Imam Ibn Hajar Al Asqalani
Abul Fadl, Shihabuddin Ahmad bin 'All bin Muhammad bin Muhammad bin Ahmad Ai-Kinani AshShafi'i was one of the greatest hadith scholar ever lived in earth commonly known as Ibn Hajar al-Asqalani. He was born on 10th Sha'ban, 773 H. in Egypt, where he grew up also. (Imam Al-Hafiz Ibn Hajar Al-'Asqalani) He occupied himself with the knowledge of Hadith, so he dwelt in its study, teaching, writing and giving Fatwa. He also taught the Tafseer, the Hadith, the Fiqh and preached at many places like Al-Azhar, Jami Amr and others.
Imam Ibn Hajar Al- Asqalani was an orphan. His father who was a great scholar and merchant died in the year 777H when Ibn Hajar was only four years old. His mother passed away before that and so he was an orphan from both of his parents.
When he was only five years old, he completed the memorization of the Quran. And he would lead the people in Tarawih prayer in Makkah in the year 785H when he was just twelve years old. So the fact that Ibn Hajar was able to memorize the Quran at such a tender age shows the precision and strength of his memory. Ibn Hajar first head Sahih al-Bukhari from one of his earliest scholars Affifuddin an-Nashawari.
He would travel much in the days of learning in the morning and in the evening trying to learn from the scholars of his time. Amongst the most famous of scholars that he learnt from were Al-Hafidh al-Iraqi and Ibn al-Mulaqqin, who were two famous scholars of hadith and he learnt from these two scholars and other scholars like them. He traveled to Alexandria, to Ash-Sham, Syria, to Egypt and to other places as well, where he would get benefit and also benefit others. (Qureshi) As for the teachers of Ibn Hajar, he has more than eight hundred. He also wrote a book talking about his various different teachers who he learnt from. Also his students were very many, such that a student would come and learn from him and then the son of the student would also come and learn from him. So a father and son would take priding in having learned from Ibn Hajar owing to the rank that Ibn Hajar held in his lifetime.
When he reached 25 he married the lively and brilliant Anas Khatun, then 18 years of age. She was a hadith expert in her own right, holding ijazas from Zayn al-Din al-‘Iraqi, and she gave celebrated public lectures in the presence of her husband to crowds of Ulama among whom was Imam al-Sakhawi. After the marriage, Ibn Hajar moved into her house and there he lived until his death. (Murad)
Imam Al- Asqalani was humble, tolerant, patient and enduring. He was also described to be hilarious, steadfast, prudent, ascetic, selfless, generous, spender in charity and a person praying and fasting voluntarily. On the other hand he was said to be used to cracking of light jokes and telling of humorous anecdotes. He had also good manners of dealing with all the Imam whether highly or lowly placed and with all those who sat with him whether old or young.
Ibn Hajar Al- Asqalani authored more than 150 books. Most of them being in the studies of Hadith which flourished during his lifetime, and the kings and princes exchanged them as gifts. His book most worthy of mentioning is Fath Al-Bari - the commentary of Sahih Al-Bukhari, which he had started in the beginning of 817H., after finishing its introductory part in 813H., and completed the whole commentary in Rajab 842H. It began as a series of formal dictations to his hadith students, after which he wrote it out in his own hand and circulated it section by section to his pupils, who would discuss it with him once a week. As the work progressed and its author’s fame grew, the Islamic world took a close interest in the new work (Murad). After the completion of the commentary, he held a party attended by the Muslim dignitaries and spent 500 Dinar on it. Then some kings requested for it and paid 300 Dinar. (Imam Al-Hafiz Ibn Hajar Al-'Asqalani)
Abdul Hakim Murad said about Fath al-Bari in the introduction to the translation of Ibn Hajar al-Asqalani's commentary on selected hadith: "The importance of this literature may be gauged by the fact that at least seventy full commentaries have been written on Imam al-Bukhari’s great Sahih... the most celebrated of which is without question the magnificent Fath al-Bari by Imam Ibn Hajar al-Asqalani, a work which was the crown both of its genre and of the Imam’s academic career. It is appreciated by the Ulama for the doctrinal soundness of its author, for its complete coverage of Bukhari’s material, its mastery of the relevant Arabic sciences, the wisdom it shows in drawing lessons from the hadiths it expounds, and its skill in resolving complex disputes over variant readings." (Murad)
Abdul Hayy al-Kattani said: “When the author of al-Hittah quoted Ibn Khaldun as saying that the explanation of Sahih al-Bukhari is a debt upon the Muslim nation, he said, ‘This debt has been fulfilled by the explanation of al-Hafidh Ibn Hajar.’ For that reason, when it was suggested to Muhammad ibn ‘Ali al-Shawkani, that he write an explanation of al-Jami’ al-Sahih by al-Bukhari just as others have, he responded, ‘There is no migration after al-Fath,’ referring to Fath al-Bari." (Fahras al-Faharis)
Another scholar said about him, that he is one of the great scholars of the scholars of our past he is the Leader of The Believers in regards to hadith, he is the most knowledgeable scholar of his time. About his great book Fath al-Bari, the Sheikh said, it is like a dictionary of the Sunnah. Rather it is a dictionary of all the Islamic Sciences. This book would be said to be beneficial in the sense that if you were to ask a question, then Ibn Hajar would provide such as answer in this great book, that the questioners thirst would be quenched. (Qureshi)
Ibn Hajar is regarded to be one of the rare people in our beautiful history, as Sheikh al-Albani said, "Ibn Hajar was the strongest of those Ulama who had memorized hadith," and so there was no one really the same as him in regards to what he memorized and to the precision that he done it. (Qureshi)
Ibn Hajar became the Qadi of Egypt, then Al-Sham was also added to his jurisdiction which he held for more than twenty-one years. He was against holding the office of the Qadi at first, until the Sultan assigned to him a special case, then he accepted to represent Al-Bakini when he begged him very much to preside for him as Qadi Then he presided for others until he was assigned to hold the office of Chief Qadi on 12 Muharram, 827 H. He then left, but he had to took the office left of the Chief Gad, for seven times until he led it finally in 852 H. which is the year he died in. (Imam Al-Hafiz Ibn Hajar Al-'Asqalani)
On Tuesday 14th of Dhul-Hijjah the year 852H, he became ill, such that Saturday 18th of the same month, he passed away in Cairo (may Allah have mercy on his soul). His funeral was attended by fifty thousand people, including the sultan and the caliph; even the Christians grieved. (Murad)
Imam Ibn Hajar Al- Asqalani was an orphan. His father who was a great scholar and merchant died in the year 777H when Ibn Hajar was only four years old. His mother passed away before that and so he was an orphan from both of his parents.
When he was only five years old, he completed the memorization of the Quran. And he would lead the people in Tarawih prayer in Makkah in the year 785H when he was just twelve years old. So the fact that Ibn Hajar was able to memorize the Quran at such a tender age shows the precision and strength of his memory. Ibn Hajar first head Sahih al-Bukhari from one of his earliest scholars Affifuddin an-Nashawari.
He would travel much in the days of learning in the morning and in the evening trying to learn from the scholars of his time. Amongst the most famous of scholars that he learnt from were Al-Hafidh al-Iraqi and Ibn al-Mulaqqin, who were two famous scholars of hadith and he learnt from these two scholars and other scholars like them. He traveled to Alexandria, to Ash-Sham, Syria, to Egypt and to other places as well, where he would get benefit and also benefit others. (Qureshi) As for the teachers of Ibn Hajar, he has more than eight hundred. He also wrote a book talking about his various different teachers who he learnt from. Also his students were very many, such that a student would come and learn from him and then the son of the student would also come and learn from him. So a father and son would take priding in having learned from Ibn Hajar owing to the rank that Ibn Hajar held in his lifetime.
When he reached 25 he married the lively and brilliant Anas Khatun, then 18 years of age. She was a hadith expert in her own right, holding ijazas from Zayn al-Din al-‘Iraqi, and she gave celebrated public lectures in the presence of her husband to crowds of Ulama among whom was Imam al-Sakhawi. After the marriage, Ibn Hajar moved into her house and there he lived until his death. (Murad)
Imam Al- Asqalani was humble, tolerant, patient and enduring. He was also described to be hilarious, steadfast, prudent, ascetic, selfless, generous, spender in charity and a person praying and fasting voluntarily. On the other hand he was said to be used to cracking of light jokes and telling of humorous anecdotes. He had also good manners of dealing with all the Imam whether highly or lowly placed and with all those who sat with him whether old or young.
Ibn Hajar Al- Asqalani authored more than 150 books. Most of them being in the studies of Hadith which flourished during his lifetime, and the kings and princes exchanged them as gifts. His book most worthy of mentioning is Fath Al-Bari - the commentary of Sahih Al-Bukhari, which he had started in the beginning of 817H., after finishing its introductory part in 813H., and completed the whole commentary in Rajab 842H. It began as a series of formal dictations to his hadith students, after which he wrote it out in his own hand and circulated it section by section to his pupils, who would discuss it with him once a week. As the work progressed and its author’s fame grew, the Islamic world took a close interest in the new work (Murad). After the completion of the commentary, he held a party attended by the Muslim dignitaries and spent 500 Dinar on it. Then some kings requested for it and paid 300 Dinar. (Imam Al-Hafiz Ibn Hajar Al-'Asqalani)
Abdul Hakim Murad said about Fath al-Bari in the introduction to the translation of Ibn Hajar al-Asqalani's commentary on selected hadith: "The importance of this literature may be gauged by the fact that at least seventy full commentaries have been written on Imam al-Bukhari’s great Sahih... the most celebrated of which is without question the magnificent Fath al-Bari by Imam Ibn Hajar al-Asqalani, a work which was the crown both of its genre and of the Imam’s academic career. It is appreciated by the Ulama for the doctrinal soundness of its author, for its complete coverage of Bukhari’s material, its mastery of the relevant Arabic sciences, the wisdom it shows in drawing lessons from the hadiths it expounds, and its skill in resolving complex disputes over variant readings." (Murad)
Abdul Hayy al-Kattani said: “When the author of al-Hittah quoted Ibn Khaldun as saying that the explanation of Sahih al-Bukhari is a debt upon the Muslim nation, he said, ‘This debt has been fulfilled by the explanation of al-Hafidh Ibn Hajar.’ For that reason, when it was suggested to Muhammad ibn ‘Ali al-Shawkani, that he write an explanation of al-Jami’ al-Sahih by al-Bukhari just as others have, he responded, ‘There is no migration after al-Fath,’ referring to Fath al-Bari." (Fahras al-Faharis)
Another scholar said about him, that he is one of the great scholars of the scholars of our past he is the Leader of The Believers in regards to hadith, he is the most knowledgeable scholar of his time. About his great book Fath al-Bari, the Sheikh said, it is like a dictionary of the Sunnah. Rather it is a dictionary of all the Islamic Sciences. This book would be said to be beneficial in the sense that if you were to ask a question, then Ibn Hajar would provide such as answer in this great book, that the questioners thirst would be quenched. (Qureshi)
Ibn Hajar is regarded to be one of the rare people in our beautiful history, as Sheikh al-Albani said, "Ibn Hajar was the strongest of those Ulama who had memorized hadith," and so there was no one really the same as him in regards to what he memorized and to the precision that he done it. (Qureshi)
Ibn Hajar became the Qadi of Egypt, then Al-Sham was also added to his jurisdiction which he held for more than twenty-one years. He was against holding the office of the Qadi at first, until the Sultan assigned to him a special case, then he accepted to represent Al-Bakini when he begged him very much to preside for him as Qadi Then he presided for others until he was assigned to hold the office of Chief Qadi on 12 Muharram, 827 H. He then left, but he had to took the office left of the Chief Gad, for seven times until he led it finally in 852 H. which is the year he died in. (Imam Al-Hafiz Ibn Hajar Al-'Asqalani)
On Tuesday 14th of Dhul-Hijjah the year 852H, he became ill, such that Saturday 18th of the same month, he passed away in Cairo (may Allah have mercy on his soul). His funeral was attended by fifty thousand people, including the sultan and the caliph; even the Christians grieved. (Murad)
Bibliography
Fahras al-Faharis. n.d.
"Imam Al-Hafiz Ibn Hajar Al-'Asqalani." n.d. Dar-us-Salam Publications. 28 November 2014 <http://www.dar-us-salam.com/authors/hafiz-ibn-hajar.htm>.
Murad, Abdul Hakim. Selections From The Fath Al-Bari By Ibn Hajar Al-Asqalani. n.d.
Qureshi, Usman. "Ibn Hajar al-Asqalani." n.d. SunnahOnline.com. 29 November 2014 <http://sunnahonline.com/library/biographies/370-ibn-hajar-al-asqalani>.
"Imam Al-Hafiz Ibn Hajar Al-'Asqalani." n.d. Dar-us-Salam Publications. 28 November 2014 <http://www.dar-us-salam.com/authors/hafiz-ibn-hajar.htm>.
Murad, Abdul Hakim. Selections From The Fath Al-Bari By Ibn Hajar Al-Asqalani. n.d.
Qureshi, Usman. "Ibn Hajar al-Asqalani." n.d. SunnahOnline.com. 29 November 2014 <http://sunnahonline.com/library/biographies/370-ibn-hajar-al-asqalani>.
© 2014 by Tauhid Ahmed.