Ibn al-Zahir al-Irbili
- Died
- 677 AH
- Born in
- Erbil
Ibn al-Zahir al-Irbili (602–677 AH / 1205–1278 CE) was a Hanafi jurist, grammarian, and poet from Erbil who settled in Damascus, where he served as a professor at the Qaymaziyya Madrasah.
Background and Education
His full name was Majd al-Din Abu Abd Allah Muhammad ibn Ahmad ibn Umar ibn Ahmad ibn Abi Shakir ibn Abd Allah al-Irbili. Although of Moroccan ancestry (Marrakesh), he was born in Erbil on Monday, 2 Safar 602 AH (September 1205 CE).
During his pursuit of learning, he traveled across Iraq, Syria, and Egypt. In Baghdad, he studied in his middle age under Abu Bakr ibn al-Khazin—from whom he transmitted the Musnad of al-Shafi'i—as well as Abu Ishaq al-Kashghari. In Damascus, he received hadith from Karima al-Qurashiyya, Abu al-Hasan Ali ibn Muhammad al-Sakhawi, Taj al-Din Ibn Hamawayh, Taj al-Din Ibn Abi Ja'far, al-Sinjari, and reportedly Ibn al-Latti. He also studied Sahih al-Bukhari under Ibn al-Mukarram in 620 AH.
Scholarly Career and Students
Ibn al-Zahir taught at the Qaymaziyya Madrasah in Damascus and was known for his mastery of Arabic grammar, lexicography, jurisprudence, and literary history. He was also characterized by his piety, frequent recitation of the Quran, adherence to congregational prayers, and charitable generosity.
A substantial circle of prominent scholars studied under him or transmitted from his transmissions and poetry. His students included Abu Shamah al-Maqdisi, Abd al-Mu'min ibn Khalaf al-Dimyati, Abu al-Husayn al-Yunini, al-Mizzi, Ibn al-Attar, and Ibn Jama'ah. The chancery secretary Shihab al-Din Mahmud al-Halabi was closely attached to him, receiving his literary training under his guidance. Additionally, Abd al-Qahir ibn Muhammad al-Tabrizi received from him his didactic wisdom ode rhymed in ba', al-Sabr Matiyyat al-Najah ("Patience is the Mount of Success").
Literary and Legal Standing
Biographers regarded Ibn al-Zahir as one of the leading literary authorities of his generation and among the distinguished late poets, praising his inventive imagery and refined versification. His poetic output was gathered into a two-volume diwan. Beyond poetry, his scholarly writings included Tadhkirat al-Arib wa-Tabsirat al-Adib ("The Memoir of the Intelligent and Enlightenment of the Man of Letters") and an abridgment of the proverbs of al-Sharif al-Radi.
Death
Ibn al-Zahir died in Damascus on the night of Friday, 12 Rabi' al-Akhir 677 AH (September 1278 CE); another report dates his death to the same day in 676 AH. He was buried the following day in the Sufi Cemeteries (Maqabir al-Sufiyya) in Damascus, and was mourned by his student Shihab al-Din Mahmud in an elegiac poem.
Answer updated
List of Works
al-Sabr Matiyyat al-Najah (Patience is the Mount of Success) is a didactic wisdom ode (qasidah) rhymed in ba'. Belonging to the genre of Arabic wisdom (hikmah) and ascetic literature (zuhd), the poem focuses on ethical instruction, social reflection, patience during hardship, piety, and submission to divine decree.