Ibn Sayyid al-Nas
- Died
- 734 AH
- Born in
- Cairo
Ibn Sayyid al-Nas (671–734 AH / 1273–1334 CE) was a Shafi'i hadith scholar, historian, and man of letters based in Cairo, best known for his prophetic biography ‘Uyun al-Athar and his hadith commentary al-Nafh al-Shadhi.
Early life and family
His full name was Fath al-Din Abu al-Fath Muhammad ibn Muhammad ibn Muhammad ibn Ahmad ibn ‘Abd Allah ibn Muhammad ibn Yahya ibn Sayyid al-Nas al-Ya‘mari al-Andalusi al-Ishbili al-Misri. He was born in Cairo in Dhu al-Qa‘da 671 AH (another report places his birth in the first ten days of Dhu al-Hijja). His family belonged to a prominent scholarly lineage originally from Seville; his grandfather Abu Bakr was a notable hadith scholar and preacher in Tunis. When his father relocated to Egypt, he brought along essential reference works of hadith and jurisprudence. In the year of his birth, his father presented him to the traditionist al-Najib al-Harrani, who gave him the kunya Abu al-Fath and granted him an authorization (ijaza).
Education and travels
He memorized the legal manual al-Tanbih in Shafi'i jurisprudence and studied under numerous scholars, with his teachers estimated at nearly one thousand. He studied hadith and legal theory (usul al-fiqh) under Ibn Daqiq al-‘Id, closely accompanying him for years and serving as his teaching assistant (mu‘id); Ibn Daqiq al-‘Id held him in high esteem and would consult him on narrator biographies during his lessons. He studied Arabic grammar with Baha’ al-Din Ibn al-Nahhas. Among his other prominent instructors were Qutb al-Din al-Qastallani, Ibn al-Anmati, Ghazi al-Halawi, Shamiyya bint al-Bakri, and Shams al-Din al-Maqdisi.
In 690 AH he traveled to Damascus, arriving around the time of the death of Fakhr al-Din Ibn al-Bukhari, and studied with scholars including al-Suri, Ibn ‘Asakir, and students of al-Kindi and Ibn Tabarzadh. He also received written authorizations from scholars in Iraq, North Africa, and other regions.
Career and students
He held the headship of hadith teaching at the Dar al-Hadith al-Zahiriyyah in Cairo and taught at Jami‘ al-Salih. He also delivered the Friday sermons at Jami‘ al-Khandaq and served for a period as an official witness (shahid).
A number of scholars studied under him or transmitted from him, including al-Dhahabi (who sat with him, heard him read, and took his ijaza), Salah al-Din al-Safadi, Abu al-Faraj al-Ghazzi, and Umm Muhammad Ruqayyah bint ‘Ali.
Scholarly contribution and reception
He was recognized as a leading hadith master, biographer, and literary stylist of his era. Al-Birzali described him as a foremost authority in hadith memorization, chains of transmission, hidden defects (‘ilal), and prophetic biography, noting his humility, rapid recitation, and mastery of both Maghrebi and Egyptian calligraphic hands. Al-Safadi commended his prose style, eloquence, and poetry.
His most celebrated work is ‘Uyun al-Athar fi Funun al-Maghazi wa-l-Shama'il wa-l-Siyar, a comprehensive two-volume biographical compilation on the Prophet Muhammad, which he later abridged as Nur al-‘Uyun. He also composed an extensive commentary on Jami‘ al-Tirmidhi titled al-Nafh al-Shadhi, which remained unfinished at his death.
Ibn Kathir noted that in Cairo there was none like him in combining knowledge of hadith texts, chains, narrator criticism, jurisprudence, and literature, adding that he maintained a traditional creed grounded in scriptural texts and prophetic reports, while mentioning that some contemporaries expressed minor criticisms of him.
Death
He died in Cairo on Saturday, 11 Sha‘ban 734 AH. The funeral prayer was held the following day in a well-attended gathering, and he was buried near Ibn Abi Jamrah in the Great Cemetery of al-Qarafa.
Answer updated
List of Works
al-Nafh al-Shadhi fi Sharh Jami al-Tirmidhi (The Fragrant Breeze in Explaining al-Tirmidhi’s Jami) is an extensive commentary on al-Tirmidhi’s hadith collection Jami al-Tirmidhi.
Uyun al-Athar fi Funun al-Maghazi wa-l-Shama'il wa-l-Siyar (The Wellsprings of Tradition on the Arts of Expeditions, Virtues, and Biographies), also known as al-Sirah al-Kubra, is a comprehensive two-volume biographical work on the Prophet Muhammad.
al-Nafh al-Shadhi Sharh Jami al-Tirmidhi (The Fragrant Scent in the Commentary on Jami' al-Tirmidhi) is an extensive commentary on Jami' al-Tirmidhi.