Abd al-Razzaq al-Bitar
- Died
- 1335 AH
- Born in
- Damascus
Abd al-Razzaq al-Bitar (1253–1335 AH / 1837–1916 CE; another report gives his birth as 1250 AH) was a Syrian scholar, historian, and reformer from Damascus , renowned for his biographical chronicle Hilyat al-Bashar fi Tarikh al-Qarn al-Thalith Ashar .
Lineage and Early Life
He was Abd al-Razzaq ibn Hasan ibn Ibrahim ibn Hasan ibn Muhammad ibn Hasan al-Bitar al-Maydani al-Dimashqi . He was born and raised in Damascus in an established family of learning . His father, Hasan ibn Ibrahim al-Bitar (1206–1273 AH), was a Shafi'i scholar, preacher, and teacher at the Karam al-Din Mosque (later known as Jami' al-Daqqaq) .
Education and Teachers
Al-Bitar studied various traditional and rational sciences under prominent scholars of Damascus, most notably receiving instruction and narrating from his father, Hasan al-Bitar, his brother, Muhammad ibn Hasan al-Bitar, and Yusuf ibn Badr al-Din al-Maghribi . Through these teachers, he maintained chains of transmission reaching the Damascene mufti Ibn Abidin . In addition to the religious sciences, he possessed wide literary erudition, historical knowledge, and an understanding of music theory .
Scholarly Orientation and Career
Al-Bitar adhered to a Salafi creed and advocated for the revival of independent legal reasoning (ijtihad) grounded directly in textual evidence rather than unquestioning imitation (taqlid) . He insisted on accepting truth wherever supported by sound proof, which drew resistance and hardship from conservative circles opposed to the call for ijtihad . He expounded on these principles in legal and theological treatises such as al-Minna fi al-'amal bi-al-kitab wa-al-sunna ("The Favor in Acting by the Book and the Sunna") .
His major historical contribution, Hilyat al-bashar fi tarikh al-qarn al-thalith 'ashar ("The Adornment of Mankind in the History of the Thirteenth Century"), became a standard biographical dictionary for figures of the thirteenth Islamic century, documenting religious scholars, poets, and dignitaries across the Levant, Egypt, the Hijaz, and Iraq . It was later edited and annotated by his grandson Muhammad Bahjat al-Bitar and published by the Arab Academy of Damascus in three volumes .
Students and Associates
Al-Bitar was closely associated with leading reform-minded contemporaries and taught a generation of Damascene scholars. Among his most prominent companions and students was Jamal al-Din al-Qasimi, who read an astronomical treatise under him and held his knowledge in high esteem . He also taught his nephew and son-in-law Muhammad Baha' al-Din al-Bitar , his grandson Muhammad Bahjat al-Bitar , and Hamed ibn Adib al-Taqi , while visiting scholars from outside Syria, such as Abd al-Rahman al-Sa'di of Najd, attended his lessons while studying in Damascus .
Death
Al-Bitar died in Damascus in 1335 AH (1916 CE) .
Answer updated
List of Works
Hilyat al-Bashar fi Tarikh al-Qarn al-Thalith Ashar (The Adornment of Mankind in the History of the Thirteenth Century) is a biographical dictionary of thirteenth-century AH notables. Arranged alphabetically by the names of the biographees, it chronicles prominent Muslim religious scholars, political administrators, Sufis, and literati across Syria (al-Sham), Egypt, the Hijaz, Yemen, Iraq, and al-Jazira, while also compiling selections of their poetry and prose.