Nasir al-Din al-Albani
- Died
- 1420 AH
- Born in
- -
Nasir al-Din al-Albani (1332–1420 AH / 1914–1999 CE) was an Albanian-born Islamic scholar and traditionist based primarily in Damascus and Amman, renowned for his critical evaluation and classification of Hadith literature in major reference works such as Silsilat al-Ahadith al-Sahiha (The Series of Authentic Hadiths) and Irwa' al-Ghalil fi Takhrij Ahadith Manar al-Sabil .
Lineage and early life
He was Abu Abd al-Rahman Muhammad Nasir al-Din ibn Nuh ibn Adam al-Najati al-Arna'uti al-Albani . He was born in Shkodër, the capital of Albania at the time, in 1332 AH (1914 CE), though other accounts record his birth in 1333 AH or 1344 AH . He was raised in a religious family; his father, Nuh Najati, was a scholar of the Hanafi school who had graduated from Islamic institutes in Istanbul . Following the rise of Ahmet Zogu and his secularization policies—such as mandating Western headwear—his father emigrated with the family to Damascus .
In Damascus, al-Albani completed his primary schooling at Madrasat al-Is'af al-Khayri . His father chose not to enroll him in further state schooling, providing him instead with private instruction in Quranic recitation, tajwid, Arabic grammar and morphology, and Hanafi jurisprudence, through which al-Albani completed the memorization of the Quran according to the recitation of Hafs from Asim . He also studied legal and grammatical texts under Sa'id al-Burhani, attended the study circles of Muhammad Bahjat al-Baytar, and received a formal certification (ijazah) in hadith transmissions from the historian and traditionist of Aleppo, Muhammad Raghib al-Tabbakh . To earn a livelihood, he learned watchmaking from his father, working just enough hours each day to sustain himself so he could dedicate the rest of his time to scholarly research .
Scholarly career and travels
Al-Albani's dedication to hadith criticism began in his youth after reading critical articles by Rashid Rida in Majallat al-Manar . He became a fixture at the Zahiriyya Library in Damascus, where the administration eventually provided him with a private room and a key to access its manuscript collections outside regular hours .
He was selected by the Faculty of Sharia at Damascus University to source and verify commercial hadiths for an Islamic jurisprudence encyclopedia, and was appointed to a joint Egyptian-Syrian committee supervising the publication and verification of hadith literature during the United Arab Republic period . Between 1381 and 1383 AH, he taught hadith at the Islamic University of Madinah, and later served on its Supreme Founding Council from 1395 to 1398 AH . He declined offers to direct the hadith department at Jami'a Salafiyya in Varanasi, India, and to oversee postgraduate studies at Umm al-Qura University . In 1419 AH, he was awarded the King Faisal International Prize for Islamic Studies for his service to prophetic traditions .
His extensive writings and public lectures attracted many students across the Levant and the Arabian Peninsula, among them Muhammad Id al-Abbasi, Ali Hasan al-Halabi, and Abu Ishaq al-Huwayni .
Standing, controversies, and trials
Al-Albani advocated adhering strictly to the Quran and the Sunnah according to the methodology of the early generations (the Salaf), promoting a program of "purification and cultivation" (al-tasfiyah wa-al-tarbiyah) that sought to purge unauthentic reports and juristic rigidity . Leading contemporary scholars praised his erudition; Abd al-Aziz ibn Baz described him as unmatched in hadith knowledge in the contemporary era and considered him a candidate for the centennial renewer (mujaddid) of religion, while Muhammad ibn Salih al-Uthaymin, Abd al-Muhsin al-Abbad, and the Moroccan traditionist Ahmad al-Ghumari highlighted his deep command of transmission criticism .
His strict adherence to his hadith evaluations—such as his monumental compilation Silsilat al-Ahadith al-Da'ifa (The Series of Weak and Fabricated Hadiths)—and his independent juristic conclusions drew considerable opposition from traditionalist jurists, political movements, and state authorities . In Syria, he came under government surveillance and was imprisoned twice in the 1960s: once in the Damascus Citadel prior to the 1967 war, and again in 1389 AH (1969 CE), when he was exiled to al-Hasakah in northeastern Syria for several months . He also drew criticism from various contemporaries over legal rulings, including his position that covering the face and hands for women is recommended rather than obligatory, his stance on prayer timetables, and his political critiques of Islamist militant groups .
Death
After spending the latter part of his life residing in Amman, al-Albani died in the city before sunset on Saturday, 22 Jumada al-Akhira 1420 AH (2 October 1999 CE), at approximately eighty-five years of age, following prolonged illness .
Answer updated
List of Works
Sahih al-Sirah al-Nabawiyyah is a specialized hadith work that compiles and evaluates authenticated historical reports detailing the life of the Prophet Muhammad. Originating as a critical extraction and authentication of the biographical accounts recorded by Ibn Kathir, the work applies hadith methodology to distinguish sound transmissions from weak or fabricated narratives found in classical chronicles.
al-Radd al-Mufham is a legal and hadith treatise that defends the view that covering the face and hands for Muslim women is recommended rather than obligatory. Drawing on Quranic verses, prophetic traditions, lexical definitions, and classical juristic texts across legal schools, the work systematically rebuts arguments mandating the face veil while affirming that covering remains virtuous.
Qissat al-Masih al-Dajjal wa-Nuzul ‘Isa wa-Qatluhu Iyyahu is an eschatological hadith monograph that gathers, authenticates, and harmonizes prophetic narrations regarding the emergence of the Antichrist, the physical descent of Jesus, and his defeat of the Dajjal. The work presents critical analysis and a reconstructed narrative built upon mass-transmitted traditions concerning the Day of Resurrection.
Da'if al-Adab al-Mufrad is a critical hadith work compiled to isolate and examine the inauthentic narrations found in al-Bukhari's classic collection al-Adab al-Mufrad. It brings together 215 weak prophetic traditions and statements of early figures whose chains of transmission lack sufficient corroborating paths to strengthen them.
al-Radd ala al-Taaqib al-Hathith lil-Shaykh Abd Allah al-Habashi is a treatise in hadith criticism written as a polemical response concerning the legal status of using prayer beads and the authenticity of narrations about counting glorification with pebbles and date stones. The work evaluates chains of transmission and applies hadith methodology to examine these specific devotional practices.
al-Ajwiba al-Nafia an Asila Lajnat Masjid al-Jamia (Beneficial Answers to the Questions of the University Mosque Committee) is a legal and hadith treatise addressing legal and ritual inquiries regarding the Friday prayer, the call to prayer, and mosque practices. It originated in response to written questions submitted by the administrative committee of the university mosque at the University of Damascus.
Kayfa Yajibu Alayna an Nufassir al-Quran al-Karim ("How We Must Interpret the Holy Quran") is a short treatise on Quranic hermeneutics that outlines the principles and methodology required for interpreting the Quran in accordance with the prophetic Sunnah and the understanding of the early generations.
Tahrim Alat al-Tarab ("The Prohibition of Musical Instruments") is a treatise on Islamic jurisprudence and hadith criticism addressing the prohibition of musical instruments and singing in Islamic law. It refutes arguments permitting instruments and singing using scriptural evidence and early scholarly opinions, while also countering Sufi devotional musical practices.
Fitnat al-Takfir (The Tribulation of Takfir) is a theological treatise addressing the contemporary phenomenon of declaring Muslim rulers and subjects to be apostates (takfir). Originating as a fatwa on the excommunication of those who govern by other than divine revelation, it examines the scriptural understanding of disbelief and critiques extremist violence.
al-Taliqat al-Hisan ala Sahih Ibn Hibban (The Fine Comments on Sahih Ibn Hibban) is a multi-volume work of hadith authentication and critical commentary. Encompassing 7,448 hadiths, it evaluates and grades the narrations compiled in Abu Hatim Ibn Hibban's hadith collection as rearranged by Ala al-Din Ali ibn Balban al-Farisi, focusing on transmission chains and hadith validity.
Irwa al-Ghalil fi Takhrij Ahadith Manar al-Sabil is a multi-volume hadith verification reference work dedicated to sourcing and evaluating the legal traditions cited in the Hanbali jurisprudence manual Manar al-Sabil.
Jami Turath al-Allama al-Albani fi al-Manhaj wa al-Ahdath al-Kubra is a multi-volume encyclopedic collection compiling methodological teachings and contemporary socio-political assessments, edited by Shadi ibn Muhammad ibn Salim Al Nu'man.
Tamam al-Minna fi al-Taliq ala Fiqh al-Sunna is a critical commentary and hadith-authentication work focusing on the contemporary jurisprudence manual Fiqh al-Sunna by Sayyid Sabiq.
Daif Abi Dawud – al-Umm is an unabridged hadith criticism work providing exhaustive evaluation and authentication of the weak narrations in Sunan Abi Dawud by Abu Dawud al-Sijistani.
Jami‘ Turath al-‘Allama al-Albani fi al-Fiqh is a multi-volume encyclopedic collection compiled by Shadi ibn Muhammad ibn Salim Al Nu‘man, gathering jurisprudence-related legal rulings, deductions, and discussions from across written and spoken sources.
al-Tawassul: Anwa'uhu wa Ahkamuhu (Seeking Means of Nearness to God: Its Types and Rulings) is a theological treatise examining the concept of tawassul, or seeking a means of approach to God in supplication. The work distinguishes between legally sanctioned and prohibited forms of tawassul according to the Qur'an and the Sunnah.
Sifat Salat al-Nabi min al-Takbir ila al-Taslim Ka'annaka Taraha (The Description of the Prophet's Prayer from the Opening Takbir to the Concluding Taslim as if You Saw It) is a legal and hadith treatise that provides a step-by-step description of Islamic ritual prayer based on authentic prophetic traditions.
Taṣḥīḥ Ḥadīth Ifṭār al-Ṣāʾim qabl Safarihi baʿd al-Fajr (Validating the Hadith on the Fasting Person Breaking Fast Before Travel After Dawn) is a legal and hadith-critical treatise that examines the permissibility of breaking the Ramadan fast prior to departing on a journey.
Sahih Sunan Abi Dawud (The Authentic Narrations of Abu Dawud's Sunan) is a hadith verification work dedicated to isolating and authenticating the sound narrations found in Abu Dawud al-Sijistani's Sunan Abi Dawud.
Daif Sunan al-Tirmidhi (The Weak Narrations of Sunan al-Tirmidhi) is a hadith critical work that isolates and evaluates the weak narrations contained within the Sunan (or al-Jami') of al-Tirmidhi.
Talkhis Sifat Salat al-Nabi (Abridgment of the Prophet's Prayer Described) is a concise treatise on the ritual prayer that distills a larger study into an accessible guide grounded exclusively in authentic prophetic traditions. It outlines the complete prayer step by step, from facing the Kaaba and the opening takbir to the concluding taslim, presenting each ruling through the methodology of traditionalist hadith scholars without restricting rulings to any single Sunni legal madhhab.
Tahdhir al-Sajid min Ittikhadh al-Qubur Masajid (Warning the Worshipper Against Taking Graves as Mosques) is a legal treatise examining Islamic rulings and prophetic traditions concerning building places of worship over graves and performing prayer around them. It compiles widely transmitted hadiths on the subject and demonstrates the positions across the four Sunni legal schools against turning burial sites into mosques.
al-Hadith Hujja Binafsihi fi al-Aqaid wal-Ahkam (The Hadith Is an Independent Proof in Creed and Rulings) is a treatise demonstrating the independent authority of authentic prophetic traditions in establishing Islamic theology and jurisprudence. Developed from a conference lecture delivered in Granada, Spain, in Rajab 1392 AH (August 1972 CE), the text refutes the distinction between creedal matters and practical rulings regarding the evidentiary acceptance of sound hadiths.
Salat al-Eidayn fi al-Musalla hiya al-Sunna (Praying the Two Eid Prayers in the Prayer Ground is the Sunnah) is a legal treatise examining the established practice and legal status of holding Eid prayers in an open-air prayer ground outside of town rather than inside mosques. It presents hadith evidence and legal positions across multiple schools to argue that gathering in the open prayer ground represents the superior prophetic precedent.
Adab al-Zifaf fi al-Sunnah al-Mutahharah (The Etiquettes of Marriage in the Purified Sunnah) is a legal and hadith treatise outlining the rulings, manners, and prophetic traditions governing marriage, wedding celebrations, and marital consummation. Grounded in authenticated narrations, it arranges the etiquettes of marriage chronologically from the wedding night onward, offering guidance for couples while addressing un-Islamic customs and innovations.
Sahih al-Targhib wa al-Tarhib (The Authentic Traditions of Encouragement and Deterrence) is a hadith reference work that isolates and verifies the authentic narrations contained in the classic compilation al-Targhib wa al-Tarhib by Abd al-Azim al-Mundhiri.
Manasik al-Hajj wal-Umra fil-Kitab wal-Sunna wa-Athar al-Salaf (The Rites of Hajj and Umrah in the Book, the Sunnah, and the Traditions of the Salaf) is a concise jurisprudence guide on the Islamic pilgrimage. It outlines the legal rules and rites of Hajj and Umrah based on the Quran, the Sunnah, and early traditions.
Takhrij Musajala Ilmiyya is a critical edition and hadith extraction presenting a classical scholarly debate concerning the prayer known as Salat al-Ragha'ib. It compiles a 7th-century AH scholastic exchange between al-Izz ibn Abd al-Salam and Ibn al-Salah regarding the legal status and narrations surrounding this prayer.
Fiqh al-Waqi‘ (Jurisprudence of Current Reality) is a treatise examining the concept, legal status, and correct application of understanding contemporary political and social realities within Islamic law.
Jilbab al-Mar'a al-Muslima fi al-Kitab wa al-Sunna (The Jilbab of the Muslim Woman in the Book and the Sunna) is a legal and hadith treatise that delineates the Islamic legal rulings and specific conditions governing women's attire when leaving the home.
Takhrij Ahadith Fadail al-Sham wa Dimashq li Abi al-Hasan al-Rabai is a treatise of hadith criticism evaluating the prophetic traditions collected in Abu al-Hasan al-Rabai's 5th-century work Fadail al-Sham wa Dimashq. The work examines these reports by removing lengthy chains of transmission to make the critique accessible, seeking to demonstrate the existence of authentic hadiths concerning the virtues of the Levant and Damascus.
Hukm Tarik al-Salah is a legal and theological treatise addressing the religious status of a person who neglects obligatory prayer. The work examines the severity of abandoning prayer and analyzes the scholarly dispute over whether such neglect constitutes major disbelief or a lesser, practical disbelief when done out of laziness rather than denial.
al-Tawhid Awwalan ya Duat al-Islam is a doctrinal and methodological treatise arguing that rectifying creed and calling to monotheism must serve as the primary starting point for Islamic reform and preaching. It focuses on the meaning of the testimony of faith, critiques the strategies of contemporary Islamic movements, and advocates a framework of purifying religious understanding and cultivating communities upon authentic teachings.
Mukhtasar Sahih al-Imam al-Bukhari is an abridged edition of al-Bukhari's canonical hadith collection. It retains the prophetic traditions and non-prophetic reports while removing chains of transmission and redundant narrations, integrating unique textual variants directly into the primary texts.
Talkhis Ahkam al-Janaiz is a manual on Islamic funeral jurisprudence and customary funeral innovations, condensed from the exhaustive reference work Ahkam al-Janaiz wa-Bida'uha. Designed for general readers during bereavement, it summarizes the legal rulings and rites associated with death and burial while omitting extended hadith documentation.
Salat al-Tarawih (The Tarawih Prayer) is a legal and hadith treatise that examines the legal status, congregational practice, and prescribed number of units (rakʿahs) of the nightly Ramadan vigil prayer.
Khutbat al-Hajah allati kana Rasul Allah yuallimuha ashabahu (The Sermon of Need That the Messenger of Allah Taught His Companions) is a hadith treatise documenting the text, transmission routes, and legal rulings concerning the introductory sermon taught by the Prophet Muhammad.
Difa' 'an al-Hadith al-Nabawi wa-al-Sira (A Defense of the Prophetic Hadith and Biography) is a critical hadith polemic refuting the biographical work Fiqh al-Sira by Muhammad Sa'id Ramadan al-Buti.
al-Isra wal-Miraj wa Dhikr Ahadithihima wa Takhrijiha wa Bayan Sahihiha is a hadith treatise that compiles, cross-references, and evaluates prophetic narrations concerning the Prophet's Night Journey (al-Isra) and Ascension (al-Miraj) in order to distinguish sound reports from defective ones.
Sahih Sunan al-Nasai (The Authentic Traditions of al-Nasa'i's Sunan) is a modern hadith work that isolates and verifies the authentic narrations contained in al-Mujtaba, the canonical collection of Abu Abd al-Rahman al-Nasai.
Kashf al-Niqab Amma fi "Kalimat" Abi Ghudda min al-Abatil wa al-Iftiraat (Unveiling the Veil from the Falsehoods and Fabrications in Abu Ghudda's "Words") is a polemical refutation directed against the Syrian scholar Abd al-Fattah Abu Ghudda.
Hujjat al-Nabi (The Prophet's Pilgrimage) is a legal and Hadith treatise examining the rites of the Prophet Muhammad's Farewell Pilgrimage based on the comprehensive narration of the Companion Jabir ibn Abd Allah.
Daif Sunan al-Nasai (Ḍa‘īf Sunan al-Nasā’ī) is a hadith critical work that isolates and compiles the narrations graded as weak from the Sunan of al-Nasai (215–303 AH / 829–915 CE).
Silsilat al-Ahadith al-Daifa wal-Mawdua wa Atharuha al-Sayyi fi al-Umma (The Series of Weak and Fabricated Hadiths and Their Evil Impact on the Muslim Nation) is a multi-volume critical hadith compilation dedicated to identifying, grading, and critically evaluating unreliable and spurious prophetic reports.
Daif Mawarid al-Zaman ila Zawaid Ibn Hibban (The Weak Narrations of Mawarid al-Zaman to the Additions of Ibn Hibban) is a specialized hadith criticism book that isolates and evaluates the weak and unauthentic narrations found in Mawarid al-Zaman ila Zawaid Ibn Hibban.
Ahkam al-Janaiz is a legal and hadith treatise outlining the Islamic rulings, obligations, and common innovations associated with death and funerals. The work addresses the stages of funeral rites and mourning in chronological sequence, from the duties incumbent upon relatives of the deceased to washing, shrouding, funeral prayers, burial, and grave visitation, concluding with a comprehensive chapter cataloging innovated practices related to funerals.
Naqd "Nusus Hadithiya fi al-Thaqafa al-Amma" is a critical treatise on hadith methodology that provides a methodological critique and hadith evaluation of a university textbook authored by Muhammad al-Muntasir al-Kattani for Sharia students in Damascus. The work aims to offer a practical model of applied hadith criticism and verification by examining issues such as the inclusion of unauthenticated narrations, inaccurate source attributions, and flawed transmission chains.
Durus li al-Shaykh al-Albani is a collection of transcribed audio lectures, scientific gatherings, and question-and-answer sessions covering creed, jurisprudence, hadith methodology, and contemporary religious questions. Transcribed from recorded audio tapes of public and private lessons, discussions with visiting students and scholars, and informal gatherings, the material preserves oral teachings emphasizing reliance on the Qur'an and Sunnah.
Nasb al-Majaniq li-Nasf Qissat al-Gharaniq is a critical hadith treatise dedicated to examining and refuting the historical and theological authenticity of the Gharaniq narrative, in which Satan is alleged to have cast praise for pagan idols into the recitation of Surah al-Najm. The work assesses the incident through a detailed critique of all extant transmission paths and analyzes internal textual contradictions that conflict with prophetic infallibility.
Sahih al-Jami al-Saghir wa Ziyadatuh is a hadith reference work that classifies and verifies the authentic and sound narrations extracted from Jalal al-Din al-Suyuti's alphabetical compendia. Retaining an alphabetical arrangement by the opening word of each hadith, the compilation restricts its entries to traditions evaluated as authentic or sound, providing abbreviated primary source references and critical rulings for each text.
Takhrij Mushkilat al-Faqr is a work of hadith criticism and authentication dedicated to documenting, analyzing, and grading the prophetic traditions and reports cited in Yusuf al-Qaradawi's treatise on Islamic economics and social welfare, Mushkilat al-Faqr wa-Kayfa ‘Alajaha al-Islam.
al-Nasiha bil-Tahdhir min Takhrib Ibn Abd al-Mannan li-Kutub al-Aimma al-Rajiha wa-Tadaifihi li-Mi'at al-Ahadith al-Sahiha is a polemical and methodological hadith treatise dedicated to criticizing the editorial work, hadith methodology, and critical judgments of the contemporary editor Hassan ibn Abd al-Mannan.
Asl Sifat Salat al-Nabi is an extensive multi-volume hadith and legal work providing an exhaustive critical documentation and juristic analysis of the prophetic prayer from the opening takbir to the concluding taslim.
Sahih al-Adab al-Mufrad is a hadith verification work dedicated to verifying and distinguishing the authentic narrations in al-Bukhari's moral and behavioral collection al-Adab al-Mufrad.
Daif al-Targhib wa al-Tarhib is a hadith evaluation work that isolates and critically assesses the inauthentic narrations contained in the classic compilation al-Targhib wa al-Tarhib by Abd al-Azim al-Mundhiri.
al-Thamar al-Mustatab fi Fiqh al-Sunnah wa al-Kitab (The Pleasant Fruit in the Fiqh of the Sunnah and the Book) is a legal treatise dedicated to Islamic jurisprudence grounded directly in the Quran and authentic Prophetic traditions.
al-Siraj al-Munir fi Tartib Ahadith Sahih al-Jami al-Saghir is a contemporary Hadith compilation arranged and annotated by Isam Musa Hadi, reorganizing the authentic hadiths of Sahih al-Jami al-Saghir wa-Ziyadatuh into thematic jurisprudential chapters.
Daif al-Jami al-Saghir wa Ziyadatuh (The Weak [Hadiths] of al-Jami al-Saghir and Its Supplement) is a hadith evaluation work that catalogs and grades the inauthentic and fabricated narrations found in Jalal al-Din al-Suyuti's hadith collection and its supplement.
Qiyam Ramadan: Fadluhu wa-Kayfiyyat Ada'ihi wa-Mashru'iyat al-Jama'ah Fihi wa-Ma'ahu Bahth Qayyim 'an al-I'tikaf is a legal and hadith treatise examining the rulings, virtues, and formats of the nocturnal Ramadan prayers (Tarawih) alongside a study on spiritual retreat (I'tikaf).
Ghayat al-Maram fi Takhrij Ahadith al-Halal wa al-Haram (The Ultimate Aim in Documenting the Narrations of The Lawful and the Prohibited) is a hadith evaluation and documentation work dedicated to verifying, sourcing, and grading the prophetic traditions cited in Yusuf al-Qaradawi's jurisprudential treatise al-Halal wa al-Haram fi al-Islam.
Silsilat al-Ahadith al-Sahiha wa Shay' min Fiqhiha wa Fawa'idiha (The Series of Authentic Hadiths and Some of Their Jurisprudence and Benefits) is a multi-volume hadith compendium devoted to the critical evaluation, source-referencing, and doctrinal analysis of authentic prophetic narrations.
Sahih Mawarid al-Zaman ila Zawaid Ibn Hibban is a hadith work that isolates and authenticates the sound narrations from Nur al-Din al-Haythami's compilation of hadith additions, Mawarid al-Zaman ila Zawaid Ibn Hibban.
Jami Turath al-Allama al-Albani fi al-Aqida, also titled Mawsuat al-Aqida, is an encyclopedic reference compiling theological rulings, statements, and doctrinal analyses. Compiled and arranged by Shadi ibn Muhammad ibn Salim Al Numan, it gathers nearly two thousand theological issues and doctrinal points extracted from published treatises, critical editions, and recorded audio lectures.
Manzilat al-Sunnah fi al-Islam (The Status of the Sunnah in Islam) is a concise treatise on Islamic legal theory and theology. It articulates the indispensable role of the prophetic tradition in interpreting the Quran and establishing Islamic law, arguing that the Quran cannot be understood or implemented independently of the Sunnah.