Ibn Kathir

For the canonical Qur'an transmitter, see Ibn Kathir al-Makki.
Ibn Kathir
Personal
Bornc. 1300 / 701 H
Bosra, Mamluk Sultanate
Died27 February 1373 / 774 H
Damascus, Mamluk Sultanate, (Present-day Syria)
ReligionIslam
EraMamluk Sultanate
RegionSham
DenominationSunni
JurisprudenceShafi’i [6][7][8]
CreedAtharism[1][2][3][4][5]
Notable work(s)- Tafsīr al-Qurʾān al-ʿaẓīm (Tafsir Ibn Kathir), a Quranic exegesis;
- Al-Bidāya wan Nihāya ("The Beginning and the End"), a 14-volume history of Islam;
- Kitāb al-jāmiʿ, a hadith collection.[9]
Muslim leader
Influenced by
Arabic name
Personal (Ism)Ismāʿīl
إسماعيل‎
Patronymic (Nasab)ibn ʿUmar ibn Kaṯīr
بن عمر بن كثير‎
Teknonymic (Kunya)Abū l-Fidāʾ
أبو الفداء‎
Epithet (Laqab)ʿImād ud-Dīn
عماد الدين‎
"pillar of the faith"
Toponymic (Nisba)Ad-Dimashqi
Al-Qurashi
Al-Busrawi

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. 1300–1373), 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.

  1. ^ Richard Netton, Ian (2008). Encyclopedia of Islamic Civilisation and Religion. Abingdon, Oxon: Routledge. pp. 256–257. ISBN 978-0-7007-1588-6. Ibn Kathir, 'Imad Al-Din Ism'il Ibn 'Umar (AD 1300–73)... His reliance is totally upon hadith material; the era of Ibn Kathir, in fact, marks the triumph of traditionalism over the powers of rationalism.
  2. ^ Okawa, Reiko (March 2013). "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: 71–72. doi:10.5356/orient.48.57 – via JSTOR. Philips is a follower of traditional literalist interpretation of the Qur'ān.... This is a basic and conservative method of interpreting the Qur'ān, which is used by traditionalist Muslim scholars such as Ibn Kathīr (d.1373)...
  3. ^ Mirza, Younus Y. (1 February 2014). "Was Ibn Kathīr the 'Spokesperson' for Ibn Taymiyya? Jonah as a Prophet of Obedience". Journal of Qur'anic Studies. 16 (1): 3. doi:10.3366/jqs.2014.0130. ISSN 1465-3591. Jane McAullife remarks that 'certainly the most famous of Ibn Kathīr's teachers, and perhaps the one who influenced him the most, was the Ḥanbalī theologian and jurisconsult Ibn Taymiyyah'.
  4. ^ Bakhos, Carol (2015). "13: 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. 247. ISBN 978-0-19-969776-2. Born in Bosra in 1300, Ibn Kathīr was a historian and traditionalist of Mamlūk, Syria.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location (link)
  5. ^ Shah, Muhammad, Mustafa, Muhammad; Pink, Johanna (2020). "55:Classical Qur'anic Hermeneutics". The Oxford Handbook of Qur'anic Studie. Great Clarendon Street, Oxford, OX2 6DP, United Kingdom: Oxford University Press. p. 829. ISBN 978-0-19-969864-6. the methodology proposed by Ibn Taymiyya (d.728/1328) and adopted by Ibn Kathīr (d. 774/1373), which ultimately resulted in the dismissal of philology in favour of hadith and of the doctrines of Sunnī traditionalism.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location (link) CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  6. ^ Ahlus-Sunnah wal Jama'ah "The Re-Formers of Islam: The Mas'ud Questions". Ibn Kathir is a scholar of Ahl al-Sunna who was of the Shafi'i school (according to the first volume of his main work, Tafsir al-Qur'an al-'Azim, 1.2), while Ibn Taymiya was a scholar whose fiqh remained in the general framework of the Hanbali school.
  7. ^ Younus Y. Mirza (2012). IBN KATHĪR (D. 774/1373): HIS INTELLECTUAL CIRCLE, MAJOR WORKS AND QUR'ĀNIC EXEGESIS. Georgetown University. Ibn Kathīr is often portrayed as the "spokesperson" for Ibn Taymiyya, one who promoted his work and implemented his theories. Ibn Kathīr is more accurately described as a Shāfi'ī traditionalists or a group of Shāfiʻī ḥadīth scholars who maintained a traditionalist creed.
  8. ^ Mirza, Younus Y. (1 February 2014). "Was Ibn Kathīr the 'Spokesperson' for Ibn Taymiyya? Jonah as a Prophet of Obedience". Journal of Qur'anic Studies. 16 (1): 3. doi:10.3366/jqs.2014.0130. ISSN 1465-3591.
  9. ^ "Ibn Kathir - Muslim scholar". Encyclopædia Britannica. Retrieved 26 March 2016.
  10. ^ a b "Scholar of renown: Ibn Katheer". April 2002.
  11. ^ Mirza, Younus Y. (1 February 2014). "Was Ibn Kathīr the 'Spokesperson' for Ibn Taymiyya? Jonah as a Prophet of Obedience". Journal of Qur'anic Studies. 16 (1): 3. doi:10.3366/jqs.2014.0130. ISSN 1465-3591. Jane McAullife remarks that 'certainly the most famous of Ibn Kathīr's teachers, and perhaps the one who influenced him the most, was the Ḥanbalī theologian and jurisconsult Ibn Taymiyyah'.
  12. ^ Mirza, Younus Y. (1 February 2014). "Was Ibn Kathīr the 'spokesperson' for Ibn Taymiyya? Jonah as a Prophet of Obedience". Journal of Qur'anic Studies. 16 (1): 1. doi:10.3366/jqs.2014.0130. ISSN 1465-3591.
  13. ^ Ludwig W. Adamec (2009), Historical Dictionary of Islam, p.138. Scarecrow Press. ISBN 0810861615.