Ibn Dawud al-Hanbali
- Died
- 856 AH
- Born in
- Damascus
Ibn Dawud al-Hanbali (782–856 AH / 1380–1452 CE) was a Syrian Hanbali jurist, hadith scholar, and Sufi from Damascus, best known for his comprehensive treatise on enjoining good and forbidding evil, al-Kanz al-Akbar.
Life and Education
Zayn al-Din Abu al-Faraj 'Abd al-Rahman ibn Abi Bakr ibn Dawud al-Dimashqi al-Salihi al-Hanbali al-Qadiri was born at the foot of Mount Qasiyun in Damascus in 782 AH (1380 CE), with another report placing his birth in 783 AH. He grew up in Damascus, where he memorized the Quran and undertook religious studies.
He began his formal hearing of hadith in Damascus under the traditionist Ibn al-Muhibb al-Samit. In jurisprudence, he studied the Hanbali school under Taqi al-Din Ibrahim ibn Shams al-Din ibn Muflih and Ibn al-Lahham. He was also affiliated with the Qadiri Sufi order.
Scholarly Standing and Reception
Ibn Dawud was noted for his steadfast dedication to the religious duty of enjoining right and forbidding wrong, as well as for his generosity and humility, gaining widespread esteem among both scholars and the general public. He authored al-Kanz al-Akbar fi al-Amr bil-Maʿruf wal-Nahy ʿan al-Munkar ("The Greatest Treasure Concerning Enjoining Good and Forbidding Evil") in two volumes, as well as a treatise on plagues titled Tasliyat al-Wajim fi al-Ta'un al-Hajim ("Consolation for the Distressed During an Onset of Plague"). In the field of devotional supplications, he wrote Tuhfat al-'Ibad ("The Gift of the Worshippers"), commenting on a compilation of daily and weekly litanies authored by his father. His devotional litanies were transmitted after him through his son 'Abd al-Rahman to later Hanbali scholars.
Death
Ibn Dawud died in Jerusalem on 29 Rabi' al-Akhir 856 AH (May 1452 CE).
Answer updated
List of Works
al-Kanz al-Akbar min al-Amr bil-Maʿruf wal-Nahy ʿan al-Munkar (The Greatest Treasure Concerning Enjoining Good and Forbidding Evil) is an extensive Arabic treatise on Islamic ethics and legal duty. Spanning two volumes, it examines the legal rulings, spiritual virtues, and practical etiquettes of enjoining right and forbidding wrong.