al-Yaghmuri
- Died
- 673 AH
- Born in
- Damascus
Abu al-Mahasin al-Yaghmuri (ca. 600–673 AH / 1203–1274 CE) was a Syrian hadith scholar, historian, and man of letters based in Damascus and Egypt, best known for his biographical work Nur al-Qabas.
Origin and Early Life
His full name was Jamal al-Din Abu al-Mahasin Yusuf ibn Ahmad ibn Mahmud ibn Ahmad ibn Muhammad ibn Abi al-Qasim al-Asadi al-Dimashqi, and he was also known as Ibn al-Tahhan. His grandfather was originally from Tikrit and his father from Mosul, while he himself was born in Damascus around 600 AH (ca. 1203 CE). He acquired the nisba al-Yaghmuri and the title of hadith master (al-hafiz) on account of his close, long-standing companionship with the amir Jamal al-Din Musa ibn Yaghmur.
Education, Career, and Scholarship
al-Yaghmuri traveled extensively in pursuit of knowledge, hearing hadith in Damascus, Mosul, Cairo, and Alexandria. In Damascus, he studied under scholars such as Hibat Allah ibn Tawus, Ibn al-Bann, and Ibn Sasra. In Mosul, his teachers included Mismar ibn al-Uways, Ahmad ibn Salman ibn al-Asfar al-Baghdadi, Ibn Baz, and Ibn al-Barni.
He later transmitted hadith in Egypt and Syria, and among those who narrated from him were Abd al-Mu'min ibn Khalaf al-Dimyati and Sayf al-Din al-Dawadari. In his scholarly activities, al-Yaghmuri combined hadith criticism with history and philology, compiling useful anthologies and drafting a chronicle (Tarikh). His surviving major work, Nur al-Qabas, is an abridgment of an earlier summary of al-Marzubani's biographical dictionary al-Muqtabas, documenting early grammarians, poets, and scholars of literature. He also composed verse and exchanged poetic correspondences with contemporaries such as Shihab al-Din Ibn al-Khaymi and Ahmad ibn Yusuf al-Tifashi.
Standing and Character
Biographical sources describe al-Yaghmuri as a discerning and meticulous scholar with extensive knowledge of history and literature. His handwriting was well recognized and praised among scholars. Contemporaries noted his pleasant manners, quick wit, and engaging conversation.
Death
al-Yaghmuri resided during his final years in Egypt under the patronage of Amir Shihab al-Din ibn Yaghmur. He died in the Egyptian city of al-Mahalla on the night of Wednesday, 21 Rabi' al-Thani 673 AH (October 1274 CE). Amir Shihab al-Din died roughly one month after him.
Answer updated
List of Works
Nur al-Qabas (The Light of the Firebrand), also known as Nur al-Qabas al-mukhtasar min al-Muqtabas, is a biographical dictionary of early Arabic grammarians, philologists, Qur'anic readers, and literary figures. The work is an abridgment of an earlier selection made from al-Muqtabas, the extensive biographical work of Muhammad ibn Imran al-Marzubani.