Ibn Tulun
- Died
- 953 AH
- Born in
- Damascus
Ibn Tulun (c. 880–953 AH / c. 1475–1546 CE) was a Syrian Hanafi jurist, hadith transmitter, and historian from Damascus, best known for his chronicle Mufakahat al-Khullan fi Hawadith al-Zaman and his local history al-Qala'id al-Jawhariyya fi Tarikh al-Salihiyya .
Lineage and Early Life
His full name was Shams al-Din Abu Abd Allah Muhammad ibn Ali ibn Ahmad (also called Muhammad) ibn Ali ibn Khumarawayh ibn Tulun al-Dimashqi al-Salihi al-Hanafi . He was born around 880 AH in the al-Sahm al-A'la quarter near al-Madrasa al-Hajibiyya in al-Salihiyya, a suburb of Damascus . He grew up in an educated environment; his paternal uncle, the deputy judge Jamal al-Din Yusuf ibn Tulun (d. 937 AH), was among his primary early instructors in jurisprudence .
Education and Teachers
Ibn Tulun studied widely across various Islamic sciences, including jurisprudence, hadith, Quranic recitation, Arabic grammar, history, and dream interpretation . He compiled transmissions from roughly five hundred teachers and authorities across Syria, Egypt, and the Hijaz .
Among his prominent teachers in Damascus were Ibn al-Mibrad (Yusuf ibn Hasan ibn Abd al-Hadi), the historian Abd al-Qadir ibn Muhammad al-Nu'aymi, Nasir al-Din Ibn Zurayq, Siraj al-Din Ibn al-Sayrafi, Abu al-Fath al-Mizzi, and Kamal al-Din Ibn Hamza . In Mecca, he attended the lessons of the hadith master Izz al-Din Ibn Fahd and later received a license of transmission (ijazah) from Badr al-Din Hasan Ibn Fahd in 920 AH . He also obtained a written license of transmission from al-Suyuti in Cairo, and affiliated with Sufism through Shaykh Abu Iraqiyya .
Career and Students
Ibn Tulun was appointed to teach Hanafi jurisprudence at the Madrasa of Shaykh al-Islam Abi Umar in Damascus and served as the imam of the Salimiyya Mosque at the foot of Mount Qasiyun in al-Salihiyya . Students sought him out extensively for instruction in Arabic grammar and gathered to hear him transmit hadith .
Among those who studied with him or transmitted on his authority were the Hanbali jurist Musa al-Hijjawi, Muhammad ibn Abd Allah al-Askari, and Ahmad ibn Mardal al-Hisri .
Scholarly Standing and Death
Biographers described Ibn Tulun as an authoritative hadith transmitter and historian who devoted his life to learning, transcription, and devotional practice . He documented his life and education in a detailed autobiography titled al-Fulk al-Mashhun fi Ahwal Muhammad ibn Tulun .
Ibn Tulun died in Damascus in 953 AH / 1546 CE, with one report specifying his death on 13 Jumada al-Ula of that year .
Answer updated
List of Works
Kitab al-Arbaeen fi Fadl al-Rahma wa al-Rahimin (The Forty Hadiths on the Virtue of Mercy and the Merciful) is a hadith collection belonging to the Islamic genre of "forty hadith" compilations. The work focuses thematically on traditions concerning the merit of divine mercy and the virtue of compassion among human beings, assembling forty prophetic narrations that encourage benevolence and mercy toward creation along with their transmission paths and sources.
Tashyid al-Ikhtiyar li-Tahrim al-Tabl wa al-Mizmar (Consolidation of the Choice Regarding the Prohibition of the Drum and the Flute) is a short legal and hadith treatise examining the rulings on musical instruments, specifically drums (tabl) and flutes or pipes (mizmar). It compiles transmitted prophetic hadiths with their chains of transmission alongside juristic citations and fatwas regarding the legal status of musical instruments.
I'lam al-Sa'ilin 'an Kutub Sayyid al-Mursalin (Informing Inquirers Concerning the Letters of the Master of Messengers) is a treatise on prophetic correspondence that gathers forty-nine letters dictated by the Prophet Muhammad to various contemporary rulers, tribes, and governors. The work documents these historical communications, encompassing religious teachings, theological doctrines, legal rulings, and diplomatic treaties.
Fass al-Khawatim fima qila fi al-Walaim (The Bezel of Signets on What Has Been Said Regarding Feasts) is a specialized jurisprudential and linguistic treatise concerning the various types of banquets, food invitations, and hospitality customs in Islamic practice. The work examines traditional meal categories, dining etiquette, and the legal rulings and conditions associated with hosting and accepting invitations across Islamic jurisprudence.
al-Ahadith al-Mia al-Mushtamila ala Miat Nisba ila al-Sanai (The One Hundred Hadiths Comprising One Hundred Attributions to Crafts) is a hadith compilation that gathers one hundred prophetic narrations. Each included tradition features a narrator in its chain of transmission whose relative surname (nisba) derives from a specific craft, trade, or profession, arranged in alphabetical order by the trade title.
Mufakahat al-Khullan fi Hawadith al-Zaman is a multi-volume historical chronicle focusing on Damascus and Bilad al-Sham. It documents political, administrative, and social developments in the Levant, particularly Damascus, during the late Mamluk era and its transition to Ottoman rule.
Tafsir In Ibrahim Kana Umma li-Ibn Tulun is a specialized Quranic commentary treatise dedicated to the exegesis of verses 120–123 of Surah al-Nahl concerning Prophet Ibrahim. It provides detailed linguistic, theological, and hadith-based explanations for each attribute ascribed to Ibrahim in this passage.
Inba al-Umara bi-Anba al-Wuzara is a biographical treatise dedicated to notable viziers across Islamic history, encompassing figures from both the Islamic East and al-Andalus through the Mamluk period.