Yusuf ibn Yahya al-Sulami
- Died
- 658 AH
- Born in
- -
Yusuf ibn Yahya al-Sulami (d. after 658 AH / 1260 CE) was a Shafi'i jurist and historian from Jerusalem, best known for his eschatological compilation ‘Aqd al-Durar fi Akhbar al-Muntazar.
Identity and Lineage
His full name is recorded as Jamal al-Din Yusuf ibn Yahya ibn Ali ibn Abd al-Aziz al-Maqdisi al-Sulami al-Shafi'i, while other records give his grandfather as Muhammad.
Biographical sources contain limited independent documentation of his life. Khayr al-Din al-Zirikli noted that earlier biographers did not dedicate an independent biographical entry to him, which led some later writers to confuse him with Ibn al-Zaki (Yusuf ibn Yahya ibn Muhammad ibn Zaki al-Din Ali al-Qurashi al-Dimashqi, 640–685 AH / 1243–1287 CE), who served as the Shafi'i chief judge in Damascus. Al-Zirikli clarified that Ibn al-Zaki had no recorded authored books, whereas Yusuf ibn Yahya al-Sulami is the definitive author of ‘Aqd al-Durar.
Scholarly Contribution and Death
Al-Sulami is identified as a historian and Shafi'i scholar. He completed his compilation ‘Aqd al-Durar fi Akhbar al-Muntazar (The Necklace of Pearls Concerning the Reports of the Awaited [Imam]) in 658 AH (1260 CE), assembling transmitted hadiths and reports on the Mahdi and the portents of the End Times.
He lived beyond the completion of his text in 658 AH (1260 CE), with biographical and bibliographical registers variously placing his death in 685 AH (1286 CE) or after that date.
Answer updated
List of Works
Aqd al-Durar fi Akhbar al-Muntazar (The Necklace of Pearls Concerning the Reports of the Awaited [Imam]) is a 7th-century AH compilation of eschatological hadiths concerning the Mahdi, completed in 658 AH (1260 CE). Organized into twelve chapters, the work gathers transmitted traditions detailing the lineage, characteristics, emergence, reign, and associated tribulations of the Mahdi, as well as the descent of Isa ibn Maryam. To maintain brevity, full chains of transmission are omitted in favor of directly citing the earlier collections and canonical sources from which reports were drawn.