While the total number of the Companions (Sahabah) is estimated to be between 60,000 and 100,000, hadiths are reported to have been narrated from only about 1,000 to 1,300 of them. This means that no narrations have reached us from the vast majority of the Companions. Moreover, the number of hadiths transmitted from many of those is quite a few. Indeed, of this group of around 1,000 Companions, nearly 600 are associated with only one or two hadiths. The number of Companions from whom 100 or more hadiths are narrated is 38, while those with 1,000 or more is only 7.
In the history of hadith literature, those Companions from whom more than 1,000 hadiths are transmitted are called al-Muqsirun (those who narrate many hadiths). Those characterized as muqsirun among the Companions and the number of narrations transmitted from them are listed as follows: Abu Hurayrah (5374), Abdullah b. Umar (2630), Anas b. Malik (2286), A'ishah (2210), Abdullah b. Abbas (1660), Jabir b. Abdillah (1540), and Abu Sa‘id al-Khudri (1170). First of all, let us note that these given figures include repeated narrations coming through different students or different chains of transmitters. Therefore, we should point out that when repetitive hadiths are excluded, these numbers decrease significantly. Additionally, let us remind that these figures do not solely consist of hadiths narrated independently by the respective Companion; for instance, the same hadith might have been narrated both by Abu Hurayrah and another Companion.
Now, let us get to know these Companions characterized as muqsirun one by one, and try to understand the reasons why a large number of hadiths were narrated from them.
Abu Hurayrah is the Companion from whom the highest number of hadiths is narrated. Abu Hurayrah converted to Islam in the 7th year of the Hijrah and, from that date on, sought never to leave the side of the Prophet(pbuh). He stayed in the “Suffah,” which is the section of Masjid al-Nabawi initially built for Companions who lacked a home and later transformed into a center of learning, and remained close to the Prophet. In a narration, expressing his diligence in learning hadiths, he stated: "While our Muhajirun brothers were occupied with trade in the markets and our Ansar brothers with their property and labor, Abu Hurayrah stayed with the Prophet for the sake of a full stomach, attending gatherings which they did not attend, and learning and memorizing things they could not hear" (Bukhari, ‘Ilm, 42).
Abdullah b. Umar is in the second place in terms of the number of narrations among the muqsirun Companions. Abdullah b. Umar is the son of Umar, one of the closest companions (ashab) of the Prophet. Moreover, his sister Hafsah is one of the wives of the Prophet. Besides enjoying such closeness to the Prophet, although he had a home in Medina, he strove to increase his knowledge by staying in the Suffah.
Another prominent figure among the muqsirun is Anas b. Malik. When the Messenger of Allah migrated to Medina, Anas b. Malik was a ten-year-old child; he was brought to the Prophet by his family and served him until the Prophet’s passing. Therefore, he grew up under the direct tutelage of the Prophet and closely witnessed his daily life.
The Prophet's wife, A'ishah, is also among the muqsirun. Having a special place in our history due to her intelligence and strong memory, A'ishah narrated numerous hadiths concerning the daily life, worship, and morals of the Messenger of Allah.
Another of the muqsirun Companions is Abdullah b. Abbas. He was both the cousin of the Prophet and the nephew of his wife, Maymunah. For this reason, he had the opportunity to be close to the Messenger of Allah. Furthermore, it is known that the Prophet prayed for him to comprehend the Quran (Bukhari, ‘Ilm, 17) and to attain a profound understanding in religious matters (Bukhari, Wuḍu’, 10). Indeed, Abdullah b. Abbas became a prominent figure in the sciences of exegesis (tafsir) and jurisprudence (fiqh), and numerous people benefited from him.
The sixth of the muqsirun Companions is Jabir b. Abdillah. It is recorded that Jabir b. Abdillah, a Companion from Medina, was the youngest member of the delegation that participated in the Second Pledge of Aqabah, and thus his encounters with the Prophet date back to the pre-Hijrah period. Jabir b. Abdillah especially enjoyed the special attention of the Prophet after his father was martyred at the Battle of Uhud. Following his father's passing, he participated in many military expeditions (ghazawat) alongside the Prophet and took part in the most significant events.
The final name counted among the muqsirun is Abu Sa‘id al-Khudri. Although Abu Sa‘id was from Medina, he stayed in the Suffah section of the Prophet's Mosque and increased his opportunity to benefit from the Messenger of Allah. He is considered one of the most knowledgeable among the younger Companions.
Now let us think about why the numbers of hadiths narrated from these seven Companions regarded as muqsirun are greater. First of all, as can be seen, these Companions are individuals who had the opportunity to be in the immediate inner circle of the Prophet. This circumstance naturally enabled them to learn a greater number of hadiths compared to many other Companions. It is also notable that each of them was among the younger Companions and lived for a long time after the Prophet. Abu Hurayrah and A'ishah lived for 47 years after the Prophet, Abdullah b. Abbas for 57 years, Abdullah b. Umar, Abu Sa‘id al-Khudri, and Jabir b. Abdillah for well over 60 years, and Anas b. Malik for 82 years after the Prophet. This allowed them to transmit hadiths to a greater number of people over time. On the other hand, although Companions such as Abu Bakr and Umar were very close to the Prophet, they passed away at earlier dates, and their hadith narrations remained limited because they had to occupy themselves with state affairs.
Each of the Companions within the muqsirun also came to the forefront with their scholarly capacities. It is seen that they lived in important centers of learning, mainly in Medina as it was the center and home of the Sunnah, and that they were the individuals whose knowledge was sought after, particularly after the passing of the Prophet and the senior Companions. The fact that each of them had a remarkably large number of students also supports this finding. In fact, it is known that some of the individuals who were students to these Companions recorded hadiths in writing. Thus, all these enumerated features naturally caused the number of hadiths narrated from these Companions to increase.
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Note: This article constitutes a component of a broad-perspective study conducted by the Meridyen Association, for the benefit of Muslims, particularly in the context of hadith, sunnah and related subjects. The issues addressed were discussed in detail by a group of experts in their respective fields, and each article was written independently by the relevant author. The following researchers were consulted for this study: Prof. Dr. Ahmet Yücel, Prof. Dr. Ayşe Esra Şahyar, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Fatma Kızıl, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Rahile Kızılkaya Yılmaz, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Dilek Tekin, and Dr. Betül Yılmazörnek.
Translated by Merve Tosun.
