Imam Ibn Kathīr
His Life and Works
His Life
ʿImād al-Dīn Ismāʿīl ibn ʿUmar ibn Kathīr was a famous mufassir, historian, and Shāfiʿī jurist. He is renowned in the modern era for his Tafsīr al-Qurʾān al-ʿAẓīm, more commonly known as Tafsīr Ibn Kathīr, and his al-Bidāyah wa al-nihāyah, an encyclopaedic historical work covering from the beginning of times till 750/1350, and then deals with eschatological narrations and the hereafter.
The era he lived in was filled with political turmoil; the Mamlūks had united Egypt and Syria under their dynasty but were continuously fighting over the throne, and the Muslim world was still recovering from the enduring impact of the Crusades and Mongol invasions. However, the era was markedly different in terms of the intellectual milieu. It witnessed celebrated scholars such as Ibn Taymiyyah (d. 728/1328), Shams al-Dīn al-Dhahabī (d. 748/1348), Jamāl al-Dīn Yūsuf al-Mizzī (d. 742/1341), and Tāj al-Dīn al-Subkī (d.790/1370).
Born in a small village close to Buṣrā, Syria, in 710/1310 to a religious family, his father—who was a noted preacher—passed away when he was only three years old, leaving him in the care of his (Ibn Kathīr’s) brother ʿAbd al-Wahhāb. At the age of seven, he travelled to Damascus with his brother in search of knowledge. It was here that he completed the memorisation of the Qurʾān with their qirāʾāt, and then embarked on studying the various sciences under numerous masters such as: Shāfiʿī fiqh with the famous jurist Burhān al-Dīn al-Fazārī (d. 729/1329); the canonical ḥadīth works (al-kutub al-sittah), the Maʿājim al-Ṭabarānī, the Muwaṭṭaʾ al-Imām Mālik, the Sunan al-Bayhaqī, and the Musnad al-Imām Aḥmad with al-Mizzī; the ḥadīth sciences with al-Dhahabī and al-Mizzī; and lastly, Ibn Taymiyyah. His training and expertise in the sciences of ḥadīth were shaped by al-Mizzī (who was his father-in-law) and, to a lesser degree, al-Dhahabī, while Ibn Taymiyya had a significant impact on his approach to tafsīr.
By the middle of his life, Ibn Kathīr had achieved much fame in scholarship and teaching. He was appointed as the rector of many institutes, the most famous of them being Madrasat Umm al-Ṣāliḥ after the demise of al-Dhahabī. Likewise, in 767/1366, he was given a prestigious teaching post in tafsīr at the great al-Jāmiʿ al-Umawī. Although he was never officially employed as a judge, government officials would frequently consult with him, and on several occasions, he was called to lend assistance in judicial cases.
Towards the end of his life, he lost his eyesight, and his health slowly deteriorated. In Shaʿbān 774/February 1373, at the age of 64, Ibn Kathīr departed from this world. Thousands of people attended his funeral prayers. He was laid to rest in al-Ṣūfiyyah cemetery in Damascus near his teachers al-Mizzī and Ibn Taymiyyah.
May Allah have mercy on him and grant him the highest stages in Jannah.
His Works
Ibn Kathīr authored several works in various fields. From amongst his main works are:
- Al-Bidāyah wa al-nihāyah — tārīkh
- Jāmiʿ al-masānīd wa al-sunan al-hādī li aqwam sunnan — ḥadīth
- Ikhtiṣār ʿulūm al-ḥadīth — muṣṭalaḥ al-ḥadīth
- Al-Fuṣūl fī sīrat al-Rasūl — sīrah
Praise of the Author
His student Shihāb al-Dīn Ibn Ḥijjī (d. 816/1413) said regarding him:
كان أحفظ من أدركناه لمتون الأحاديث وأعرفهم بجرحها ورجالها وصحيحها وسقيمها وكان أقرانه وشيوخه يعترفون له بذلك وكان يستحضر شيئا كثيرا من التفسير والتأريخ قليل النسيان وكان فقهيا جيد الفهم صحيح الذهن يستحضر شيئا كثيرا ويحفظ التنبيه إلى آخر وقت ويشارك في العربية مشاركة جيدة وينظم الشعر وما أعرف أني اجتمعت به على كثرة ترددي إليه إلا وأفدت منه
He was the most knowledgeable of those we encountered in memorizing the texts of ḥadīth, and the most knowledgeable about their defects (jarḥ), narrators, authenticity, and weakness. His peers and teachers acknowledged this about him. He had an extensive recall of tafsīr and history, rarely forgetting anything. He was a jurist with excellent understanding and a sound intellect, possessing a vast memory and memorising al-Tanbīh (a book) until the very end. He had a good grasp of Arabic and also composed poetry. I do not recall ever meeting him, despite my frequent visits, without benefiting from him.
Ibn Ḥajar al-ʿAsqalānī (d. 852/1449) said regarding him:
كان كثير الاستحضار، حسن المفاكهة، سارت تصانيفه في البلاد في حياته، وانتفع بها الناس بعد وفاته
He had a great memory, a good sense of humour. His writings spread across the lands during his lifetime, benefiting people even after his death.