Imam Abu Dawud (full name Abu-Dawud Sulaiman bin Al-Aash'ath Al-Azdi as-Sijistani) was born in 202 A.H in Sajistan, a place near Qandhar in Afghanistan. He was one of the most widely travelled of the scholars of ahadith, going to Saudi Arabia, Iraq, Tarsus, Damascus, Khurasahn, Egypt, Basra, Syria, Nishapur, Marv, and other places for the sole purpose of collecting ahadith. His primary interest was in law (fiqh), hence his collection focuses purely on legal ahadith. From about 50,000 ahadith, he chose 4,800 for inclusion in his work based on their superior authenticity.
Imam Abu Dawud died in 275 A.H. at the age of 73. (To Allah we belong and to Him we shall return).