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Abu Hafs al-Bazzar

al-Alam al-Aliya fi Manaqib Ibn Taymiyya

Author died
749 AH
Editions
T al-Maktab al-Islami · T Ataaat al-Ilm

al-Alam al-Aliya fi Manaqib Ibn Taymiyya (The Lofty Signs in the Virtues of Ibn Taymiyya) is a biographical monograph authored by the Hanbali traditionist and jurist Siraj al-Din Abu Hafs Umar ibn Ali al-Bazzar (d. 749 AH / 1349 CE) dedicated to the life, virtues, and character of his teacher, Taqi al-Din Ahmad ibn Taymiyya (d. 728 AH / 1328 CE) .

Composition and Purpose

During his stay in Damascus, al-Bazzar attended Ibn Taymiyya's circles and accompanied him . Following Ibn Taymiyya's death, several scholars and pious figures urged al-Bazzar to write down his personal observations and recollections of his teacher . In his introduction, al-Bazzar noted that although he had accompanied Ibn Taymiyya for only a limited period, he felt obligated to record what he witnessed to provide a concise, reliable overview of the scholar's virtues, daily conduct, and trials for the benefit of the community .

Structure and Content

The work is organized into fourteen chapters (fusul), detailing both the public career and private life of Ibn Taymiyya :

  1. His birth, upbringing, and lifespan .
  2. The abundance of his knowledge, written works, and extemporaneous lectures .
  3. His command across textual (manqul) and rational (ma'qul) sciences .
  4. His devotional practices and worship (ta'abbud) .
  5. Aspects of his scrupulousness (wara') .
  6. His asceticism and worldly detachment (zuhd) .
  7. His selflessness (ithar) despite personal poverty, along with his humility .
  8. His physical appearance and dress .
  9. Reports concerning his spiritual intuition (firasa) and wondrous deeds (karamat) .
  10. His generosity .
  11. His fortitude of heart and bravery .
  12. His endurance of hardships for the sake of God and steadfastness upon truth .
  13. His status as an authority and standard of truth in his era .
  14. His death and the vast attendance at his funeral prayer and procession .

The book is distinguished by its vivid eyewitness descriptions. Al-Bazzar describes how Ibn Taymiyya conducted his teaching sessions without prepared notes, beginning with prayer and supplication before expounding on intricate legal and theological topics from memory with his eyes closed, his delivery flowing uninterruptedly .

Reception and Significance

Alongside Ibn Abd al-Hadi's al-'Uqud al-Durriyya, the treatise is considered one of the primary standalone early biographies of Ibn Taymiyya . Later scholars made extensive use of it as an authentic source for Ibn Taymiyya's personal life and character traits. Ibn Nasir al-Din al-Dimashqi cited it in al-Radd al-Wafir , and Mar'i al-Karmi relied on it extensively in al-Kawakib al-Durriyya and al-Shahada al-Zakiyya . It was also documented in biographical and bibliographical dictionaries by Isma'il Pasha al-Baghdadi and evaluated positively by Mahmud Shukri al-Alusi .

Manuscripts and Editions

Surviving manuscript witnesses include an early copy transcribed by Muhammad ibn Ali al-Ba'li in 756 AH at the Hanbaliyya Madrasah in Damascus , a later copy preserved in the library of Leiden University (MS 1126) , and a copy dated 1377 AH at the Ministry of Awqaf in Kuwait .

The text has been published in multiple critical editions, including:

  • An edition edited by Muhammad Zuhayr al-Shawish (Beirut: al-Maktab al-Islami, 1394 AH) .
  • An edition edited by Salah al-Din al-Munajjid (Beirut: Dar al-Kitab al-Jadid, 1396 AH / 1976 CE), based on the Ba'li and Leiden manuscripts .
  • An edition by Yahya Murad (Beirut: Dar al-Kutub al-Ilmiyya, 1426 AH) .
  • An edition edited by Ali ibn Muhammad al-Umran (Dar 'Ata'at al-Ilm / Dar Ibn Hazm), issued alongside Ibn Abd al-Hadi's biography .

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