Ibn al-Imad al-Hanbali
- Died
- 1089 AH
- Born in
- Damascus
Ibn al-Imad al-Hanbali (1032–1089 AH / 1623–1679 CE) was a Syrian Hanbali jurist, historian, and man of letters from Damascus, best known for his biographical chronicle Shadharat al-Dhahab fi Akhbar man Dhahab.
Early Life and Education
Abu al-Falah Abd al-Hayy ibn Ahmad ibn Muhammad al-Ukri al-Dimashqi al-Salihi al-Hanbali, known as Ibn al-Imad, was born in the suburb of al-Salihiyya in Damascus on Wednesday, 8 Rajab 1032 AH (1623 CE). He pursued his early studies in Damascus under prominent local scholars, most notably al-Ustad Ayyub, Abd al-Baqi al-Hanbali, and Muhammad ibn Badr al-Din al-Balbani al-Salihi, all of whom granted him teaching licenses.
Ibn al-Imad subsequently traveled to Cairo, where he resided for an extended period to further his education. In Cairo, he studied under leading Egyptian authorities, including Sultan al-Mazzahi, Nur al-Din al-Shabramallisi, Shams al-Din al-Babili, and Shihab al-Din al-Qalyubi.
Scholarly Career and Standing
Following his return to Damascus, Ibn al-Imad devoted himself to teaching and scholarly compilation, and numerous students benefited from his instruction. Among those who studied under him was the biographer al-Muhibbi, who praised his encyclopedic familiarity with multiple disciplines, his command of historical reports, and his skill in composition and scholarly discussion. He was also noted for his clear and precise handwriting. Although he had a natural inclination toward poetry, biographers noted that he did not leave behind verses of his own composition, aside from two lines he reportedly recited in a dream.
In jurisprudence, he authored Bughyat Uli al-Nuha, an extensive commentary on Muntaha al-Iradat in Hanbali law, as well as the legal treatise Mu'tiyat al-Aman min Hanth al-Ayman, completing his own manuscript of the latter in Shawwal 1076 AH. His major historical compilation, Shadharat al-Dhahab fi Akhbar man Dhahab, was completed on Monday, 19 Ramadan 1080 AH, providing an annalistic chronicle of ten Islamic centuries from 1 AH to 1000 AH.
Death
Ibn al-Imad traveled to the Hijaz for the pilgrimage and died in Mecca on 16 Dhu al-Hijjah 1089 AH (1679 CE) at the age of 58. He was buried in the cemetery of al-Ma'lah.
Answer updated
List of Works
Mu'tiyat al-Aman min Hanth al-Ayman (Granting Safety from the Perjury of Oaths) is a jurisprudential treatise dedicated to the legal rulings governing oaths and divorce. Composed to address the frequent and widespread use of oath and divorce formulas, the work compiles essential legal issues and rulings on these topics. It establishes legal positions primarily according to the Hanbali school while regularly incorporating comparative perspectives from the Hanafi, Maliki, and Shafi'i schools, as well as early traditions.
Shadharat al-Dhahab fi Akhbar man Dhahab (Nuggets of Gold on the Chronicles of Those Who Have Gone) is a biographical chronicle surveying ten Islamic centuries from 1 AH to 1000 AH (622–1592 CE). Arranged annalistically from the first year of the Hijra to the end of year 1000 AH, the work pairs accounts of notable historical events under each year with concise obituaries and biographies of rulers, ministers, scholars, saints, and literary figures who died during that time, containing approximately ten thousand entries in total.