Ibn al-Himsi

Ibn al-Himsi (841–934 AH / 1436–1528 CE) was a Syrian historian, Shafi'i jurist, and preacher based in Damascus, best known for his late Mamluk chronicle Hawadith al-Zaman wa Wafayat al-Shuyukh wa al-Aqran (The Events of the Age and the Deaths of the Shaykhs and Peers) al-Alam lil-Zirikli+1.

Lineage and Early Life

His full name was Shihab al-Din Ahmad ibn Muhammad ibn Umar ibn Abi Bakr ibn Abi Bakr ibn Uthman al-Ansari al-Shafi'i Hawadith al-Zaman wa Wafa…. He was of Homs origin and was raised in Damascus al-Alam lil-Zirikli. In the introduction to his chronicle, he stated that he was born in 841 AH (1436 CE), though biographical reports also record his birth year as 851 AH or 853 AH Hawadith al-Zaman wa Wafa…+1.

Education and Career

Ibn al-Himsi pursued his education across Syria and Egypt, studying hadith, Arabic language, and Shafi'i jurisprudence in Damascus circles at the Umayyad Mosque and local madrasas al-Alam lil-Zirikli+1. In 867 AH, he presented his memorized texts to the judge Badr al-Din ibn al-Maghribi, who granted him an authorization (ijaza) Hawadith al-Zaman wa Wafa…. He also studied under prominent Egyptian and Syrian scholars, including Zakariyya al-Ansari and Ibn al-Farfur, both of whom delegated judicial responsibilities (qada') to him Minhat al-Bari bi Sharh S….

In addition to judicial deputyship and teaching, Ibn al-Himsi served as a preacher (khatib) at the Citadel of the Mountain in Cairo in place of Zakariyya al-Ansari Minhat al-Bari bi Sharh S…. The Mamluk sultan Qansuh al-Ghawri favored him for his eloquence, and in 914 AH he was appointed preacher at the Umayyad Mosque in Damascus al-Alam lil-Zirikli+1.

Historiographical Contribution and Standing

Ibn al-Himsi composed Hawadith al-Zaman wa Wafayat al-Shuyukh wa al-Aqran, an annalistic chronicle covering events and obituaries in Egypt and Syria between 851 AH and 930 AH Hawadith al-Zaman wa Wafa…. He framed the work as a continuation (dhayl) to Ibn Hajar al-Asqalani's Inba' al-Ghumr bi-Anba' al-Umr (Informing the Uninitiated of the Children of the Era), and noted that it was an abridgment of his own larger, lost historical work, al-Tarikh al-Kabir (The Great History) Hawadith al-Zaman wa Wafa…+1.

Later historians drew upon his historical records; the Damascene biographer Najm al-Din al-Ghazzi praised his chronicle for its coverage of significant events and obituaries, describing it as concise and accessible, and utilized it as a source in his own biographical dictionary Hawadith al-Zaman wa Wafa….

Death

Ibn al-Himsi died in 934 AH (1528 CE) al-Alam lil-Zirikli+1. Another report places his death in 931 AH (1524 CE) and notes that he was buried in the cemetery of Bab al-Saghir in Damascus Hawadith al-Zaman wa Wafa….