al-Imadi
- Died
- 1051 AH
- Born in
- Damascus
Abd al-Rahman al-Imadi (978–1051 AH / 1570–1641 CE) was a Syrian Hanafi jurist, legal authority, and man of letters who served as the mufti of Damascus . He is noted for his biographical treatise on local shrines, al-Rawda al-rayya fi-man dufina bi-Darayya (The Lush Meadow Concerning Those Buried in Darayya) .
Life and career
Abd al-Rahman ibn Muhammad Imad al-Din ibn Muhammad ibn Muhammad ibn Muhammad ibn Imad al-Din al-Imadi was born in Damascus in 978 AH (1570 CE) into an established family of scholars . His father died when he was seven years old, leaving him to be raised as an orphan, an experience he frequently commemorated in verse . He pursued his education in Damascus under prominent scholars, beginning with al-Hasan al-Burini and his maternal cousin Muhammad ibn Muhibb al-Din al-Hanafi, before closely attaching himself to Qadi Muhibb al-Din, under whom he mastered the majority of his disciplines . He also studied under Shams al-Din ibn al-Minqar and Mawla Muhammad ibn Abd al-Malik al-Baghdadi .
Following in the footsteps of his father, al-Imadi was appointed Hanafi mufti of Damascus, where his legal opinions were widely sought . In addition to issuing fatwas, he held teaching posts in Damascus, including a professorship at the prestigious al-Sulaymaniyyah madrasa . Among those who studied under him were Ahmad ibn Zayn al-Din al-Mantiqi, Abd al-Hayy ibn Abd al-Baqi al-Muhibbi, and his own sons Imad al-Din, Shihab al-Din, and Ibrahim, who went on to hold prominent legal and judicial offices .
Al-Imadi died in Damascus on 17 Jumada al-Ula 1051 AH (24 August 1641 CE) .
Scholarship and standing
Biographical sources describe al-Imadi as a distinguished jurist, Qur'anic exegete, and accomplished poet whose gatherings and literary correspondence drew widespread respect among contemporaries, including the North African historian Ahmad al-Maqqari .
His legal writings include al-Mustata' min al-zad, a recognized manual on the rites and obligations of the Hajj according to the Hanafi school . In the field of tafsir, he authored Tahrir al-ta'wil, which addressed difficult aspects and meanings across select Qur'anic verses . In al-Rawda al-rayya fi-man dufina bi-Darayya, he combined local history and biography to record the Companions and early figures buried in the town of Darayya outside Damascus, highlighting the devotional practice of visiting the graves of the righteous .
Answer updated
List of Works
Al-Rawda al-Rayya fiman Dufina bi-Dariya (The Lush Meadow Concerning Those Buried in Dariya) is a biographical and hagiographical treatise devoted to the merits of the town of Dariya and the luminaries buried or settled within it. It serves to honor the status of the town's historical inhabitants and preserve the memory of the early figures laid to rest there, highlighting visiting the shrines and graves of the righteous as an act of devotion.