Imam Abd Al-Rahman ibn Ahmad ibn Rajab
(736-795 AH/1335–1393 CE), best known as ''Ibn Rajab Al-Hanbali'' and also ''Ibn Rajab'', which was a nickname he inherited from his grandfather who was born in the month of Rajab, was a Muslim scholar.
Biography
Imam Ibn Rajab was born in
Baghdad
Baghdad (; ar, بَغْدَاد , ) is the capital of Iraq and the second-largest city in the Arab world after Cairo. It is located on the Tigris near the ruins of the ancient city of Babylon and the Sassanid Persian capital of Ctesiphon ...
in 1335 (736H). His grandfather was a scholar of
Islam
Islam (; ar, ۘالِإسلَام, , ) is an Abrahamic religions, Abrahamic Monotheism#Islam, monotheistic religion centred primarily around the Quran, a religious text considered by Muslims to be the direct word of God in Islam, God (or ...
with a focus in
Hadith
Ḥadīth ( or ; ar, حديث, , , , , , , literally "talk" or "discourse") or Athar ( ar, أثر, , literally "remnant"/"effect") refers to what the majority of Muslims believe to be a record of the words, actions, and the silent approval ...
. His father, also born in
Baghdad
Baghdad (; ar, بَغْدَاد , ) is the capital of Iraq and the second-largest city in the Arab world after Cairo. It is located on the Tigris near the ruins of the ancient city of Babylon and the Sassanid Persian capital of Ctesiphon ...
, studied under a number of scholars. At the age of five Ibn Rajab's family moved to
Damascus
)), is an adjective which means "spacious".
, motto =
, image_flag = Flag of Damascus.svg
, image_seal = Emblem of Damascus.svg
, seal_type = Seal
, map_caption =
, ...
, then traveled to
Jerusalem
Jerusalem (; he, יְרוּשָׁלַיִם ; ar, القُدس ) (combining the Biblical and common usage Arabic names); grc, Ἱερουσαλήμ/Ἰεροσόλυμα, Hierousalḗm/Hierosóluma; hy, Երուսաղեմ, Erusałēm. i ...
where he studied under al-Alla'i, then back to
Baghdad
Baghdad (; ar, بَغْدَاد , ) is the capital of Iraq and the second-largest city in the Arab world after Cairo. It is located on the Tigris near the ruins of the ancient city of Babylon and the Sassanid Persian capital of Ctesiphon ...
and from there to
Mecca
Mecca (; officially Makkah al-Mukarramah, commonly shortened to Makkah ()) is a city and administrative center of the Mecca Province of Saudi Arabia, and the Holiest sites in Islam, holiest city in Islam. It is inland from Jeddah on the Red ...
.
While in
Mecca
Mecca (; officially Makkah al-Mukarramah, commonly shortened to Makkah ()) is a city and administrative center of the Mecca Province of Saudi Arabia, and the Holiest sites in Islam, holiest city in Islam. It is inland from Jeddah on the Red ...
his father arranged for him to study
Islam
Islam (; ar, ۘالِإسلَام, , ) is an Abrahamic religions, Abrahamic Monotheism#Islam, monotheistic religion centred primarily around the Quran, a religious text considered by Muslims to be the direct word of God in Islam, God (or ...
as well. He then traveled to
Egypt
Egypt ( ar, مصر , ), officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, is a transcontinental country spanning the northeast corner of Africa and southwest corner of Asia via a land bridge formed by the Sinai Peninsula. It is bordered by the Mediter ...
before returning to
Damascus
)), is an adjective which means "spacious".
, motto =
, image_flag = Flag of Damascus.svg
, image_seal = Emblem of Damascus.svg
, seal_type = Seal
, map_caption =
, ...
, where he taught students of his own. Some of the scholars he studied under were Ibn an-Naqeeb (d. 769H), as-Subki, al-Iraqi (d. 806H), and Muhammad Ibn Ismail al-Khabbaz. He also studied with
Ibn Qayyim al-Jawziyyah
Shams al-Dīn Abū ʿAbd Allāh Muḥammad ibn Abī Bakr ibn Ayyūb al-Zurʿī l-Dimashqī l-Ḥanbalī (29 January 1292–15 September 1350 CE / 691 AH–751 AH), commonly known as Ibn Qayyim al-Jawziyya ("The son of the principal of he school ...
up to Ibn al-Qayyim's death. Ibn Rajab's commentary on the forty hadith of
Nawawi The Arabic attributive title Nawawi ( ar, النووي), denoting an origin from Nawa, Syria, may refer to:
* Al-Nawawi (1233–1277), Sunni Muslim author on Fiqh and hadith
* Aznil Nawawi (born 1962), Malaysian actor
* Mirnawan Nawawi (born 1971), ...
(Jami' al-Ulum wa al-Hikam) is one of the largest and is generally considered the best commentary available. Near the end of his life, Ibn Rajab began composing a commentary on
Sahih Bukhari
Sahih al-Bukhari ( ar, صحيح البخاري, translit=Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī), group=note is a ''hadith'' collection and a book of '' sunnah'' compiled by the Persian scholar Muḥammad ibn Ismā‘īl al-Bukhārī (810–870) around 846. Al ...
, but unfortunately only reached the chapter on the funeral prayers before he died. He had named his work ''Fath al-Bari'' and what he did write has been published by ''Dar Ibn al-Jawzi'' in seven volumes. This amounts to less than a sixth of
Sahih Bukhari
Sahih al-Bukhari ( ar, صحيح البخاري, translit=Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī), group=note is a ''hadith'' collection and a book of '' sunnah'' compiled by the Persian scholar Muḥammad ibn Ismā‘īl al-Bukhārī (810–870) around 846. Al ...
. Twenty years after Ibn Rajab's death,
Ibn Hajar al-Asqalani
Ibn Ḥajar al-ʿAsqalānī or ''Ibn Ḥajar'' ( ar, ابن حجر العسقلاني, full name: ''Shihābud-Dīn Abul-Faḍl Aḥmad ibn Nūrud-Dīn ʿAlī ibn Muḥammad ibn Ḥajar al-ʿAsqalānī al-Kināni'') (18 February 1372 – 2 Febru ...
began his commentary on
Sahih Bukhari
Sahih al-Bukhari ( ar, صحيح البخاري, translit=Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī), group=note is a ''hadith'' collection and a book of '' sunnah'' compiled by the Persian scholar Muḥammad ibn Ismā‘īl al-Bukhārī (810–870) around 846. Al ...
and gave his own work the same title in honour of Ibn Rajab.
Death
Ibn Rajab died on a Monday night 4th of Ramadhan 795AH (1393), at the age of fifty-nine, in a garden area he had rented in
Damascus
)), is an adjective which means "spacious".
, motto =
, image_flag = Flag of Damascus.svg
, image_seal = Emblem of Damascus.svg
, seal_type = Seal
, map_caption =
, ...
. His funeral prayer was performed the next day and he was buried in the Baab as-Sagheer graveyard.
Comments from other Muslim scholars
Ibn Qadi Shuhbah said of him in his biography:
"He read and became proficient in the various fields of science. He engrossed himself with the issues of the (
Hanbali
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 ...
) maddhab until he mastered it. He devoted himself to the occupation of knowledge of the texts, defects and meanings of the Hadith. And he withdrew himself in seclusion in order to write."
Al-Hafidh ibn Hajr al-Asqalani said of him:
"He was highly proficient in the scientific disciplines of Hadith in terms of the names of reporters, their biographies, their paths of narration and awareness of their meanings."
[Inbaa-ul-Ghamr]
Imaam ibn Muflih al-Hanbali said of him:
"He was the Shaikh, the great scholar, the Hafidh, the one who abstained from the worldly life. He was the Shaikh of the
Hanbali
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 ...
maddhab and he wrote many beneficial books."
Works
Tafsir and Qur'anic studies
* ''Tafsir Surah al-Ikhlaas''
* ''Tafsir Surah al-Faatihah''
* ''Tafsir Surah an-Nasr''
* ''I'raab al-Bismillah''
* ''Al-Istighnaa bil-Qur'an''
Hadith studies and explanations
* ''Sharh
Jaami' al-Tirmidhi'' of which only the last portion of remains – ''Sharh 'Ilal at-Tirmidhi''
* Fath al-Bari bi Sharh Sahih al-Bukhari ( A commentary on
Sahih Bukhari
Sahih al-Bukhari ( ar, صحيح البخاري, translit=Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī), group=note is a ''hadith'' collection and a book of '' sunnah'' compiled by the Persian scholar Muḥammad ibn Ismā‘īl al-Bukhārī (810–870) around 846. Al ...
)
* Jami' al-'Uloom wal-Hikam fi Sharh khamsina Hadithan min Jawami al-Kalim (published in English translation as ''The Compendium of Knowledge and Wisdom'' by Turath Publishing Ltd., London, July 2007)
* Maa Dhi'bani Ja'iaan ursilaa fi Ghanam
* Ikhtiyaar al-Awlaa fi Sharh Hadith Ikhtisaam al-Mala al-A'alaa
* Noor al-Iqtibas fi Mishkaat Wasiyyat an-Nabi Libn Abbas ( Explanation of the advice of the Prophet to Ibn 'Abbas )
* Ghayat an-Nafa fi Sharh Hadith Tamthil al-Mu'min bi Khamat az-Zara
* Kashf al-Kurbah fi Wasfi Hali Ahl al-Ghurbah ( Alleviating Grieviances in Describing the Condition of the Strangers )
Fiqh
* Al-Istikhraj fi Ahkam al-Kharaj
* Al-Qawa'id al-Fiqhiyyah
* Kitab Ahkam al-Khawatim wa ma yat'alaqu biha
Biographical and historical accounts
*
Adh-Dhayl 'alaa Tabaqat al-Hanabilah
* Mukhtasar Sirah Umar ibn 'Abd al-'Aziz
* Sirah 'Abd al-Malik ibn Umar ibn 'Abd al-'Aziz
Other
* Lata'if al-Ma'arif fima li Mawasim al-Aam min al-Wadha'if
* At-Takhweef min an-Naar wat-Ta'reef bi Hali Dar al-Bawar
* Al-Farq bayna an-Nasihah wat-Ta'yir ( The difference between advising and condemning )
* Ahwal Ahl al-Quboor
* Fadhl 'Ilm Al-Salaf 'alā'l-Khalaf ( The superiority of the knowledge of the predecessors over the knowledge of the successors )
See also
*
Ahmad ibn Hanbal
Ahmad ibn Hanbal al-Dhuhli ( ar, أَحْمَد بْن حَنْبَل الذهلي, translit=Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal al-Dhuhlī; November 780 – 2 August 855 CE/164–241 AH), was a Muslim jurist, theologian, ascetic, hadith traditionist, and ...
*
Hanbali Scholars
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 ...
References
External links
Biodata at MuslimScholars.infoBooks by Ibn Rajab*
From At-tawhid.net
{{DEFAULTSORT:Rajab, Ibn
1335 births
1393 deaths
People from Baghdad
Hanbalis
Sunni Muslim scholars
Hadith scholars
Atharis
14th-century Muslim scholars of Islam
14th-century jurists