Ibn al-Sai
- Died
- 674 AH
- Born in
- Baghdad
Ibn al-Sai (593–674 AH / 1197–1275 CE) was a Baghdadi historian, hadith scholar, and librarian of the al-Mustansiriyya Madrasa, known for his historical chronicle al-Jami' al-Mukhtasar and his bio-bibliographical treatise al-Durr al-Thamin fi Asma al-Musannifin .
Identity and Early Life
His full name is Taj al-Din Abu Talib Ali ibn Anjab ibn Uthman ibn Abd Allah al-Baghdadi, with variant genealogies tracing his ancestry through Abd Allah ibn Ammar ibn Ubayd Allah ibn Abd al-Rahim, or naming his father al-Husayn . He was also known by the kunya Abu al-Hasan and the epithet al-Khazin (the librarian) . His title "Ibn al-Sai" was occasionally corrupted in some biographical and historical manuscripts into Ibn al-Sa'ati, Ibn al-Siba'i, or Ibn al-Sahi . He was born in Baghdad in Sha'ban 593 AH (1197 CE) .
He is predominantly classified as adhering to the Shafi'i legal school, though some biographical sources categorize him under the Hanafis, and he is also listed among prominent figures in Shi'i biographical literature . In spiritual transmission, he received the Sufi cloak (khirqa) from Abu Hafs Umar al-Suhrawardi .
Education and Career
Ibn al-Sai studied the seven canonical Quranic readings under Abu al-Baqa al-Ukbari and trained in historical scholarship under Ibn al-Najjar, reading the latter's major history with him . He received hadith transmissions from numerous scholars of Baghdad, including Abu Muhammad ibn al-Akhdar, Taj al-Din al-Kindi, Abd al-Wahhab ibn Sukayna, Ibn al-Dubaythi, and al-Husayn ibn al-Mubarak al-Zubaydi, from whom he heard Sahih al-Bukhari .
He held the custodianship of books (khizanat al-kutub) at the al-Nizamiyya Madrasa and subsequently at the Mustansiriyya Madrasa, positioning him at the center of Baghdad's major library collections . In these roles, he compiled extensive historical works, including Nisa al-Khulafa (The Wives and Concubines of the Caliphs), which documented the households of the Abbasid caliphs . A significant circle of scholars transmitted from him, most notably Ibn al-Fuwati, Sharaf al-Din al-Dimyati, Ibn Qaninu al-Irbili, Jamal al-Din Ibn al-Aquli, and Fakhr al-Din al-Taftazani .
Scholarly Standing
Ibn al-Sai earned recognition as a versatile chronicler, hadith scholar, and man of letters. Ibn Nasir al-Din praised him as an eminent imam and distinguished memorizer (hafiz) . Al-Dhahabi noted his vast output and fame, while observing that his standing was primarily among chroniclers (akhbariyyun) rather than critical hadith specialists, further mentioning that he had been subject to criticism and committed errors in his narrations .
Death
Ibn al-Sai died in Baghdad on the night of Sunday, 20 Ramadan 674 AH (March 1276 CE), and was buried in the cemetery of al-Shunizi . Chroniclers report that he died having approached or passed eighty years of age; other accounts place his age at seventy-one or eighty-two .
Answer updated
List of Works
Al-Durr al-Thamin fi Asma al-Musannifin (The Precious Pearl on the Names of Authors) is a biographical dictionary and bibliography that documents Muslim authors and their written works from the early Islamic era through the seventh century AH. Designed as a bio-bibliography to highlight the breadth of Arabic-Islamic literary production, the work focuses on presenting brief biographical sketches alongside enumerations of the subjects' writings rather than extended biographical narratives.