Abū Abd-Allah Najm al-Dīn Aḥmad bin Ḥamdān bin Shabīb bin Ḥamdān al-Ḥarrānī al-Ḥanbalī (
Arabic
Arabic (, ' ; , ' or ) is a Semitic languages, Semitic language spoken primarily across the Arab world.Semitic languages: an international handbook / edited by Stefan Weninger; in collaboration with Geoffrey Khan, Michael P. Streck, Janet C ...
: أبو عبد الله نجم الدِّين أحمد بن حمدان بن شبيب بن حمدان الحراني الحنبلي) commonly known as Ibn Hamdan—was a
Hanbalite
The Hanbali school ( ar, ٱلْمَذْهَب ٱلْحَنۢبَلِي, al-maḏhab al-ḥanbalī) is one of the four major traditional Sunni schools (''madhahib'') of Islamic jurisprudence. It is named after the Arab scholar Ahmad ibn Hanbal (d ...
Muslim
Muslims ( ar, المسلمون, , ) are people who adhere to Islam, a monotheistic religion belonging to the Abrahamic tradition. They consider the Quran, the foundational religious text of Islam, to be the verbatim word of the God of Abrah ...
scholar and judge (1206–1295). Ibn Hamdan was born and raised in
Harran
Harran (), historically known as Carrhae ( el, Kάρραι, Kárrhai), is a rural town and district of the Şanlıurfa Province in southeastern Turkey, approximately 40 kilometres (25 miles) southeast of Urfa and 20 kilometers from the border cr ...
and later in his life went on trips to
Damascus
)), is an adjective which means "spacious".
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,
Aleppo
)), is an adjective which means "white-colored mixed with black".
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and
Jerusalem
Jerusalem (; he, יְרוּשָׁלַיִם ; ar, القُدس ) (combining the Biblical and common usage Arabic names); grc, Ἱερουσαλήμ/Ἰεροσόλυμα, Hierousalḗm/Hierosóluma; hy, Երուսաղեմ, Erusałēm. i ...
, later settling in
Cairo
Cairo ( ; ar, القاهرة, al-Qāhirah, ) is the capital of Egypt and its largest city, home to 10 million people. It is also part of the largest urban agglomeration in Africa, the Arab world and the Middle East: The Greater Cairo metro ...
. Ibn Hamdan was appointed judge in Cairo and he lived there until his death in 1295.
Ibn Hamdan was highly skilled in jurisprudence and is considered one of the Imams of the
Hanbalite
The Hanbali school ( ar, ٱلْمَذْهَب ٱلْحَنۢبَلِي, al-maḏhab al-ḥanbalī) is one of the four major traditional Sunni schools (''madhahib'') of Islamic jurisprudence. It is named after the Arab scholar Ahmad ibn Hanbal (d ...
school of
jurisprudence
Jurisprudence, or legal theory, is the theoretical study of the propriety of law. Scholars of jurisprudence seek to explain the nature of law in its most general form and they also seek to achieve a deeper understanding of legal reasoning a ...
. He was also highly knowledgeable in the fields of the
Quran
The Quran (, ; Standard Arabic: , Classical Arabic, Quranic Arabic: , , 'the recitation'), also romanized Qur'an or Koran, is the central religious text of Islam, believed by Muslims to be a revelation in Islam, revelation from God in Islam, ...
,
Sunnah
In Islam, , also spelled ( ar, سنة), are the traditions and practices of the Islamic prophet Muhammad that constitute a model for Muslims to follow. The sunnah is what all the Muslims of Muhammad's time evidently saw and followed and passed ...
,
algebra
Algebra () is one of the broad areas of mathematics. Roughly speaking, algebra is the study of mathematical symbols and the rules for manipulating these symbols in formulas; it is a unifying thread of almost all of mathematics.
Elementary a ...
and
literature
Literature is any collection of written work, but it is also used more narrowly for writings specifically considered to be an art form, especially prose fiction, drama, and poetry. In recent centuries, the definition has expanded to include ...
. Ibn Hamdan was also a
Mufti
A Mufti (; ar, مفتي) is an Islamic jurist qualified to issue a nonbinding opinion ('' fatwa'') on a point of Islamic law (''sharia''). The act of issuing fatwas is called ''iftāʾ''. Muftis and their ''fatwas'' played an important rol ...
and a teacher.
Teachers
Abd-al-Qadir al-Rahawi, Fakhr al-Din ibn Taymiyah, Yousuf al-Sakakini al-Harrani, Abu-Bakr bin Nasir al-Harrani, Sulama bin Sadaqa, Nasih al-Din bin Jumay', Abu-Ali al-Iwqi, Ibn-Sabbah, Ibn-Ghassa, Ibn-Ruzbah, Ibn-Siddiq al-Harrani, Nasih al-Din bin Abi-al-Fahm, Shams al-Din al-Munja, Ibn-Salama al-Najjar, Ibn Khalil,
Majd al-Din ibn Taymiyah.
Students
Ibn Abi-Bakr al-Harbi, Sayf al-Din al-Nablusi, Sharaf al-Din al-Dimyati, Sa'd al-Din al-Harthi, Ibn al-Haddad al-Amidi, Zain al-Din bin Habib, Ibn Jubara al-Maqdisi, Ibn Mas'ud al-Harthi,
Fath al-Din bin Sayid al-Nas, Qutb al-Din Abd-al-Karim, 'alam al-Din al-Birzali,
Jamal al-Din al-Mizzi
Jamāl al-Dīn Abū al-Ḥajjāj Yūsuf ibn al-Zakī ʻAbd al-Raḥmān ibn Yūsuf ibn ʻAbd al-Malik ibn Yūsuf al-Kalbī al-Quḍā’ī al-Mizzī, ( ar, يوسف بن عبد الرحمن المزي), also called Al-Ḥāfiẓ Abī al-Ḥajj ...
, Badr al-Din bin al-Habbal, Sanqar al-Hawashi, Ibn abi-al-Qasim al-Farqi, Ibn abi-al-Haram al-Qalansi.
Publications
* Nihayat al-Mubtadi'in fi Usul al-Deen
* Al-Ri'aya al-Kubra
* Al-Ri'aya al-Sughra
* Sifat al-Mufti wa-al-Mustafti
* Muqaddima fi Usul al-Din
* Jami' al-Funun wa-Salwat al-Mahzun
Notes
: Uncle of
Taqi ad-Din Ibn Taymiyyah (brother of Shihabuddin Ibn Taymiyyah).
[Arikewuyo, Ahmed Nafiu. "A Comparative Study of al-Ghazali's and Ibn Taymiyyah's Views on Sufism." International Journal of Islamic Thought 17 (2020): 15-24.]
: Father of Fakr al-din Ibn Taymiyyah, grandfather of
Taqi ad-Din.
References
{{Hanbali scholars
Hanbalis
13th-century Muslim scholars of Islam
Sunni Muslim scholars
People from Harran
1206 births
1295 deaths