Ibn kathir al bidaya wa'l nihaya english pdf

Ibn Kathir

Arab Islamic exegete, historian and scholar (c. –)

For the canonical Qur'an transmitter, see Ibn Kathir al-Makki.

Abu al-Fida Isma'il ibn Umar ibn Kathir al-Dimashqi (Arabic: أبو الفداء إسماعيل بن عمر بن كثير الدمشقي, romanized:&#;Abū al-Fiḍā’ Ismā‘īl ibn ‘Umar ibn Kathīr al-Dimashqī; c.&#;–), known simply as Ibn Kathir, was an Arab Islamic exegete, historian and scholar.

An expert on tafsir (Qur'anic exegesis), tarikh (history) and fiqh (jurisprudence), he is considered a leading authority on Sunni Islam.

Born in Bostra, Mamluk Sultanate, Ibn Kathir's teachers include al-Dhahabi and Ibn Taymiyya. He wrote several books, including a fourteen-volume universal history titled al-Bidaya wa'l-Nihaya (Arabic: البداية والنهاية).[12][13]

His renowned tafsir, Tafsir Ibn Kathir, is recognized for its critical approach to Israʼiliyyat, especially among Western Muslims and Wahhabi scholars.

His methodology largely derives from his teacher Ibn Taymiyya, and differs from that of other earlier renowned exegetes such as Tabari. He adhered to the Athari school of Islamic theology.

Biography

His full name was Abū l-Fidāʾ Ismāʿīl ibn ʿUmar ibn Kaṯīr (أبو الفداء إسماعيل بن عمر بن كثير&#;) and had the laqab (epithet) of ʿImād ad-Dīn (عماد الدين&#; "pillar of the faith").

His family trace its lineage back to the tribe of Quraysh. He was born in Mijdal, a village on the outskirts of the city of Busra, in the east of Damascus, Syria, around about AH (AD /1).[14] He was taught by Ibn Taymiyya and Al-Dhahabi.

Upon completion of his studies he obtained his first official appointment in , when he joined an inquisitorial commission formed to determine certain questions of heresy.[1]

He married the daughter of Al-Mizzi, one of the foremost Syrian scholars of the period, which gave him access to the scholarly elite.

In he was made preacher (khatib) at a newly built mosque in Mizza, the hometown of his father-in-law. In , he rose to a professorial position at the Great Mosque of Damascus.[1][15]

In later life, he became blind.[16] He attributes his blindness to working late at night on the Musnad of Ahmad Ibn Hanbal in an attempt to rearrange it topically rather than by narrator.

He died in February (AH ) in Damascus. He was buried next to his teacher Ibn Taymiyya.[17]

Creed

Further information: Ahl al-Hadith and Zubayr_ibn_al-Awwam §&#;Hadith_&_Legals

The records from modern researchers such as Taha Jabir Alalwani, Yazid Abdu al Qadir al-Jawas, and Barbara Stowasser has demonstrated important similarities between Ibn Kathir and his influential master Taqi al-Din Ibn Taymiyyah, such as rejecting logical exegesis of Qur'an, advocating a militant jihad and adhering to the renewal of one singular Islamic ummah.[18][19][20][21] In contemporary scholarship, Ibn Kathir is widely regarded as an anti-rationalistic, hadith oriented scholar who adhered to the Athari creed, much like his mentor Ibn Taymiyya.[22] According to Jane McAuliffe in regards of Qur'anic exegesis, Ibn Kathir uses methods contrary to former Sunni scholars, and followed largely the methodology of Ibn Taymiyyah.[23] Barbara Freyer contends that this anti-rationalistic, traditionalistic and hadith oriented approaches held by Ibn Kathir were shared not only by Ibn Taymiyyah,[18][24] but also by Ibn Hazm, Bukhari independent Madhhab,[25] and also scholars from Jariri, and Zahiri Maddhabs.[26] According to Christian Lange, although he was a Shafi, he was closely aligned with Damascene Hanbalism.[27]:&#;86&#; David L.

Johnston described him as "the traditionist and Ash'arite Ibn Kathir".[28]

Taha Jabir Alalwani, Professor and President of Cordoba University in Ashburn, Virginia maintains that these traditionalistic views of Ibn Kathir claimed by Salafists were rooted further to the generation of SahabaSalaf, where Zubayr ibn al-Awwam, one of The ten to whom Paradise was promised also taught this view.[20] Contemporary researchers notes that these anti rationalistic, anti Ash'arite methods of Ibn Kathir shared with his teacher Ibn Taimiyyah; were proven in his tafseer regarding the Day of Resurrection and Hypocrisy in Qur'an.[19]

Ibn Kathir states:

"People have said a great deal on this topic and this is not the place to expound on what they have said.

Al bidaya wa nihaya ibn kathir biography And they say: We hear and we obey. History exegesis jurisprudence creed. Al-Husain bin Ali R. Arabic Wikisource has original text related to this article: Al-Bidaya wa'l-Nihaya.

On this matter, we follow the early Muslims (salaf): Malik, Awza'i, Thawri, Layth ibn Sa'd, Shafi'i, Ahmad ibn Hanbal, Ishaq Ibn Rahwayh, and others among the Imams of the Muslims, both ancient and modern that is, to let (the verse in question) pass as it has come, without saying how it is meant (min ghayr takyif), without likening it to created things (wa la tashbih), and without nullifying it (wa la ta'til): The literal meaning (zahir) that occurs to the minds of anthropomorphists (al-mushabbihin) is negated of Allah, for nothing from His creation resembles Him: "There is nothing whatsoever like unto Him, and He is the All-Hearing, the All-Seeing" Rather this affair is like what the Grand Shaykh of Imam Bukhari Shaykh Naeem ibn Hamaad Khazaa'i said "Whosoever likens Allah to his Creation has done Kufr (disbelieved) and whosoever negates what Allah describes Himself with has also done Kufr (Disbelieved) There is nothing with what Allah describes Himself with nor his Prophet describes Allah with from likening Allah to his Creation (tashbeeh).

Whosoever affirms for Allah what has reached Us from the Truthful Ayahs (verses) and Correct Hadeeth (Prophetic narrations) on the way that is befitting the Majesty of Allah while negating from Allah all defects indeed He has traveled the way of guidance." (Tafsir Ibn Kathir )[29]

These words from Ibn Kathir were argued by Athari scholarship as proof of Ibn Kathir not being Ash'arite.

According to Salafi Muslims, since Ibn Kathir does not use logical rationale to reject anthropomorphism, he believed the attributes of God cannot be likened to creatures, while simultaneously affirming the verses and hadith about God's Attributes such as residence above His Throne and His Exaltation above all creatures.[30]:&#;–&#; Salafis rebut Ash'arite claims as Formal fallacy regarding Ibn Kathir tafsir, and other claims such as four madhhab schools as supporting Ash'ari and Maturidites are fabrications.

For this, they employ the reports from Ahmad ibn Hanbal who rejected the views of those who were allegedly deemed as proto Asharites and Maturidites, the Mutakallim, and deems them as not in Ahl as Sunnah teaching.[30]:&#;43&#; According to Livnat Holtzman, historically the school of Ahl al-Hadith championed by none other than Ibn Kathir's master, Ibn Taymiyyah, had successfully crushed the interrogation and accusation from Ash'arite rational (Kalam) argumentations during the 13th AD century.[31] while modern scholars such as Marzuq at Tarifi,[32] and Sa'id Musfir al-Qahtani further posited that Abu al-Hasan al-Ashʿari, the eponym of Asharite school, himself was not fond of his "Asharite followers" and pointed out on his book, al-ibāna, that Abu al Hasan was teaching the method similar to Ahmad ibn Hanbal, Ibn Taymiyyah, Ibn Kathir, and rejected the Ahl al Kalam and Maturidites such as Al-Razi.[33][34]

In summary, Jon Hoover outlined that Ibn Kathir stance according to scholars were orthodox traditionists and rejected the view of Mutakallims, just like the view of Salafi Muslims and their predecessor Ahl al-Hadith school.[35]

View of some Ash'arite scholars

See also: Ash'ari and Ahl al-Ra'y

In the modern times, Ibn Kathir's creed have sometimes been raised as a subject of disagreement between the Ash'arites, successor of Ahl al-Ra'y rationalist school and the Salafis, theorized by Jon Hoover as successor of Ahl al-Hadith traditionist school.[35] Some Ash'arite theologians have claimed Ibn Kathir as an Ash'ari, pointing out some of his beliefs and sayings reported from his works, and to the fact that:

  • He belonged to the Shafi'i school of Islamic jurisprudence and was a professor of Hadith at the House of Hadith known as "Dar al-Hadith al-Ashrafiyya" which was exclusively established for those aligned to the Ash'ari school of creed, as mentioned by Taj al-Din al-Subki (d.

    /) in his Tabaqat al-Shafi`iyya al-Kubra (Comprehensive Biographical dictionary of Shafi'ites) that a condition to teach at the al-Ashrafiyya was to be Ash'ari in 'aqida.[36]

  • Ibn Hajar al-'Asqalani (d. /) reported in his al-Durar al-Kaminah (The Hidden Pearls: on the Notables of the Eighth Islamic Century), that a dispute between Ibn Kathir and the son of Ibn al-Qayyim al-Jawziyya broke out over teaching position.

    It seems Ibn Kathir implied that the dislike for him is due to his Ash'ari roots, and once Ibn al-Qayyim's son confronted him about this and said that even if Ibn Kathir swore to high heavens that he wasn't upon the creed of Ibn Taymiyya, people wouldn't believe him, because his sheikh (teacher) is Ibn Taymiyya.[37]

Works

Tafsir

Main article: Tafsir Ibn Kathir

Ibn Kathir wrote a famous commentary on the Qur'an named Tafsīr al-Qurʾān al-ʿAẓīm better known as Tafsir Ibn Kathir which linked certain Hadith, or sayings of Muhammad, and sayings of the sahaba to verses of the Qur'an, in explanation and avoided the use of Isra'iliyyats.

Many Sunni Muslims hold his commentary as the best after Tafsir al-Tabari and Tafsir al-Qurtubi and it is highly regarded especially among Salafi school of thought.[38] Although Ibn Kathir claimed to rely on at-Tabari, he introduced new methods and differs in content, in attempt to clear Islam from that he evaluates as Isra'iliyyat.

His suspicion on Isra'iliyyat possibly derived from Ibn Taimiyya's influence, who discounted much of the exegetical tradition since then.[23][39]

His Tafsir has gained widespread popularity in modern times, especially among Western Muslims, probably due to his straightforward approach, but also due to lack of alternative translations of traditional tafsirs.[40] Ibn Kathir's Tafsir work has played major impact in the contemporary movements of Islamic reform.

Salafi reformer Jamal al-Din Qasimi's Qurʾānic exegsis Maḥāsin al-taʾwīl was greatly influenced by Ibn Taymiyya and Ibn Kathīr, which is evident from its emphasis on ḥadīth, Scripturalist approaches, the rejection of Isrāʾīliyyāt, and a polemical attitudes against the Ahl al-raʾy.[41] From the s onwards, Wahhabi scholars also contributed immensely to popularisation of ḥadīth-oriented hermeneutics and exegeses, such as Ibn Kathīr's and al-Baghawī’s Qurʾān commentaries and Ibn Taymiyya’s al-Muqaddima fī uṣūl al-tafsīr, through printing press.

The Wahhābī promotion of Ibn Taymiyya’s and Ibn Kathīr’s works through print publishing during the early twentieth century emerged instrumental in making these two scholars popular in the contemporary period and imparted a robust impact on modern exegetical works.[42]

In academic discourse

Tafsīr al-Qurʾān al-ʿAẓīm is controversial in western academic circles.

Henri Laoust regards it primary as a philological work and "very elementary". Norman Calder describes it as narrow-minded, dogmatic, and skeptical against the intellectual achievements of former exegetes. His concern is limited to rate the Quran by the corpus of Hadith and is the first, who flatly rates Jewish sources as unreliable, while simultaneously using them, just as prophetic hadith, selectively to support his prefabricated opinion.[43] Otherwise, Jane Dammen McAuliffe regards this tafsir as "deliberately and carefully selected, whose interpretation is unique to his own judgment to preserve, that he regards as best among his traditions."[44]

Unabridged English translations

  1. Exegesis of the Grand Holy Qur'an (4 volumes) by Dr.

    Muhammad Mahdi Al-Sharif. It was published in by Darul Kutub Al-'Ilmiyyah in Lebanon.

  2. Another translation by Mawlana Muhammad Ameen Khaulwadiyah, the director of Darul Qasim in Glendale Heights, Chicago, Illinois is in progress. Only 2 volumes have been published so far.

Hadith

  • Al-Jāmiʿ (الجامع&#;) is a grand collection of Hadith texts intended for encyclopedic use.

    It is an alphabetical listing of the Companions of the Prophet and the sayings that each transmitted, thus reconstructing the chain of authority for each hadith.[1]

See also

Notes

  1. ^ abcd"Ibn Kathir – Muslim scholar".

    Encyclopædia Britannica. Retrieved 26 March

  2. ^ Ahlus-Sunnah wal Jama'ah "The Re-Formers of Islam: The Mas'ud Questions".
  3. ^Younus Y. Mirza (). IBN KATHĪR (D. /): HIS INTELLECTUAL CIRCLE, MAJOR WORKS AND QUR'ĀNIC EXEGESIS. Georgetown University.
  4. ^Mirza, Younus Y.

    (1 February ). "Was Ibn Kathīr the 'Spokesperson' for Ibn Taymiyya? Jonah as a Prophet of Obedience". Journal of Qur'anic Studies. 16 (1): 3. doi/jqs ISSN&#;

  5. ^Richard Netton, Ian (). Encyclopedia of Islamic Civilisation and Religion. Abingdon, Oxon: Routledge. pp.&#;– ISBN&#;.

  6. ^Okawa, Reiko (March ). "Contemporary Muslim Intellectuals Who Publish Tafsīr Works in English: The Authority of Interpreters of the Qur'ān". Orient. 48. The Society for Near Eastern Studies in Japan: 71– doi/orient
  7. ^Mirza, Younus Y. (1 February ). "Was Ibn Kathīr the 'Spokesperson' for Ibn Taymiyya?

    Jonah as a Prophet of Obedience". Journal of Qur'anic Studies. 16 (1): 3. doi/jqs ISSN&#;

  8. ^Bakhos, Carol (). " Interpreters of Scripture". In J. Silverstine; G. Stroumsa; M. Blidstein (eds.). The Oxford Handbook of the Abrahamic Religions. Great Clarendon Street, Oxford, OX2 6DP, United Kingdom: Oxford University Press.

    p.&#; ISBN&#;. : CS1 maint: location (link)

  9. ^Shah, Muhammad, Mustafa, Muhammad; Pink, Johanna (). " Classical Qur'anic Hermeneutics". The Oxford Handbook of Qur'anic Studie. Oxford, UK: Oxford University Press. p.&#; ISBN&#;. : CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  10. ^ ab"Scholar of renown: Ibn Katheer".

    April

  11. ^Mirza, Younus Y. (1 February ). "Was Ibn Kathīr the 'Spokesperson' for Ibn Taymiyya? Jonah as a Prophet of Obedience". Journal of Qur'anic Studies. 16 (1): 3. doi/jqs ISSN&#;
  12. ^Mirza, Younus Y. (1 February ). "Was Ibn Kathīr the 'spokesperson' for Ibn Taymiyya?

    Jonah as a Prophet of Obedience". Journal of Qur'anic Studies. 16 (1): 1. doi/jqs ISSN&#;

  13. ^Ludwig W. Adamec (), Historical Dictionary of Islam, p. Scarecrow Press.

  15. Al-Bidayah waan-Nihayah (The Beginning and the End) - Tarikh ...

  16. ISBN&#;

  17. ^Mirza, Younus Y. (1 September ). "Ibn Kathīr, ʿImād al-Dīn". Encyclopaedia of Islam, Three.
  18. ^Ibn Kathir I; Le Gassick T (translator); Fareed M (reviewer) (). The Life of the Prophet Muhammad&#;: English translation of Ibn Kathir's Al Sira Al Nabawiyya. Garnet. ISBN&#;.
  19. ^Ludwig W.

    Adamec (), Historical Dictionary of Islam, p.

    Al bidaya wa nihaya book Johnston described him as "the traditionist and Ash'arite Ibn Kathir". The Caliphate of Banu Ummayyah This book focuses on the tenure that took place after the wonderful time of "Khulfa-e-Rashidan" the four caliphs which took out the Arabian Peninsula from the darkness of associating ilahs gods with Almighty Allah swt. Sunni Publications. Wikidata item.

    Scarecrow Press. ISBN&#;

  20. ^Mirza, Younus Y. (1 February ). "Was Ibn Kathīr the 'Spokesperson' for Ibn Taymiyya? Jonah as a Prophet of Obedience". Journal of Qur'anic Studies. 16 (1): 2. doi/jqs ISSN&#;
  21. ^ abStowasser, Barbara Freyer ().

    Women in the Qur'an, Traditions, and Interpretation. Oxford University Press. p.&#;9.

    Tareekh Ibn Kathir [Al Bidaya wan Nihaya] - Supremeseerah.com Ibn Hajar al-Asqalani — Al-Mahalli d. The stories of the prophets and all the events in their lives have been supported by the Qur'anic Verses and the Sunnah traditions of the Prophet S. The book reports the events of his blessed life, his battles, military campaigns, the delegations that met him, and shed light upon the unique exemplary qualities virtues and signs of his Messengership that make him a guide and role-model for all of humanity until the end of time. Main article: Tafsir Ibn Kathir.

    ISBN&#;.

  22. ^ abbin Abdul Qadir al-Jawaz, Yazid (). Syarah 'Aqidah Ahlussunnah wal Jama'ah (in Indonesian). Pustaka Imam Syafi'i. pp.&#;, ISBN&#;. Retrieved 13 December
  23. ^ abAlwani, Taha Jabir Fayyad; DeLorenzo, Yusuf Talal; Al-Shikh-Ali, A.

    S. (). Source Methodology in Islamic Jurisprudence Uṣūl Al Figh Al Islāmī. International Institute of Islamic Thought. ISBN&#;. Retrieved 20 November

  24. ^R. Hrair Dekmejian Islam in Revolution: Fundamentalism in the Arab World Syracuse University Press, , ISBN&#; p. 40
  25. ^Barbara Freyer Stowasser Women in the Qur'an, Traditions, and Interpretation Oxford University Press ISBN&#;
  26. ^ abKaren Bauer Gender Hierarchy in the Qur'an: Medieval Interpretations, Modern Responses Cambridge University Press ISBN&#; p.

  27. ^Spevack, Aaron (). The Archetypal Sunni Scholar: Law, Theology, and Mysticism in the Synthesis of al-Bajuri. SUNY Press. pp.&#;– ISBN&#;.
  28. ^Lucas, Scott C. (). "The legal principles of Muḥammad b. Ismāʿīl al-Bukhārī and their relationship to classical Salafi Islam".

    ILS. 13: – doi/

  29. ^Stewart, Devin J. (). Weiss, Bernard G. (ed.). "Muhammad b. Dawud al-Zahiri's Manual of Jurisprudence". Studies in Islamic Law and Society. Studies in Islamic Legal Theory. Leiden: Brill Publishers: 99–
  30. ^Lange, Christian (). Paradise and Hell in Islamic Traditions.

    Cambridge United Kingdom: Cambridge University Press.

  31. Al-bidayah wan nihayah english
  32. Al-bidayah wan nihayah ibn kathir
  33. Al-bidayah wan nihayah all volumes
  34. Biography of ibn kathir pdf

    35. ISBN&#;.

  35. ^David L. Johnston (). Earth, Empire, and Sacred Text: Muslims and Christians as Trustees of Creation. Equinox Publishing. p.&#; ISBN&#;.

    Al bidaya wa nihaya urdu In other projects. Overview [ edit ]. Works [ edit ]. Medieval Era Middle Ages.

  36. ^Spevack, Aaron (). The Archetypal Sunni Scholar: Law, Theology, and Mysticism in the Synthesis of al-Bajuri. SUNY Press. pp.&#;– ISBN&#;.
  37. ^ abbin Abdul Qadir al-Jawaz
  38. ^Holtzman, Livnat (). Anthropomorphism in Islam The Challenge of Traditionalism (–)(Ebook).

    Edinburgh University Press. p.&#; ISBN&#;. Retrieved 14 December

  39. ^Marzuqi at Tharifi, Abdul Aziz. Akidah Al-Khurasaniyyah. Pustaka al-Kautsar. Retrieved 14 October
  40. ^Musfir al Qahtani, Sa'id (). BUKU PUTIH SYAIKH ABDUL QADIR AL-JAILANI (Doctor) (in Indonesian). Darul Falah.

    pp.&#;– ISBN&#;. Retrieved 14 December

  41. ^Irham Zuhdi, Masturi; Abidun, M. (). Ensiklopedi Aliran dan Madzhab Di Dunia Islam [Encyclopedia of sects and Schools in the Islamic World; Arabic:Silsilah al-mawsu'at islamiyahmutakhasshihah; mausu'ah al-firad wa al-madzhahib fi al-alam al-islam] (in Indonesian).

    Pustaka al Kautsar; Tim Riset Majelis Tinggi Urusan Islam Mesir (Egyptian Islamic Affairs High Council Research Team). pp.&#;– ISBN&#;. Retrieved 8 December

  42. ^ abHoover, Jon (). "Ḥanbalī Theology". In Sabine Schmidtke (ed.). The Oxford Handbook of Islamic Theology.

    Oxford: Oxford University Press. doi/oxfordhb/ ISBN&#;.

  43. ^Fawzi al-'Anjari; Hamad al-Sinan. Forewords by Wahba al-Zuhayli; Muhammad Sa'id Ramadan al-Buti; Ali Gomaa; Ali al-Jifri; 'Abd al-Fattah al-Bazm (the Grand Mufti of Damascus); Muhammad Hasan Hitou (eds.). Ahl al-Sunnah al-Asha'irah: Shahadat 'Ulama' al-Ummah wa Adillatahum [Ahl al-Sunna: The Ash'aris – The Testimony and Proofs of the Scholars] (in Arabic).

    Sunni Publications. ISBN&#;. Archived from the original on 12 May

  44. ^The Hidden Pearls: concerning the Notables of the Eighth Islamic Century. Dar al-Kutub al-'Ilmiyya (The House of Scientific Books). ISBN&#; &#; via Google Books.
  45. ^Oliver Leaman The Qur'an: An Encyclopedia Taylor & Francis ISBN&#; p.

  46. ^Aysha A. Hidayatullah Feminist Edges of the Qur'an Oxford University Press ISBN&#; p. 25
  47. ^Andreas Görke and Johanna Pink Tafsir and Islamic Intellectual History Exploring the Boundaries of a GenreOxford University Press in association with The Institute of Ismaili Studies, London ISBN&#; p.

  48. ^Schmidtke, Sabine; Pink, Johanna (). "Striving for a New Exegesis of the Qurʾān". The Oxford Handbook of Islamic Theology. New York: Oxford University Press. p.&#; ISBN&#;.

    Al-bidayah wan nihayah volume 1 pdf: Darussalam is proud to present the abridged English translation of the classic work: Al-Bidayah wan Nihayah. Bosra , Sham , Mamluk Sultanate. This book is the first part from this enormous work. In later life, he became blind.

  49. ^Schmidtke, Sabine; Pink, Johanna (). "Striving for a New Exegesis of the Qurʾān". The Oxford Handbook of Islamic Theology. New York: Oxford University Press. p.&#; ISBN&#;.
  50. ^Johanna Pink Sunnitischer Tafsir in der modernen islamischen Welt: Akademische Traditionen, Popularisierung und nationalstaatliche Interessen Brill, ISBN&#; p.

    40 (German)

  51. ^Johanna Pink Sunnitischer Tafsir in der modernen islamischen Welt: Akademische Traditionen, Popularisierung und nationalstaatliche Interessen Brill, ISBN&#; p. 40 (German)

References

  • Norman Calder, 'Tafsir from Tabari to Ibn Kathir, Problems in the description of a genre, illustrated with reference to the story of Abraham', in: G.

    R. Hawting / Abdul-Kader A. Shareef (eds.): Approaches to the Qur'an, London , pp.&#;–

  • Jane Dammen-McAuliffe, 'Quranic Hermeneutics, The views of al-Tabari and Ibn Kathir', in: Andrew Rippin (ed.): Approaches to the history of the interpretation of the Qur'an, Oxford , pp.& nbs al hafid ibn kathir is not ash,ai

External links