Aban ibn Taghlib


Abu Sa'id Aban ibn Taghlib ibn Rubah al-Kindi was a famous muslim scholar, Quranic reciter, jurisprudence, exegetist and traditionalist.
There is no information about his birthplace but he is believed to be from Kufa. Aban devoted most of his life to Ahl al-Bayt.
He was also close companions to Imam Ali Zayn al-Abidin ibn Husayn, Imam Muhammad al-Baqir and Imam Ja'far al-Sadiq. He studied various branches of science, in particular hadith from them and attained a prominent position in the school of Imam al-Sadiq. Aban is famous to have quoted extensively from Imam Sadiq and it is reported that he narrated thirty thousand hadiths from him. He is also considered the most outstanding Quranic reciter and his style of Quranic recitation is very famous. He was the first person to publish a book about the meaning of the Holy Quraan which was renewed with different interpretations every year and is still used by many scholars and students even today.
He was considered a master of Quran traditions, jurisprudence, literature, syntax and philology. He was Appointed by Imam Mohammad al-Baqir to work in Medina. Shaykh Tusi has reported that Imam al-Sadiq appointed him to conduct scholarly discourse. Imam Sadiq ordered him to "Sit in the Masjid of the Prophet and in the religious issues give verdict to the people. I love to have my Shia like Aban ibn Taghlib."
Shi'ite scholars consider him reliable and the Sunni scholars such as Al-Nasa'i and Al-Dhahabi which confirmed his reliability and trustiness in his biographical dictionary saying "Aban ibn Taghlib the Kuffen a staunched Shi'ite but trustful, to us his trust, and to him his heresy" he also narrated that Ahmad ibn Hanbal, Yahya ibn Mu'in and Abu Hatam have confirmed him trustful. Books compiled by Aban are now missing but the books ascribed to him in the catalogues are as follows:
  1. Ma'ani al-Quran
  2. Kitab al-Qira'at
  3. Al-Garib fil-Quran
  4. Al-Fadail
  5. Kitab Siffin