The death of Imam al-Bayhaqi

The hafiz Abu Bakr Ahmad ibn al-Husayn al-Bayhaqi — author of "al-Sunan al-Kubra" and "Shuʿab al-Iman," and one of the greatest to serve the Prophetic hadith and Shafiʿi jurisprudence through his writings — died in Nishapur.

al-Bayhaqi was born in 384 AH in Khusrawjird, a village of Bayhaq near Nishapur. He heard from al-Hakim, author of "al-Mustadrak," and his generation, and combined memorization, jurisprudence and legal theory until he became one of the landmarks of his age.

He wrote nearly a thousand volumes, most famous among them "al-Sunan al-Kubra," of which the scholars said none has its like, as well as "Dalaʾil al-Nubuwwa," "Shuʿab al-Iman" and "Maʿrifat al-Sunan wa'l-Athar." It was said: were it not for al-Bayhaqi, the school of al-Shafiʿi would have remained scattered in the depths of books.

Imam al-Haramayn al-Juwayni said: "There is no Shafiʿi but that al-Shafiʿi has a favour upon him, except al-Bayhaqi, for he has a favour upon al-Shafiʿi." He died in Nishapur on 10 Jumada al-Ula 458 AH, and his body was carried to his town of Bayhaq and buried there.