al-Najm Ibn Fahd al-Makki
- Died
- 885 AH
- Born in
- Mecca
al-Najm Ibn Fahd al-Makki (812–885 AH / 1409–1480 CE) was a Meccan Shafi'i hadith scholar and historian, best known for his annalistic chronicle of Mecca, Ithaf al-Wara bi-Akhbar Umm al-Qura ("Bestowing upon Mankind the Annals of the Mother of Cities") .
Lineage and early life
His full name was Abu al-Qasim (and Abu Hafs) 'Umar ibn Muhammad ibn Muhammad ibn Abi al-Khayr Muhammad ibn Muhammad ibn 'Abd Allah ibn Fahd al-Qurashi al-Hashimi al-'Alawi al-Makki al-Shafi'i, titled Najm al-Din and Siraj al-Din . Although he was formally named Muhammad, he was predominantly known as 'Umar . He belonged to the prominent Meccan scholarly house of Banu Fahd, whose lineage traced back to Muhammad ibn al-Hanafiyyah, the son of Ali ibn Abi Talib . He was born in Mecca at the end of Jumada al-Akhirah 812 AH (November 1409 CE) .
Education and scholarship
Raised in an intellectual household, he was educated by his father, the hadith scholar and historian Taqi al-Din Ibn Fahd (d. 871 AH) . He traveled extensively in pursuit of hadith and historical knowledge, journeying to Egypt and the Levant . He compiled a dedicated biographical dictionary of his teachers, Mu'jam al-Shuyukh .
His historical scholarship focused primarily on local history and biographical registers; in addition to his comprehensive chronicle of Mecca, he composed al-Durr al-Kamin bi-Dhayl al-'Iqd al-Thamin, serving as a continuation (dhayl) to the biographical dictionary of Mecca by Taqi al-Din al-Fasi . Among his students was his son, the historian Izz al-Din Ibn Fahd (d. 921 AH), who continued his chronicle and transmitted his works, alongside later scholars such as Jalal al-Din al-Suyuti who received transmission licenses through his networks .
Death
He died in Mecca on 7 Ramadan 885 AH (November 1480 CE) at the age of seventy-three .
Answer updated
List of Works
Ithaf al-Wara bi-Akhbar Umm al-Qura is an extensive annalistic history of Mecca structured as a year-by-year chronicle. Beginning with the birth of the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ and concluding in Ramadan 885 AH, the work arranges historical events in chronological order, recording the political, social, architectural, and religious history of the city alongside annual obituaries of Meccans and notable visitors.