nd of Ramadhaan 273H. He was 64 years old. His brother Abu Bakr led the funeral prayer. His other brother Abu Abdullaah and Imaam Ibn Maajah’s son Abdullaah Ibn Muhammad Ibn Yazeed buried him.

Footnotes
[1] Sources for this biography are:

* Tadhkirratul-Huffaadh (no.659)
* Taqreeb at-Tahdheeb (no.6409 pg.448)
* Tabaqaat al-Huffadh (no.635 pg.282-283)
* Bidaayah Wan-Nihaayah (11/52)
* Tuhfa Ahlun-Nazar Fee Mastalah Ahlul-Khabar (pgs. 304-306)
* Usool al-Hadeeth Uloomuhu Wa Mastalahu (pgs.214-215)
* The Service To Ahaadeeth By The Ahlul-Hadeeth Scholars of Pakistan and Hindh of Allaamah Irshaad ul-Haqq al-Atharee