THE CONTEMPORARY RELEVANCE OF STUDYING THE LEGACY OF IMAM AL-TIRMIDHI

Abstract

 This article examines the life, scholarly formation, principal works,

and enduring contemporary relevance of the hadith scholar Imam Abu ‘Isa Muhammad

al-Tirmidhi (209/824–279/892 CE), who hailed from the city of Termez in southern

Uzbekistan. The study analyses Tirmidhi’s distinctive contributions to hadith science

– most notably his introduction of the category of “hasan” hadith and his systematic

integration of jurisprudential organization within the canonical collection “Sunan al-

Tirmidhi” – and situates these contributions within the broader intellectual landscape

of ninth-century Transoxiana, characterized by an extraordinary concentration of

hadith scholars across the region. The article also surveys post-independence Uzbek

scholarship on Tirmidhi’s legacy and reflects on the ethical and educational dimensions

of his exemplary scholarly conduct for the contemporary reader.