Ibn Shakir al-Kutbi
- Died
- 764 AH
- Born in
- -
Ibn Shakir al-Kutbi (c. 686–764 AH / 1287–1363 CE) was a Syrian historian, biographer, and bookseller based in Damascus, best known for his biographical dictionary Fawat al-Wafayat .
Origin and Early Life
His full name was Salah al-Din Abu 'Abd Allah Muhammad ibn Shakir ibn Ahmad ibn 'Abd al-Rahman ibn Shakir ibn Harun ibn Shakir al-Darani al-Dimashqi; some sources also record his honorific as Fakhr al-Din . He was born in Darayya, a village in the rural surroundings of Damascus . Although his exact date of birth is not definitively recorded, a manuscript copy of Ibn Hajar al-Asqalani's al-Durar al-Kamina gives the year 686 AH (c. 1287 CE) .
He was raised in Damascus in extreme poverty before entering the book trade and manuscript copying (waraqah) . Through his success as a bookseller and scribe—aided by a clear, neat hand and a reputation for upright conduct—he acquired considerable wealth and left a substantial estate .
Education and Scholarship
In hadith and Islamic disciplines, he studied under several prominent Levantine scholars, including al-Mizzi, Ibn al-Shahnah, Abu al-Abbas al-Hajjar, and al-Dhahabi . Among those who transmitted from him was Ibn Sanad .
His profession in the book market allowed him to read extensively in historical and literary literature . His historical writings reflect close synthesis and reliance on major contemporary compendia, notably works by al-Safadi and Ibn Kathir . His biographical dictionary Fawat al-Wafayat was conceived as an alphabetical supplement to Ibn Khallikan's Wafayat al-A'yan, adding entries for caliphs and notable figures from earlier centuries up to his own era . In general history, he compiled 'Uyun al-Tawarikh, a multi-volume annalistic chronicle tracing events through 760 AH . He also compiled an anthology titled Rawdat al-Azhar wa-Hadiqat al-Ash'ar .
Standing and Death
Ibn Kathir praised him as a scholar who memorized, engaged actively in scholarly discussion, and imparted useful knowledge, noting that he distinguished himself in his vocation . The biographer Ibn Rafi' similarly commended his personal virtue and chivalric conduct (muru'ah) .
He died in Damascus on Saturday, 11 Ramadan 764 AH (June 1363 CE) . Ibn Kathir attended and took part in his funeral prayer after the midday prayer (zuhr), and he was buried in the Bab al-Saghir cemetery in Damascus .
Answer updated
List of Works
Fawat al-Wafayat (The Omissions of the "Obituaries", also entitled Fawat al-Wafayat wa-al-Dhayl 'Alayha) is an Arabic biographical dictionary. Arranged as an alphabetical supplement and continuation to Ibn Khallikan's Wafayat al-A'yan, it supplies omitted historical figures—including caliphs and notable individuals from earlier eras—and extends biographical coverage through the mid-eighth century AH.