علماء الحرمينScholars of the Holy Cities and Yemen

Scholars of the Two Holy Sanctuaries

Shaykh: 'Alee ibn Muhammad ibn 'Areeq, scholar of Madeenah and preacher at the Prophet's Mosque, peace and blessings be upon him. He deputized for his father in knowledge, practice, and piety. He wrote useful works.

Among them is the book Purifying the Law of Fabricated Traditions, abridged by his student, Shaykh Rahmat Allaah al-Sindee; it is exceptionally graceful in its concision.

Shaykh Aboo al-Hasan al-Bakree al-Misree al-Shaafi'ee was from the family of Aboo Bakr al-Siddeeq, may God be pleased with him. He combined knowledge with practice, and all agreed upon his sainthood, eminence, and attainment of the rank of independent juridical reasoning. The book never left his hand, and he was always studying it. He was asked about drinking coffee, and it was mentioned to him that the Maghribis considered it forbidden. He replied: “How can it be called forbidden when I drink it?”

Shaykh 'Alee al-Muttaqee studied under him, heard hadeeth from him, and received the spiritual path from him. His son Muhammad al-Bakree was an excellent and brilliant poet. He wrote a work on divine unity entitled Perpetuating the Favor by Supporting the Sunnah.

The aforementioned Muhammad died in 991 AH.

Muhammad had a son named Zayn al-'Aabideen, who was a great scholar. Among his statements was: “Aboo Bakr is superior to 'Alee, but love and attraction are another matter. This is my doctrine, and all our gifts have come through our master 'Alee”—may God Most High be pleased with him.

Shaykh Aboo Bakr ibn Saalim al-Yamanee al-Hadhramee was among those who combined knowledge, spiritual state, sainthood, and nobility. He had exalted sayings and fine poetry that disclosed his spiritual state and rank:

Were it not for the existence of the secret, nothing would exist;

By that secret all creation was made complete.

Hold fast to us and adhere to the subtleties of our excellence;

Visit me with pure affection, and you will rejoice in your visit.

I possess the honor of al-Mustafaa, the master of mankind,

Through my lineage to him, by which we surpassed all creation.

Send blessings upon the Guide, the Prophet, and his family,

His Companions, and all the Successors.

Shaykh Shihaab al-Deen Ahmad ibn Hajar al-Makkee al-Haytamee was the greatest scholar and jurist of his age. In his time he had no equal in jurisprudence.

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Shaykh 'Abd al-Haqq al-Dihlawee said: “He bears no comparison with the great Shaykh Ibn Hajar al-'Asqalaanee in hadeeth, but it is possible that he was his equal in jurisprudence.”

He studied under Shaykh Zakariyyaa al-Misree, who had studied under the hadeeth master Ibn Hajar al-'Asqalaanee.

He wrote enjoyable works, including a commentary on al-Tirmidhee's al-Shamaa'il, a commentary on al-Nawawee's Forty Hadith, a commentary on the Mishkaat concerning hadeeth, The Restraining from Committing Major Sins—a book like which none had been written before it—and The Burning Thunderbolts in Refutation of the Raafidhah, a commentary on the Hamziyyah concerning the description of the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, a commentary on 'Ayn al-'Ilm on the spiritual path, and Necklaces of Gold on the Virtues of al-Nu'maan.

He died in 975 AH. End.

He had intense antagonism toward Shaykh al-Islaam Ibn Taymiyyah—may God pardon what he did.

Shaykh Ahmad Aboo al-Haraam was among the jurists and scholars of Madeenah. In the science of recitation he was a manifest wonder and the teacher of teachers in the lands of the Two Holy Sanctuaries. His virtuous and righteous son died during his lifetime, and he grieved and wept intensely when the son was dying. The son said: “Do not grieve for me; remain, for your remaining benefits creation.” He recited this verse: “As for the foam, it disappears as scum, while what benefits people remains in the earth.”

He died—may God have mercy on him—in 1001 AH and was buried in al-Baqee'.

Shaykh Muhammad al-Bahnaasee took his name from Bahnaasaa, a village in Egypt. He emigrated from it toand settled there. He studied under al-Ramlee, the student of al-Suyootee. He used to say: “We base our work on the books of authentic hadeeth, derive rulings in juridical questions, and exercise independent reasoning.” I have not found the year of his death, may God have mercy on him.

Sayyid Ja'far al-Madanee, teacher at the noble Prophet's Mosque, used to say: “When al-Qastallaanee composed his book al-Mawaahib al-Ladunniyyah and included quotations from the books of biography and hadeeth, al-Suyootee said to him: 'You have copied these statements from my books without naming me or my books. If you copied them from books other than mine, bring me their originals.' al-Qastallaanee was unable to do so; he had copied them from al-Suyootee's books, and this cannot be free of a kind of treachery and lack of religious scruple.” End.

I say: Some people of our own time have done the same with my books. I will not name him, out of shame before God Most High.

Shaykh Ahmad ibn 'Alee ibn 'Abd al-Quddoos ibn Muhammad al-'Abbaasee al-Shanaadhee studied hadeeth under Shaykh Shams al-Deen al-Ramlee, his father, and Sayyid Ghadhanfar. He narrated from Shaykh Muhammad ibn Abee al-Hasan al-Bakree, kept company with Sayyid Sibghat Allaah, and received the spiritual cloak from him. He used to say: “If al-Sha'raanee were alive, he would have no choice but to follow me.”

Shaykh Ahmad al-Qashshaashee ibn Muhammad ibn Yoonus al-Dajjaanee. al-Dajjaanah, with a light jeem, is a village near Jerusalem. He sold scraps in Madeenah—worthless odds and ends—selling them to conceal his condition and hide his true standing. He possessed great mastery of the sciences of the Law and spiritual reality. He kept company with many shaykhs, including Shaykh Ahmad al-Shanaadhee. When the latter came to him, he said: “Welcome to the one who has come to draw from our sciences.”

Among the wonders of his spiritual states was that he recited the Noble Qur'aan from beginning to end in a dream before the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him and his family. Shaykh 'Eesaa al-Maghribee said: “Whenever I left al-Qashshaashee, the world appeared more contemptible to me than anything contemptible, and my soul more humbled than anything humble, even if I entered upon him repeatedly.”

He died, may God have mercy on him, on 19 Dhoo al-Hijjah, 1071 AH.

Sayyid 'Abd al-Rahmaan al-Idreesee, known as al-Mahjoob, was born in Meknès, a town in the Maghrib. He traveled through Byzantium, Syria, and Egypt

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and settled in He traveled to Yemen to visit its saints and said: “Yemen produces saints as the earth produces vegetation.” I say: It likewise produces scholars grounded in the Book and Sunnah, like vegetation growing from the earth. This is among God's favor upon Yemen and its people—“God singles out for His mercy whom He wills.” al-Sayyid al-Mahjoob was among the shaykhs of the Two Holy Sanctuaries known for excellence, sainthood, and miraculous gifts. A substantial biography of him appears in Insaan al-'Ayn.

Shaykh Shams al-Deen Muhammad ibn al-'Alaa' al-Baabilee was the leading hadeeth master of his time and teacher of the people of the Two Holy Sanctuaries and Egypt. At the beginning of his career he experienced Laylat al-Qadr and prayed to God—Glorious is He—to make him like the hadeeth master Ibn Hajar al-'Asqalaanee—may God Most High have mercy on him—and God answered his prayer.

He possessed transmissions of al-Bukhaaree's Saheeh and the other hadeeth books from Shaykh Saalim al-Suhanooree, as well as sound musalsal reports that Shaykh 'Eesaa al-Maghribee recorded in a treatise, seemingly a basis for establishing the transmissions of later scholars.

He died in 1079 AH. Baabil was a village in Egypt.

Shaykh 'Eesaa al-Ja'faree al-Maghribee memorized the Qur'aan and excelled in the rational sciences. He traveled to the islands and kept company with al-Salajmaasee for nearly ten years, becoming deeply learned under him. He studied under scholars of Constantinople, Egypt, and the Two Holy Sanctuaries, and settled in He wrote a biographical dictionary entitled The Keys of the Chains of Transmission.

Most of the people of the Two Holy Sanctuaries studied under him, and he became their teacher. He was a repository of hadeeth and recitation.

Sayyid Hasan Baa'Umar said: “Whoever wishes to look upon a person regarding whose sainthood there can be no doubt should look at this man.” He acted only according to the purified Sunnah, and the Shaadhilee litanies predominated in him.

For Aboo Haneefah—may God have mercy on him—he compiled a musnad in which he connected the chains of transmission. He died, may God have mercy on him, in the Hijree year 1080.

Shaykh Ibraaheem al-Kurdee was knowledgeable in the various sciences, including jurisprudence, hadeeth, Arabic, and the two foundational disciplines.

He wrote works on all of these subjects. He traveled to Baghdad, Syria, Egypt, and the Two Holy Sanctuaries; kept company with al-Qashshaashee; and narrated hadeeth from him. He spoke Persian, Kurdish, Turkish, and Arabic. He was characterized by a sharp mind, deep learning, asceticism, patience, forbearance, and humility. His dress was that of the common people of the Hijaz; he did not dress like the jurists or Sufis, nor adopt their styles of enlarging the turban and lengthening the sleeves.

Shaykh 'Abd Allaah al-'Abbaasee said: “His teaching circle was a garden among the gardens of Paradise. He preferred the Sufis' words to philosophical truths, and used to say: 'Those philosophers came close to stumbling upon the truth, but they were not guided to it.'”

The date of his death … “Indeed, we are grieved by our separation from you, O Ibraaheem.”

Muhammad ibn Muhammad ibn Sulaymaan al-Maghribee was a hadeeth master who gathered the various branches of knowledge. He received the spiritual cloak from Shaykh Aboo Madyan al-Maghribee. He strove to correct the hadeeth books and mastered them completely, until he became an imaam of the Two Holy Sanctuaries and one of the trustworthy hadeeth masters. May God increase him in knowledge, physical strength, and sound understanding of the matters of the Hereafter and this world. His year of death is not mentioned in Insaan al-'Ayn.

Shaykh Hasan al-'Ujaymee was one of the hadeeth scholars and a master of the branches of knowledge. He surpassed his peers in eloquence, memorization, and sound understanding. He kept company with Shaykh 'Eesaa al-Maghribee and benefited greatly from him, and narrated from Ahmad al-Qashshaashee and al-Baabilee.

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and Shaykh Zayn al-'Aabideen ibn 'Abd al-Qaadir al-Tabaree, the Shaafi'ee muftee. He was a Hanafee, yet he joined prayers while traveling and recited al-Faatihah behind the imaam. He did not adhere to a particular school in every matter, but permitted combining positions. There was a blemish in his eyes; nevertheless, when he recited hadeeth, lights could be seen upon his face, and he appeared more beautiful than anyone seen in the world. This is the secret of the Prophet's statement, peace and blessings be upon him: “May God brighten a servant …”—the hadeeth. He recorded his chains of transmission in a treatise that reveals the breadth of his knowledge. He said: “People say, 'The child of a scholar is half a scholar,' and they are right, for a scholar has two halves: learning and practice, and neither has meaning without the other.” It was as though they said: “The child of a scholar has no meaning.” Every Rajab he came to Madeenah with one of the Six Books, completing it in the Prophet's Mosque by rapid recitation. Shaykh Aboo Taahir al-Madanee studied under him, as did the leading transmitter of his time, Shaah Walee Allaah al-Dihlawee—may God Most High have mercy on him.

Shaykh Aboo Taahir Muhammad ibn Ibraaheem al-Kurdee al-Madanee received the spiritual cloak from his father, who obtained authorizations for him from many shaykhs, including Shaykh Muhammad ibn Sulaymaan al-Maghribee. He studied grammar under Sayyid Ahmad ibn Idrees al-Maghribee, who was the Seebawayh of his age in Arabic; Shaafi'ee jurisprudence under Shaykh 'Alee al-Tooloonee al-Misree; the rational sciences under al-Munajjim Baashee al-Roomee; and hadeeth under Shaykh Hasan al-'Ujaymee, Ahmad al-Naḵhlee, Shaykh 'Abd Allaah al-Basree, and Shaykh 'Abd Allaah al-Laahooree. He was devoted to obedience, occupied with learning and discussion, tender-hearted, and often weeping. In Insaan al-'Ayn it says: “When I came to him to bid farewell before traveling to India, I recited before him:

I have forgotten every road I once knew,

Except the road that leads me to your dwelling.”

The shaykh was overcome by weeping and deeply affected. He died, may God have mercy on him, in 1145 AH.

Shaykh Taaj al-Deen al-Hanafee al-Qala'ee, son of Qaadhee 'Abd al-Muhsin, was a muftee in He kept company with many hadeeth scholars and acquired their higher chains; all authorized him. His father obtained an authorization for him from Shaykh 'Eesaa al-Maghribee. Most of his study of hadeeth was under Shaykh 'Abd Allaah ibn Saalim al-Basree.

He said: “I presented these books to him according to the method of investigation and verification, and read the two Saheehs to al-'Ujaymee, who authorized me for everything he was entitled to transmit.”

He remained close to Shaykh Saalih al-Zanjaanee, benefited from him, and studied jurisprudence under him. He received narration and authorization from Shaykh Ahmad al-Naḵhlee, Shaykh Ahmad al-Qattaan, and others, and learned from them the method of teaching.

He also had an authorization from Shaykh Ibraaheem al-Kurdee, from whom he narrated the musalsal report of the firstness.

Shaykh Walee Allaah al-Muhaddith al-Dihlawee said in Insaan al-'Ayn: “I attended his teaching circle for several days while he was teaching al-Bukhaaree. I heard from him portions of the Six Books, the Muwatta' of Maalik, the Musnad of al-Daarimee, and Muhammad's Kitaab al-Aathaar. I received authorization for all the other books. He narrated to me the musalsal report of the firstness from Shaykh Ibraaheem; it was the first hadeeth I heard from him after returning from visiting the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him and his family, in 1243 AH.”

I say: My father, Sayyid Aboo Ahmad al-Hasan ibn 'Alee ibn Lutf Allaah al-Husaynee al-Bukhaaree al-Qanoojee—may God sanctify his secret—studied under Shaykh 'Abd al-'Azeez and Shaykh Rafee' al-Deen, the sons of the aforementioned Shaykh Walee Allaah al-Muhaddith al-Dihlawee.

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He possessed an unbroken chain to him and his shaykhs through Shaykh Muhammad Ya'qoob al-Muhaajir al-Makkee, his grandson. My own chain likewise reaches Qaadhee Muhammad ibn 'Alee al-Shawkaanee through Shaykh 'Abd al-Haqq ibn Fadhl Allaah al-Hindee, who died in 1286 AH at Minaa, and reaches Sayyid 'Abd al-Rahmaan ibn Sulaymaan ibn Yahyaa Maqbool al-Ahdal. For this reason I have included in this book the biographies of my hadeeth teachers, and my authorizations are recorded in my book The Chain of Gold in Mention of the Teachers of the Chain. God is the giver of success and the Guide to the straight path.

Shaykh Muhammad Hayaat al-Sindee al-Madanee was among the God-knowing scholars and the great hadeeth masters. He joined knowledge to practice and adorned goodness with excellence.

His father's name was Mullaa Falaariya, from the Jaajar tribe living on the outskirts of Adilpur, a small town dependent on Bakar.

He was born in Sind, traveled to the Hijaz, performed the pilgrimage, and settled in the city of the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him. He studied under Shaykh Aboo al-Hasan al-Sindee, resident of the honored city, excelled in hadeeth, and received authorization from the last of the hadeeth masters, Shaykh 'Abd Allaah ibn Saalim al-Basree. He devoted himself to teaching Prophetic hadeeth and spent his life serving the Prophetic word. He admonished people before the dawn prayer in the noble mosque, and many Arabs and non-Arabs benefited from him. The people of the Two Holy Sanctuaries, Egypt, Syria, Byzantium, and India came to him in trust and submission. He lived a pleasing life and met God Most High on Wednesday, 26 Safar, 1163 AH. He was buried in al-Baqee'.

Among his students were the eminent scholar Sayyid Ghulaam 'Alee Aazaad al-Bilgraamee and the erudite hadeeth scholar Muhammad Faakhir al-Ilaahaabaadee, among others—may God Most High have mercy on them both.

Shaykh Saalih ibn Muhammad ibn Nooh ibn 'Abd Allaah ibn 'Umar ibn Moosaa al-Foolaanee descended from the eminent hadeeth master 'Aleem ibn 'Abd al-'Azeez al-Andalusee al-Shaatibee, the brother of the Banoo Saalim ibn 'Abd Allaah ibn 'Umar ibn al-Khattaab, may God be pleased with him. He was called al-Foolaanee because his forefathers settled in their land and made it their home.

According to al-Yaani' al-Janee, Foolaan, with dhammah on the faa' and a doubled laam, was a tribe of Fulaanah—with taa' in place of noon—an African people. The land in which he grew up was called Masoof.

It says: “Al-Foolaanee was virtuous, devout, righteous, and possessed lofty chains of transmission. God benefited many of His servants through him.”

He died in Madeenah on Thursday night, five nights into Jumaadaa al-Thaaniyah, in the year 1218 AH—may God grant him abundant mercy. End of the quotation from al-Yaani'.

I say: He was the teacher of Shaykh Muhammad 'Aabid al-Sindee, who will be mentioned below. He wrote fine and enjoyable works.

Among them is The Awakening of the Aspirations of Those Possessing Insight in Refutation of Taqleed. Our shaykh and blessing, al-Shawkaanee—may God have mercy on him—mentioned it in al-Fath al-Rabbaanee and praised it.

Muhammad 'Aabid said, in mentioning the chain of the Muwatta': “I transmit it from the great scholar and renowned teacher Shaykh Saalih al-Foolaanee, from his teacher Muhammad ibn Sunnah, who read it to him with investigation and precision,” to the end of the statement.

Among the remarkable coincidences is that al-Foolaanee was fiercely committed to weakening taqleed and profoundly devoted to following the Sunnah, with no conceivable increase beyond it, while his student Shaykh Muhammad 'Aabid al-Sindee was fanatically rigid in adhering to the Hanafee school, despite being known for teaching hadeeth.

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This is among the world's oddities and the age's wonders. Yet it is no wonder: the life of the world has run its course, disagreement has multiplied, concord has vanished, corruption has spread across land and sea, and the valley has overflowed with it. None escaped the afflictions of taqleed and the defects of opinion except those whom God protected—and upon them be His mercy.

Shaykh Muhammad 'Aabid al-Sindee ibn Ahmad ibn 'Alee ibn Ya'qoob al-Haafidh, from the Banoo Aboo Ayyoob al-Ansaaree:

He was born in Seeyoon, on the riverbank north of Hyderabad Sind, near Boobak. His grandfather, known as Shaykh al-Islaam, emigrated to Arabia and was a man of knowledge and righteousness. Shaykh Muhammad 'Aabid established a renowned scholarly home in Zabeed, Yemen. He benefited from its scholars and drew from the light of its great men until he was counted among its people. He entered San'aa' to practice medicine for its imaam, married the imaam's daughter, and once traveled as the imaam's ambassador to Egypt. He was deeply attached to the environs of Taabah. Returning once to his homeland, he entered Nawaaree, a town in Sind near the port of Karachi, stayed there a few nights, then returned to the blessed city. The governor of Egypt appointed him head of its scholars. He left numerous extensive and abridged works.

Among them are The Subtle Gifts, on the Musnad of Imaam Aboo Haneefah; The Rising Lights on al-Durr al-Mukhtaar; and a commentary on Facilitating Access to the Hadiths of the Messenger, which he completed through the Book of Legal Penalties. It is also called a commentary on al-Haafidh Ibn Hajar's Buloogh al-Maraam.

He was partisan toward the Hanafee school, and for this reason our brother, the eminent scholar Ahmad ibn Hasan al-Husaynee al-Qanoojee al-Bukhaaree al-'Arshee—may God have mercy on him—responded to him in some treatises.

Muhammad 'Aabid died on Monday in Rabee' al-Awwal, 1257 AH, and was buried in al-Baqee'. He left no descendants. May God have mercy on him.

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al-Hakamee, and others. The works al-Nafas al-Yamaanee and al-Rooh al-Rayhaanee give a lengthy account of his asceticism, generosity, kindness to visitors and petitioners, firmness in religion, righteousness, miracles, eagerness to learn, and exertion during Ramadhaan. We will not prolong the discussion by reproducing them here.

Some of his peers who had an attachment to scholarship envied him. Thus they stripped themselves of the dignity and prestige of knowledge, retaining only its name; nothing drove them to this except caprice. But:

When the noble of my clan are pleased with me,

May its ignoble remain forever angry with me.

How well it was said:

May God reward our enviers on our behalf,

For by their deed they have earned our thanks.

They spread blame of us and thereby publicized our virtues;

They intended blame, but it became our glory.

How excellent was the statement of al-'Aynee the Hanafee, who said in the biography of Shaykh al-Islaam Ibn Taymiyyah—may God have mercy on him:

How excellent is envy, and how just it is:

It begins with its own companion and kills him.

He wrote useful works, including a book on the virtue of the Prophet's close kin and The Sound Statement Concerning the New Construction at the Great Mosque of Zabeed.

In sum, he was a noble master, an eminent scholar, and a penetrating authority; by agreement he was the hadeeth master of his age and, without dispute, the hadeeth scholar of his region.

He died on Wednesday night, 14 Rabee' al-Thaanee, 1147 AH. He was either seventy-three or seventy-four years old, as he stated eleven days before his death.

Muhammad al-Muhibbee said in Khulaasat al-Athar concerning the eminent men of the eleventh century: “The meaning of al-Ahdal is 'lower, nearer.'” In Nidhaam al-Jawaahir al-Nafeesah on the genealogy of the Ahdal family it says: “The origin of this word is 'alaa Allaah dall—'God guided'; other explanations have been given, but this is the soundest.”

Aboo al-Mahaasin Sayyid Sulaymaan ibn Yahyaa, the aforementioned, was a secret treasure to his father. He was a complete scholar and hadeeth master of penetrating insight.

He studied the sciences under his father and benefited from his earlier and later learning. He acquired abundant knowledge and evident excellence from the hadeeth teachers, including Sayyid Ahmad ibn Muhammad Maqbool al-Ahdal, Sayyid Sulaymaan ibn Abee Bakr Hijaam al-Ahdal, Shaykh 'Abd al-Khaaliq al-Mizjaajee, Sayyid 'Umar ibn Ahmad ibn 'Aqeel, and the eminent Ahmad al-Ashboolee. His teachers from Yemen, the Two Holy Sanctuaries, Egypt, Syria, and elsewhere were a vast number; he named them in al-Nafas al-Yamaanee. They included the hadeeth master Muhammad Hayaat al-Sindee, Hasan ibn Muhammad al-Kurdee, Muhammad ibn Ahmad al-Jawharee, Muhammad Hilaal Sunbul, the Shaafi'ee muftee, and the eminent Aboo al-Hasan al-Maghribee al-Tanoomee.

Among them was the great imaam Muhammad ibn Ahmad ibn Saalim al-Saffaareenee.

He wrote a travelogue entitled The Embellishment of the Ink of Conversation: Some Matters Concerning Travel, in which he mentioned his teachers.

He died in 1197 AH. More than one scholar devoted attention to his biography and praised him in several poems, including Shaykh 'Abd al-Qaadir Kadak al-Madanee, the great scholar Ahmad ibn Muhammad Qaatin in his history The Presentation of the Beloveds with the Palace Maiden Praising the Virtues of the People of the Age, and the brilliant poet Ahmad ibn 'Abd Allaah al-Sa'dee in his book Recounting the Quotations in the Biographies of the Eminent Men of Banoo al-Maqbool, as well as others—may God Most High have mercy on them.

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The long-lived Shaykh 'Abd Allaah ibn 'Umar al-Khaleel was an ocean in the transmitted sciences—especially literary studies—as well as arithmetic, surveying, geometry, astronomy, and philosophy. He said: “I occupied myself with these for a time and mastered them, but found no one asking about them and no one carrying them. If only the effort spent on them had been spent on the Book of God and the Sunnah of the Messenger of God, peace and blessings be upon him.” He possessed eloquent prose, powerful verse, exchanges, debates, and literary discussions with the men of letters of his age.

At the age of ninety, one never saw him except reciting the Book of God, engaged in the remembrance of God, or teaching beneficial sciences. This remained his habit from the beginning of the day until a substantial part of the night.

Among his works are Warning the Guided against Declaring the Monotheists Unbelievers; a supplement to al-Hisn al-Haseen; a versification of Nukhbat al-Fikar on the terminology of the people of a versification and commentary on al-Atheeriyyah on logic; a versification and commentary on the Rules of Inflection; a poetic work on the rules of al-Qaamoos; a poem on metaphor; and a gloss on the commentary on Isaaghoojee.

Among his teachers he mentioned a scholar of India, one of the foremost investigators, named Husaam al-Deen—perhaps Shaykh 'Alee al-Muttaqee. He died, may God Most High have mercy on him, on Thursday night before dawn in 1196 AH.

The jurist Shaykh 'Abd Allaah ibn Sulaymaan al-Jawharee was among the eminent scholars and notable men of excellence. His works approached fifty books on hadeeth, jurisprudence, and legal theory. He was broad-hearted in teaching, open-handed and generous, often weeping out of fear of God Most High, and possessed abundant spiritual unveiling; strange events are related of him in this regard.

Among his works are an unfinished commentary on Buloogh al-Maraam; a gloss on Ibn Hajar's al-Manhaj al-Qaweem; Attaining the Hope in Commentary on the Excellent Questions—despite their fewness—through abundant practice; a treatise explaining how God's statement, “We have adorned the lowest heaven with lamps,” refutes the astronomers; a treatise on calligraphy; a commentary on Imaam al-Nawawee's hizb; and a gloss on The Beginning of Guidance, among others. He died in 1301 AH. May God have mercy on him.

Shaykh Ahmad Hasan al-Mooqaree, who died in 1301 AH, was a great, discerning, spiritually traveling scholar, devoted to the mosque and his home and withdrawn from all people. The Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, said: “Attend to your own particular concerns, and let your house suffice you.” God Most High said: “Do not let the two of you leave the Garden, lest you suffer.” He had eloquent poems which were explained, and no one—not even one of the greatest scholars—could utter a word in his presence unless he himself spoke, out of awe of God Most High.

Shaykh 'Abd al-Khaaliq ibn al-Zayn ibn Muhammad Baaqee al-Mizjaajee took his name from a village in the valley of Zabeed. He was informed about the circumstances of the scholars, especially those of his time and particularly those who visited him from the Two Holy Sanctuaries, Egypt, Syria, India, Java, and elsewhere.

He wrote Presenting the People with the Fourteen Readings. He studied under Shaykh Muhammad Hayaat al-Madanee al-Sindee, his father al-Zayn, Shaykh Muhammad Aboo Taahir al-Kooraanee, the eminent 'Abd al-Kareem al-Hindee al-Makkee, Shaykh Amr Allaah al-Hindee, the shaykh Kooshak al-Hindee, Husayn al-Bukhaaree al-Hindee, and many scholars of the Two Holy Sanctuaries, Egypt, and elsewhere, whose names he listed in al-Nafas al-Yamaanee and al-Rooh al-Rayhaanee.

Sayyid Ahmad ibn Muhammad Shareef Maqbool al-Ahdal was among the firmly grounded scholars and ascetic worshippers. He mastered recitation, exegesis, hadeeth, jurisprudence, legal theory, grammar, morphology, rhetoric, logic, arithmetic, geometry, astronomy, and other sciences.

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He excelled in all these sciences and mastered their outward and hidden aspects. God granted him a complete faculty for solving difficult questions in every field. He studied under his maternal uncle, Sayyid Yahyaa ibn 'Umar Maqbool al-Ahdal, learning exegesis and hadeeth. Sayyid Yahyaa called people to act upon sound proof and to turn eagerly to the Qur'aan and Sunnah:

When a man chooses a school in religion,

Makes it an opinion, and confirms it by practice,

I hold that hadeeth and its people

Are more worthy to follow, and their path is straighter.

Their opinion is more fitting and more exalted,

For they pursue what the Messenger said and dictated.

He shared all his teacher's teachers in narration and authorization, and wrote commentaries on the Hamziyyah, al-Namaaziyyah, Zayd ibn Raslaan, Talabat al-Talabah, and others.

Shaykh 'Alaa' al-Deen al-Mizjaajee was among the great scholars. He learned from scholars of Yemen and the Two Holy Sanctuaries, including Qaadhee Ahmad Ju'maan, Ibraaheem al-Kooraanee, Ahmad al-Tahlee, Hasan al-'Ujaymee, and 'Abd Allaah ibn Saalim al-Basree. He was among the teachers of the aforementioned Sayyid Ahmad al-Ahdal.

Shaykh 'Abd Allaah ibn Saalim al-Basree al-Makkee recited Saheeh al-Bukhaaree inside the Ka'bah. His unfinished commentary, The Light of the Traveler, was difficult to equal. Aazaad, Shaah Walee Allaah al-Dihlawee, and Muhammad Muhsin al-Marzooq each gave him substantial biographies.

Among his virtues was correcting the Six Books, making his copies reference editions throughout the world. He spent about twenty years correcting Saheeh al-Bukhaaree, gathered and corrected the dispersed Musnad of Ahmad, and studied under many shaykhs, including Muhammad ibn 'Alaa' al-Deen al-Baabilee and Ahmad al-Bannaa. The aforementioned Ahmad al-Ahdal also studied under him. He died in 1134 AH.

Safee al-Islaam Ahmad ibn Muhammad al-Naḵhlee al-Makkee was an eminent scholar combining the transmitted and rational sciences. He studied under 'Abd Allaah ibn Sa'eed Baaqisheer, Muhammad al-Baabilee, Muhammad ibn 'Alee ibn Muhammad ibn 'Allaan al-Siddeeqee, and Muhammad ibn Muhammad al-Shirbeenaalee al-Misree; he received the spiritual cloak from 'Abd al-Rahmaan al-Mahjoob. He lived ninety years.

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Sayyid Aboo Bakr ibn Yahyaa ibn 'Umar Maqbool al-Ahdal:

Would that I knew what speaker could describe

His lofty virtue and immense rank;

Is he not that noble, eminent man

Whose virtues shone forth without a veil?

He learned the rational and transmitted sciences from the scholars of his age, including Ahmad ibn Muhammad Shareef, 'Abd al-Khaaliq al-Mizjaajee, and Sa'eed ibn 'Abd Allaah al-Kayyoodee, muftee of Zabeed. He possessed extraordinary gentleness, broadness of heart, complete humility, and a cheerful face. His memorization of the Book of God was a manifest wonder. He had fine poetry and eloquent speech.

Sayyid Yoosuf ibn Husayn al-Battaah:

The refuge of orphans and the poor, ever

Their father, bending over them with compassion;

His aspiration was to infer rulings whose proofs

Were attested by transmitted evidence or analogy.

He studied exegesis, hadeeth, and jurisprudence under Ahmad al-Ahdal, benefited from 'Abd al-Khaaliq al-Mizjaajee and others, and received authorization from Sulaymaan ibn Yahyaa al-Ahdal in Shawwaal 1183 AH.

Shaykh 'Uthmaan ibn 'Alee al-Jubaylee studied under Ahmad al-Ahdal and 'Abd al-Khaaliq al-Mizjaajee. He read commentaries on al-Kaafiyah, rhetoric, logic, and algebra, and excelled in jurisprudence, hadeeth, and recitation. He taught all the sciences, especially recitation, and had fine poetry and notable reports.

Shaykh 'Abd al-Rahmaan ibn Muhammad al-Mishra', who died in 1195 AH, was generous and devoted to glory, gratitude, and virtue. He studied under Ahmad al-Ahdal, al-Mizjaajee, al-Kaboodee, and Ahmad al-Ashboolee. He died in al-Ruwayyah after prolonged dysentery.

He was a complete shaykh, sound in judgment, generous, and learned in grammar, rhetoric, jurisprudence, Sufism, hadeeth, and other sciences. He read Saheeh al-Bukhaaree in the mosque annually, studied rhetoric under 'Abd Allaah ibn 'Umar al-Khaleel and 'Abd al-Rahmaan ibn 'Abd al-Salaam al-Haawee, traveled to the Two Holy Sanctuaries, and heard hadeeth from Ahmad al-Ashboolee al-Misree. Poets praised him, among them Qaasim ibn Yahyaa al-Ameer.

Sharaf al-Islaam Ismaa'eel ibn Ahmad al-Rubaa'ee and his son, Qaadhee Muhammad ibn Ismaa'eel, studied under Ahmad al-Ahdal, 'Abd al-Khaaliq al-Mizjaajee, and Ahmad al-Ashboolee during his visits to Zabeed.

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Among his students was Ahmad al-Qaatin. Each day he wrote a fixed portion of the Book of God, beneficial points, etiquettes, and useful sciences, until perseverance yielded him a vast store. How excellent is the saying:

Write nothing with your hand except that which

You will be glad to see on the Day of Resurrection.

He was a champion of truth, greatly supporting the oppressed and rescuing the distressed, and possessed deep love for all the Prophet's household, peace and blessings be upon him:

Can the love of an imitator be equal to that

Of one whose love has proof and evidence?

The eminent Qaadhee Muhammad ibn Ismaa'eel ibn Ahmad al-Rubaa'ee was among the finest scholars and noblest of the excellent. He studied grammar, rhetoric, arithmetic, theology, astronomy, geometry, logic, legal theory, and hadeeth under Ahmad ibn Muhammad Shareef, al-Mizjaajee, and others; he heard hadeeth from Qaadhee Ahmad ibn Muhammad al-Qaatin and had teachers from the Two Holy Sanctuaries, including 'Ataa' al-Misree and Muhammad ibn Sulaymaan al-Kurdee. He wrote on the branches of jurisprudence. Truly he merited the poet's words:

The days became beautiful through you,

As though you were a smile upon the mouth of time.

Siraaj al-Islaam Sayyid Aboo Bakr ibn 'Alee al-Battaah al-Ahdal strove to attain the highest virtues and spent nights acquiring knowledge. He possessed complete powers of acquisition, attainment, and deduction. He excelled in exegesis, hadeeth, Sufism, jurisprudence, auxiliary sciences, and foundations, becoming an imaam to whom people referred in both branches and foundations. He could dictate a fully researched treatise on a question without difficulty, including his work Connecting the Connected by Explaining Ibn al-Maqbool's Links between Sentences. In sum, he was a surging ocean in every science, especially grammar and logic, in which he was a manifest wonder. Among his greatest teachers was Sayyid Sulaymaan ibn Yahyaa Maqbool al-Ahdal.

Yoosuf ibn Muhammad al-Battaah:

The accomplished scholar, best of those who spread knowledge,

Quenching every thirsty seeker.

He learned the rational and transmitted sciences from Sayyid Sulaymaan al-Ahdal and remained close to him, as well as studying under al-Jarhazee, al-Jubaylee, Yoosuf ibn Husayn al-Battaah, and other scholars of Yemen and the Two Holy Sanctuaries. He emigrated from Zabeed to the Two Holy Sanctuaries and devoted himself entirely to disseminating knowledge, teaching and writing, greatly benefiting Yemeni students.

His works include Making Understanding Understandable, a two-volume commentary on Buloogh al-Maraam; a commentary on the versified Rules of Sayyid Aboo Bakr ibn Abee al-Qaasim al-Ahdal; a substantial commentary on one quarter of the devotional section of the versified Zubad, rich in proofs and discussion of disagreement; several treatises on pilgrimage rites, written because many questions were put to him; and Adorning the Ear with Reports of the Age and the Gathering, praised by the people of He died as a martyr in the general epidemic of 1242 AH.

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Sayyid Taahir ibn Ahmad al-Anbaaree was a virtuous jurist and intelligent scholar who acquired the academic sciences and commonly taught disciplines and excelled in them. He studied under Sulaymaan ibn Yahyaa al-Ahdal, Daawood al-Jabartee al-'Uqaylee al-Haashimee, 'Abd Allaah ibn 'Umar al-Khaleel, al-Jarhazee, al-Jubaylee, 'Abd al-Khaaliq al-Mizjaajee, Qaadhee Muhammad al-Rubaa'ee, and others.

The eminent Shaykh 'Abd al-Qaadir ibn Khaleel Kadak was a hadeeth master, transmitter, traveler, and preacher of Madeenah. He came to Zabeed disseminating the sciences of transmission to the Best of Creation after traveling east and west and meeting many eminent transmitting shaykhs. He recorded this in The Entertainer Made Plain, Gathering the People of East and West. He said in its introduction: “Earlier and later generations traveled in search of chains. Jaabir ibn 'Abd Allaah traveled to Egypt for one hadeeth, as did Ahmad ibn Hanbal and others.”

He traveled to Egypt, Gaza, Ramla, Jerusalem, Syria, Aabideen, and Byzantium, and obtained what he obtained. When he arrived in Zabeed, its scholars and notables received him with honor. Distinguished men crowded around him for authorization, and he granted it. He obtained authorization for Sayyid 'Abd al-Rahmaan ibn Sulaymaan ibn Yahyaa ibn Maqbool al-Ahdal and a group of Zabeed's hadeeth scholars from Muhammad ibn Saalim al-Saffaareenee, the great hadeeth master, originally Syrian, Hanbalee in law, traditionalist in creed, and Qaadiree in spiritual affiliation. Saffaareen was a village near Nablus.

He then went to San'aa', where its people received him with reverence. A group of scholars and notables sought authorization from him, including the eminent 'Abd Allaah ibn Muhammad al-Ameer. He wrote a work on this journey entitled The Trusted Secret in Commentary on the Journey to Yemen. He returned to Madeenah and devoted himself to spreading the science of transmission, dictating hadeeth, and exerting himself in this noble work. He died in Nablus, Syria, in Rabee' al-Awwal, 1185 AH.

Safee al-Islaam Ahmad ibn Idrees al-Maghribee al-Husaynee died in Sabyaa in 1253 AH, where his known and famous grave remains. He came to Zabeed in 1244 AH, disseminating the knowledge of the secrets of the Book and Sunnah that God had granted him and unveiling their brilliant indications and radiant subtleties in clear speech illumined by divine permission and marked by merciful acceptance. The elite and common people crowded around him, each receiving according to capacity:

According to your capacity the wine gives you ecstasy;

You are not struck according to the capacity of the wine.

His school was whatever hadeeth established:

My school is whatever sound hadeeth establishes;

I do not care if my sins are exposed therein.

He authorized the people of Zabeed in particular and Yemen in general, as Ibn Hajar al-'Asqalaanee had similarly done on arriving in Zabeed. He then went to the port of al-Hudaydah, where its people honored and praised him in several poems, and proceeded to Sabyaa, remaining there until 1248 AH. He recalled God's days and dictated useful knowledge of the Sunnah and Book

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to people of religion and understanding. The people of those regions also praised him in poems, including the investigator 'Abd al-Rahmaan ibn Ahmad al-Bahkaalee, judge of Bayt al-Faqeeh. Muhammad ibn Muhammad al-Da'ilee, judge of Zabeed, gave him a biography in the notebooks of 'Abd al-Qaadir ibn Ahmad al-Kawkabaanee.

He studied under the masters of San'aa', Zabeed, and the Two Holy Sanctuaries. Among his teachers were the sultan of independent reasoning and chief of critical hadeeth masters, Imaam Muhammad ibn Ismaa'eel al-Ameer al-San'aanee; the two eminent brothers 'Abd al-Khaaliq and Muhammad, sons of 'Alaa' al-Deen al-Mizjaajee; and Muhammad ibn al-Tayyib al-Maghribee al-Faasee, who studied under Aboo al-Asraar Hasan ibn 'Alee al-'Ujaymee and the musnid Muhammad Ibraaheem al-Kooraanee.

He had more than thirty teachers and wrote over forty works, including a two-volume gloss on al-Qastallaanee; a commentary on al-Qaamoos; a commentary on Tha'lab's versification; a gloss on al-Mutawwal; and its abridgment.

Among his teachers was also Shaykh Muhammad Hayaat al-Sindee. The eminent Qaadhee said in his biography: “He displayed the Prophetic Sunnah publicly, silencing the innovators in every age. He fulfilled this duty completely, defended his grandfather's Sunnah among the people, brought it to the ears of imitating jurists, and caused those of firm understanding to accept it. He possessed great mastery of every science and exceptional critical insight.”

Among those trained by him were our shaykh, Qaadhee Muhammad ibn 'Alee al-Shawkaanee, and Ibraaheem, 'Abd Allaah, and Qaasim, sons of the Commander of the Believers in the hadeeth of the Messenger, Muhammad ibn Ismaa'eel al-Ameer, and others—may God Most High have mercy on them.

The eminent musnid, the trusted Sayyid Saarim al-Deen Ibraaheem ibn Muhammad ibn Ismaa'eel al-Ameer: Qaadhee Ahmad ibn Muhammad Qaatin said in his biography that he possessed a brilliant mind, independent critical thought, every perfection, and the summit of eloquence. When he admonished, he made it beautiful; when he preached, he proclaimed the Sunnah, awakened the heedless, bestowed favors, detested corpulence, loved roughness, broadened the constricted heart, encouraged the coward, enriched the heart, adorned the soul, strengthened faith, and mixed warning with encouragement, estrangement with attraction, threat with promise, and rain with thunder—to the end of his statement.

He had two sons, the eminent 'Alee ibn Ibraaheem and Yoosuf ibn Ibraaheem. Both strictly followed the Sunnah and avoided innovation, as did their righteous predecessors:

There is no path but Muhammad's path;

It is the straight path for whoever follows it.

Whoever walks its roads is guided to right guidance;

Whoever turns from them is ruined.

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'Alee ibn Ibraaheem wrote Adorning the Ears with the Secrets of the Call to Prayer; Glad Tidings and Prayers with the Secrets of the Prayers; The Divine Opening to Awaken the Negligent; al-Sawaanih, modeled on Ibn al-Jawzee's Sayd al-Khaatir; and The Market of Longing for People of Taste, from Below to Above, a substantial commentary on the hadeeth: “Your Lord has gifts of mercy during the days of your life, so expose yourselves to them.” He also wrote fine verse, collected by his son, the eminent Hasan ibn 'Alee, in a deewaan.

The eminent Yoosuf stood firmly in the transmitted sciences and possessed a vast quantity of elegant, exceptional poetry.

The brother of Ibraaheem ibn Muhammad was the eminent and noble scholar, Pride of Islaam and Ornament of the nights and days, 'Abd Allaah ibn Muhammad ibn Ismaa'eel al-Ameer. He was one of the leading scholars and imaams of his age, with mastery of rational and transmitted sciences and keen examination of Prophetic hadeeth. He devoted himself to learning until he attained every rank, abandoned school-partisanship, and adhered to the purified Sunnah. He wrote poetry and works, corrected his father's books, and copied much in his own hand. I possess his noble handwriting in the book Subul al-Salaam, a commentary on Buloogh al-Maraam, and others. 'Abd al-Rahmaan ibn Sulaymaan al-Ahdal studied under and received authorization from him, and also studied under his brother Qaasim, who authorized him orally.

Safee al-Islaam Shaykh Ahmad ibn Muhammad Qaatin was a leading and eminent figure of great rank. He studied the rational and transmitted sciences under the scholars of San'aa', including Imaam Muhammad ibn Ismaa'eel al-Ameer, Zayd ibn Muhammad ibn al-Hasan, commentator on al-Eejaaz in rhetoric, Haashim ibn Yahyaa ibn Muhammad al-Shaamee, and Yahyaa ibn 'Umar Maqbool al-Ahdal, from whom he received authorizations and narrations.

He wrote The Gift to the Brothers, a versification of the chain of Saheeh al-Bukhaaree, and gave it a substantial commentary. His teachers included Muhammad Hayaat al-Madanee al-Sindee, Muhammad al-Daqqaaq, Saalim ibn 'Abd Allaah al-Basree, and Muhammad ibn Hasan al-'Ujaymee, whom he biographized in that work.

His works include The Breezes of the Lofty Chains with Lofty Hadeeths; Information on the Chains of the Eminent; The Means of One Seeking Refuge in the Great God; and The Excursion of the Eye on the Rules of the Genitive, Governed Noun, and Adverb, a major commentary on al-'Aqd al-Waseem by his teacher Salaah al-Akhfash. He had fine poems recorded in al-Nafas al-Yamaanee and al-Rooh al-Rayhaanee. He and 'Abd al-Rahmaan ibn Sulaymaan al-Ahdal had a firm friendship; he urged him to follow the Sunnah, adopt the early path, and abandon school-partisanship. The sayyid received authorization from him for himself and his sons, and he wrote it down.

Shaykh Ahmad ibn 'Abd al-Qaadir ibn Bakree al-'Ajeelee studied under his honored forefathers and many other eminent scholars, including 'Abd al-Khaaliq al-Mizjaajee, his uncle Muhammad ibn Bakree, Ibraaheem ibn Muhammad al-Ameer, and Ibraaheem al-Zamzamee, Shaafi'ee muftee of who transmitted from 'Abd al-Wahhaab ibn Ahmad al-Tantaawee al-Misree, author of Bestowing Gold Concerning Some Secrets of the Name Muhammad.

His works, treatises, versifications, and legal questions are numerous, including The Sacred Breeze on the Duties of Servitude and The Necklace of Pearls in Praise of the Prophet's Family, which received a commentary and commendations from many scholars, including 'Alee ibn Muhammad ibn Ahmad ibn Ishaaq, written inin 1230 AH. 'Abd al-Rahmaan ibn Sulaymaan al-Ahdal received from him an authorization for the musalsal report of the firstness. He had famous virtues and merits and investigated every person of excellence he heard of. He remained so for a long time, then chose retreat and solitude until he passed into God's mercy.

Shaykh Ibraaheem ibn Muhammad al-Zamzamee undertook issuing legal opinions and teaching inaccording to the school of Imaam Muhammad ibn Idrees. He taught, benefited others, and spoke in all sciences, verbally and substantively, in their foundations and branches:

If his qualities in knowledge are mentioned,

The eloquent poet and singer envy him;

Their realities are known from his eyes,

As though knowledge were kohl upon them.

He authorized 'Abd al-Rahmaan al-Ahdal in 1192 AH and said: “I studied under 'Abd al-Wahhaab al-Tantaawee al-Aamidee, the investigator 'Abd Allaah al-Nimrisee, and 'Abd Allaah ibn Saalim al-Basree.”

His son Muhammad Saalih ibn Ibraaheem al-Zamzamee inherited his father's sciences and virtues. He authorized 'Abd al-Rahmaan al-Ahdal in 1224 AH, listing the Six Books and other sciences with his elevated chain. He stated that among their highest chains was that of the eminent hadeeth master Saalih ibn Muhammad al-Foolaanee al-'Umaree al-Maghribee, whose foremost teacher was Muhammad ibn Sunnah al-'Umaree, also a teacher of 'Abd al-Rahmaan al-Ahdal, as stated in al-Manhaj al-Sawee.

Shaykh 'Abd al-Malik ibn 'Abd al-Mun'im al-Qala'ee was the muftee ofaccording to the school of the Great Imaam. He was a treasure-house of rare works and a surging ocean of knowledge. 'Abd al-Rahmaan al-Ahdal sought and received his authorization in 1224 AH, in which he named his teachers of the Two Holy Sanctuaries, including 'Abd Allaah ibn Saalim al-Basree.

Siraaj al-Islaam Saalim ibn Abee Bakr al-Ansaaree al-Karaanee was among the greatest scholars of Madeenah. He wrote a sixty-notebook gloss on Ibn Hajar al-Haytamee's al-Manhaj al-Qaweem. He studied under Muhammad ibn Sulaymaan al-Kurdee, who studied under Muhammad al-Dimyaatee, Muhammad ibn Sa'eed Sunbul al-Makkee, and Ahmad al-Jawharee al-Misree.

Shaykh Muhammad ibn Sulaymaan al-Kurdee:

Do not think the Kurds are sons of Persia;

They are the sons of 'Amr ibn 'Aamir.

He studied under Muhammad ibn Sa'eed Sunbul, Shaafi'ee muftee of and under Ahmad al-Naḵhlee. 'Abd Allaah ibn Saalim al-Basree authorized him, and he also studied under Taahir ibn Ibraaheem al-Kooraanee.

His works include The Victorious Opening with Goodness for One Seeking the Conditions of Pilgrimage on Behalf of Another; The Smiling Gap Concerning the Meanings of the Forms in Which Rulers Married; and The Flowers of Usury Explaining the Chapters of Usury. He was among the teachers of 'Abd al-Rahmaan al-Ahdal.

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Sayyid 'Abd al-Rahmaan ibn Mustafaa al-'Aydaroos Baa'Alawee al-Misree, the great imaam and renowned scholar, studied under his father, 'Abd al-Rahmaan ibn 'Abd Allaah Baafaqeeh, the eminent Ghulaam Haydar al-Husaynee al-Hindee, Fadhl Allaah ibn Ahmad al-Hindee, the hadeeth master Muhammad Hayaat al-Sindee, and others.

Among his works are Expounding the Expression in Commentary on the Clarification of Metaphor, with a gloss by al-Hafnaawee; Gathering the Fruit in Commentary on the Ten Categories; and The Sweet Spring Concerning the Spirit and Heart.

Aboo al-Faydh Muhammad Murtadhaa ibn Muhammad al-Husaynee al-Waasitee al-Bilgraamee, resident of Egypt, was biographized earlier in the section on linguists; consult it. He was the author of Taaj al-'Aroos, a commentary on al-Qaamoos, and one of the teachers of 'Abd al-Rahmaan ibn Sulaymaan al-Ahdal.

Sayyid 'Abd al-Rahmaan ibn Sulaymaan ibn Yahyaa ibn 'Umar Maqbool al-Ahdal traced his noble lineage to Moosaa al-Kaadhim ibn Ja'far al-Saadiq ibn Muhammad al-Baaqir ibn 'Alee ibn al-Husayn ibn 'Alee ibn Abee Taalib—may God be pleased with them. He authored al-Nafas al-Yamaanee and al-Rooh al-Rayhaanee on authorizing the judges, the sons of al-Shawkaanee. He was the teacher of our teacher, the imaam, eminent scholar, and absolute independent jurist Muhammad ibn 'Alee ibn Muhammad al-Shawkaanee al-Yamaanee al-San'aanee, and of his brothers Ahmad, Safee al-Islaam, and Yahyaa, 'Imaad al-Islaam.

The eminent jurist Sa'd ibn 'Abd Allaah Suhayl wrote a substantial biography of him in 1263 AH entitled The Opening of the Merciful on the Virtues of My Master 'Abd al-Rahmaan ibn Sulaymaan. He said that he was among the foremost of the close servants of God, possessing abundant sciences, many disciplines, manifest miracles, and noble spiritual stations. His works testify to his wide knowledge and abundant learning.

Among them are The Opening of the Saint in Knowing the Saint's Deprivation; The Sound Path, a gloss on The Fresh Spring, demonstrating his mastery of hadeeth and his rank among its greatest imaams; The Pearls of Benefits and Necklaces of Rare Treasures, two comprehensive volumes; The Verdant Garden in Employing the Noble; Awakening Understanding through the Counsels of the Best of Creation; an unfinished commentary on Buloogh al-Maraam reaching the chapter on dry ablution; The Gentle Opening, a commentary on the Introduction to Morphology; The Near Fruit on the Introduction of al-Zanjaanee; Removing the Veil from Ibn al-'Ataa''s Questions; a treatise on the sling; and The Gift of the Worshippers on Smoking Tobacco, besides innumerable others.

Among his students was our shaykh al-Shawkaanee—what an excellent student and teacher he was. Also among them were Muhammad ibn Taahir al-Anbaaree, called the “Little Shaafi'ee,” and the God-knowing Muhammad ibn Ahmad al-Mishra'. The latter was exceptionally devoted to worship, especially night prayer and recitation of the Noble Book. He followed the way of the Prophet's caliphs, had excellent character, was gentle and approachable, and spoke in elevated language about subtle spiritual secrets. He said: “Knowledge is not mere movement of the tongue, lengthy elaboration, beautiful expression, numerous notebooks, massive volumes, or loose pages. Knowledge is what complete aptitude and deep rootedness produce, what guides its possessor, and what brings him near the Lord of the worlds.” He had outstanding poetry, some of which is recorded in The Opening of the Merciful.

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His elevated statements are supported there by the quotations of scholars and notables; mentioning them here would be lengthy.

He was born in 1179 AH. He suffered his final illness for nearly ten days and died on the last Tuesday night, 21 Ramadhaan, 1250 AH, aged seventy-one. One of the virtuous chronogrammed his death: “May Paradise welcome the muftee of mankind.”

His sons were Muhammad, 'Abd al-Baaqee, and Sulaymaan. He authorized them, their children, those yet to be born, and all who lived during his lifetime, especially those who knew him or benefited from him, their children, and those yet to be born, hoping thereby for abundant universal good, God willing. He was one of our teachers, praise be to God.

The God-knowing Shaykh Muhammad ibn 'Abd al-Rahmaan, mentioned above, succeeded his father in his guidance, conduct, demeanor, legal opinions, and all his praiseworthy and noble states. God benefited many people through him until he died in 1258 AH, aged forty-eight. He possessed innumerable miracles and unveilings and was extraordinarily fluent, writing answers without consulting school texts because of the breadth of his aptitude.

When he died, his brother, the eminent Sayyid 'Abd al-Baaqee, took his place.

Sayyid Muhammad ibn Ibraaheem al-Wazeer ibn 'Alee ibn al-Murtadhaa ibn al-Mufadhdhal al-Hasanee al-Qaasimee al-Haadawee was an imaam, eminent scholar, hadeeth master, legal theorist, grammarian, theologian, jurist, eloquent preacher, traveler, proof, Sunnee, and Sufi. He was the unique man of his age, the rarity of his time, the last of the critical masters, bearer of the banner of transmission, and—without dispute—the remnant of the independent jurists, foremost in rational and transmitted knowledge and an imaam in branches and foundations.

His describer said that he was an examiner of the shells of rare treasures, reaper of the flowers of benefits, opener of locks of subtlety, giver of the spoils of fine points, accurate in difficult problems through penetrating vision, decisive in complex matters through sharp thought, a revealer of witty insights, and an opener of refined perspectives in their sources. He was the glory of religion and reviver of the Sunnah of the Messenger, of noble Hasanee descent, lofty in lineage, Sunnee in school, and guiding to what is right.

He was born in Rajab 775 AH in Shatab, a high mountain in Yemen; this I copied from his handwriting and preserved from other family sources.

He wrote many works, including The Barriers and Refutations in Defense of the Sunnah of Aboo al-Qaasim, four volumes refuting the Zaydees; The Decisive Proof in Establishing the Creator and Everything Brought by the Laws, written in 801 AH; a substantial abridgment of the science of The Revision of Views in the Sciences of Reports, composed at the end of 813 AH; The Smiling Garden, an abridgment of The Barriers and Refutations; The Royal Admonition, an abridgment containing wonders; Seclusion and Accepting the Good News of Ease; and Preferring Truth to Creation, composed in 837 AH, besides others. Most of them are in my possession, praise be to God. He also had a poetry collection, Gathering the Realities and Subtleties in Praise of the Lord of Creatures, with a commentary entitled The Creator's Opening, and The Famous Sword in Defense of the Victorious Imaam. Ibn Hajar al-'Asqalaanee gave him a substantial biography in al-Durar al-Kaaminah and praised him abundantly and beautifully, as no one else had. He died as a martyr in the plague that struck Yemen

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in 840 AH; his total age was sixty-six years.

The eminent scholar Badr al-Millah, the luminous, supported by God, Muhammad ibn Imaam al-Mutawakkil 'alaa Allaah Ismaa'eel al-Ameer al-San'aanee al-Yamanee, was a great imaam, renowned hadeeth master, legal theorist, theologian, and scholar. He read the hadeeth books and excelled in them. He was an imaam in asceticism and scrupulousness, trusted by commoners and elites. People brought him votive offerings, which he returned, saying: “Accepting them would confirm their belief that I am righteous, while I fear that I am among the ruined.”

One of his sons related that while leading the dawn prayer he recited, “Has the account of the Overwhelming reached you?” and wept until he fainted. His father was an undisputed saint, among the greatest imaams and people of asceticism and scrupulousness. Gold and stone were equal in his eyes. He left sons who were eminent scholars and sages, the greatest being this son.

Shaykh Ahmad ibn 'Abd al-Qaadir al-Hifdhee al-Shaafi'ee said in The Storehouse of Hopes in Commentary on the Necklace of Pearls: “The eminent, independent, renowned imaam, the great hadeeth master and luminous lamp, Muhammad ibn Ismaa'eel al-Ameer, was the musnid of the lands and renewer of religion throughout the regions. He composed more than one hundred works and was not affiliated with a school; his school was hadeeth.”

He studied under the scholars of the Two Holy Sanctuaries, obtained their authorizations, and connected himself to their chains. He read under Shaykh 'Abd al-Khaaliq ibn al-Zayn al-Zujaajee, who also studied under and authorized him. Other teachers included 'Abd al-Qaadir ibn 'Alee al-Badree, Muhammad Taahir ibn Ibraaheem al-Kurdee, and Saalim ibn 'Abd Allaah al-Basree. Many studied under him, including 'Abd al-Khaaliq al-Mizjaajee al-Zabeedee and his son 'Abd Allaah ibn Muhammad al-Ameer.

His distinguished works reveal immense learning in the transmitted and rational sciences. He reached absolute independent reasoning without following any school. Among his works are Subul al-Salaam, a commentary on Buloogh al-Maraam; The Gift of the Forgiving, a gloss on Dhaw' al-Nahaar; Sending Down the Rain upon Qasab al-Sukkar; Gathering the Scattered in Commentary on the Verses of Establishment; Clarifying Thoughts in Commentary on the Revision of Views; and countless other singular treatises and questions. He performed pilgrimage, visited the Two Holy Sanctuaries, and was a formidable champion of truth, Sunnah, and rejection of innovation. He was among my teachers in the chains of the hadeeth books. He died in 1182 AH.

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In his time Shaykh Muhammad ibn 'Abd al-Wahhaab al-Najdee emerged, after whom the Wahhaabee group is named. He first praised his method, then withdrew his praise on learning that he declared the people of the earth unbelievers and shed blood. His son 'Abd Allaah later praised him in an authorization, stating that he heard part of Saheeh al-Bukhaaree from him and sat before the imaams of the Prophetic Sunnah, including his father, the defender and renewer of the Sunnah.

Shawkaanee authorized 'Abd al-Haqq ibn Fadhl Allaah al-Muhammadee al-Hindee in 1238 AH to transmit all the Islamic books in his register, The Presentation of the Elders with the Chains of the Books. My teacher 'Abd al-Haqq presented me with this book, and I have other chains to Shawkaanee through al-Hittah, The Presentation of the Eminent, and The Chain of Gold.

Shaykh Muhammad ibn 'Abd al-Wahhaab ibn Sulaymaan ibn 'Alee ibn Ahmad ibn Raashid ibn Yazeed ibn Muhammad ibn Yazeed ibn Musharraf was the lord of Najd after whom the Wahhaabee group is named. He was born in 1115 AH at al-'Uyaynah, grew up there, read the Qur'aan, and heard hadeeth from his Hanbalee jurist father. After pilgrimage he went to Madeenah, then returned to Najd. He began his call at al-'Uyaynah, moved to al-Dir'iyyah, and gained the support of its ameer Muhammad ibn Sa'ood around 1206 AH. His call spread through Najd and eastern Arabia to Oman and he died in 1209 AH.

The eminent Muhammad ibn Naasir al-Haazimee said: “He was learned and generally followed evidence, but two major matters are censured: first, declaring the people of the earth unbelievers on fabrications without proof; second, daring to shed protected blood without proof. These details are minor and forgivable given a sound underlying principle.”

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Husayn ibn Ghanaam al-Yamanee composed a poem refuting Muhammad ibn Feerooz, and 'Abd Allaah ibn 'Eesaa al-San'aanee wrote The Indian Sword in Clarifying the Way of the Najdee Shaykh in 1218 AH. He described Ibn 'Abd al-Wahhaab's call to monotheism and the laws, followed by 'Abd al-'Azeez al-Najdee, and his later teaching that calling upon anyone besides God or seeking mediation through a prophet, angel, or scholar constituted polytheism. This extended to declaring most Muslims unbelievers and fighting them. Sayyid Muhammad ibn Ismaa'eel al-Ameer initially praised him in verse:

Peace upon Najd and those who dwell in Najd,

Though my greeting from afar may bring no benefit.

When he later learned the facts from people who reached Yemen, he found the matter tainted by deception and said:

1 I say: Sayyid Daawood ibn Sulaymaan wrote a treatise entitled Reconciliation of the Brothers in Refutation of One Who Charges Muslims with Doubt and Unbelief. It responds to Shaykh Muhammad ibn 'Abd al-Wahhaab ibn Sulaymaan, his students, and his followers among the people of Najd, al-'Aroodh, and Oman. Shaykh Muhammad ibn Naasir al-Haazimee answered it with The Merciful's Opening in Preferring the Sounder and Invalidating the False, accepting sound proofs and rejecting what lacked a clear path. My father, Sayyid Noor al-Hasan Khaan, has it in his noble handwriting.

2 Our religious conscience and scholarly integrity require us to give everyone his due and place matters correctly. Regarding Imaam Muhammad ibn 'Abd al-Wahhaab, it should be noted that he did not declare the entire community unbelieving, as the author above reported. Rather, he prohibited acts that lead their perpetrator to unbelief—acts that had become widespread—and wrote valuable works on this, supporting his statements with the Book of God and the Sunnah of His Messenger, peace and blessings be upon him. He led a reform movement that redirected the community to the straight path laid down by its leader, peace and blessings be upon him. The imaam, by his Lord's command, opened avenues of light and guidance, employed reason, revived the creed of the people of the Sunnah, rescued people from servitude to creation—especially the people of graves—and directed them to God alone. —The Publisher.

I withdrew the statement I made about Najd,

For what reached me about him proved contrary to what I had thought.

I copied from the handwriting of the eminent Wajeeh al-Islaam 'Abd al-Qaadir ibn Ahmad ibn Naasir the following, written in Dhoo al-Qa'dah 1170 AH: “The virtuous Shaykh Mirbad ibn Ahmad ibn 'Umar al-Tameemee al-Najdee al-Juraymilee arrived in Yemen to investigate a dispute between himself and Muhammad ibn 'Abd al-Wahhaab concerning the one who calls upon saints. The shaykh declared such a person an unbeliever, as well as anyone who doubted his unbelief, and fought those who disagreed. He came after hearing a poem from our eminent Sayyid Muhammad ibn Ismaa'eel al-Ameer addressed to Ibn 'Abd al-Wahhaab, and had a brief response to it, though he had never composed poetry. This is the statement of the imaam of that age concerning the doctrine of the Najdee shaykh, before most of the generation around us had even been born.”

In that treatise he also refuted some of Ibn 'Abd al-Wahhaab's doctrines and questions.

As for Sayyid Muhammad ibn Ismaa'eel al-Ameer, he stated in his commentary on the poem, Erasing the Sin in Commentary on the Verses of Repentance: “When these verses reached Najd, a learned man named Mirbad ibn Ahmad al-Tameemee came to us after several years, in Safar 1170 AH. He stayed eight months, acquired some works of Ibn Taymiyyah and Ibn al-Qayyim in his own hand, and left us on 20 Shawwaal, returning home. He was a student of Ibn 'Abd al-Wahhaab, to whom we had sent the verses, and confirmed that they had reached him, but brought no reply. Before him, the virtuous 'Abd al-Rahmaan al-Najdee had come and described matters we found objectionable: bloodshed, seizure of wealth, attempts to kill people even by assassination, and declaring the Muhammadan community unbelieving throughout the lands. We hesitated over his report until Mirbad arrived, perceptive and bearing some of Ibn 'Abd al-Wahhaab's treatises advocating the unbelief, killing, and plunder of believers. He verified his conduct and words, and we found him a man who knew part of the Law but had not studied deeply or learned from one who could guide him to beneficial sciences. He had read some works of Ibn Taymiyyah and Ibn al-Qayyim and imitated them without mastery, although both prohibited imitation.

“Once Mirbad had clarified his affairs and we saw his statements, he told me that Ibn 'Abd al-Wahhaab's reputation had grown because our verses reached him, and that we had to undo what we had presented and unravel what we had tied. The verses had traveled widely and reached most regions; replies came from Basrah, and elsewhere, though lacking fairness. When Mirbad challenged us, we had to prevent ourselves from becoming a cause of Ibn 'Abd al-Wahhaab's actions. I wrote verses and explained them, quoting extensively from Ibn al-Qayyim and his teacher, since they are the Hanbalees' authorities.” End of the sayyid's statement.

I have seen this commentary, which I possess; the sayyid wrote it in 1170 AH. More recently I found in Egypt Ibn 'Aabideen's Radd al-Muhtaar and gloss on al-Durr al-Mukhtaar, written in 1249 AH, the following: “This occurred in our time among the followers of Ibn 'Abd al-Wahhaab, who left Najd and conquered the Two Holy Sanctuaries. They claimed the Hanbalee school, but believed that they alone were Muslims and that anyone who opposed their creed was a polytheist. They thereby deemed lawful the killing of Sunnees and their scholars, until God broke their power and destroyed their land, and Muslim armies defeated them in 1233 AH.”

I have also seen treatises by Muhammad ibn 'Abd al-Wahhaab, including The Synopsis on Knowing Religion, whose knowledge and practice lead to Paradise while ignorance and neglect lead to Hell; The Book of Divine Unity, beginning with “I did not create jinn and humankind except that they may worship Me,” presenting verses and hadeeths followed by questions; a short book on matters in which the Messenger opposed the practices of the pre-Islamic people; Removing Doubts on monotheism and refutation of polytheists; The Four Principles of Religion; Commanding Right and Forbidding Wrong; a book explaining the testimony that there is no god but God; a commentary on Soorat al-Faatihah; a treatise on the servant's knowledge of his Lord, religion, and prophet; a treatise on facing the qiblah in prayer; a treatise on the meaning of the good word; and a treatise prohibiting taqleed.

This is most of what I have found of his writings. Some are acceptable and some rejectable. His Book of Divine Unity received a useful extensive commentary by 'Abd al-Rahmaan ibn Hasan ibn Muhammad ibn 'Abd al-Wahhaab, the author's grandson, entitled The Glorious Opening in Commentary on the Book of Divine Unity, also called The Joy of the Eyes of Those Who Affirm Divine Unity in Verifying the Call of the Messengers. He said that his grandson Sulaymaan ibn 'Abd Allaah had first written an excellent commentary, The Facilitation of the Mighty, but it remained incomplete. He therefore edited, abridged, completed, and supplemented it with useful quotations, naming it The Glorious Opening in Commentary on the Book of Divine Unity.

His followers also wrote treatises, including The Religious Treatise on the Meaning of Divinity by 'Abd al-'Azeez ibn Muhammad ibn Sa'ood, beginning: “From 'Abd al-'Azeez to the scholars and judges of the Two Holy Sanctuaries, Syria, Egypt, Iraq, and all scholars of east and west: peace, mercy, and blessings of God be upon you. To proceed …”

When al-Thuwaynee, chief of the Iraqi Bedouins, marched against Sa'ood ibn 'Abd al-'Azeez with a great army, a man named Tu'ays met and killed him. Sa'ood raided his army, captured them, and took their goods. Shaykh Husayn ibn Ghanaam congratulated him in a long poem:

The light of truth shone and dawn broke forth;

The darkness of polytheism was torn apart.

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The sun of hopes rose in Sa'ood's fortune,

And its radiant star appeared in the sky of good fortune.

The poem was composed in 1217 AH. In 1285 AH, while traveling to the Two Holy Sanctuaries, I found a treatise by 'Abd Allaah ibn Muhammad ibn 'Abd al-Wahhaab, the Wahhaabee imaam, describing the entry of the monotheists intoon Saturday, 8 Muharram 1218 AH, after the Meccan sharifs, scholars, and people sought protection from Sa'ood. He said that the opposing armies were struck with fear, dispersed, and abandoned the sanctuary; the ameer granted security to those in the Holy Sanctuary, and they entered chanting the talbiyah, shaving and shortening their hair, fearing none among creation but the Lord of the Day of Judgment. After their 'umrah, the ameer presented the scholars with the people's demands and the treatises on monotheism written by Muhammad ibn 'Abd al-Wahhaab, including an abridgment for common people.

In this treatise he rejected many doctrines and statements attributed to Ibn 'Abd al-Wahhaab that contradicted the sound books. Shaykh Muhammad ibn Naasir al-Haazimee also wrote a fair and remarkable treatise on the dispute with the people ofover the issues on which the Wahhaabees and others differed. In another treatise on the divine attributes, he stated that Ibn 'Abd al-Wahhaab's creed and that of his followers was the creed of the early Salaf, and that their interpretation of the attribute verses according to their apparent meanings was supported by the Qur'aan, Sunnah, Companions, and the wider Muslim community.

In summary, people differed over Ibn 'Abd al-Wahhaab. Some praised everything he said, wrote, spread, called to, fought for, and proudly attributed to him. Others distrusted him entirely, rejected every small and great position of his, and declared him an unbeliever and innovator. Others followed fairness, accepting what was correct and rejecting what contradicted Book and Sunnah. This is the straight and balanced path followed by the imaams and early generations when people differed in religion. Public or private partisanship is no proof; God alone grants fairness and insight.

Muhammad ibn 'Alee ibn Muhammad al-Shawkaanee was our imaam, eminent God-knowing scholar, rising star of Yemen, imaam of imaams, muftee of the community, ocean of knowledge, sun of understanding, authority of independent jurists and hadeeth masters, master of meanings and expressions, unique in his age, shaykh of Islaam, exemplar of mankind, interpreter of hadeeth and Qur'aan, leader of ascetics, vanquisher of innovators, last of the independent jurists, head of those affirming divine unity, crown of the followers, and author of unrivaled works.

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Qaadhee 'Abd al-Rahmaan ibn Ahmad al-Bahkaalee said that Shawkaanee was born Monday, 28 Dhoo al-Qa'dah 1172 AH, in Hijrat Shawkan. He grew up chaste and pure, read under his father, and remained with Qaadhee Ahmad ibn Muhammad al-Haraazee, imaam of jurisprudence, benefiting from him. He studied grammar and morphology with Ismaa'eel ibn Hasan, 'Abd Allaah ibn Ismaa'eel al-Nahmee, and al-Qaasim ibn Muhammad al-Khawlaanee; rhetoric, logic, and legal foundations with Hasan ibn Muhammad al-Maghribee and 'Alee ibn Haadee 'Arhab; and many sciences with the renewer of his age, 'Abd al-Qaadir ibn Ahmad al-Husaynee al-Kawkabaanee. He studied hadeeth under 'Alee ibn Ibraaheem ibn 'Aamir and other teachers, mastering the rational and transmitted sciences until both opponents and supporters acknowledged his excellence.

His works cover most sciences. They include Nayl al-Awtaar, a four-volume commentary on Ibn Taymiyyah's Muntaqaa al-Akhbaar, unparalleled in critical investigation and impartiality; Fath al-Qadeer, a comprehensive exegesis combining transmitted and rational interpretation; The Luminous Pearls, a proof-based jurisprudential abridgment, with its commentary The Radiant Stars; Wabil al-Ghamaam, a gloss on Husayn ibn Muhammad al-Ameer's Shifaa' al-Awaam; The Cloud's Pearl on the virtues of kin and Companions; The Collected Benefits on fabricated hadeeths; Guidance of the Stallions to Verifying Truth in Legal Theory; and The Torrential Flood upon the Gardens of Flowers, in which he corrected matters supported by proof and refuted those without evidence.

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He wrote The Torrential Flood in response to rigid imitators of his age. He opposed their arguments, called them from blameworthy taqleed to examining proof, and wrote The Useful Statement on the Ruling of Taqleed. This provoked a dispute in San'aa' between imitators and followers of evidence. He was accused of seeking to destroy the school of the Prophet's family, yet his work The Cloud's Pearl displays his full loyalty to them. His criticism addressed all schools equally, since the evidence and response were the same. The matters were speculative questions open to reasoning; the correct mujtahid receives two rewards and the mistaken one reward. Everyone may be accepted or rejected except the infallible Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him. I summarized the aims of The Torrential Flood in Excursion of the Eyes, presenting its proofs without the polemical material that provokes tongues.

He also wrote a comprehensive history entitled The Rising Full Moon on the Virtues of Those After the Seventh Century, beginning with Ibraaheem al-Walee, the famed worshipper of Yemen. He wrote many long and short treatises, and his son 'Alee ibn Muhammad gathered his legal opinions and letters into two volumes entitled The Divine Opening. He was also a master of literature and left abundant poetry, arranged alphabetically by his son. I studied many sciences with him and received most of his works. His death extinguished Yemen's illuminating lamp; I do not think they will see his equal in verification and precision. We exchanged literary letters and scholarly correspondence preserved in his handwriting.

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He considered no one equal to himself in knowledge, scrupulousness, and courageous defense of truth. His literary student Muhammad ibn Hasan al-Junnee al-Dhafaaree wrote a large volume devoted to his teachers, students, life, character, and poetry. He died in Jumaadaa al-Thaaniyah 1250 AH. Shortly before him died his son 'Alee ibn Muhammad, a brilliant scholar who had accompanied his father in all sciences. I studied many of the same works under his father and composed elegies for him.

On the back of his book The Radiant Stars I found that Shawkaanee was born in 1177 AH, appointed judge by Imaam al-Mansoor billaah 'Alee ibn al-'Abbaas at the beginning of Sha'baan 1229 AH, and died Wednesday, 26 Jumaadaa al-Thaaniyah 1250 AH. His son died about a month earlier, aged about twenty, a righteous and outstanding scholar. He left fifty-three works by title.

'Abd al-Rahmaan ibn Sulaymaan al-Ahdal said that among those trained by his master 'Abd al-Qaadir ibn Ahmad al-Hasanee was the imaam of his age, Muhammad ibn 'Alee al-Shawkaanee, a hadeeth master and guide who clarified the Prophetic Sunnah:

When he raises his pens one day to teach them,

He makes every warrior forget the spear he raises;

When he rests them upon the parchment of his fingers,

The books of mankind confess themselves his servants.

God granted this imaam three gifts rarely joined in the later age: breadth in every branch of knowledge; a multitude of brilliant, discerning students; and an immense number of rigorously edited works and replies. Some reliable authorities counted 114 works, equal to the number of the Qur'aan's soorahs, spread throughout distant lands and greatly beneficial.

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May God bless Islaam and Muslims through his life. Several eminent scholars wrote about his virtues, including Ibraaheem ibn 'Abd Allaah al-Hoothee, great scholars of Kawkabaan, Muhammad ibn Muhammad al-Daylamee, Qaadhee Muhammad ibn Hasan al-Junnee al-Dhamaaree in The Curtailment on the Collar of the Scholar of the Regions, and the erudite Lutf Allaah Jahaaf. The proper place for discussion of this imaam is expansive; one may say:

Increase in eminence as much as you wish;

Let the envier do whatever he can.

Time is on my side as it should be;

It knows who lowers and who raises.

God is asked to increase him in what He bestowed and to make the end and beginning of each of us sound. End of the statement, may God have mercy on him. The biographee also wrote The Presentation of the Elders with the Chains of the Books, naming his eminent teachers, the books he read and heard, and his complete transmissions. Whoever wants more should consult it; reading it produces extraordinary wonder. What we have mentioned is only a drop from his immeasurable ocean of virtues. His works testify to his learning. He defended the Law of Islaam with tongue and pen and defended the Prophetic religion. The words of an envious detractor do not harm him:

What harm is the sun if eyes looking at it

Have remained blind throughout their lives?

Envy drives its possessor to follow desire and speak against the envied. How fitting is the saying:

They envied the youth because they could not attain his knowledge;

Thus the people became his enemies and foes.

God is asked to protect us from the evils of our souls and the harvests of our tongues. It is reported from Aboo Dharr al-Ghifaaree that people were once leaves without thorns, but today they are thorns without leaves. They hide good, publicize evil, and lie when they hear nothing. It is therefore fitting to gather one's thoughts about the scholars of the age, raise one's aspirations toward them, and be content with the scholars of the purified Sunnah who have passed on, studying their verified books.

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He left many useful works in numerous disciplines, including: The Etiquette of Seeking and the Utmost Refinement; The Collected Benefits on Fabricated Hadeeths; The Presentation of the Elders with the Chains of the Books; The Gift of Those Who Remember, a commentary on The Provision of the Fortified Fortress; Guiding the Trustworthy to the Agreement of the Sacred Laws on Divine Unity, Resurrection, and Prophethood, refuting Moosaa ibn Maymoon; The Lofty Mountain in Defense of al-Sa'd against al-Shareef; Healing the Illnesses Concerning an Increase in Price for Mere Delay; Expanding Hearts on the Prohibition of Raising Graves; The Fragrant Publication on Ten Questions, a reply to Qaadhee 'Abd al-Rahmaan; The Indian Swords Drawn against the Verdant Gardens, refuting the obligation to wash the two private parts; treatises on scholarly disagreement over the measure of drowsiness, the obligation of greeting, the travel distance requiring shortened prayer, invalidating the evidence for combining prayers, the proofs of the basmalah, the irregularities in al-Jalaal's lunar treatise, whether an innovated divorce takes effect, whether divorce follows divorce, the nursing of an adult, selling hope, wearing safflower and other red clothing, the questions of the scholar of Dhamd, refuting consensus against listening to music, the virtues of the two 'Umars, the report “There is no contagion or omen,” and the boundaries of lands.

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His other works include Guiding the Notables to Correcting The Necklace of Pearls; Removing the Difficulty in the Jews' Ajiaad Concerning Collecting Garbage; The Launching of Speech in Removing the Difficulty; The Arrow's Aim in Guiding Speech; The Aim in the Question of the Vision; Questioning the Dissection; Guiding the Foolish to the People of the House's Position on the Companions; Removing Blame from One Who Denies the Permitted; The Precious Necklace in Establishing the Commander of the Believers' Succession; The Accepted Statement in Refuting the Report of an Unknown Non-Companion; The Questioner's Answer on “We ordained the moon phases”; The Aspiration of One Longing to Know the Ruling of Logic; Guiding the Beneficiary in Refuting Ibn Daqeeq al-'Eed on Absolute and Restricted Terms; The Comprehensive Investigation on “Except the one who was wronged”; The Illuminating Investigation on the Prohibition of Every Intoxicant; The Immediate Remedy against the Attacking Enemy; a remarkable treatise on removing injustices and sins; The String of Pearls on Sincerity in the Word of Divine Unity; a treatise on the obligation of monotheism; The Noble Essay on the Agreement of the Laws Concerning the Hereafter; The Excursion of the Pupils in Etymology; Removing Doubt concerning Permitted and Forbidden Backbiting; Editing the Proofs on the Distance and Barrier between Imaam and Follower; Unveiling the Rulings of Neighborly Pre-emption; The Rising of the Two Lights on a Ruling when One of Two Parties Breaks a Promise; a treatise on price fixing; Scattering Jewels in Commentary on the Hadeeth of Aboo Dharr; a treatise on men wearing gold; The Gift of the Bestower on the Wages of Judges and Jailers; and a treatise on the rules of inheritance.

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He also wrote Warning Equals against Seeking Assistance from Pure Wealth; a treatise on associating with rulers; The Saint's Drop in Knowing the Saint; Clarification of the Mass-Transmitted Reports on the Awaited Mahdee, the Antichrist, and the Messiah; The Necklace of Critique on al-Kashshaaf and al-Sa'd; The Beneficiary's Aim in Refutation of Those among the Imitators Who Deny Independent Reasoning; The Spacious Garden in the Decisive Proof that Rhetorical Science Is Not Restricted; and The Creator's Opening in Answer to 'Abd al-Razzaaq's Questions, besides other works. The investigations in The Divine Opening and other books are too numerous for this place. I saw most of them, praise be to God, and benefited greatly, so that my heart and body were sound. God grants success and is the One whose aid is sought.

Shaykh and Qaadhee Husayn ibn Muhsin al-Ansaaree ibn Muhammad ibn Mahdee ibn Muhammad ibn Abee Bakr ibn Muhammad ibn Ahmad ibn 'Uthmaan ibn Muhammad ibn 'Umar ibn Muhammad ibn Husayn ibn Ibraaheem ibn Idrees ibn Taqee al-Deen ibn Subay' ibn 'Aamir ibn Ghabshah ibn Tha'labah ibn Ghabshah ibn 'Awf ibn Maalik ibn 'Umar ibn Ka'b ibn al-Khazraj ibn Qays ibn Sa'd ibn 'Ubaadah ibn Dalham ibn Haarithah ibn Khuzaam ibn Khuzaymah ibn Tha'labah ibn Tareef ibn al-Khazraj ibn Saa'idah al-Khazrajee al-Ansaaree was born in Jumaadaa al-Awwal 1245 AH. At thirteen he went to al-Maraawi'ah to study under his teacher and mentor, Sharaf al-Islaam Hasan ibn 'Abd al-Baaree al-Ahdal. He stayed eight years studying exegesis, hadeeth, grammar, and jurisprudence and received authorization and a chain.

He also studied under his elder brother, Qaadhee Muhammad ibn Muhsin al-Ansaaree, reading Saheeh al-Bukhaaree from beginning to end with investigation, along with many sciences of hadeeth, jurisprudence, inheritance, and others. He received a general authorization and met Qaadhee Ahmad ibn Muhammad ibn 'Alee al-Shawkaanee at the port of al-Hudaydah, who authorized him for all his transmissions and hearings. He also studied for many years with the eminent Muhammad ibn Naasir al-Haazimee in reading the Six Books, Musnad al-Daarimee, the opening sections taught by Muhammad Sa'eed Sunbul al-Madanee, and al-Tirmidhee's Shamaa'il, and received a general authorization in all his transmissions.

He traveled to Baydar and studied under Sayyid Nafees al-Deen Sulaymaan ibn Muhammad ibn 'Abd al-Rahmaan ibn Sulaymaan ibn Yahyaa ibn 'Umar Maqbool al-Ahdal, muftee of Zabeed. He read the beginnings of the Six Books and received authorization for all his transmissions and hearings.

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Shaykh Husayn ibn Muhsin was our teacher in the modern sciences. I studied most of the Six Books and others under him and received a complete general authorization, recorded in his handwriting in The Chain of Gold. My son Noor al-Hasan also studied under him, reading The Fruit of the Heart, The Choice of Purpose, and the hadeeth books, and received authorization in all his transmissions and hearings, written in the shaykh's hand.

He has many students in our protected town of Bhopal and is a great treasure for students and a supreme blessing for travelers. He was formerly judge of al-Lahyah in Yemen and is now resident in Bhopal, teaching at the Riyaseeyah school. He possesses beneficial knowledge, righteous practice, sound thought, and a high aspiration to spread hadeeth. His blessed meeting brought us the works of Yemen's scholars and rained upon us precious books. He traveled repeatedly to the Hijaz and elsewhere in search of hadeeth books and returned with valuable treatises, collections, commentaries, texts, and genuine scholarly deewaans. Through him we gathered books from San'aa', Zabeed, Aboo 'Areesh, Yemen, al-Hudaydah, Basrah, Egypt, and the Two Holy Sanctuaries. He also spread our works to the farthest Yemen and distant places. All praise and favor belong to God.

1 One of his students is this weak servant, hoping for the mercy of his Mighty Lord, 'Alee Husayn al-Laknawee, son of the hadeeth master Muhammad Saadiq—may God preserve him—the writer of this book at the time of printing. I studied the Six Books and other hadeeth works under him.

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