What is the benefit of knowing the birth and death dates of the Companions, as recorded in books of biography, even though the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, said: "Be keen on what benefits you"?

Knowledge of the history of nations is an undeniable virtue, and Al-Hafiz Al-Sakhawi considered it one of the greatest acts of worship and most obligatory sciences. Ibn Al-Atheer and Al-Salawi emphasized the benefits of historical knowledge, noting that the Holy Quran itself is rich with stories of past nations to strengthen faith, and that the Prophet, peace be upon him, used to recount these stories to his companions.

One of the most important aspects of historical knowledge is the mention of birth and death dates, which the Holy Quran used to refute the claims of Jews and Christians regarding Ibrahim (Abraham), peace be upon him, since the Torah and the Gospel were revealed after him.

The importance of the birth and death dates of Hadith narrators (from the Companions and others) lies in preserving the Prophetic Sunnah, because the Islamic religion is based on revelation (the Quran and the Sunnah). When falsehood and innovations appeared, inquiring about the chain of narration (isnad) and the conditions of the narrators became a necessity.

The science of "Dates and Deaths" is an important discipline by which the continuity and disconnection of Hadith can be known, and it exposes the falsehood of those who claim to narrate from individuals they did not meet. Knowing the birth date of the narrator and the death date of the one from whom he narrates enables scholars to verify the continuity of the chain and to uncover the falsity of alleged narrations, as happened in many cases such as the claim of narrating from Ibn Umar after his death, or from Khalid ibn Ma'dan after his death, or from Ibn Tawus before the birth of the narrator. Therefore, scholars were keen to record birth and death dates to expose liars and preserve the Sunnah.