Ibn Asakir ( ar-at, ابن عساكر, Ibn ‘Asākir; 1105–c. 1176) was a Syrian
Sunni Islamic scholar
In Islam, the ''ulama'' (; ar, علماء ', singular ', "scholar", literally "the learned ones", also spelled ''ulema''; feminine: ''alimah'' ingularand ''aalimath'' lural are the guardians, transmitters, and interpreters of religious ...
,
[Ibn Asakir](_blank)
/ref> who was one of the most renowned experts on 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 approva ...
and Islamic history in the medieval era.[ and a disciple of the Sufi mystic ]Abu al-Najib Suhrawardi
Abū al-Najīb Abd al-Qādir Suhrawardī ( fa, ابوالنجیب عبدالقادر سهروردی) (1097–1168) was a Sunni PersianQamar al-Huda, ''Shahab al-Din Suhrawardi'', ed. Josef W. Meri, Jere L. Bacharach, Medieval Islamic Civilization: ...
.[ Ibn Asakir is the pre-eminent figure of the Asakir dynasty, whose family members occupied the most prominent positions as judges and scholars of the ]Shafi'i
The Shafii ( ar, شَافِعِي, translit=Shāfiʿī, also spelled Shafei) school, also known as Madhhab al-Shāfiʿī, is one of the four major traditional schools of religious law (madhhab) in the Sunnī branch of Islam. It was founded by ...
school of the Sunni law in Damascus for almost two centuries.
Name and Titles
His full name was ‘Alī ibn al-Ḥasan ibn Hibat Allāh ibn `Abd Allāh, Thiqat al-Dīn, Abū al-Qasim, known as Ibn `Asakir al-Dimashqi al-Shafi`i al-Ash`ari (الحافظ المورخ علی بن الحسن بن ھبۃ اللہ بن عبداللہ بن الحسین الدمشقی الشافعی).
Ibn Asakir is often given the honorary epithets such as Al-Imam, al-'Allamah, al-Hafidh al-Kabeer, Fakhruddin, al-Mujawwid, Muhaddith ash-Sham.
Life
Born in Damascus, during the reign of '' atabeg'' Toghtekin
Toghtekin or Tughtekin (Modern tr, Tuğtekin; Arabicised epithet: ''Zahir ad-Din Tughtikin''; died February 12, 1128), also spelled Tughtegin, was a Turkic military leader, who was ''atabeg'' of Damascus from 1104 to 1128. He was the founder o ...
, he started his religious education at the age of six years old, attending with his father and older brother to the learning centres of several renowned Damascene scholars. Ibn Asakir received an extensive education, as befitting someone from a wealthy family.[ Between 520/1126 and 535/1141, Ibn Asakir embarked on his two major education journeys that took him to the most important educational centers in the Islamic world, from ]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 Medit ...
to Hejaz (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 city in Islam. It is inland from Jeddah on the Red Sea, in a narrow ...
and Medina
Medina,, ', "the radiant city"; or , ', (), "the city" officially Al Madinah Al Munawwarah (, , Turkish: Medine-i Münevvere) and also commonly simplified as Madīnah or Madinah (, ), is the second-holiest city in Islam, and the capital of the ...
) to Iran
Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran, and also called Persia, is a country located in Western Asia. It is bordered by Iraq and Turkey to the west, by Azerbaijan and Armenia to the northwest, by the Caspian Sea and Turkmeni ...
and Central Asia ( Khurasan and Transoxiana
Transoxiana or Transoxania (Land beyond the Oxus) is the Latin name for a region and civilization located in lower Central Asia roughly corresponding to modern-day eastern Uzbekistan, western Tajikistan, parts of southern Kazakhstan, parts of Tu ...
); he wrote a three volume book, Mu al-shuyukh, in which he mentioned some fourteen hundred teachers whom he met and studied with, including studying under 80 female Muslim scholars. The massive knowledge that he had gained, especially in hadith, law, and scriptural exegesis, earned him the title of Ḥāfiẓ (great memorizer), and he became the most learned and renowned scholar of his era.
Relationship with the rulers
Shortly after Ibn Asakir returned from his extensive travels to settle in his hometown of Damascus, Nur al Din conquered the city in (529/1154). Nur al-Din's political and religious plans had two ideas first, to unite both Syria and 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 Medit ...
under the banner of Sunni Islam and to eradicate the Fatamid Shi'i dynasty; second on organizing an effective military campaign against the crusaders. Nur al-Din found Ibn Asakir as the perfect scholar who could help him achieve his plans: an ardent defender of Sunni Islam, in particular the Ash'ari
Ashʿarī theology or Ashʿarism (; ar, الأشعرية: ) is one of the main Sunnī schools of Islamic theology, founded by the Muslim scholar, Shāfiʿī jurist, reformer, and scholastic theologian Abū al-Ḥasan al-Ashʿarī in t ...
school. Under the patronage of Nur ad-Din Zangi
Nūr al-Dīn Maḥmūd Zengī (; February 1118 – 15 May 1174), commonly known as Nur ad-Din (lit. "Light of the Faith" in Arabic), was a member of the Zengid dynasty, which ruled the Syrian province (''Shām'') of the Seljuk Empire. He reig ...
, Ibn Asakir wrote the ''Tarikh Dimashq''. In 1170, Nur al-Din built the Madrasa ''Dar al-Hadith'' (School of Hadith) for Ibn Asakir.
Teaching
As he was world famous, he also lectured in many famous learning centers.
* Adh-Dhuhriyyu
* Al-Jaami' fi-l-Haththi 'alaa Hifzwi-l-'Ilm
* Dhammu-l-Malaahee
* Maddhu-t-Tawaadwu'i Wadhammu-l-Kibbr
* Majjlisaan minn Majaalis fee Masjidi-Dimashqq
* Majjmoo'a Feehi Khawmsi
* Sa'ati Rawhmatullaah
* Nafee Tashbiyah
* Swiffati-Allaah Ta'alaa
Creed
In his book called Tabyin Kadhib al-Muftari, a defence of Imam Abu Hasan al-Ash'ari and his school.
He concluded the book with the following lines of poetry:
:I have chosen a doctrine that in no way resembles innovation But which successors faithfully took from predecessors. Those who are impartial declare my doctrine sound While those who criticize it have abandoned impartiality.
Death
Ibn Asakir, the Imam of the Muhaddith
Hadith studies ( ar, علم الحديث ''ʻilm al-ḥadīth'' "science of hadith", also science of hadith, or science of hadith criticism or hadith criticism)
consists of several religious scholarly disciplines used by Muslim scholars in th ...
in and one of the major Islamic historian died in 24 January 571/1176 at the age of 71 and was buried at the Bab al-Saghir cemetery, next to his father and near to the grave of the Caliph Mu`awiya.
Legacy
His was a tumultuous time: centuries of Shia
Shīʿa Islam or Shīʿīsm is the second-largest branch of Islam. It holds that the Islamic prophet Muhammad designated ʿAlī ibn Abī Ṭālib as his successor (''khalīfa'') and the Imam (spiritual and political leader) after him, mo ...
reign had not long ended in central Syria, rival warlords sought dominate the capital Damascus, and Crusaders had conquered Jerusalem
Jerusalem (; he, יְרוּשָׁלַיִם ; ar, القُدس ) (combining the Biblical and common usage Arabic names); grc, Ἱερουσαλήμ/Ἰεροσόλυμα, Hierousalḗm/Hierosóluma; hy, Երուսաղեմ, Erusałēm. i ...
. Seeking the unification of Syria and 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 Medit ...
, and the revival of Sunni Islam in both regions, Ibn ‘Asakir served successive Muslim rulers, including Nur al-Din and Saladin
Yusuf ibn Ayyub ibn Shadi () ( – 4 March 1193), commonly known by the epithet Saladin,, ; ku, سهلاحهدین, ; was the founder of the Ayyubid dynasty. Hailing from an ethnic Kurdish family, he was the first of both Egypt and ...
, and produced propaganda against both the Christian invaders and the Shia's. This, together with his influential writings and his advocacy of major texts, helped to lay the foundations for the eventual Sunni domination of the Levant
The Levant () is an approximate historical geographical term referring to a large area in the Eastern Mediterranean region of Western Asia. In its narrowest sense, which is in use today in archaeology and other cultural contexts, it is ...
– a domination which continues to this day.
During Ibn Asakir's first intense journey for education to the east. It is said that he was the first scholar in Damascus to bring many copies of books that have never reached Damascus before in history. Due to so much knowledge and information he gathered, he manage to share them new pieces of valuable information in Umayyad Mosque
The Umayyad Mosque ( ar, الجامع الأموي, al-Jāmiʿ al-Umawī), also known as the Great Mosque of Damascus ( ar, الجامع الدمشق, al-Jāmiʿ al-Damishq), located in the old city of Damascus, the capital of Syria, is one of the ...
which was only for the elite scholars and began teaching there. His contribution would later spread all over the west impacting further Islamic knowledge in the west.
Reception
He was praised by renowned muhaddithuns.
Ibn Sasra narrated: "I used to rehearse with him the names of the masters he had met. One day I said to him: 'I believe that our master never saw anyone like himself?' He replied: 'Do not say that. Allah said: (53:32).' I replied: 'He also said: (93:11).' He replied: 'In that case yes, if someone were to say that my eyes never saw my like, he would be correct.'" Al-Khatib Abu al-Fadl ibn Abi Nasr al-Tusi said: "We do not know anyone who truly deserves the title of hadith master in our time other than him." Al-Dhahabi
Shams ad-Dīn adh-Dhahabī (), also known as Shams ad-Dīn Abū ʿAbdillāh Muḥammad ibn Aḥmad ibn ʿUthmān ibn Qāymāẓ ibn ʿAbdillāh at-Turkumānī al-Fāriqī ad-Dimashqī (5 October 1274 – 3 February 1348) was an Islamic historia ...
said: "I do not believe that Ibn `Asakir ever met anyone of his level in his entire life." Ibn al-Subki added: "Nor anyone near his level."
Ibn Najjar says: “He was the Imam (leader) of all the Muhadditheen of his time.
Al-Nawawi
Abū Zakariyyā Yaḥyā ibn Sharaf al-Nawawī ( ar, أبو زكريا يحيى بن شرف النووي; (631A.H-676A.H) (October 1230–21 December 1277), popularly known as al-Nawawī or Imam Nawawī, was a Sunni Shafi'ite jurist and ...
describes him as:
:“The Hafiz (great hadith scholar) of Syria, nay! the Hafiz of the entire world!!!”
Works
#''History of Damascus'' (Arabic: ''Tarikh Dimashq'') is one of the most important books about the Islamic history of Syria, covering the life of important figures who resided in or visited Damascus. That is not limited to the assessment of narrators of hadith
Biographical evaluation ( ar, عِلْمُ الرِّجال, ʿilm al-rijāl; literally meaning'' 'Knowledge of Men' , ''but more commonly understood as the ''Science of Narrators)'' refers to a discipline of Islamic religious studies within ha ...
, Ilm ar-Rijal
Biographical evaluation ( ar, عِلْمُ الرِّجال, ʿilm al-rijāl; literally meaning'' 'Knowledge of Men' , ''but more commonly understood as the ''Science of Narrators)'' refers to a discipline of Islamic religious studies within ha ...
, but also includes historical and political figures. When it comes to Islamic figures, Ibn Asakir tried to collect everything that has been said about that figure, true or false, with full chain of narration. It also contains a huge collection of Arabic
Arabic (, ' ; , ' or ) is a 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. E.Watson; Walter ...
poems
Poetry (derived from the Greek ''poiesis'', "making"), also called verse, is a form of literature that uses aesthetic and often rhythmic qualities of language − such as phonaesthetics, sound symbolism, and metre − to evoke meanings in ...
. It was printed recently in 74 volumes plus six volumes containing indices only.
#Al-Muwaafaqaat `alaa Shuyukhu-l-A'immati-th-Thiqaawt (72 volumes).
#`Awali Malik ibn Anas wa Dhayl 'alaa `Awali Malik ibn Anas (50 volumes).
#Manaaqib ash-Shubbaan (15 volumes).
#Al-Mu`jam (12 volumes) listing only the names of his shaykhs.
#Fadaa'il Ashaabi-l-Hadeeth (11 volumes): Fadl al-Jumu`a, Fadl Quraysh, Fada'il al-Siddiq, Fada'il Makka, Fada'il al-Madina, Fada'il Bayt al-Muqaddas, Fada'il `Ashura', Fada'il al-Muharram, Fada'il Sha`ban.
#Ghawraaw'ibb Malik (10 volumes).
#Al-Suba`iyyat (7 volumes), listing narrations with chains containing only seven narrators up to the Prophet -- Allah bless and greet him --.
#Yawmi-l-Mazeed (3 volumes).
#Al-Ishraf `ala Ma`rifatu-l-Atraf.
#Akhbar al-Awza`i.
#Al-Musalsalat.
#Bayan al-Wahm wa al-Takhlit fi Hadith al-Atit ("The Exposition of Error and Confusion in the Narration of the hrone'sGroaning")
#''At-Tawbah wa Sa'atu-r-Rawhmatullaah (Repentance and the Intensity of the Mercy of Allaah)
#''Al-Arba'oon fee Manaaqib Ummahaati-l-Mu'mineen (R)'' (including ''Fadlu Ummu-l-Mu'mineen Aa'ishah (R)'')
#Arba`un Hadithan fi al-Jihad.
#Arba`un Hadithan `an Arba`ina Shaykhan min Arba`ina Madeenah.
#'' Tabyin Kadhib al-Muftari fima Nusiba ila al-Imam Abi al-Hasan al-Ash'ari'' is a biography of Al-Ash'ari, relaying his ancestry, his conversion from Mu'tazilism
Muʿtazila ( ar, المعتزلة ', English: "Those Who Withdraw, or Stand Apart", and who called themselves ''Ahl al-ʿAdl wa al-Tawḥīd'', English: "Party of ivineJustice and Oneness f God); was an Islamic group that appeared in early Islamic ...
and his subsequent "middle position" creed, i.e. Orthodox Sunni Islam. In it, Ibn Asakir lays out Ash'ari's "middle position" in 13 points, highlighting two opposing and extreme views in each and discussing the middle position Ash'ari took. For example, he writes:
"Likewise, The Najjariyya held that the Creator is in every place without localisation or direction. And the Hashwiyya and Mujassima held that God is localised on the Throne, and that Throne is a place for him, and that He is sitting on it. But al-Ash'ari followed a middle course between them and held that God was when no place was, and then He created the Throne and the ursiyywithout His needing a place, and He was just the same after creating place as He had been before He created it."
See also
* List of Ash'aris and Maturidis
The list of Ash'aris and Maturidis includes prominent adherents of the Ash'ari and Maturidi schools of thought. The Ash'aris are a doctrinal school of thought named after Imam Abu al-Hasan al-Ash'ari, and the Maturidi school is named for Abu Mans ...
* List of Islamic scholars
* Al-Zahiriyah Library
* Ibn 'Abd as-Salam
References
External links
''Arabic Books Collection''
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ibn Asakir
Asharis
Shafi'i fiqh scholars
Hadith scholars
12th-century Syrian historians
Biographical evaluation scholars
12th-century Arabs
12th-century jurists
1105 births
1175 deaths