Mashahir Ulama Najd wa Ghayruhum
- Author died
- 1405 AH
- Editions
- T 1
Mashahir Ulama Najd wa Ghayruhum ("Notable Scholars of Najd and Others") is a biographical dictionary authored by the Saudi historian Abd al-Rahman ibn Abd al-Latif Al al-Shaykh (1332–1405 AH / 1913–1985 CE), documenting prominent deceased scholars of the Najd region from the emergence of Muhammad ibn Abd al-Wahhab down to the author's era, along with several non-Najdi reformist scholars .
Background and Purpose
The author states in his introduction that he compiled the work to contribute to the publishing movement and the revival of Islamic scholarly heritage encouraged under King Faisal ibn Abd al-Aziz Al Saud . The book opens with an introductory foreword by Hasan ibn Abd Allah Al al-Shaykh, then Minister of Education, who noted that the author spent more than two years gathering these biographies to preserve the legacy and scholarly efforts of the scholars of the Arabian Peninsula despite the difficulty of obtaining information .
Structure and Organization
The work is organized into distinct biographical groupings:
- Preliminary Biography: Before the main chronological sequence, the author placed a biography of his contemporary, Umar ibn Hasan Al al-Shaykh, head of the Committees for the Promotion of Virtue and the Prevention of Vice in Najd and the Eastern Province, included with his permission .
- Scholars of Al al-Shaykh: The first principal section consists of biographical entries for scholars belonging to the Al al-Shaykh lineage, ordered chronologically by death date, beginning with Muhammad ibn Abd al-Wahhab .
- Other Scholars of Najd: The second section contains biographical entries for non–Al al-Shaykh scholars of Najd, also arranged chronologically by year of death .
- Non-Najdi Reformists: The closing section contains biographies of prominent figures from other Islamic regions who were influenced by the Salafi revival and campaigned against innovations and superstitions, namely Siddiq Hasan Khan, Bashir al-Sahsawani, Mahmud Shukri al-Alusi, and Muhammad Rashid Rida .
Sources and Publication
At the conclusion of the book, the author recorded key historical and biographical works he consulted, including:
- Unwan al-Majd fi Tarikh Najd by Ibn Bishr
- Iqd al-Durar by Ibrahim ibn Salih ibn Isa
- Tarikh Ba'd al-Hawadith al-Waqi'ah fi Najd (edited by Hamad al-Jasir)
- Tadhkirat Uli al-Nuha wal-Irfan by Ibrahim ibn Ubayd Al Abd al-Muhsin
- Minhat al-Qarib al-Mujib by Abd al-Aziz ibn Hamad ibn Mu'ammar
- Al-Lata'if fi Tarikh al-Ta'if by Ahmad ibn Muhammad al-Hadrawi (manuscript)
- Al-Badr al-Tali' by Muhammad ibn Ali al-Shawkani
- Al-Durar al-Saniyyah fil-Ajwibah al-Najdiyyah
- Fatawa al-Sayyid Rashid Rida (volume 1, edited by Salah al-Din al-Munajjid)
- Al-A'lam by Khayr al-Din al-Zirikli
- Diwan al-Shaykh Sulayman ibn Sahman
- Direct oral consultation with Muhammad ibn Husayn Nasif regarding the entry for Ahmad ibn Isa
The first edition was published at the author's expense under the supervision of Dar al-Yamamah in Riyadh in 1392 AH / 1972 CE, followed by a second edition from Dar al-Yamamah in 1394 AH .
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