Abdullah ibn Maslamah ibn Qa'nab al-Qa'nabi, also known as Imam al-Qa'nabi, was an early Muhaddith who was one of the Tabi' al-Tabi'een. He was the teacher of several great scholars, such as Imam al-Bukhari, Imam Muslim, Imam Abu Dawood and Imam Abu Zu'rah ar-Razi. His status is rather, Thiqah Hujjah, and Imam al-Bukhari narrated at least a hundred narrations from him in Sahih al-Bukhari. But, did you know, Imam al-Qa'nabi used to be a gangster and a drunkard, before he became one of the greatest early Muslim scholars?
Before his repentance, Imam al-Qa'nabi, or Abdullah, as we will refer to him in the story of his life, was a big drunkard. People feared him, because he was very aggressive. He would drink wine with his best buddies at his home. He was very rude, and had an extremely bad temper as well. Hence, he was not well-liked by his village, and some people despised him.
One day, there was an occasion where Abdullah was with his friends drinking wine. Suddenly, in front of him, he saw a large rush of people. The people were gathering around someone, and this person was seated on a donkey. Abdullah was curious, and he wanted to know who this person was. So he went with a bottle of alcohol in his hand and asked the people around, “Who is this?” The people replied, “This is a very famous Imam.” So, Abdullah asked, “What is the name of this Imam?” And they told him the name of this Imam was Shu'bah bin al-Hajjaj.” And they also told him that Shu'bah was a Muhaddith, a person who narrates, memorizes, teaches & acts upon the sayings of the Prophet ﷺ.
Abdullah walked up to Shu'bah, and challenged him, “So you call yourself a Muhaddith, and if you are one, then narrate to me one Hadith.” Shu'bah noticed that Abdullah was holding a bottle of wine in his hand. So he told Abdullah, “And if you do not feel ashamed, then do whatever you like.” (This Hadith is found in Sahih al-Bukhari, 6120.) When Abdullah heard this Hadith, he dropped the wine bottle and said, “Did the Prophet ﷺ say that if you have no shame, do whatever you want?” He then started asking himself, “Am I a shameless person?” This Hadith was unforgettable for Abdullah. He went home and stayed there, some days in his room, crying, thinking, “What have I done with my life until now? I kept on drinking alcohol, disobeying Allah.”
He came out of his room and told his mother, “I am leaving this country. I asked the scholars, the ulema that I want to acquire the knowledge of Islam. I want to be like Shu'bah ibn al-Hajjaj. He is a Muhaddith, why am I not a Muhaddith? If Shu'bah can be a Muhaddith, that means I can also be one!” He asked the scholars how to be one, and they said, “Go to the Madrasah. Imam Malik is one of the greatest Imams of this time. If you become his student, then you can become a Muhaddith, Insha'Allah!”
Abdullah travelled from Basrah in Iraq, to Arabia. He made his way to Madinah, and he went to Imam Malik. He studied under the great Imam, and memorized a lot of the Hadith. After years of education, he became one of the greatest scholars of his time. He eventually taught his own students, whom we already know were Al-Bukhari, Muslim and Abu Dawood.
Imam al-Qa'nabi died in the years between 220 and 221 of the Hijrah. His burial place is disputed, some said it was in Makkah, some said it was in Basrah. He is regarded as one of the most reliable transmitter of the Muwatta' of Imam Malik. May Allah have mercy on him.
Source:
Kitab at-Tawwabin by Ibn Qudamah al-Maqdisi al-Hanbali, page 133 (the story of his repentance)
Tahzib at-Tanzib by Ibn Hajar al-Asqalani, volume 6, page 32 (about the legacy and death of Imam al-Qa'nabi)
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