Islam > Scholars > the hafiz Adh-Dhahabi
Biography of the hafiz Adh-Dhahabi (Shams ad-Din adh-Dhahabi) as related by al-Dhahabi in Siyar A’lam al-Nubala.
Updated on 14 September 2026 at 8:10 PM
📖 1 min readThe thirteenth generation
251 - Adh-Dhahabi Abu Bakr Ahmad ibn Muhammad ibn Hasan *
The hafiz, the scholar, the great traveler, Abu Bakr Ahmad ibn Muhammad ibn Hasan ibn Abi Hamza al-Balkhi, then al-Naysaburi.
He narrated from: Abu Hafs al-Fallas, Muhammad ibn Bashshar, Hajjaj ibn al-Sha'ir, Salm ibn Junada, Muhammad ibn Yahya al-Dhuhli, Ahmad ibn Sa'id al-Darimi, and their peers.
Those who narrated from him: the hafiz Abu Ali, Muhammad ibn Ja'far al-Busti, Abu Bakr al-Isma'ili, Muhammad ibn Abd Allah al-Qazzaz, Abu Ahmad ibn al-Ghitrif, Abu Muhammad al-Makhladi, and others.
However, criticism has been directed at him.
Al-Isma'ili said: "He was careless with regard to drinking."
Al-Hakim said: "Some of his books came into my possession, and in them are wonders."
And Abu Ali had a bad opinion of him.
Depending on the sources and the transliteration styles, the name is also written: Adh-Dhahabi, Shams ad-Din adh-Dhahabi, Al-Dhahabi. All these spellings refer to the same person, as related by the hafiz al-Dhahabi.