Ibn Duqmaq, Sarim al-Din

Sarim al-Din Ibn Duqmaq (c. 750–809 AH / 1349–1406 CE) was an Egyptian Hanafi historian and chronicler based in Cairo, known for his historical works including Nuzhat al-Anam fi Tarikh al-Islam and al-Intisar li-Wasitat Iqd al-Amsar Nuzhat al-Anam fi Tarikh …+1.

Life and career

His full name was Ibrahim ibn Muhammad ibn Aydamur al-Ala'i, with Duqmaq being a Turkish term meaning mallet or hammer Nuzhat al-Anam fi Tarikh …. His grandfather, Aydamur al-Ala'i, served as the chief marshal of the army (naqib al-jaysh) during the reign of Sultan al-Nasir Muhammad ibn Qalawun and died in 734 AH Nuzhat al-Anam fi Tarikh …+1. His father, Muhammad ibn Aydamur, was an executive secretary (dawadar) who died in 761 AH in al-Uqaybah Nuzhat al-Anam fi Tarikh ….

Born in Egypt around 750 AH (1349 CE), Ibn Duqmaq originally wore military dress before pursuing religious education Nuzhat al-Anam fi Tarikh …+1. He studied Hanafi jurisprudence briefly under a group of scholars and took an interest in literature before dedicating himself fully to history and manuscript copying al-Manhal al-Safi wa al-M….

In 804 AH, Ibn Duqmaq faced a trial due to critical remarks he made concerning Imam al-Shafi'i in his biographical dictionary of Hanafi scholars, Nazm al-Juman, which resulted in his beating and imprisonment before the judge Jalal al-Din al-Mawaiz wal-Itibar fi D…+1. Toward the end of his life, he was appointed governor of Damietta, but he was soon dismissed and returned to Cairo al-Manhal al-Safi wa al-M…+1.

Standing and scholarship

Ibn Duqmaq was noted for his extensive compilations on Egyptian and Mamluk history al-Mawaiz wal-Itibar fi D…+1. His neighbor and contemporary al-Maqrizi described him as affable, humorous, and exceptionally knowledgeable regarding the biographies and affairs of Turkish amirs, adding that he avoided disparaging people and frequently offered excuses for his peers al-Manhal al-Safi wa al-M….

Biographers noted that his Arabic was not deeply grounded in formal grammar, which sometimes resulted in colloquial phrasing in his writing al-Mawaiz wal-Itibar fi D…+1. Nevertheless, contemporary and later scholars relied upon his works; Ibn Hajar al-Asqalani drew widely from his holographs, and Ibn al-Furat cited his historical chronicles directly Sullam al-Wusul ila Tabaq…+1.

Death

Ibn Duqmaq died in Cairo on Tuesday night, eight days remaining in Dhu al-Hijjah 809 AH (1406 CE), at around sixty years of age, though another report records his age at death as eighty-five Sullam al-Wusul ila Tabaq…+1. An alternative death date around 790 AH is mentioned by al-Suyuti and Katip Celebi, though Katip Celebi also recorded 809 AH elsewhere Nuzhat al-Anam fi Tarikh ….