Warrad

Muhammad ibn Sirin was one of the foremost Tabi'i scholars of Basra, celebrated equally for his mastery of hadith transmission, his expertise in dream interpretation, and his extraordinary personal piety. He was born around 33 AH and died around 110 AH. He was a freed slave of Anas ibn Malik's family and narrated directly from prominent companions including Abu Hurairah, Anas ibn Malik, and Ibn Umar, may Allah be pleased with them. He was among the first scholars to insist that hadith chains (isnads) be scrutinized carefully, reportedly saying, 'This knowledge is religion, so be careful from whom you take your religion.' This statement is one of the earliest articulations of the science of narrator criticism (rijal criticism) in Islamic scholarship. He was deeply scrupulous in his personal conduct and refused to eat food purchased with questionable money. His expertise in dream interpretation became so well known that a book on the subject was attributed to him, though scholars debate the attribution. His hadiths appear in Sahih al-Bukhari, Sahih Muslim, and all four Sunan collections, covering prayer, fasting, manners, legal rulings, and much more.