Ibn al-Shaykha
- Died
- 799 AH
- Born in
- -
Ibn al-Shaykha (c. 714/715–799 AH / 1314/1315–1397 CE) was a Shafi'i hadith transmitter and long-lived traditionist (musnid) based in Cairo .
Identity and Early Life
His full name was Zayn al-Din Abu al-Faraj 'Abd al-Rahman ibn Ahmad ibn al-Mubarak ibn Hammad ibn Turki ibn 'Abd Allah . Originally from Gaza (al-Ghazzi), he settled in Cairo, where he was widely known by the sobriquet Ibn al-Shaykha . He was born around 714 or 715 AH . In his earlier years, he worked as a cloth merchant (bazzaz) outside Bab al-Futuh in Cairo before eventually abandoning commercial trade . Throughout his life, he avoided holding administrative offices and public posts, dedicating himself instead to religious devotion and study .
Education and Scholarship
Ibn al-Shaykha studied Shafi'i jurisprudence under Taqi al-Din al-Subki and attended his lessons . He sought out hadith actively, hearing from numerous prominent authorities of Egypt and the Levant . Among his principal teachers were Fath al-Din Ibn Sayyid al-Nas, Qutb al-Din al-Halabi, Yusuf ibn 'Umar al-Khatani, Abu al-Hasan 'Ali ibn 'Umar al-Wani, and Yunus ibn Ibrahim al-Dabbusi . He also held written transmission licenses (ijazat) from Syrian scholars, including Abu Nasr ibn al-Shirazi, al-Qasim ibn 'Asakir, and Ahmad ibn Abi Talib al-Hajjar .
He became a prominent transmitter sought by students for his elevated chains of transmission ('awali) and extensive audition records . His selections were compiled into a dedicated tract of elevated transmissions titled 'Awali Ibn al-Shaykha (The High-Chained Transmissions of Ibn al-Shaykha), extracted by Abu Zur'ah Ahmad ibn 'Abd al-Rahim al-'Iraqi . Prominent hadith scholars transmitted from him, including Zayn al-Din al-'Iraqi and Ibn Hajar al-'Asqalani . Ibn Hajar read extensive compendia under him, notably Abu Nu'aym al-Isfahani's al-Mustakhraj 'ala Sahih Muslim, which Ibn al-Shaykha uniquely preserved with complete transmission in his era .
Standing and Death
Biographers characterized Ibn al-Shaykha as a righteous, devout worshipper noted for his sharp memory, religious integrity, and precision in correcting readers during hadith auditions . His mental acuity declined slightly near the start of his final year . He died in Cairo on 29 Rabi' al-Thani 799 AH (February 1397 CE) .
Answer updated
List of Works
al-Thani min Shi‘ar al-Abrar fi al-Ad‘iya wal-Adhkar is a hadith tract (juz’) representing the second installment of a larger collection devoted to prophetic prayers and invocations. The work gathers traditions concerning prescribed supplications (du‘a’) and daily words of remembrance (adhkar), presenting them with full chains of transmission and hadith commentary cross-referenced against major canonical collections.
Ahadith Muntaqat min Samaat Ibn al-Shaykha, also known as ‘Awali Ibn al-Shaykha, is a specialized, compact hadith tract (juz’). It brings together selected high-chained transmissions (‘awali) and scholarly benefits (fawa’id) drawn from preserved hadith audition records.