Ghulam al-Khallal
Ghulam al-Khallal, full name Abu Bakr 'Abd al-Aziz ibn Ja'far, was a Muslim Hanbali scholar and theologian. He was a close student of Abu Bakr al-Khallal, hence he received his name Ghulam, which means assistant. Ghulam al-Khallal was also a trustworthy narrator of Hadith.
Biography
Ghulam al-Khallal was born in 898. Not much is known about his early life. He is known to have been a companion of Ahmad ibn Hanbal, the founder of the Hanbali school of thought. The historian al-Dhahabi praised him, saying that “no one came after the companions of Ahmad like Ghulam al-Khallal, and no one came after him in turn like Abdul Aziz, unless he was Abu al-Qasim al-Kharaqani.” Ghulam al-Khallal was also a Hadith narrator, and scholars including Ibn Battah narrated from him.
Death and legacy
Ghulam al-Khallal died in the year 973, and was buried in Baghdad, Iraq. His grave is believed to be located in the mausoleum room of the Al-Khilani Mosque which is now a Shi'ite shrine dedicated to the Shi'ite saint Abu Ja'far Muhammad ibn Uthman. Modern historians including Imad Abd al-Salam Rauf and Yunus as-Samarrai have identified the grave in the mausoleum as belonging to Ghulam al-Khallal.