Al-Fadl ibn Shadhan

Little is known about his life. He was probably born at the end of the 2nd century AH (791-816 AD). He lived and grew up in Nishapur, as his nisba al-Azdi indicates; he belonged to the Arab tribe of Azd.[1] He was the son of Shadhan ibn Khalil, a well known Imami traditionalist.[2] Al-Fadl and his family migrated to Baghdad when he was young, where he began his education and later relocated to the neighboring city of Kufa and then finally to Wasit. Al-Fadl studied under prominent scholars such as al-Ḥasan ibn al-Faddal, Nasr ibn Muzahim, Safwan ibn Yahya and Hammad ibn Isa, and was also recorded to have been a disciple of the imam Ali al-Ridha. After spending years in Iraq, al-Fadl returned to Nishapur and continued his educational activities until he was exiled by the Tahirid government for reportedly practicing Shi'ism; however, the sentence did not last for long. During his exile, he stayed in hiding in Bayhaq, a town near Nishapur. While in hiding, he became ill and eventually died in 873 or 874 AD. A mausoleum dedicated to him is located in Nishapur.[3]

• List of pre-modern Arab scientists and scholars