Classical biographical tradition places Mutarrif ibn Abd Allah's birth within the lifetime of the Prophet Muhammad. A transmitted age report says that Mutarrif was twenty years old when Umar ibn al-Khattab died, pointing to approximately 3 AH. His mature scholarly life emerged in Basra, where he became known as a senior Tabi'i, transmitter and figure of wara' and adab.
Mutarrif ibn Abd Allah ibn al-Shikhkhir
PER-000422
Righteous person
Confirmed
General area known
Cross-tradition historical
⚙️ Print, share, and more tools
Mutarrif ibn Abd Allah ibn al-Shikhkhir, Abu Abd Allah al-Harashi al-Amiri al-Basri, was one of the prominent senior Tabi'in of Basra. His father Abd Allah ibn al-Shikhkhir was a Companion, and Mutarrif transmitted from his father and from a broad Companion-era network that included Uthman ibn Affan, Ali ibn Abi Talib, A'isha, Imran ibn Husayn, Iyad ibn Himar and others. Major Basran transmitters such as Hasan al-Basri, Qatada, Thabit al-Bunani, Hamid ibn Hilal, Ghaylan ibn Jarir and Muhammad ibn Wasi transmitted from him. Classical rijal authorities describe him as trustworthy and distinguished by learning, wara', reason and adab, while al-Mizzi notes that material through him appears in all six major hadith collections. His public profile combined religious discipline with ordinary social life: reports describe him wearing good clothing, riding and dealing with authorities while deliberately avoiding violent civil strife and refusing recruitment into competing movements.
Classical sources also preserve several extraordinary reports connected with Mutarrif, each with its own evidentiary grade. His conditional prayer concerning a man who lied about him is transmitted through Hamid ibn Hilal, and Ibn Hajar described a route in Ibn Abi al-Dunya as having a good chain; it is therefore a classical karamah report with meaningful chain support, not Prophetic hadith. In a separate Ibn Sa'd report, al-Hajjaj imprisoned al-Muwarriq al-Ijli, Mutarrif and his companions prayed, and an order for al-Muwarriq's release came that evening. A light at the tip of a whip during dark travel is also preserved through multiple classical routes, although the witnesses and wording vary. Mutarrif's death is transmitted under 86 AH, in connection with the 87 AH plague period, and under 95 AH. An early family report states that he prepared a grave in his own house, recited Qur'an there and was buried there after death.
Classical sources preserve several chronological reports for the death of Mutarrif ibn Abd Allah. Amr ibn Ali and al-Tirmidhi give 95 AH; Khalifa ibn Khayyat is cited with 86 AH; while another group of reports connects his death with or after the plague al-Jarif around 87 AH. Ibn Hajar explains a wording in Ibn Sa'd in a way compatible with 95 AH. Mutarrif's death chronology is therefore preserved in the biographical tradition through several transmitted forms, with 95 AH standing as a prominent report.
Location type: Early historical tradition of burial in Mutarrif's own house. Ahmad ibn Hanbal's al-Zuhd preserves a report from one of Mutarrif's descendants that Mutarrif dug a grave for himself in his own house, entered it during his lifetime to recite Qur'an and was buried in it after death. Ibn Asakir separately preserves a historical notice of one of Mutarrif's residences at al-Sukhayri in the badia several days from Basra. The strongest early burial memory is therefore the family report of preparing a grave in his own house, reciting Qur'an there and being buried there after death.
Biography and historical profile
Mutarrif ibn Abd Allah ibn al-Shikhkhir was a senior Basran Tabi'i, commonly known by the kunyah Abu Abd Allah and associated with the nisbas al-Harashi or al-Harishi, al-Amiri and al-Basri. His father, Abd Allah ibn al-Shikhkhir, was a Companion who became part of the Basran transmission world.
His family prominently included his Companion father Abd Allah ibn al-Shikhkhir and his brothers Yazid and Hani ibn Abd Allah ibn al-Shikhkhir. The household belonged to the early scholarly and transmission environment of Basra.
Ibn Hibban places Mutarrif's birth within the lifetime of the Prophet Muhammad. Another age report says that he was twenty when Umar ibn al-Khattab died, which points to approximately 3 AH. The central classical rijal classification nevertheless places him among the senior Tabi'in.
Mutarrif's scholarly importance rests first on transmission. Al-Mizzi preserves a wide network of teachers that included his father Abd Allah, Uthman ibn Affan, Ali ibn Abi Talib, A'isha, Imran ibn Husayn, Iyad ibn Himar, Uthman ibn Abi al-As, Mu'awiya ibn Abi Sufyan and other early authorities.
Among those who transmitted from Mutarrif were Hasan al-Basri, Qatada, Thabit al-Bunani, Hamid ibn Hilal, Ghaylan ibn Jarir, Muhammad ibn Wasi and Abu al-Tayyah. Al-Mizzi's notice that the six major hadith collections transmit material through him is an important indicator of his recognized place in the classical hadith network.
A particularly clear example is the report in which Mutarrif transmits from his father the description of the Prophet's audible weeping during prayer. The route Thabit al-Bunani to Mutarrif to Abd Allah ibn al-Shikhkhir is preserved in Sunan Abi Dawud, Sunan al-Nasa'i and Musnad Ahmad. The report illustrates Mutarrif's role as a reliable carrier of his Companion father's Prophetic memory.
Classical critics also emphasized his character. Ibn Sa'd described him as trustworthy and possessed of virtue, wara', reason and adab, while al-Ijli likewise counted him among the trustworthy senior Tabi'in. A saying transmitted from Mutarrif places the surplus of knowledge above the surplus of worship and gives wara' a central place in religious life.
His ascetic reputation did not mean withdrawal from society. Ghaylan ibn Jarir reports that Mutarrif wore fine outer garments, rode horses and visited people in authority. The same tradition nevertheless presents him as deeply cautious about violent fitna.
Classical biographies preserve his withdrawal from the conflict associated with Ibn al-Zubayr, his refusal to join Ibn al-Ash'ath's uprising and his rejection of Haruriyya recruitment. These reports support a picture of deliberate nonparticipation in violent civil conflict rather than a modern political doctrine imposed on his life.
Ibn Sa'd directly records Mutarrif's married life and preserves variant reports about the size of the marriage settlement. Ibn Sa'd and al-Mizzi also identify his son Abd Allah ibn Mutarrif, Abu Juz, who transmitted from Abu Barza al-Aslami and died before his father.
Other family notices show the continuation of Mutarrif's descendants. Ahmad ibn Hanbal's al-Zuhd preserves his burial report through a later descendant, while Ibn Hajar transmits a notice of a granddaughter through one of Mutarrif's daughters.
One of the better-supported extraordinary reports concerns a man who falsely accused or lied about Mutarrif. A classical route through Hamid ibn Hilal says that Mutarrif prayed conditionally against him and the man then died. The report is preserved by al-Mizzi and Abu Nu'aym, and Ibn Hajar states that the version in Ibn Abi al-Dunya's Mujabi al-Da'wa has a good chain. It should therefore be presented as a classical karamah report with meaningful chain support, not as Prophetic hadith.
A second event concerns al-Muwarriq al-Ijli. Ibn Sa'd preserves a route through Sulayman ibn Harb, Hammad ibn Zayd and Ghaylan ibn Jarir saying that al-Hajjaj imprisoned al-Muwarriq; Mutarrif asked what had happened, he and others prayed, and al-Muwarriq was released that evening. This is a distinct event and should not be merged with a separate report about an imprisoned nephew of Mutarrif.
The third major extraordinary motif is a light associated with the tip of Mutarrif's whip during dark travel. Abu Nu'aym preserves a version through Abd al-Razzaq, Ma'mar and Qatada, while other routes mention a nephew, servant or son. The multiple witnesses establish a substantial classical reception, but the versions differ in wording and were not all given one uniform hadith grade. The safest description is a multiple-route classical karamah tradition with grading not uniformly fixed.
Classical chronology preserves several dates for Mutarrif's death. Amr ibn Ali and al-Tirmidhi give 95 AH; Khalifa ibn Khayyat is cited with 86 AH; and another group of reports relates his death to the plague al-Jarif around 87 AH. Ibn Hajar explains a wording in Ibn Sa'd in a way compatible with 95 AH.
A notably personal early burial report is preserved for Mutarrif. Ahmad ibn Hanbal's al-Zuhd transmits from one of his descendants that Mutarrif dug a grave for himself in his own house, entered it during his lifetime to recite Qur'an and was buried in it after death. Ibn Asakir separately records one of Mutarrif's residences at al-Sukhayri in the badia several days from Basra.
His family prominently included his Companion father Abd Allah ibn al-Shikhkhir and his brothers Yazid and Hani ibn Abd Allah ibn al-Shikhkhir. The household belonged to the early scholarly and transmission environment of Basra.
Ibn Hibban places Mutarrif's birth within the lifetime of the Prophet Muhammad. Another age report says that he was twenty when Umar ibn al-Khattab died, which points to approximately 3 AH. The central classical rijal classification nevertheless places him among the senior Tabi'in.
Mutarrif's scholarly importance rests first on transmission. Al-Mizzi preserves a wide network of teachers that included his father Abd Allah, Uthman ibn Affan, Ali ibn Abi Talib, A'isha, Imran ibn Husayn, Iyad ibn Himar, Uthman ibn Abi al-As, Mu'awiya ibn Abi Sufyan and other early authorities.
Among those who transmitted from Mutarrif were Hasan al-Basri, Qatada, Thabit al-Bunani, Hamid ibn Hilal, Ghaylan ibn Jarir, Muhammad ibn Wasi and Abu al-Tayyah. Al-Mizzi's notice that the six major hadith collections transmit material through him is an important indicator of his recognized place in the classical hadith network.
A particularly clear example is the report in which Mutarrif transmits from his father the description of the Prophet's audible weeping during prayer. The route Thabit al-Bunani to Mutarrif to Abd Allah ibn al-Shikhkhir is preserved in Sunan Abi Dawud, Sunan al-Nasa'i and Musnad Ahmad. The report illustrates Mutarrif's role as a reliable carrier of his Companion father's Prophetic memory.
Classical critics also emphasized his character. Ibn Sa'd described him as trustworthy and possessed of virtue, wara', reason and adab, while al-Ijli likewise counted him among the trustworthy senior Tabi'in. A saying transmitted from Mutarrif places the surplus of knowledge above the surplus of worship and gives wara' a central place in religious life.
His ascetic reputation did not mean withdrawal from society. Ghaylan ibn Jarir reports that Mutarrif wore fine outer garments, rode horses and visited people in authority. The same tradition nevertheless presents him as deeply cautious about violent fitna.
Classical biographies preserve his withdrawal from the conflict associated with Ibn al-Zubayr, his refusal to join Ibn al-Ash'ath's uprising and his rejection of Haruriyya recruitment. These reports support a picture of deliberate nonparticipation in violent civil conflict rather than a modern political doctrine imposed on his life.
Ibn Sa'd directly records Mutarrif's married life and preserves variant reports about the size of the marriage settlement. Ibn Sa'd and al-Mizzi also identify his son Abd Allah ibn Mutarrif, Abu Juz, who transmitted from Abu Barza al-Aslami and died before his father.
Other family notices show the continuation of Mutarrif's descendants. Ahmad ibn Hanbal's al-Zuhd preserves his burial report through a later descendant, while Ibn Hajar transmits a notice of a granddaughter through one of Mutarrif's daughters.
One of the better-supported extraordinary reports concerns a man who falsely accused or lied about Mutarrif. A classical route through Hamid ibn Hilal says that Mutarrif prayed conditionally against him and the man then died. The report is preserved by al-Mizzi and Abu Nu'aym, and Ibn Hajar states that the version in Ibn Abi al-Dunya's Mujabi al-Da'wa has a good chain. It should therefore be presented as a classical karamah report with meaningful chain support, not as Prophetic hadith.
A second event concerns al-Muwarriq al-Ijli. Ibn Sa'd preserves a route through Sulayman ibn Harb, Hammad ibn Zayd and Ghaylan ibn Jarir saying that al-Hajjaj imprisoned al-Muwarriq; Mutarrif asked what had happened, he and others prayed, and al-Muwarriq was released that evening. This is a distinct event and should not be merged with a separate report about an imprisoned nephew of Mutarrif.
The third major extraordinary motif is a light associated with the tip of Mutarrif's whip during dark travel. Abu Nu'aym preserves a version through Abd al-Razzaq, Ma'mar and Qatada, while other routes mention a nephew, servant or son. The multiple witnesses establish a substantial classical reception, but the versions differ in wording and were not all given one uniform hadith grade. The safest description is a multiple-route classical karamah tradition with grading not uniformly fixed.
Classical chronology preserves several dates for Mutarrif's death. Amr ibn Ali and al-Tirmidhi give 95 AH; Khalifa ibn Khayyat is cited with 86 AH; and another group of reports relates his death to the plague al-Jarif around 87 AH. Ibn Hajar explains a wording in Ibn Sa'd in a way compatible with 95 AH.
A notably personal early burial report is preserved for Mutarrif. Ahmad ibn Hanbal's al-Zuhd transmits from one of his descendants that Mutarrif dug a grave for himself in his own house, entered it during his lifetime to recite Qur'an and was buried in it after death. Ibn Asakir separately records one of Mutarrif's residences at al-Sukhayri in the badia several days from Basra.
Historical importance and legacy
Mutarrif ibn Abd Allah is historically important as a major senior Basran Tabi'i linking Companion-era transmission with the emerging scholarly culture of Basra. His father was a Companion, his teachers included several other Companions, and a wide group of major Basran transmitters learned from him. His presence across the six major hadith collections shows that his importance rests on a substantial transmission record rather than later devotional fame alone.
His moral profile also preserves an early form of Basran piety in which learning, wara', worship and ordinary social engagement remained connected. Reports that he wore good clothing, rode and interacted with authorities sit beside equally strong evidence that he refused involvement in violent fitna. This combination helps distinguish early ascetic discipline from simple social withdrawal.
Mutarrif's family evidence is also historically valuable. Ibn Sa'd preserves his married life, Abd Allah ibn Mutarrif is securely named as a son, and reports through a later descendant and a granddaughter through a daughter reveal a wider family line.
The three extraordinary-event traditions also demonstrate the value of graded presentation. The false-accuser prayer has meaningful classical support and a later good-chain judgment; the al-Muwarriq release event has its own distinct early chain; and the whip-light motif survives through multiple routes whose wording and grading differ. Keeping these reports separate preserves both Mutarrif's devotional reception and the actual hierarchy of evidence.
His burial tradition preserves an unusually intimate early picture of Mutarrif's personal worship and household religious life. Preparing a grave in his own house, entering it during life to recite Qur'an and being buried there after death forms a striking theme of remembrance of death and attachment to the Qur'an in his biography. Ibn Asakir also preserves a separate historical notice of a residence at al-Sukhayri.
His moral profile also preserves an early form of Basran piety in which learning, wara', worship and ordinary social engagement remained connected. Reports that he wore good clothing, rode and interacted with authorities sit beside equally strong evidence that he refused involvement in violent fitna. This combination helps distinguish early ascetic discipline from simple social withdrawal.
Mutarrif's family evidence is also historically valuable. Ibn Sa'd preserves his married life, Abd Allah ibn Mutarrif is securely named as a son, and reports through a later descendant and a granddaughter through a daughter reveal a wider family line.
The three extraordinary-event traditions also demonstrate the value of graded presentation. The false-accuser prayer has meaningful classical support and a later good-chain judgment; the al-Muwarriq release event has its own distinct early chain; and the whip-light motif survives through multiple routes whose wording and grading differ. Keeping these reports separate preserves both Mutarrif's devotional reception and the actual hierarchy of evidence.
His burial tradition preserves an unusually intimate early picture of Mutarrif's personal worship and household religious life. Preparing a grave in his own house, entering it during life to recite Qur'an and being buried there after death forms a striking theme of remembrance of death and attachment to the Qur'an in his biography. Ibn Asakir also preserves a separate historical notice of a residence at al-Sukhayri.
Family relationships
Sources
Tahdhib al-Kamal fi Asma al-Rijal | Yusuf al-Mizzi | vol. 28, Mutarrif ibn Abd Allah entry 6001, displayed pp. 67-70 | https://www.islamweb.net/ar/library/content/1001/7246/ | exact identity, kunyah, Basran nisba, teachers, pupils, reliability, fitna notice, sayings, death variants, six-book transmissionTahdhib al-Tahdhib | Ibn Hajar al-Asqalani | vol. 10, entry on Mutarrif ibn Abd Allah | https://ar.wikisource.org/wiki/تهذيب_التهذيب/بقية_حرف_الميم | reliability, transmitter network, false-accuser report, whip-light report, 95 AH versus 87 AH death discussion, Ibn Hibban birth notice
Ikmal Tahdhib al-Kamal | Mughlatay ibn Qilij | Mutarrif ibn Abd Allah entry 4595 | https://sunna.alifta.gov.sa/BookToc/ViewServicePage?bookId=52%20&mainId=540709 | extended genealogy, fitna avoidance, marriage report, death after al-Jarif, birth-age calculation discussion
Tahdhib al-Kamal fi Asma al-Rijal | Yusuf al-Mizzi | vol. 15, p. 81, entry 3329 | https://www.islamweb.net/ar/library/content/1001/3610/ | father Abd Allah ibn al-Shikhkhir, Companion status, sons Mutarrif/Yazid/Hani, Basran association
Tahdhib al-Kamal fi Asma al-Rijal | Yusuf al-Mizzi | vol. 16, pp. 150-151, entry 3576 | https://islamweb.net/ar/library/content/1001/3874/ | named son Abd Allah ibn Mutarrif, kunyah Abu Juz, Basran identity, death before his father
Al-Tabaqat al-Kubra | Muhammad ibn Sa'd | vol. 7, displayed p. 105 | https://www.masaha.org/book/view/2060/page/105 | directly attested unnamed wife, variant marriage settlement, illness report calling for his son
Al-Tabaqat al-Kubra | Muhammad ibn Sa'd | vol. 7, displayed p. 180, entry 3184 | https://www.masaha.org/book/view/2060/page/180 | named son Abd Allah ibn Mutarrif and his death before Mutarrif; same displayed section also preserves al-Muwarriq imprisonment/release report through Ghaylan ibn Jarir
Kitab al-Zuhd | Ahmad ibn Hanbal | report 1359, Mutarrif section | https://www.islamweb.net/ar/library/content/1013/1358/index.php | descendant witness, grave dug in his house, Qur'an recitation there, burial in that grave
Siyar A'lam al-Nubala | Shams al-Din al-Dhahabi | vol. 4, Mutarrif ibn Abd Allah entry | https://islamweb.net/ar/library/content/60/520/ | fitna avoidance, Haruriyya context, whip-light variants and broader classical reception
Hilyat al-Awliya wa Tabaqat al-Asfiya | Abu Nu'aym al-Isfahani | vol. 2, Mutarrif, extraordinary reports | https://www.islamweb.net/ar/library/content/131/593/ | false-accuser prayer chain and multiple whip/light or related extraordinary reports
Al-Isaba fi Tamyiz al-Sahaba | Ibn Hajar al-Asqalani | vol. 6, Mutarrif entry | https://ar.wikisource.org/wiki/صفحة:الإصابة_في_تمييز_الصحابة6.pdf/158 | Tabi'i classification, Ibn Hibban birth notice, reliability, granddaughter report, good-chain assessment for Mujabi al-Da'wa false-accuser report
Sharh Usul I'tiqad Ahl al-Sunna wa al-Jama'a | Hibat Allah al-Lalaka'i | vol. 9, pp. 237-240, reports 171 onward | https://www.islamweb.net/ar/library/content/110/260/ | classical karamah chapter preserving false-accuser and associated Mutarrif reports with isnads
Sunan Abi Dawud / Sunan al-Nasa'i / Musnad Ahmad | Abu Dawud 904; al-Nasa'i 1214; Ahmad 16312/16326 variants | https://dorar.net/h/4FTyfcUF?osoul=1 | direct hadith-chain evidence Thabit al-Bunani -> Mutarrif -> his father Abd Allah describing the Prophet's weeping in prayer
Tarikh Madinat Dimashq | Ibn Asakir | Mutarrif biography, displayed pp. 27171-27172 | https://kitab.habibur.com/dameshk/page/27141-27187/ | residence in the badia at al-Sukhayri several days from Basra; whip-light versions including servant/son/relative witnesses
Al-Bidaya wa al-Nihaya | Ibn Kathir | vol. 9, Mutarrif ibn Abd Allah biography | https://ar.wikisource.org/wiki/البداية_والنهاية/الجزء_التاسع/مطرف_بن_عبد_الله_بن_الشخير | later classical synthesis of his senior Tabi'i standing, sayings and accepted-prayer reputation
Project Central Registry Snapshot | current PERSON / miracle-candidate database | checked 2026-09-09 | internal Library corpus | confirms protected PER-000422 identity; no safe exact central PER code recovered for the father or named son; stale historical miracle mapping to PER-000425 rejected because current PER-000425 is Abd Allah ibn Ghalib
Gallery
No approved images yet.
📤 Submit a photo of this person or place
The image will remain private until approved.
💬 Visitor comments
No approved comments yet. Be the first to comment.
Comments are published after administrator approval.