Ibn al-Azam
- Died
- 1352 AH
- Born in
- Constantinople / Istanbul
Ibn al-Azam (1290–1352 AH / 1873–1933 CE; another report gives his birth as 1287 AH / 1870 CE) was a Damascene Hanafi man of letters, bibliographer, and journalist . He is best known for his bio-bibliographical supplement to Katib Chalabi's Kashf al-zunun, titled al-Sirr al-masun 'ala Kashf al-zunun .
Early life and education
His full name was Jamil ibn Mustafa ibn Muhammad Hafiz (or Muhammad) ibn Abd Allah Pasha ibn Muhammad ibn Isma'il al-Azm, belonging to the notable Damascene al-Azm family . He was born in Istanbul (Constantinople) . Following the death of his father when he was five years old, his family returned with him to Damascus, where he was raised . There, he studied under local scholars, mastered Turkish and Persian, and became skilled in various styles of Arabic calligraphy .
Career and scholarly activities
Ibn al-Azam held governmental posts in education (al-ma'arif) in Damascus and Beirut, serving in the accounting department of education in Beirut . He pursued extensive work in journalism and history, founding the monthly periodical al-Basa'ir and contributing both verse and prose to various contemporary publications . He was also elected a member of the Arab Academy of Damascus (al-Majma' al-'Ilmi al-'Arabi) . An active bibliophile, he amassed a notable collection of rare manuscripts and traded in them .
In scholarship, he compiled al-Sirr al-masun 'ala Kashf al-zunun (The Preserved Secret: A Supplement to Kashf al-Zunun), which added titles not recorded by Katib Chalabi . He also authored 'Uqud al-jawhar (Necklaces of Jewels), a biographical dictionary of authors who composed fifty or more works, and al-Musara'a ila qayd awabid al-mutala'a (Hastening to Record the Rarities of Reading) .
Death
Ibn al-Azam died in Damascus in 1352 AH / 1933 CE .
Answer updated
List of Works
al-Sirr al-Masun ‘ala Kashf al-Zunun (The Preserved Secret: A Supplement to Kashf al-Zunun) is a bio-bibliographical dictionary composed as a continuation and supplement (dhayl) to Katib Chalabi’s Kashf al-Zunun ‘an Asami al-Kutub wa-l-Funun. Following the method of Katib Chalabi, the work arranges entries alphabetically by book title, documenting authors, subjects, incipits, commentaries, and historical annotations.