The rasail of Imam Ibn Abidin in two volumes are available online here: http://www.archive.org/details/rabdin_pdf_ara
Imam Ibn Abidin Shami - Biography and Works Written by admin Thursday, 16 November 2006 Imām Ibn Áābidīn Shāmī[FONT='F_symbol 1'] (1198-1252 AH / 1783-1836 AD) by abu Hasan Click Here ( Right Click and Save ) [/FONT]
Jazakallahu khair Sidi for your answer. Most scholars were initiated into many turuq, such as al-Muhaddith Shah Waliyullah himself. Mawlana Khalid was an important figure in the Naqshabandi Tariq, after Imam Rabbani Sidi Ahmad Faruqi al-Sirhindi. Few people I know is a Naqshabandi-Mujaddidi-Khalidi. Anyway, thanks Sidi for the info above.
Ibn Áābidīn, the poet: Imām Ibn Áābidīn was also an excellent poet. His collection includes odes, elegies, eulogies, riddles and narrative poems. Given below are a few lines from the poem he sent to be recited at the blessed rawđah of RasūlAllāh şallAllāhu álayhi wa ālihī wa sallam during the ĥajj of 1220 AH. It is actually an ode to the Prince of all creation šallAllāhu álayhi wa sallam in 71 lines with the nūn rhyme [letter nūn]: I am here and present! O, the peerless moon - and verily, I have cleft the heart by my sins. I wail, and in my ocean of tears - it tries to sail, on impending storm prevail! I am here, present! O, whose weeping resembleth mine and that which is not because of being away from loved ones labbayka yā qamriyyati al-aghşāni fa laqad şadaátu al-qalba bil alĥāni nawĥī fa nawĥī fī biĥāri madāmaýī taálu safīnatahū laday at-Ţūfāni labbayka yā man bil bukā ash’bahtanī lākin bilā fuqdin mina’l khillāni --- He has also written a 57 line poem ending with the mīm rhyme, beseeching the intercession of sayyiduna RasūlAllāh şallAllāhu álayhi wa ālihī wa sallam, in which he mentions around thirty miracles of the Master şallAllāhu álayhi wa ālihī wa sallam: I complain to Allāh of my misery and my need; asking the intercession of the intercessor of the entire creation indeed. ashkū ilā Allāhi mā alqāhu min naşabin mustashfián bi shafīýil khalqi kullihimī --- His miracles manifest, long ere he was sent So obvious they were, to blind they were cogent. A lizard spake to him, for him the wood hath wept; The moon hath split in two – on his command accept. The sun had set, but yet: the day he did restore A pray'r from his lips, and clouds began to pour. wa muújizātin tawālat qabla mabáthihi fa kāna yubşiruhā bil áyni kulla ámī fađ đabbu kallamahū, wal jadh’ú ĥanna lahū wal badru shaqqa lahū min bahīril ĥukami wash shamsu qad waqafat min baádi mā gharabat was saĥbu qad wakafat lammā da’áā bi famī --- What greatness still remains, mentioned after ‘the star’ Announced in ‘shining morn’, in ‘nun and pen’ by far. [the sūrahs: an-najm, ad-đuĥā, nūn proclaim his greatness] The sake of messenger, Raĥmān doth us protect, And aids us with a stay, that ne’er shall be wrecked And he the wretch whose sins, hath held him hard ensnared Waketh the morn secure, as prey in ĥaram is spared [it is prohibited to hunt in ĥaram or the sanctuaries.] fa laysa baáda al-ladhī fī an-najmī min ížamin wa baáda mā fī ad-đuĥā maá an-nūni wa al-qalami fa yā rasūlan bihi ar-Raĥmānu anqadhanā wa qad ĥamāna bi ruknin ghayra munhadamī yā man idhā lādha ma’sūru adh-dhunūbu bihī ghadā ghadan āminan kas şaydi bil-ĥarami --- It has been mentioned before that he wrote the poem Úqūd Rasm al-Muftī. Here is a couplet from an elegy he wrote in honor of the scholar, Al-Kuzbarī. Numerical values are assigned to the letters, the line adds up to the year of his demise: imāmunā al-kuzbarī najmun laqad afalā fa laylun jallaqahū mā zāla munsadilā Our leader, Al-Kuzbari, is a star that hath set; Night hides him, not that he’s fallen away.
certainly, and wa lillahi'l Hamd it is very much in my reference. there are two volumes which are collections of his monographs [rasayil, pl. or risalah] most of which are mentioned in the biography above. there are about 15 monographs in each; therefore, 30 of the books [or monographs] mentioned in this biography are present in this which answers br.faqir's question about how many of these are published. --- he was a qadiri and he took that path from shaykh al-`aqqad as mentioned in the biography; yet, he ALSO took the naqshbandi path from mawlana khalid al-baghdadi, who took it from the indian muHaddith, shah waliyullah dahlawi - a naqshbandi shaykh. one of the monographs in his rasayil is sall al-husam al-hindi li nuSrati mawlana khalid an-naqshbandi, a biography of mawlana khalid, a refutation of those who attacked him which also contains principles about the ahlu's sunnah belief of 'knowledge of the unseen'. [`ilm al-ghayb] he refers to this paper himself in his radd al-muHtar, where the fatwa of qaDi khan is mentioned: 'is the nikah valid when one says Allah and His Rasul are his two witnesses'. ibn `abidin writes: ' see sall al-husam for a detailed analysis..' Allah ta'ala knows best.
Assalamu alaikum Sidi Abu Hasan The book Radd al-Muhtar is indeed a very valuable book especially to my friends from the Hanafi mahhab. Have Sidi Abu Hasan ever heard about a book Rasail Ibn Abidin presumably by Imam Ibn Abidin? He was said to be a Naqshabandi too. Any clues? Jazakallahu khair
as-salamu 'alaikum thanks sidi that was real nice i presume most of the above texts have been published?
His works: 1.Ibn Áābidīn has left behind numerous books and monographs that are a monument to his research; the most famous and the biggest of them all being his marginalia on Durr al-Mukhtār named: Radd al-Muĥtār ála Ad-Durr al-Mukhtār [Answer to the Perplexed: An Exegesis of ‘The Choicest Gems’] This is the most comprehensive and the most authoritative book on Ĥanafī fiqh in the world today. I have also worked in cross-referencing and preparing a detailed index of the book [Shaykh Ábd al-Jalīl Áţā means himself]. It has been published many times: the Būlāq edition of 1272 AH in five volumes and later in 1276 AH and 1299 AH; the Maymaniyyah edition in 1307 AH; the Istanbul edition of 1307 AH. Once again in 1323 AH, there was a Maymaniyyah edition; and later in 1323 AH, the Bābi al-Ĥalabī edition and Istanbul edition in eight volumes along with the Takmilah, which has been photo-offset a number of times hence. 2.Minĥatul Khāliq [Grace of the Creator]: a collection of comments and notes on Nahr al-Fāyiq [The Exuberant Stream] by Úmar ibn Nujaym and some other works of Khayruddin ar-Ramlī. He doesn’t comment except where there is a need to explain or where there is a contentious matter to be clarified; this, he named Minĥatul Khāliq álā al-Baĥr ar-Rāyiq, [Grace of the Creator: an Exegesis of the Lucid Ocean] wherein he completed the exegesis of Ibn Nujaym’s book left unfinished at ijārah al-fāsidah [illegal hiring]. This was published along the margins of the book: Sharĥ al-Baĥr ar-Rāyiq in seven volumes, and the eighth being its Takmilah [completion] by Ţūri in the year 1311 AH in Egypt. 3.Al-Úqūd ad-Durriyyah fī Tanqīĥi Al-Fatāwā al-Ĥāmidiyyah [The String of Pearls: A Revision of Ĥamid’s Fatāwā]: being the revision of the fatāwā of Shaykh Ĥāmiduddin al-Ímādi; published in two volumes. 4.Ĥāshiyah álā Sharĥ Multaqā al-Abĥur [Marginalia on The Gathering of the Seas of Ĥaşkafī]. 5.Ĥāshiyah álā Tafsīr al-Qāđī al-Bayđāwi:[Marginalia on the Exegesis of Bayđawi]: he made it a point to annotate it such that it contains only those points which no other mufassir [exegete] has mentioned before. 6.Ĥāshiyah álā Ifāđātu'l Anwār Sharĥ al-Manār [Marginalia on Extensions of Radiance: an Exegesis of the Lodestar – Al-Manār of Ĥaşkafī]: this is not the same as Nasmāt al-As’ĥār (see below). 7.Ĥāshiyah álā Sharĥ At-Taqrīr wa’t Taĥbīr fī’l Uşūl of ibn Amīr Ĥājj. [Marginalia on the Exegesis of Speeches and Writing on the matter of Principles of Islamic Knowledge] 8.A marginalia which he named: Rafá al-Anžār Ámmā Awradahū al-Ĥalabī álā Ad-Durr al-Mukhtār. 9.A marginalia on Sharĥ al-Manār by al-Álāyī named as : Nasmāt al-As’ĥār álā Ifāđāt al-Anwār. It has been published twice. [Shining Rays of the Morning, an Explanation of ‘Extensions of Lights’] 10.Ĥāshiyah al-Mutawwal [by Taftāzānī]. 11.Ĥāshiyah Fat’ĥi Rabb al-Arbāb álā Lubb al-Albāb Sharĥ Nubdhatil Aárāb of Hishām. Manuscript in Žāhiriyyah library. 12.Ad-Durar al-Muđ’iyyah fī Sharĥ Nažm Al-Abĥur ash-Sharýiyyah. 13.Fatāwā fī’l Fiqh’li Ĥanafī, containing about a hundred rulings other than those in his Risālah. It is also known as Ajwibatun Muĥaqqaqah. 14.Sharĥ Al-Kāfī fi’l Úrūđ wa’l Qawāfī [Exegisis of a book on prosody Al-Kāfī by Aĥmed ibn Ábbād ibn Shuáyb al-Qannā’a] 15.An appendix to Silk ad-Durar of Al-Murādī. 16.Majmūú an-Nafāyis wa’n Nawādir. 17.Qişşatu’l Mawlid an-Nabawī al-Sharīf. 18.Nažm al-Kanz; the versification of Al-Kanz of Nasafī. This poem is about eight hundred verses long but he did not complete it. 19.Al-Álam až-Žāhir fī Nafýi’n Nasab at-Ţāhir. 20.Sharĥ Manžūmah Úqūdi Rasmi’l Muftī [Exegesis of the poem Úqūdi Rasmi’l Muftī]: This is an exegesis of his poem, Manžūmah Úqūdi Rasmi’l Muftī wa mā Yajibu an Yaálamahu’l Áālimu wa’l Muftī in about 74 lines, from the rajz poetic meter; he completed the exegesis in Rabīý ath-Thānī 1243 AH. 21.Al-Fawāyid al-Mukhaşşasah bi Aĥkāmi Kayy al-Ĥummaşah: An article on medicine. A brilliant doctor in earlier times had devised a novel way to extract pus from festers and abscesses using chickpea. Ibn Áābidīn has combined two separate monographs on this subject along with his own additions. The first being Al-Aĥkām al-Mulakhkhaşah fī Ĥukmi Kayy al-Ĥummaşah by Shurnblāli and the second, Al-Abĥāth al-Mulakhkhaşah fī Ĥukmi Kayy al-Ĥummaşah by Shaykh Ábd al-Ghanī an-Nāblūsi. He completed the manuscript in 1227 AH. 22. Manhal al-Wāridīn min Biĥāri’l Fayđi álā Dhukhri’l Muta’ahhilīn: This is a gloss on the book Dhukhr al-Muta’ahhilīn by Al-Birkawī, the author of Ţarīqat al-Muĥammadiyyah. This book deals with the matters relating to menstruation and puerperium. He finished this book on 27th of Dhu’l Qaádah, 1241 AH. 23. Rafá at-Taraddud fī Áqdi’l Aşābiý índa’t Tashahhud: A compilation of the sayings of Ĥanafī imāms in the matter of raising the index finger and make a circle with other fingers in tashahhud. Refuting the opinion of some Ĥanafīs who rule that only raising the index finger is necessary without encircling other fingers. It was completed in Rabīý al-Awwal, 1249 AH. 24. Tanbīh Dhawi’l Afhām álā Aĥkāmi’t Tablīghi Khalf al-Imām: An explanation concerning a follower repeating the imām’s takbīrs loudly during şalāt [to amplify the takbirs; a mukabbir]. This topic has been dealt with in a comprehensive manner; it starts with an introduction, has a body and ends with a conclusion. It was completed on the first of Muĥarram 1226 AH. 25. Shifā al-Álīl wa Ball al-Ghalīl fī Ĥukmi’l Waşiyyati bi’l Khitmāti wa’t Tahālīl: He wrote this to refute a practice prevalent among the people during the plague of 1228 in Damascus. The practice being circulation of a ‘will’ to complete khitmah [a round of reciting the Qur’ān completely] and tahlīl [reciting the formula: lā ilāha illā Allāh]. [I suppose this is similar to chain letters being circulated these days about the will of one Shaykh Aĥmed of Madinah. Allāh subĥānahu wa ta`āla knows best.] 26. Minĥatu’l Jalīl li Bayāni Isqāţi mā álā adh-Dhimmati min Kathīrin wa Qalīl (Álāuddīn) 27. Tanbīh al-Ghafīl wa’l Wasnān álā Aĥkāmi Hilāli Ramađān: He wrote this monograph obeying his shaykh, in which he compiled the canonical ruling concerning the new moon, or the crescent of Ramađan according to all the four madh’habs. Apparently this was to dispel doubts arising of a controversy concerning the new moon of Ramađān in Damascus of the year 1240 AH. 28. It’ĥāf adh-Dhakī an-Nabīh fī Jawābi mā Yaqūlu al-Faqīh: He wrote this monograph explaining a question in two couplets as given below. The imām showed eight possible outcomes of the phrase and answered it in verse. What does the faqih say, may Allāh aid him; never he be bereft of His bounties // In the matter that a youth pronounces divorce on the condition that it is in the month before that month before which is Ramađan” [commas are not put in the translation because of the obvious reason - Ibn Áābidīn wrote a book on it, after all!] mā yaqūlu al-faqīhu ayyadahū :: Allāhu wa lā yazāla índahū iĥsāni // fī fatan állaqa at-Ţalāqu bi shahrin :: qabla mā baáda qablahū ramađāni 29. Al-Ibānah án Akdhi’l Ujrati álā al-Ĥađānah. [rulings about accepting payment to nurse a child]. 30. Taĥrīr an-Nuqūl fī Nafqati’l Furūýi wa’l Uşūl: He wrote this article to make it easy for teachers on this complex subject [the principles and derived rulings] and avoid making mistakes in this important matter. He completed this in Shawwāl 1235AH. 31. Rafá al-Intiqāş wa Dafá al-Iýtirāđ álā Qawlihim: “al-īmānu mabniyyatun álā al-alfāž; lā álā al-aghrāđ” in which he explains the saying: ‘faith is based on words’. He finished it in Rabīý ath-Thānī 1238 AH. 32. Rafá al-Ishtibāh án Íbārati’l Ashbāh: He clears the doubts regarding a passage whether prophets can sin, mentioned in Al-Ashbāh wan-Nažāyir by Ibn Nujaym. He finished it in Ramađān, 1218 AH at the behest of his shaykh Al-Áqqād. 33. Tanbīh al-Wulāti wa’l Ĥukkām álā Aĥkāmi Shātimi Khayril Anām aw Aĥada Aş’ĥābihī’l Kirām. This monograph was written as an answer to shaykh Ábd as-Sattār al-Atāsī, the muftī of Ĥimş, when Ibn Áābidīn learnt of the former’s opinion on Tanqīĥ al-Fatāwā al-Ĥāmidiyyah, concerning the matter of the blasphemer of the Master of all creation şallAllāhu álayhi wa ālihī wa sallam. He added the ruling concerning the vilifiers of the companions [Aş’ĥāb], thereafter. This was completed in Jamādī al-Ūlā of 1238 AH. 34. Al-Aqwāl al-Wāđiĥah al-Jaliyyah: An explanation of an article mentioned in Al-Ashbāh reported from Al-Subkī regarding the lacuna of division, though he included a large part of this monograph in his marginalia on Al-Ashbāh. Later, he added this it to his book Tanqih al-Fatāwā al-Ĥamidiyyah. 35. Al-Úqūd ad-Durriyyah fī Qawli al-Wāqifi álā al-Farīđati ash-Sharýiyyah: An answer to a query concerning the division of waqf and inheritance; it is a summary and the explanation of the monograph Ar-Risālah al-Murđiyyah by Ibn al-Minqār. He finished this around 1230 AH. 36. Ghāyatu’l Maţlab fī Ishtirāţi al-Wāqifi Áwd an-Naşībi ilā Ahli’d Darajati al-Aqrabu fa’l Aqrab: contains an answer to a question posted from Tripoli [Lebanon] along with some other fatwās which he completed in 1249. 37. Ghāyatul Bayān fī anna Waqf al-Ithnayni álā Anfusihimā Waqfun lā Waqfān. [two persons bearing grants on themselves is counted as one for each, not two for each] – an answer refuting a contrary ruling sent from Tripoli [Lebanon] an year earlier [than the one mentioned above in no.36]. He cleared doubts on the matter and demonstrated the flaws in the ruling, which he finished an year later in 1351 AH. 38. Tanbīh ar-Ruqūd álā Masāyil an-Nuqūd: he collected different opinions on matters related to currency: inflation, devaluation and its discontinuation etc., which was completed around 1230. 39. Taĥbīr at-Taĥrīr fī Ibţāli al-Qađāya bi’l Faskhi bi’l Ghabani’l Fāĥishi Bilā Taghrīr: answering a question sent in from Sidon [port city of Lebanon; ancient Phoenicia known as Şaydā in Arabic] and refuting the opinions of the mufti of Sidon, after he and his younger brother criticized Ibn Áābidīn. He completed this answer in Jamādi al-Akhīrah 1248 AH. 40. Tanbīhi Dhawil Afhām álā Baţlāni'l Ĥukmi bi Naqđi ad-Daáwā Baáda'l Ibrāyi'l Áām: A detailed answer repudiating the veridict of a sitting judge on the matter concerning an incident pertaining to Claims. He finished it in 1251 AH. 41. Iýlām al-Aálām bi Aĥkāmi’l Iqrāri’l Áām : This is an exposition of public acknowledgement/confession which is an excursus of Ash-Shurnblāli’s Taĥqīq al-Aĥkām. He clarified the ambiguities therein and clarified those statements which appeared equivocal. Completed in 1237 AH. 42. Nashr al-Árf fī Bināyi Baáđ al-Aĥkāmi álā al-Úrf: An excursus of his own Sharĥ Manžūmati Úqūdi Rasm al-Muftī, commenting on the line: Prevalent customs are acceptable in the canon law [sharīáh when they do not contradict its established articles] / hence, this shall be considered as a factor in issuing judgements. wal úrfu fī ash-sharýi lahū iýtibāru lidhā álayhil ĥukmu qad yudāru This was completed in Rabīý ath-Thāni, 1243 AH. 43. Taĥrīr al-Íbārah fī man huwa Aĥaqqu bi’l Ijārah: A commentary on the widespread belief that the first hired (or a tenant) takes precedence over all others in hiring/rental. He added other clauses related to the subject and completed it in Rabīý ath-Thāni, 1246 AH. 44. Ajwibatun Muĥaqqiqah án As’ilatin Mutafarriqah : A collection of his well researched answers on miscellaneous matters given on different dates. 45. Manāhil as-Surūr li Mubtaghiya’l Hisābi bi’l Kusūr: A versified article on mathematics in 117 lines. As an appendix, he wrote another poem Manžūmah fī’z Zaĥaf al-Mufrad wa’l Muzdawij in 18 lines. 46. Ar-Raĥīq al-Makhtūm Sharĥ Qalāyid al-Manžūm: An explanation of the versified Qalāyid al- Manžūm by the great scholar Ábd ar-Raĥmān ibn Ibrāhīm famously known as Ibn Ábd ar-Razzāq on inheritance, drawn from Multaqā al-Abĥur in 392 lines. He completed the manuscript on 1226 AH. 47. Ijābati’l Ghawth bi Bayāni Ĥāli’n Nuqabāyi wa’n Nujabāyi wa’l Abdāli wa’l Awtādi wa’l Ghawth : A superb monograph exploring the existence of Qutub, Ghawth and Abdāl [ranks of awliya] which ends with an ode named : Qaşīdah al-Bā’yiyyah in 26 lines. Completed in Shawwāl of 1124 AH. 48. Sall al-Ĥusām al-Hindī li Nuşrati Mawlāna Khālid an-Naqshbandī: A refutation of a jealous lot who cast aspersions on the great shaykh Mawlāna Khālid an-Naqshbandī. He wrote therein of the [lofty] states of the shaykh, his sayings and his disciples. The article closes with the description of a dream in which sayyidunā Úthmān [ibn Áffān, the third caliph] informed shaykh Khālid that he was one of his descendants; and an elegy to shaykh Khālid raĥimahullāh táāla. 49. Al-Fawāyid al-Ájībah fī’l Iýrābi’l Kalimāti’l Gharībah: On the correct declension of certain words known to be problematic and abstruse among scholars. 50. Bughyatu’n Nāsik fī Adýiyati al-Manāsik: A collection of prayers [duás] for ĥajj, derived from Fat’ĥ al-Qadīr, Manāsik al-Ímādī and Lubāb al-Manāsik. 51. Nasmātu’l As’ĥār álā Ifāđat al-Anwār sharĥ Kitāb al-Manār [fi usūl al-fiqh]: A marginalia on the shorter exegesis by Al-Ĥaşkafi on the book Al-Manār of Nasafī [as mentioned in above in no.9] 52. Úqūd al-La’āli fī’l Asānīd al-Áwāli: A compilation of his authorizations from his teachers and their biographies. 53. Maqāmat: A work eulogizing his shaykh, Al-Áqqād and his biography. 54. Nuz’hatu’n Nawāžir álā Al-Ashbāh wa’n Nažāyir: Marginalia on the book Al-Ashbāh wa’n Nažāyir of Ibn Nujaym which was collected by his student Muĥammad ibn Hasan al-Bayţār, which has been recently published in Damascus.
A note on Radd al-Muĥtār: Abbreviations used in this work: when he marks it as ţā, he means the Ĥāshiyah of Állāmah at-Ţaĥţāwi on Durr al-Mukhtār; ĥā means, the Ĥāshiyah of Állāmah al-Ĥalabī, who wrote the marginalia of Durr al-Mukhtār in two volumes. In all his works, including his Marginalia he shows utmost respect to earlier scholars and refers to them with due deference. However, sometimes when he quotes Ţaĥţāwī or Ĥalabī he adds: ‘Ponder’ or, ‘Needs ascertaining’ or ‘Pending further examination’ - he means that though he quotes them, he may not accept their opinion. He thus hints at his disagreement respectfully instead of an explicit statement.
This biography of Imām Ibn Áābidīn Shāmī based on the biographical note in the preface of Radd al-Muĥtār, the Dār Iĥyā at-Turāth edition. Original Arabic by Shaykh Ábd al-Jalīl Áţā of Damascus. --- Sayyid Muĥammad Amīn ibn Sayyid Úmar ibn Sayyid Ábd al-Ázīz ibn Sayyid Aĥmed ibn Sayyid Ábd ar-Raĥīm ibn Sayyid Najmuddīn ibn Sayyid Muĥammad Şalāĥuddīn better known as ‘Ibn Áābidīn’ is praised in these words: the prominent, praiseworthy and noble scholar; an ocean of knowledge; the master scholar [jahbadh]; the great jurist [faqīh]; the genius; the finest among the later scholars and the seal of the research scholars; one with an exalted ancestry [hasīb,nasīb]; the erudite Imām; the litterateur. The Imām was born - raĥimahullāh - in Damascus (Syria), in a family of scholars and high ancestry in the year 1198 AH. His lineage reaches Sayyid Sharīf Zayn al-Áābidīn and from him to Sayyidah Fāţimah, the daughter of the Master of all creation, şallAllāhu álayhi wa sallam. Ibn Áābidīn’s father Sayyid Úmar and his mother were both famous for their righteousness and taqwā [being fearful of Allāh]. May Allāh have mercy on them. He grew up in his father’s care in the Qanawāt area in Damascus. He memorized the Qur’ān at a very young age and was a frequent visitor at his father’s shop where he learnt the skills of the trade [to enable him earn an honest livelihood]. Sometimes, he would recite the Qur’ān in the shop. On one such occasion, a passerby objected to his recitation in a public place, since people neither listen to the Qur’ān nor pay heed to what is being recited. He also pointed out a few minor mistakes in his recitation. Immediately, he set out seeking good reciters to correct his mistakes. He was referred to the master reciter of his time, [shaykh al-qurrā’a, állāmah] Muĥammad Saýīd ibn Ibrāhīm al-Ĥamawī (d.1236 AH). He perfected his tajwīd under him and memorized Shāţibiyyah, Maydāniyyah and Jazariyyah. He also learnt Shafiýī fiqh from him and memorized Az-Zubad. He learnt Arabic grammar and morphology [naĥw, şarf] before finally completing his studies and obtaining a general degree of authorization from him [ijāzatun áāmmah]. Allāh táālā had destined him to meet the greatest scholar of his age, Shaykh Shākir al-Áqqād, famously known as Ibn al-Miqdam Saád. Under him, he read books of Qur’ānic exegesis, juristic principles, inheritance, taşawwuf, mathematics [tafsīr, ĥadīth, uşūl, farāyiđ, taşawwuf, ĥisāb] and the rational sciences. Áqqād was instrumental in changing his madh’hab to that of Imām al-Aážam [Ibn Áābidīn was a Shāfiýī earlier]. He read major books of Ĥanafī fiqh under him like Multaqā al-Abĥur, Kanz ad-Daqāyiq, its exegesis Baĥr ar-Rāyiq, Dirāyah and Hidāyah. He began reading Durr al-Mukhtār under well-known scholars, the most famous among whom was Shaykh Saýīd al-Ĥalabī. Ibn Áābidīn’s meeting with Shaykh Shākir was a giant stride in his career as a scholar and a pilgrim upon the spiritual path. No wonder then, he remained in his company for seven years, after which Shaykh Shākir would present him to his own teachers and recommend them to grant him authorizations. His chain of transmissions [sanad] became more elevated and shorter than the earlier ones. He also became a member [murīd] of the Qādirī order to which he kept forever. [Ţarīqah of Ghawth al-Aážam Shaykh Ábd al-Qādir Jīlānī Rađiyallāhu ánhū] After the death of Shaykh Shākir Raĥimahullāh, he continued studying under his deputy, Shaykh Saýīd al-Ĥalabī. Al-Ĥalabī was the most learned man in Shaykh Shākir’s circle and was also the foremost Ĥanafī scholar of his time. He loved Ibn Áābidīn so much that he did not start his lessons until Ibn Áābidīn was present. The lessons of Durr al-Mukhtār were held next to the Umawī mosque after morning prayers. ---- Ibn Áābidīn was very handsome and charismatic; he was tall and had a good physique. He was mild mannered, kind and always cheerful; yet, he was always dignified and poised. He had a certain awe about him which commanded respect. His speech was full of wisdom and foresight. An Indian shaykh once told his teacher Al Áqqād, when he left Ibn Áābidīn behind waiting at the door: ‘Bring along the young man, for I see the light of Prophethood shine between his eyes’. ---- He received degrees of authorization from major scholars of his time, from his shaykhs, and their shaykhs. This was on account of his shaykh Áqqād, who introduced him to his own shaykhs and grand-shaykhs when he noticed the extraordinary intelligence, sincerety and talent of the young man. Given below are the degrees of the authorization he obtained: A general degree of authorization from the famous shaykh, Muĥammad al-Kuzbarī al-Kabīr, the muĥaddith of his time who passed away in 1221 AH. He signed the certificate of authorization in the year, 1210 AH when Ibn Áābidīn was only a little over twelve years old. Another general degree from the great scholar and famous muĥaddith shaykh, Aĥmed al-Áţţār who passed away in 1218 AH. He granted him this ijāzah in 1216 when he was about eighteen years old. Another general degree of authorization from the great scholar, Al-Amīr al-Kabīr (d.1232 AH), which he had it sent to him in 1228 AH. An ijāzah to narrate from the reciters of Damascus, through his first teacher Muĥammad Saýīd al-Ĥamawī (d.1236 AH) which includes many prominent scholars of that time. And the degree from his own shaykh, Muĥammad Shākir al-Áqqād, famously known as Ibn Miqdam Saád. --- Ibn Áābidīn began writing when he was barely seventeen. Among his earliest writings were annotations on books that he read from his shaykh, Áqqād, especially on Baĥr ar-Rāyiq and Durr al-Mukhtār. He worked very hard and kept a steady progress until eventually, he become the foremost authority on Ĥanafī fiqh in his time. In the times of Shaykh Ĥusayn al-Murādi, he was made the chief muftī of Damascus. He received questions through mail from all over the world on various matters to which he replied, sometimes in a very detailed manner. The Ĥāshiyah or the Marginalia on Durr al-Mukhtār, is his magnum opus in which he compiled the preferred rulings [of Ĥanafī fiqh], thereby making it an authority in the Ĥanafī madh’hab. Durr al-Mukhtār is a concise work; thus, many matters have been omitted to keep it concise. Sometimes, descriptions are cryptic except for a sharp eye and an experienced master. Ibn Áābidīn saw the need for its exegesis, and inclusion of many matters omitted therein. Incidentally, earlier authors who attempted such a comprehensive work, passed away before they could complete their work. Usually these books did not progress beyond the section on ijārah [hiring, renting] like Fat’ĥ al-Qadīr [Kamāl ibn Humām] for example. Therefore, Ibn Áābidīn started his marginalia from the part on ijārah saying ‘If death takes me sooner, this should serve as the completion of the unfinished earlier ones. But if I live long enough, I shall return to make it a whole, complete work’ He began writing the Marginalia under the auspices of his shaykh, Saýīd al-Ĥalabī after he finished reading Durr al-Mukhtār the first time and from the notes he had made for the same. Thereafter, he read it once more with the annotations of Ibrāhīm al-Ĥalabī. In the meantime he would show his drafts to the shaykh who would be pleased and say: ‘The time has come for this huge collection to be finally ordered and the giant task to be completed’. As mentioned earlier, he started from the part on ijārah and went on till the end. He then started it from the beginning and finished at ijārah. Once it was completed, he began ordering the manuscript, but death didn’t spare him time to complete the fair copy of his manuscript. His son Álāuddīn, later completed the fair copy and appended his own notes spanning two separate volumes, and named it Qurrat al-Úyūn al-Akhyār, bi Takmilati Radd al-Muĥtār. --- A pious life spent in earning the pleasure of his parents, and duteous to Allāh; a life spent in amassing knowledge and good deeds extinguished on Wednesday, the 21st of Rabiý ath-Thānī, 1252 AH. He was only 54 when he died. His funeral prayer was led by his own teacher Saýīd al-Ĥalabī who broke down, weeping and clutching his his own beard said: ‘I was treasuring you, for what comes after my old age’. Prayers were held in the Sināniyyah mosque and he was buried – in accordance with his will – near the grave of Shaykh Álāuddin al-Ĥaşkafī, the author of Durr al-Mukhtār and next to the great muĥaddith Şāliĥ al-Jaynīnī in Damascus. May Allāh be pleased with him and grant him the most extensive of paradises.
