The Sheikha; The Alima; The Distingushed; The Musnida, her full name was: Karima bint Ahmad bin Muhammad bin Hatim al Marwaziyya[1]. She was the neighbour of the Holy Sanctuary in Makkah, where she lived until her death. Known as Umm al-Karam, she died at the age of a hundred having never married.
Her father was from Kashmihan [2} and her mother from the progeny of al-Siyari[3]. Her father took her with him to Jerusalem and then returned with her to Makkah where she remained.
She heard the Sahih of Bukhari [4] from Abu al-Haytham al-Kushmihani as well as from Zahir bin Ahmad al-Sarkhasi and Abd Allah bin Yusuf bin Bamuwiyah al-Asbahani. She taught and narrated the Sahih many times.
Abu Bakr bin Mansur Al-Sam’ani relates his father mentioned her saying ‘has anyone seen the like of Karima!’ and that al-Khatib [al-Baghdadi] read the Sahih to her in five days during the days of Haj.
Al-Safadi mentioned her saying, 'She had a long life and a high isnad'.
Amongst the luminaries that narrated from her were: al-Khatib al-Baghdadi, Abu al-Ghana’im al-Nursi, Abu Talib al-Husayn bin Muhammad al-Zaynabi, Muhammad bin Barakat al-Saeedi, Ali bin al-Husayn al-Fara' and Abdullah bin Muhammad bin Sadaqa bin al-Ghazal.
Al-Dhahabi said of her, ‘She would always compare her narration with that of the student to ensure her narration had been transmitted accurately. Not only was she a woman of great understanding, but she was also someone of immense goodness and ibadah. [5]
Muhammad Zubayr Siddiqi mentions Sheikha Karima al-Marwaziyya in Hadith Literature, Its Origins, Development & Special Features. (Islamic Texts Society) saying,
'.....Even more distinguished was Karima al- Marwaziyya (d.463/1070), who was considered the best authority on the Sahih of al-Bukhari in her time.
Abu Dharr of Herat, one of the leading scholars of the period, attached such great importance to her authority that he advised his students to study the Sahih under no one else, because of the quality of her scholarship. She thus figures as a central point in the transmission of this seminal text.
‘As a matter of fact', writes Goldziher, ‘her name occurs with extraordinary frequency in the ijazas* for narrating the text of this book'. Among her students were al- Khatib al-Baghdadi and al- Humaydi '
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[1]Marwa (Merv) an ancient city that now lies on the border between Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan
[2]Kushmihan: A village outside of Merv that no longer exists.
[3]Al-Siyari: this may refer to the governor of Khurasan, Nasr ibn Siyyar
[4]The Sahih is a seminal text of Hadith gathered by Imam Muhammad ibn Ismail al-Bukhari. (d. 870/194 AH) and is usually studied by advanced students.
*Written authorisation to teach.
