Sa‘id Ibn Al-Musayyib son of Hazn, Abu Muhammad Al-Qurashi, Al-Makhzoumi, the scholar of the people of Medina, and the master of the tabiheen (followers of the companions) of his time (may Allah have mercy on him)
He was born two years after Umar became the caliph, may Allah be pleased with him.
On the authority of Sa‘id Ibn Al-Musayyib, his grandfather Hazn came to the Prophet, peace and blessing be upon him, and said: What is your name? He said: Hazn (hardship). He said: Rather, you are ease. He said: O Messenger of Allah, a name given to me by my parents, and I am well known by it, so the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, kept quiet. Sa’id said: till date we are still known for hardship.
He, may Allah have mercy on him, was outstanding in knowledge and religious observances. As for knowledge: it used to walk days and nights in quest of a single hadith, and he used to give “Fatwa” (religious pronouncement) while the Companions were alive.
Imam Makhoul described him as the scholar of scholars.
Maymoun bn Mahran said: I came to Medina and asked about its most knowledgeable scholar, so I was referred to Sa‘id Ibn Al-Musayyib’. Maymoun said this even after his meeting with Abu Hurairah and Ibn Abbas.
Umar bin Abdul Aziz, the governor of Medina, may Allah have mercy on him, did not judge a single case until he asked Sa‘id Ibn Al-Musayyib.
As for religious observances, he never missed prayer in congregation for forty years, and the muazzin (caller) did not call to prayer for thirty years except that he was already in the mosque, and he performed Hajj forty times. He (may Allah have mercy on him) was a proverbial example of self-esteem and steadfastness on the truth. He does not accept the gifts of the rulers, and he faced many challenges with them.
One of his quotes was: Do not fill your eyes with the helpers of darkness except with denial from your hearts. Lest your actions will be nullified.
Abd al-Malik bin Marawan approached the daughter of Sa’id, to be engaged to his son Al-Waleed, but Sa’id refused and was punished with severe torturing and flogging, yet he did not yield. He instead married her to one of his students that lost his wife, he took his daughter to him himself. His daughter was one of the most beautiful women and one of the soundest memorizers of the holy book. She was also one of the most knowledgeable of the prophet’s sunnah and of husband’s rights.
He (may Allah have mercy on him) possesses the knowledge of the interpretation of dreams, and his speeches were of wisdom and exhortations. One of the beautiful things he said: There is no good in a person who does not want to gather wealth from his rightful earnings, which he pays its dues and prevent himself from begging.
He died (may Allah have mercy on him) in the year 94 AH.