IBN UQDAH

Abul Abbas Ahmad bin Muhammad bin Saeed Hamadani (863-944A.D./ 249-332

A.H.) was the famous Shi'ite traditionist. Uqdah was the nickname of his father

who was a paper manufacturer and teacher in Kufah. Ibn Uqdah followed Zaydi

school and was very famous in memorizing traditions and he memorized one

hundred thousand traditions and knew the text and authority of more than three

hundred thousand traditions from the Holy Ahlebayt (A.S.).

He is very famous among the Shi'ites regarding the authority of the traditions. A

major part of the fundamentals of the Shi'ites has been narrated by him and he is

quoted extensively in the four authentic hadith compilations of the Shi'ites. Among

the Sunni scholars authority on traditions like Abu Ali Hafez have praised him but

some other Sunni scholars has criticized and rebuked him.

Ibn Uqdah as a authority of the traditions is well known among the Shi'ites and the

adaption of traditions in the books regarding the authority of the traditions by him

is also highly regarded. Te famous traditionists of Shi'ite, Sunni and Zaydi schools

are included among the narrators of traditions from him like Muhammad bin Yaqub

Kulaini, Abul Hasan Dar Qatni, Abul Qasim Tibrani, Abul Faraj Isfahani and

others. His printed works are still extant.