Tabi'un


The tābi‘ūn , "followers" or "successors", are the generation of Muslims who followed the Companions of the Prophet Muhammad, and thus received their teachings secondhand. A tābi‘ knew at least one ṣaḥābiyy. As such, they played an important part in the development of Islamic thought and philosophy, and in the political development of the early caliphate.
The next generation of Muslims after the tabi‘ūn are called the tābi‘ al-tabi‘īn تَابِعُو ٱلتَّابِعِينَ. The first three generations of Muhammad’s followers make up the salaf سَّلَفُ of Islam.

Sunni definition

Muslims from the Sunni branch of Islam define a tābiʻ as a Muslim who:
  1. Saw at least one of the Companions of Muhammad
  2. Was rightly-guided
  3. One who died in that state. The Khawarij are therefore not referred to as tābiʻūn even though they saw many of Muhammad's companions.
Sunni Muslims also regard the tābiʻūn as the best generation after the Companions. According to Sunni Muslims, Muhammad said: "The best people are those living in my generation, then those coming after them, and then those coming after "
The tābiʻūn are divided by most Muslim scholars into three classes:
  1. The students of Companions who accepted Islam before the conquest of Mecca
  2. The students of Companions who accepted Islam after the conquest of Mecca
  3. The students of Companions who were not yet adults at the time of Muhammad's passing

    List of tābiʻūn

The first tābiʻ to die was Zayd ibn Ma'mar ibn Zayd, 30 years after the hijra, and the last to die was Khalaf ibn Khalifa, who died in 180 AH. Alternatively, since the status of Khalaf ibn Khalifa as a tābiʻ is strongly challenged by reputed scholars, the last to die from amongst them may have been Jarir bin Haazim in 170 AH. Therefore, many of the tābiʻūn were tasked with the preservation of Islamic traditions from the era of the Companions to later Muslims.