Abd al-Rahman ibn Abi Nu'm al-Bajali

Abd al-Rahman ibn Abi Nu'm al-Bajali was a Kufan scholar of the tabi'un generation affiliated with the Banu Bajila tribal grouping. He is primarily known as a reliable transmitter who received from companions active in the Kufan and broader Iraqi region and passed their narrations to subsequent generations.

His most important transmission link is with the companion Abu Sa'id al-Khudri, one of the most prolific narrators of the Prophet's traditions, from whom Abd al-Rahman transmitted important hadiths on matters of Islamic law, including hadiths on the prohibition of certain disrespectful practices near the Prophet's sanctum — narrations that are particularly relevant to the etiquette of visiting the Prophet's mosque.

He also transmitted from other companions including Ali ibn Abi Talib and from senior Kufan tabi'un. His Bajali tribal affiliation connected him to a community that had contributed significantly to the early Muslim military expansions, particularly in the Iraqi and Persian campaigns.

In the rijal literature, Abd al-Rahman ibn Abi Nu'm is rated positively, described as reliable (thiqa or maqbul) by the critics who mention him. His narrations appear in Sahih al-Bukhari, Sahih Muslim, and the Sunan collections, which confirms broad scholarly acceptance.

One of his notable narrations concerns a person who came to Ali ibn Abi Talib and whom Ali rebuked for a disrespectful action near the Prophet's sanctum — a narration that has been discussed in connection with questions about respect at holy sites. This narration appears in the major collections and has been cited in discussions of Islamic legal and theological questions about sacred sites.

Abd al-Rahman ibn Abi Nu'm's death around 95 AH places him among the middle generation of tabi'un. His reliable service as a transmitter contributed to the preservation of prophetic tradition in the Kufan scholarly community.

The narration attributed to Abd al-Rahman ibn Abi Nu'm about Ali ibn Abi Talib rebuking someone for an improper act near a sacred site has continued to be relevant in Islamic scholarly discussions about proper conduct near prophetic and saintly tombs. This single narration demonstrates how the traditions preserved by even relatively obscure tabi'un narrators can have lasting theological and legal significance that resonates across centuries of Islamic scholarship.