scholars biographies

8th Century (700H-799H) | Shaykh al-Islaam Ibn Taymiyyah All praise is for Allaah Lord of the worlds Peace and blessings be upon Muhammad (sal-Allaahu `alayhe wa sallam), his pure family, his companions and all those who strive to follow in their footsteps till the last day To preceed : Many people today accuse some of the greatest scholars of Islaam of blasphemy and kufr (disbelief) One who is frequently attacked is Shaykh al-Islaam Ibn Taymiyyah - rahima-hullaah - In actual fact he is slandered and lied against People say things about him which he never said in actual fact things which he was totally against!! These people who should fear Allaah, and remember that they should be just and judge a man with justice and from knowledge, rather than judging him from ignorance and heresay ! subhaan-Allaah, Ibn Taymiyyah used to strive for the upliftment of the sunnah, and for the defence of this deen from those who in ignorance are changing it And it was he who led the people to fight the tyrant tartars and it was he who suffered the darkness of the jails of Egypt so that Islaam can be lifted, and it was he who used to pray to Allaah to guide those who are misguided Therefore let there be a warning to those who blemish his name - a severe warning indeed- that they may not slander him, for a scholar's flesh is poisonous Many people accuse Ibn Taymiyyah of Likening Allaah to the creation this a big lie and slander and these people should fear Allaah, and take account of the evil their tongues utter before its too late Inshaa.-Allaah below are some quotes from the writings of the noble Shaykh which clarifies his position beyond doubt on this issue And those who after reading this still utter salnder and lies agianst the Shaykh, then all that can be said about them is that they have an illness in their hearts, and we pray to Allaah that He cures them of this disease In "al-'Aqeedatul Waasitiyaah " Ibn Taymiyyah - rahima-hullaah - says: "from faith (eemaan) is acceptance (eemaan) of what Allaah has ascribed Himself in the scripture as well as what the messenger r ascribed to Him [This creed] prevents any attempts at altering the sacred texts (tahreef), and rules out stripping Allaah of his tributes (ta'teel) or asking questions), concerining their modality ( takyeef ie ascribing a "howness", or attempting to understand them analogicaly (tamtheel) Indeed [the ahlus-sunnah] hold that: There is nothing like unto Him (Allaah); [that] He is the All-Hearing and All-Seeing One (Qur.aan 42:11) They not negate what Allaah has attributed Himself, nor they alter the meaning of His words on these matters, nor subscribe to heretical notions regarding the divine names (asmaa') and manifestations (aayaat) They NOT (!!!) seek to explain His attributes (sifaat) or COMPARE THEM with those of HIS CREATURES, for He (Allaah) has no namesake (samiy), no equal, no peer (nidd) and, therefore, He, the One free of all imperfections and Most High, does NOT befit of being compared to His creatures." Ibn Taymiyyah says in at-Tadmuriyyah (p20): "It is a must to affirm that which Allaah affirms for himself , whilst NEGATING ANY likeness to Him to His craetion whoever says His Knowledge is like my knowledge, His Power like my power, or Love like my love, or Pleasure like my pleasure, or Hand like my hand, or istawaa (ascending) like my ascending then he has resembled and likened Allaah to His creation Rather, it is must to affirm (Allaah's Attributes) without any resemblance, and to negate (what Allaah negates for Himself), without ta'teel (divesting Allaah of any of His affirmed Attributes)." Ibn Taymiyyah wrote in Majmoo-al Fatawaa (5/262): "Whosoever considers the Attributes of Allaah to be like the attributes of creation- such that the Istawa (Ascending) of Allaah is like the ascending of the creation, or His nuzool (descending) is like the descending of the creation, or other than that then he is a DEVIATED INNOVATOR." So people please read and pay heed to the words of the noble scholar !!!! This is enough proof for those that are just and who are sincerely seeking the truth and Allaah knows best Taqi.ud-deen Abul-'Abbaas Ahmad Ibn 'Abdul-Haleem Ibn 'Abdus-Salaam Ibn Taymiyyah al-Harraanee al-Hanbalee, was born on Monday the 10th of Rabi' al-Awwal 66l A.H./22nd of January 1263 C.E at Harraan (northern Iraq) into a well known family of "mutakallimoon"(theologians) His grandfather, Abu al-Barkat Majd-ud-deen ibn Taymiyyah (d.653 A.H./1255 C.E.) was a reputed teacher of the Hanbaleete school and his "Muntaqa al-Akhbaar (selections of prophetic sayings) which classifies such Ahaadeeth upon which Islaamic legislation is based, is even today regarded as a very valuable work Likewise, the scholarly achievements of Ibn Taymiyyah's father, Shihaabuddeen 'Abdul-Haleem Ibn Taymiyyah (d.682 A.H./1284 C.E.) were wide spread This was the time when the Tataar hordes under Hulagu Khaan were inflicting their barbaric onslaught throughout the world of Islaam - especially the mesopotamium region Ibn Taymiyyah was only seven when the Tataars launched their attack on Harraan Consequently, the populace left Harraan to seek refuge elsewhere Ibn Taymiyyah's family proceeded to Damascus in 667 A.H./1268 C.E which was then ruled by the Mamlooks of Egypt It was here that his father delivered sermons from the pulpit of the Umayyad Mosque and was invited to teach Hadeeth in the mosque as well as in the Daarul-Hadeeth 'Assaakuriyyah in Damascus These discourses were attended by a large number of students as well as by the scholars Damascus was the center of Islaamic studies at that time, and Ahmad Ibn Taymiyyah followed in the footsteps of his father who was a scholar of Islaamic studies by studying with the great scholars of his time, among them a woman scholar by the name Zaynab bint Makkee who taught him hadeeth Education From his early childhood, Ibn Taymiyyah was an industrious student He fully acquainted himself with all the secular and religious sciences of his time He devoted special attention to Arabic literature and gained mastery over grammar and lexicography Not only did he become an expert on the great Arab grammarian Seebawayh's al-Kitaab which is regarded as the greatest authority on grammar and syntax, but he also pointed out the errors therein He commanded knowledge of all the prose and poetry then available Furthermore, he studied the history of both pre Islaamic Arabia and that of the post-Islaamic period Finally, he learnt mathematics and calligraphy As for the religions sciences, Ibn Taymiyyah studied the Qur.aan, Hadeeth and Sharee'ah He learnt the Hanbalee fiqh (law) from his own father and then became a distinguished representative of the Hanbalee school of law He is reported to have acquired his knowledge on Hadeeth in Syria like Ibn 'Abduddayaam Another of his teachers was Shamsuddeen 'Abdurrahmaan al-Maqdisee (d.682 A.H./1283 C.E.).Thus Ibn Taymiyyah received a thorough grounding in the Sihaah Sittah and the Musnad of Imaam Ahmad Ibn Taymiyyah had great love for tafseer (Qur.aanic exegesis) He read over a hundred commentaries of the Qur.aan He completed his studies when he was a teenager and at age 19 he became a professor of Islaamic studies Well versed in Qur.aanic studies, Hadeeth, fiqh, theology, Arabic grammar and scholastic theology, etc., he started giving fatwas on religious legal matters without following any of the traditional legal schools, the Hanafee, Maalikee, Shaafi'ee and Hanbalee He defended the sound prophetic traditions by arguments which, although taken from the Qur.aan and the Sunnah, had hitherto been unfamiliar to people of his time The freedom of his polemics made him many enemies among the scholars of the traditional Orthodox Schools, who falsely accused him, of all kinds of heretical beliefs Among them was the famous Muslim medieval traveler, Ibn Batutah, who visited Damascus while Ibn Taymiyyah was in jail This did not hinder Ibn Batutah in testifying in his book that "he witnessed Ibn Taymiyyah on the pulpit saying, 'every night Allaah descends to the lower heaven like my descent', and he descended one step down the pulpit" From reading this 'aqeedah we learn that Ibn Taymiyyah accepted the attributes of Allaah without questioning (bi-laa kayfa) When Ibn Taymiyyah lost his father in 682 A.H./1283 C.E at the age of twenty two, he succeeded at the 'Assaakuriyyah He began to teach "Tafseer" at the Umayyad mosque and in 695 A.H./1296 C.E he began to teach at the Hanbaleeyyah in Damascus Soon he became prominent among the leading scholars of Syria and also became immensely popular with the masses The Mongol Threat In the meanwhile, Iraq, Iran, and Khuraasaan continued to smother under the cruel domination of the Tataars The Mamlooks who were ruling over Egypt, Syria and the Hijaaz (Arabian peninsula) attempted several times to capture Iraq but failed each time When it was learnt that the Tataars were planning to conquer Damascus, the Mamlook Sultaan, al-Maalik an-Naasir Muhammad bin Qalawoon left Egypt with a powerful army to check the advance of the Tataars The two forces met in a bloody battle in 699 A.H./1299 C.E but the Sultaan was defeated and he returned to Egypt Now Damascus lay open before the Tataar forces led by Ghazzaan, also known as Mahmood, the great grandson of Ghengis Khaan Consequently, all the nobles including the religions scholars, judges, administrators and traders fled from Damascus where total chaos and anarchy held sway in the face of the Tataar invasion At this critical moment Ibn Taymiyyah and their remaining notables decided to lead a delegation to meet Ghazzaan and pursue for peace of the city Accordingly, the delegation led by Ibn Taymiyyah met Ghazzaan at Nabak (near Damascus) and he agreed to grant amnesty to the people of Damascus News of the Tataar army advancing towards Syria again reached Damascus in 702 A.H./1303 C.E Delay in the arrival of Sultaan Qalawoon from Egypt caused panic among the people, many of whom began to abandon their homes for safer places When Ibn Taymiyyah saw this, he began to urge the people to defend themselves and their city, thereby arresting the exodus He also went personally to appeal to the Sultaan to speed up his journey to Damascus At last the Muslim forces of Egypt and Syria encountered the Tataar forces at Thaqab during Ramadhaan 702 A.H./1303 C.E and after a bloody conflict the Muslims defeated and dispersed the Tataar armies Jihaad Against Heretics Ibn Taymiyyah's fight was not limited to the Soofees and the people who followed the heretical innovations; in addition, he fought against the Tataars who attacked the Muslim world and almost reached Damascus The people of Syria sent him to Egypt to urge the Mamlook Sultaan, the Sultaan of Egypt and Syria to lead his troops to Syria to save it from the invading Tataars When he realized that the Sultaan was hesitant to what he asked of him, he threatened the Sultaan by saying: "If you turn your back on Syria we will appoint a Sultaan over it who can defend it and enjoy it at the time of peace" He was present at the battle of Shaqhab near Damascus against the Tataars which took place during the fasting month of Ramadhaan and gave a fatwa to the army to break their fast in order to help them against their enemy, as the Prophet Muhammad (sal-Allaahu `alayhe wa sallam) did during the battle of the liberation of Makkah The Muslims won the battle against the Tataars and drove them away from Damascus and all Syria Ibn Taymiyyah's courage was expressed when he went with a delegation of 'ulamaa to talk to Qazan the Khan of the Tataars to stop his attack on the Muslims Not one of the 'ulamaa dared to say anything to him except Ibn Taymiyyah who said: "You claim that you are Muslim and you have with you mu'adhdhins, judges, Imam and Shaykh but you invaded us and reached our country for what? While your father and your grandfather, Hulago, were non-believers, they did not attack the land of Islaam, rather, they promised not to attack and they kept their promise But you promised and broke your promise." Once the Tataar threat was eliminated, Ibn Taymiyyah again devoted himself to his mission of his intellectual pursuit and teaching At the same time, he continued to wage Jihaad against the heretical sects like the Baatinites, Ismaa.eelites, Haakimites and Nusayrites living in the hilly tracts of Syria who had invited the Crusaders and the Tataars to invade the Muslim lands, helped these invaders against the Muslims and looted and plundered the weak and defenceless population Ibn Taymiyyah personally led expeditions against these sects Religious Condition Of The Muslims Apart from the external threats mentioned above, Islaam was also confronted at this time with internal dangers There were Baatinites (an extremist Sheeite sect which confronted the Muslim Government at that time) and their followers, the Assassins (Hasheeshiyoon) Their creed was a mixture of Magian dogma and Platonic concepts which could easily sow the seeds of intellectual dissension and spread irreligousness and apostasy among the simple minded people Then there were Muslims who, under the influence of the polytheistic beliefs and customs of the non-Muslims with whom they had free associations, began to glorify their saints (highly pious Soofee personalities - Walee-Allaah) as the Jews and the Christians were doing Further more, some Soofee's orders like the Rifaa'iyyah had adopted certain neo-Platonic and Hindu doctrines which became so confused with the true Islaamic beliefs that it became almost impossible to distinguish one from the other In the wake of crusaders, some Christians were emboldened to censure Islaam and criticise the Prophet in their speeches and writings In the intellectual circles of the Muslims there was stagnation and rigidity in their theological disputations and in their approach to the re-interpretation of the Sharee'ah There was continuous polemical wranglings between the 'Asharites and Hanbaleeites Finally, some of the philosophers, influenced by the theories of Plato and Aristotle, began to spread their agnostic ideas and concepts in total disregard to the teachings of Islaam These were the conditions pertaining to the time of Ibn Taymiyyah and which he had to contend Ibn Taymiyyah formed a society along with his students and followers to renounce the polytheistic cults, un-Islaamic cults, un-Islaamic influences and heretical beliefs and practices among the Muslim masses As a result of his enthusiastic and zealous reformative activities and condemnation of heresies, un-Islaamic innovation and practices at the visitation of graves of saints, he earned the displeasure of certain sectors of the population Nonetheless, his popularity among the Muslim masses increased tremendously All this jihad against the enemies of Islaam did not help Ibn Taymiyyah with the 'ulamaa The authorities put him in jail many times until he died in jail because of his daring and free progressive opinions on many legal and social issues which angered his opponents, the followers of the Orthodox Schools of law However when Ibn Taymiyyah had the chance to punish his opponents among the 'ulamaa who caused him all kinds of trouble and put him in jail many times, he showed the utmost of magnanimity and forgave them when the Sultaan an-Naasir Qalawoon gave him the chance to so He said: "If you kill them you will never find 'ulamaa like them." The Sultaan said: "They harmed you many times and wanted to kill you!" Ibn Taymiyyah said: "Whoever harmed me is absolved, and who harmed the cause of Allaah and His Messenger, Allaah will punish him." The Muslim historians, like adh-Dhahabee, Ibn Katheer, Ibn al-'Imad al-Hanbalee and many others praised Ibn Taymiyyah and considered him one of the greatest scholars of Islaam of all time He fought heretical innovations in religion which were wide spread during his time all over the Muslim world, especially certain acts and beliefs of some Soofee orders, like saint worship and visiting saints' tombs, and throwing themselves in the fire His attack on the Soofees caused him a lot of trouble with the authorities whose leaders were under the influence of certain soofee leaders As a result of Ibn Taymiyyah's popularity, some influential religions scholars became jealous of him and even annoyed because he challenged the Qaadhee's on juridical matters They therefore sought ways and means to discredit him in the eyes of the Government and the people Ibn Taymiyyah rejected the teachings expounded in the al-Futuhaat al-Makkah ("the Makkan Revelations") and Fusoos al-Hakeem ("The Mosaic of Wisdom") of Shaykh Muheeuddeen ibn al-'Arabee (d.638 A.H./1240 C.E.) the most respected Soofee and teacher of tasawwuf - as incompatible with the teachings of the Qur.aan and the Sunnah, thereby earning the wrath of the Soofee's, and by being outspoken on Government policies, he earned the hostility of the government Consequently he was summoned to Egypt in 705 A.H./1305 C.E When Ibn Taymiyyah arrived in Egypt, he was asked to attend a meeting of theologians, jurists and the chiefs of the state During the session certain charges were levelled against him relating to his concepts of the nature and attributes of Allaah He was not allowed to defend himself and was promptly imprisoned for about 16 months While in prison, he diverted the attention of his followers from indulgence in frolics and amusements to a sense of piety, discipline and temperance A number of prisoners became his devoted disciples on their release After Ibn Taymiyyah was released from prison in 707 A.H./1307 C.E he decided to remain in Egypt for a while Soon he began to deliver lectures in various Mosques and educational institutions before select gatherings of scholars, jurists and theologians However, Ibn Taymiyyah's views on pantheistic monoism, intercession, etc were not received kindly and numerous complaints were made against him to the Sultaan The religions scholars to whom the complaints were referred could not find any fault with Ibn Taymiyyah However, as the administration was growing weary of the charges brought against him, he was detained for a while but was soon released on the unanimous request of the religions scholars But when Sultaan Qalawoon abdicated in favour of his viceroy Baybaan al-Jashnikeer in 709 A.H./1309 C.E., Ibn Taymiyyah was exiled to Alexandria where, inspite of his internment, he earned himself a respectable position in the Academic and literary circles Soon though Baybaan abdicated and Sultaan Qalawoon returned to Egypt and ordered Ibn Taymiyyah Return To Damascus In Cairo, Ibn Taymiyyah had busied himself in his teachings and reformative activities for about years At the same time, he acted as adviser to the Sultaan and was instrumental in having several important reforms introduced in Egypt and Syria Several royal edicts were issued on his advice in 712 A.H./1312 C.E He visited Jerusalem in the same year, then went for Hajj (pilgrimage) and eventually returned to Damascus in 713 A.H./1313 C.E From now onward he devoted his attention primarily to juristic problems though he continued teaching His chief disciple was ibn Qayyim al-Jawziyyah (d.751 A.H./1350 C.E.) who was chiefly responsible for spreading his ideas The Question Of Three Talaaq's Ibn Taymiyyah like his forefathers was a Hanbaleeite and his legal opinions conformed to that school, though not exclusively He often rejected the Hanbaleeite view just as in some matters he expressed disagreement with all the four principal juridicial schools One such case in which he differed with them was in regard to the repudiation of one's wife by three divorces given at one time The issue was whether a divorce pronounced thrice at the same time took legal effect or not This issue raised the following considerations: • whether revocation of such a divorce was possible or not • whether the three sentences of divorce would be counted as one revocable pronouncement (talaaq) or taken as an irreversable separation • whether the wife so divorced could return to her husband or not without a halaalah (i.e until his divorced wife was married to another man who, in turn, after the consummation of the marriage, divorces) All the earlier jurists and traditionalists, likewise a good number of the Prophet's companions were of the view that such a pronouncement, although being repugnant to the law as well as irregular and sinful, would be regarded as an implied divorce with legal effect As against that Ibn Taymiyyah firmly held the opinion that the three sentences of divorce spoken at the same time should be regarded as one revocable divorce The view of Ibn Taymiyyah happened to be against the official view which naturally brought him in conflict with the 'ulamaa on one hand and with the government on the other Consequently, the theologians tried to prevent him from expressing further legal opinion on such matters In fact, a royal edict was issued from Cairo in 718AH/1318AD forbidding him from giving legal opinions in such cases Initially Ibn Taymiyyah abided by the edict but later again began giving legal judgment on this issue as he decided that it was improper for him to desist simply for fear of the government As a result in 720 A.H./1320 C.E he was detained in a citadel for just over five months till he was released on direct orders from Cairo The Final Years Between 721 A.H./1321 C.E and 726 A.H./1326 C.E Ibn Taymiyyah devoted himself to teaching in the Madrasah Hanbaleeyyah and his own Madrasah Qassaaseen and revising some of his earlier works In 726 A.H./1326 C.E his adversaries again conspired to have him imprisoned Here he continued writing his exegesis of the Qur.aan as well as treatises and monographs on various issues Ibn Taymiyyah died in jail in Damascus on the night of Sunday-Monday 20th Dhul-Qa'dah 728 A.H./26-27 September 1328 C.E at the age of 67, and is buried in the cemetery of the Soofiyyah in Damascus The people of Damascus, who held him in great honor, gave him a splendid funeral and an estimated 200,000 men and 15,000 women attended his funeral He was buried at the Soofee cemetery in Damascus where his mother was buried Character And Achievements Ibn Taymiyyah occupied a highly honorable place among his contemporary religions scholars due to his prodigious memory, intellectual brilliance, encyclopedic knowledge and dauntless courage He is described as a great orator, brave and fearless, resolute, disciplined, very pious, resigned and contended, noble and forgiving, just and ever determined Ibn Taymiyyah's reformative endeavors and literary pursuits cover a vast field which can be summarised as follows: revival of faith in and adherence to "Tawheed"(oneness of Allaah) eradication of pantheistic beliefs and customs criticism of philosophy, syllogistic logic and dialects in order to demonstrate the superiority of the Qur.aan and the sunnah extirpation of un-Islaamic beliefs through refutation of Christianity and Sheeism rejuvenation of Islaamic thought and its related sciences The total number of Ibn Taymiyyah's works is 621 though many of his writings have been lost Some of Ibn Taymiyyah's writings dealing with the themes are listed below: al-Jawaab as-Saheeh liman baddala Deen al-Maseeh (an answer to the criticism against Islaam by the Christians) Radd 'ala al-Mantiqiyyeen (a refutation of the philosopher) Kitaab as-Siyaasah ash-Shar'iyyah (deals with political theory and government in Islaam) Minhaaj as-Sunnah an-Nabawiyyah (a refutation of Sheeite beliefs written in response to Minhaaj al-Karanmah of Ibn alMutahhir al-Hillee) Ziyaarah al-Quboor (a criticism of saint-workshop, intercession, superstitious beliefs) Majmoo'at ar-Rasaail al-Kubra (this book contains articles on various subjects) Majmoo'at al-Fataawa (a collection of opinions on various issues) Majmoo'at ar-Rasaail wa al-Masaail (contains articles and legal opinions on various issues) Majmoo'at Shaykh al-Islaam Ahmad ibn Taymiyyah (contains discussion on Islaamic jurisprudence and legal opinions enunciated by Ibn Taymiyyah) Conclusion To include in the words of Mawlaana Abu al-Hasan 'Alee Nadawee who has paid a glowing tribute to Ibn Taymiyyah as follows: "Ibn Taymiyyah interpreted the Qur.aan and Sunnah, established the superiority of Islaam over heresy, Philosophical concepts and other faiths and contributed to a genuine revival of religion after a deep study and deliberation that was necessary for lighting the religions and intellectual waywardness of the time Seeking to surpass his opponents he mastered the methodology employed by them to attack Islaam In fact, his learning, his erudition, his intellectual attainment and his mental grit always left his adversaries spell bound"(*1) Little wonder then that Ibn Taymiyyah's contemporary and succeeding scholars have acclaimed him with such complimentary remarks as "The master spirit of the age", "The crown of scholars", "Last of the Enlightened scholars", and "A sign among the signs of God" (*1) A H A NADAWEE, Saviours of Islaamic spirit, Vol 2, Academy of Islaamic research and publications, Lucknow, India, 1974, p24 14th Century (1300H-1399H) | Shaykh 'Abdullaah Ibn 'Abdur-Rahmaan Abaa Butayn He was the Imaam, the Scholar, the Jurist, Shaykh 'Abdullaah Ibn 'Abdur-Rahmaan Ibn 'Abdul-'Azeez Ibn 'Abdur-Rahmaan Ibn 'Abdullaah Ibn Sultaan Ibn Khamees Like his predecessors, he assumed a kunyah, Abaa Butayn He was born in the city of Rowdhah, in the region of Sudeer, in the month of Dhul-Qa'dah 1194 A.H./1773 C.E He was brought up in that city and studied with its scholar, Shaykh Muhammad Ibn Tarraad ad-Dowsaree He then travelled to Shaqraa., in the region of Washm, where he studied tafseer, hadeeth, fiqh and Usool ad-Deen with its Judge, 'Abdul-Azeez al-Husayyin He also studied with the noble Shaykh Hamd Ibn Naasir Ibn 'Uthmaan Ibn Mu'ammar at-Tameemee, author of the book, al-Fawaakih al-'Athaab Earnestly he worked hard, becoming an Imaam from amongst the Imaams of knowledge of his time, such that the author of asSuhub al-Waabilah is quoted to have said about him: "The scholar of his region, of the thirteenth century (hijree) without dispute." He was appointed the judge of Taif and later the region of Qaseem for several years Many people acquired knowledge from him, graduating and having benefitted from him He was a forbearing teacher, not getting bored nor weary With a skillful hand, he wrote many good and valuable (knowledgeable) books He summarized Ibn al-Qayyim's book, Badaai' alFawaa.id He wrote invaluable notes to the book Sharh al-Muntahaa in a voluminous book He wrote a notes to the book Sharh ad-Durrah al-Mudiyyah, the explanation of the book Sharh Aqeedah as-Safaaraynee He has also written Kashf Talbees Dawood Ibn Sulaymaan Ibn Jarjees, Intisaar li-Hizb Allaah al-Muwahhiddeen He has many fataawa printed with the works of the scholars of Najd, called ar-Rasaa.il wa Masaa.il an-Najdiyyah He passed away on 7th of Jumaada al-Oolaa 1282 A.H/1861 C.E It was said (in the book), as-Suhub al-Waabilah, " and with his death the attainment of the methodology of Imaam Ahmad was lost, for he was a master in it For in its analysis, he certainly reached the goal." 14th Century (1300H-1399H) | Shaykh 'Abdur-Razzaaq Ibn 'Afeefee Ibn 'Atiyyah He was born in the year 1323 A.H./1902 C.E He studied his primary education, then secondary education and then further studies In completing his studies he was examined and awarded with an international (recognised) certificate in 1351 A.H./1930 C.E He then undertook specialised studies in fiqh and usool al-fiqh, and after being examined, was awarded a certificate All these studies were in al-Azhar University (Egypt) He was appointed a teacher at the Educational Institute, which was a branch of al-Azhar University, and taught there for many years He was then transferred to Saudi Arabia for teaching in the year 1368 A.H./1947 C.E So he was appointed a teacher at the Daar at-Tawheed in Taif, then after two years was transferred to the Educational Institute in 'Unayzah in the region of Qaseem in Muharram of the year 1370 A.H./1949 C.E He was then transferred to Riyadh towards the end of Shawwaal in 1370 A.H./1949 C.E for teaching at the Educational Institute, which was a branch of (the efforts of) Shaykh Muhammad Ibn Ibraaheem Aal ash-Shaykh He was then transferred for teaching at the faculties of Sharee'ah and Language, later being appointed the principal of the Higher Institute of the Judiciary in 1385 A.H./1964 C.E He was then transferred to the General Presidency of the Departments of Islaamic Research, Fataawa, Da'wah and Irshaad in 1391 A.H./1970 C.E and was appointed Deputy Head of the Permanent Committee for Islaamic Research and Fataawa, as well as being made a member of the Council of Senior Scholars of Saudi Arabia Indeed, Allaah had endowed him with the gift of strong memory and observation and understanding of oneself He dedicated his efforts to seeking knowledge outside the corridors of al-Azhar University and concerned himself with the knowledge of the Arabic language, tafseer, al-usool, 'aqaa.id and fiqh Such was his knowledge, that if someone was to speak to him about any of these subjects, then the listener would think he was a specialist in the field spending all his time on it! He paid special attention to studying the conditions of the (many different) sects These matters made the students of knowledge approaching him all the time and listening to him, such that any people benefitted from his knowledge He also used to supervise some students in the preparation of their theses at the Masters degree and Doctorate levels, whilst also taking part in the (university) committee discussing theses He gave lessons to the students of knowledge in the masaajid according to that which was possible and used to give lectures and take part in the work of the da'wah centres at the time of Hajj 14th Century (1300H-1399H) | Shaykh Abu 'Abdullaah 'Abdur-Rahmaan Ibn Naasir Aal Sa'dee He was the Shaykh Abu 'Abdullaah 'Abdur-Rahmaan Ibn Naasir Ibn 'Abdullaah Ibn Naasir Aal Sa'dee from the tribe of Banee Tameem He was born in the city of 'Unayzah, in the region of Qaseem, on the 12th of Muharram in the year 1307 A.H./1886 C.E His mother passed away when he was four years old and his father passed away when he was seven years old He memorised the Qur.aan and mastered the science of its recitation before he reached the age of 11 years He then engaged himself in seeking knowledge, studying with the scholars of his city and those who visited it From amongst his famous teachers were: Shaykh Ibraaheem Ibn Muhammad Ibn Haasir, Shaykh Muhammad Ibn Abdul Kareem ash-Shibil, Shaykh Saalih Ibn 'Uthmaan, the judge of 'Unayzah and Shaykh Muhammad Shanqeetee, a resident of Hijaaz, and other than them However, whoever said his teachers were Ibn Taymiyyah and his student Ibn al-Qayyim, then indeed they spoke the truth, for he was certainly an enthusiastic student of their works A major characteristic he had was his noble manners He was extremely humble with the elders and the youngsters He would talk to all individuals according to his level of understanding and according to that which was good for him He was indifferent and aloof from the splendor of this world and the temptations of life He did not care for rank, power nor glory He wrote many books, some of which are: Tafseer al-Qur.aan in eight volumes, Haashiyah Fiqhiyyah, Deewaan Khutab, alQawaa.id al-Hisaan, Tanzeeh ad-Deen, Radd alaa al-Qaseemee, al-Haqq al-Waadhih al-Mubayyin, Bahjatu Quloob al-Abraar, arRiyaadh an-Naadhirah, and other than them He continued to live a gratified and praiseworthy life until he passed away on the 24th of Jumaada ath-Thaanee in the year 1376 A.H./1955 C.E 14th Century (1300H-1399H) | Shaykh Haafidth Ibn Ahmad al-Hakamee His Birth and Early Childhood Shaykh Haafidth ibn Ahmad ibn 'Alee al-Hakamee (rahima-hullaah) was one of the notable scholars from the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, and one of the most famous of those who lived in the 14th (hijree) century to come from the southern region of the country (i.e Tuhaamah) Shaykh Haafidth was born on the 24th of Ramadhaan, 1342 A.H (1924 C.E.) in a coastal village called as-Salaam which lies just southeast of the city of Jaazaan When he was still just a small boy he moved to the city of al-Jaadi' which is close to the city of Saamitah because his father found that farmland and pastures were better there However, his immediate family continued to commute between the two cities due to extenuating circumstances The young Haafidth was raised under the good and righteous guardianship of his father who taught him modesty, purity and good character Before reaching the age of maturity, he worked as a shepherd herding his fathers' sheep, which were the most important form of wealth to his family as well as the rest of the people in the society in those days However, Haafidth differed from the other boys in his village because of his intelligence and his ability to memorise and understand quickly He learned to write while he was still a small boy and he memorised the entire Qur.aan by the time he was twelve years old Seeking Knowledge and Religious Studies When the young Haafidth reached the age of seven years, his father put both him and his older brother Muhammad [He is now one of the well respected scholars in the southern part of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia His efforts in Da'wah and Islaamic teaching have had a tangible effect on the entire region He has been the head of the Islaamic Institute in Saamitah for the last 20 years He assumed the position after his brother - who was the first head of the institute - left the position I ask Allaah to extend his life, and grant him good health, and make success always his ally, and that the Muslims continue to benefit from him Ameen] into Qur.aan memorisation school in the city of al-Jaadi' There he read juz Amma and juz Tabaarak (30th and 29th parts of the Qur.aan) to the teacher and afterwards he and his brother finished learning to read the entire Qur.aan with the proper rules of recitation in just a few months and shortly thereafter he completed memorising the Qur.aan in its entirety Next he concentrated on his writing skills until he perfected them and was able to copy the Qur.aan with excellent handwriting At the same time he and his brother were busy reading and memorising books of fiqh, inheritance law, hadeeth, tafseer, and tawheed under the tutelage of their father since there was no one else suitable or trustworthy enough to teach them In the year 1358H (1940) Shaykh 'Abdullaah ibn Muhammad ibn Hamad al-Qar'aawee [Shaykh 'Abdullaah al-Qar'aawee was born in the year 1315 A.H in the city of 'Unayzah in the area of al-Qaseem and he died in the year 1389 A.H in the city of Riyadh (rahima-hullaah) Great credit goes to him for the growth and development of knowledge and literature in the southern region of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (Tuhaamah and 'Aseer) There were many positive results and great improvements in the religion, society, and culture of that area and its youth due to his call to Da'wah at-Tawheed] travelled all the way from Najd to the city of Tuhaamah in the southern part of the Kingdom after he heard about the level of ignorance and the spread of innovation in the region - which (eventually) becomes the condition of every area that has only a few people calling to Allaah's religion (Islaam) or no one at all to set the affairs straight Shaykh al-Qar'aawee vowed to shoulder the responsibility of calling to the True Religion (of Islaam) and correcting the corrupt beliefs in aqeedah and the superstitions that were stuck in the minds of the ignorant people in the region In 1359H (1941) Haafidth ibn Ahmad's older brother Muhammad went to Shaykh Hamad al-Qar'aawee with a letter from the both of them requesting some books on Tawheed and expressing their regret at being unable to come (and study with him) because they were busy serving and seeing to their parents needs They also requested that the Shaykh visit their village so that they might listen to some of his lessons Shaykh al-Qar'aawee accepted their invitation and went to their village where he met the young Haafidth and got to know him very well and saw in him promising signs of excellence and intelligence - which turned out to be a very accurate evaluation Shaykh al-Qar'aawee remained in al-Jaadi' (their village) a number of days teaching, and a group of elders as well as some youth from the local people attended the lectures Amongst them was the young Haafidth who was the smallest of them in age, yet the fastest of them in memorising and understanding the information given Shaykh 'Abdullaah al-Qar'aawee said about him: "And thus it was that I stayed a number of days in al-Jaadi' Haafidth attended the lessons and if he missed anything then he would get it from his classmates He is like his name Haafidth (which means: one who memorises), he preserves things (accurately) by heart as well as with his note taking I used to dictate to all of the students and then explain the lesson and the older students used to ask him if they had trouble understanding something or (if they missed) writing something in their notes." [This quote was taken from a short autobiography of the life of Shaykh al-Qar'aawee.] When Shaykh al-Qar'aawee was ready to return to the city of Saamitah - which by this time he had already made his dwelling place and the center for his da'wah activities - he asked the young Haafidth's parents to permit him to employ someone to herd their sheep on Haafidth's behalf in exchange for their permission that Haafidth and his older brother return with him to Saamitah so that they might seek knowledge there underneath his tutilage But Haafidth's parents refused the Shaykh's request at first, insisting that their youngest son remain with them because of their great need for him However, Allaah decreed that the life of Haafidth's mother would end during the month of Rajab in the year 1360H (1942), so Haafidth's father then allowed him and his brother Muhammad to study with the Shaykh two or three days a week and then return to him Haafidth began to study in Saamitah with the Shaykh who would dictate lessons to him after which he would return to his village Haafidth was an inspired student who understood and memorised everything that he read or heard Sadly his father did not live long after that as he died on his way back from Hajj in the same year 1360 A.H (1942 C.E.) After that, Haafidth was able to study and gain knowledge (full time) so he went to his Shaykh and stayed with him, always learning and benefiting from him Haafidth proved to be an exceptionally gifted student who learned very quickly He was also very good at poetry and prose and he (eventually) authored many books in the major categories of Islaamic knowledge When Haafidth was only nineteen years old, Shaykh al-Qar'aawee asked him to write a book about Tawheed and the 'aqeedah of the Pious Predecessors, that would be easy for students to memorise, and that would also demonstrate just how much he has benefited from his reading and studying The young Haafidth responded by writing a treatise in didactic prose entitled: «Sullam-ulWusool ilaa 'Ilm-il-Usool fee at-Tawheed» which he completed in the year 1362 A.H (1944 C.E.), and which met with the avid approval of his teacher as well as the other prominent scholars of his time He followed this work with other writings also in didactic prose on tawheed, hadeeth terminology, fiqh, principles of fiqh, inheritance law, seerah of the Prophet, and others, all of which were originally published with the help of King Saud ibn 'Abdul'Azeez It becomes clear for us through what Shaykh Haafidth al-Hakamee left behind for us from his writings that he was profoundly affected by reading books that were written by the scholars of the early generation of Muslims about tafseer, hadeeth, fiqh, and principles of fiqh, Islaamic manners, Arabic language and grammar As regards 'aqeedah, he was obviously very influenced by the writings of Shaykh al-Islaam Ibn Taymiyyah and his famous student Ibn-al-Qayyim Some of His Other Achievements When Shaykh 'Abdullaah al-Qar'aawee realised the superiority of his student Haafidth, he appointed him as a teacher for the other students and they benefited greatly from his lessons In 1363 A.H (1945 C.E.) Shaykh al-Qar'aawee selected Haafidth to be the director of a school in Saamitah, which was the first and the largest of all of the schools that Shaykh al-Qar'aawee established for the students of knowledge in the southern region the kingdom Haafidth was also made regional superintendent for all of the schools in the neighbouring villages and townships Shaykh al-Qar'aawee went on to enlarge the schools in Tuhaamah and 'Aseer and he eventually established at least one school in every village in the south that taught Islaamic studies He appointed his students as teachers and administrators for these schools however, when Shaykh al-Qar'aawee had established literally hundreds of schools in the southern region he took his first student, Haafidth al-Hakamee, as his assistant whilst travelling and supervising the schools Shaykh Haafidth travelled to many places in order to fulfill his responsibilities with Shaykh al-Qar'aawee including as-Salaamah al'Ulyaa and the city of Beesh, Umm al-Khashab in northern Jaazaan Afterwards, he returned to Saamitah again as director of the schools in the region in order to help his Shaykh administer the many schools that he had established so that the important improvements brought about by this da'wah might continue Most of Shaykh Haafidth al-Hakamee's time was spent trying to uplift the youth in his area and benefit them with his knowledge as much as he could Some of his students are now renowned scholars in their own right having taken positions as judges, teachers, and preachers everywhere in the southern region of the kingdom and elsewhere In 1373 A.H (1955 C.E.) a high school was opened in Jaazaan, the capital city of the southern region, and Shaykh Haafidth alHakamee was chosen to be its first director in the same year Then in 1374 A.H (1956 C.E.) a scholastic institute was opened in Saamitah by the General Directorate of Colleges and Institutes and Shaykh Haafidth al-Hakamee was chosen to be its director as well Shaykh Haafidth performed his administrative duties extremely well in addition to teaching some classes where he was known to give the students knowledge above and beyond the limited curriculum of the institute either himself or through some of the other in the institute His Death Shaykh Haafidth al-Hakamee remained as the director of the scholastic institute in Saamitah until he performed Hajj in the year 1377 A.H (1958 C.E.) After completing the rights of Hajj, Shaykh Haafidth died in the city of Makkah from a sudden illness on the 18th of Dhul Hijjah, 1377 A.H (1958 C.E.) while he was still a young man of only 35 years May Allaah, the Exalted, have mercy upon him 14th Century (1300H-1399H) | Shaykh Hamood ibn 'Abdullaah at-Tuwayjiree His name and Lineage The Shaykh's full name was Abu 'Abdillaah, Hamood bin 'Abdillaah bin Hamood bin 'Abdir-Rahmaan at-Tuwayjiree, from the tribe of Bakr bin Waa'il Batn from Rabee'ah in Saudi Arabia He was born in the city of Al-Majma'ah on Friday, the 15th of Dhul-Hijjah 1334H (October 15, 1916) and his father died in the year 1342H (1924) when he was eight years old His Educational Studies As a boy, Hamood at-Tuwayjiree began reading at the hand of Shaykh Ahmad As-Saani' in the year 1342H, just days before the death of his father He learned, at the Shaykh's hand, the fundamentals of reading and writing and he memorised the Qur'aan at the age of eleven He also learned from the book "Al-Usool ath-Thalaathah" by Shaykh Muhammad bin 'Abdil-Wahhaab (rahimahullaah) He began learning the book "Al-Fiqh al-Akbar" with Shaykh 'Abdullaah bin 'Abdil-'Azeez Al-'Anawee, the judge of AlMajma'ah and had mastered it by the age of 13 He learned many sciences and arts by his thirties: Tafseer, Hadeeth, Tawheed, Fiqh, (Arabic) Language, History, Literature and others He had committed to memory a number of Islamic texts He earned an ijaazah in narrating the Saheeh books, the Sunan and the Masaaneed as well as relating the books of Shaykh-ul-Islaam Ibn Taimiyyah and his student, Ibn Al-Qayyim, and in teaching the Hanbalee madh-hab as well as all of the books of authentic narrations (marwiyaat li-kutub al-athbaat) Additionally, he studied at the hand of the jurist, Al-'Allaamah Muhammad bin 'AbdilMuhsin Al-Khayyaal, the judge of Madeenah, in grammar and Al-Faraa'id He also studied under his eminence, Shaykh 'Abdullaah bin Muhammad bin Humayd (rahima-hullaah), a judge of Al-Majma'ah, in language and Al-Faraa'id His Positions and Efforts in Da'wah The Shaykh became a judge in Raheemah and Ra's At-Tanoorah in the eastern province of Saudi Arabia in the year 1368H (1949) for six months He then took over a judgeship in Az-Zulfi in 1369H (1950) until the end of 1372H (1953) until he took an excuse from judging He was asked to work for many academic associations and was asked to teach in Al-Ma'ahad Al-'Ilmiyyah Ibbaan then in the college of Sharee'ah, then in the Islamic University in Madeenah, then to work for Daar-ul-Iftaa, but he refused all of that in order to be free to study, research, and write The Shaykh continued in his pursuit of knowledge and in its dissemination through many writings, which were widely accepted by scholars and students of his time His writings were highly acclaimed by scholars such as Shaykh Muhammad bin Ibraaheem Aali Shaykh (rahima-hullaah), Shaykh 'Abdullaah bin Muhammad bin Humayd (rahima-hullaah), Shaykh 'Abdul-'Azeez bin 'Abdillaah bin Baaz (rahima-hullaah) and Shaykh 'Abdur-Razzaaq 'Afeefee The Shaykh wrote on diverse topics in 'Aqeedah, Ahkaam, Adaab and Sulook His Written works He opposed every one of he atheistic modernists and rebutted them with his pen in defense of the Sunnah and sound 'Aqeedah of Ahlus-Sunnah wal-Jamaa'ah And his refutations were published in booklets, articles and in national and international journals The Shaykh has over fifty writings, forty of which have been published such as: 1) "Encirclement of the Jamaa'ah by what will come from Trials, Slaughter and Signs of the Hour" 2) "The Conclusive Refutation against the Sinful Criminal" (Rebuttal of those who attack Saheeh Al-Bukhaaree) 3) "Severe and Sharp Finish to those who would oppose the Book, the Sunnah, the Consensus and the Traditions" {Rebuttal of those who have permitted interest in the banks) 4) "Affirmation of Allaah being High Above His Creation" 5) "A Heated Word on Ordering the Good and Forbidding the Evil" 6) "The Belief of the People of Faith regarding the Creation of Adam upon the Image of Ar-Rahmaan" 7) "Clarification and Explanation of those matters which many fall into regarding the confusions of the Mushrikeen" 8) And the work presently in hand The Shaykh also provided commentary to many books His Students His students were few because of his involvement in the work previously described However, some of them were 'Abdullaah ArRoomee, 'Abdullaah Muhammad Hamood and Naasir At-Tareeree The Shaykh's sons: 'Abdullaah, Muhammad, 'Abdul-'Azeez, 'Abdul-Kareem, Saalih and Ibraaheem learned from him, continued many of his works and are versed in all of his works His Character and Manners The Shaykh was known for his high and noble character He spoke softly and with wisdom and he was not overly talkative, but rather full of ideas and serious thought He was also gentle, mild-tempered and one who would sit with his children and the members of his household He was easy with them without making distinctions between them and always applied fairness between male and female His fairness was such that upon his death none of his children could say which from among them was more beloved His kindness and compassion to the young and the womenfolk was evident in his speech and behavior He loved to offer advice through practical example in speech and deed He never withheld advice or shunned consultation even with the youngest of his children and many times he changed what he was writing, or left a matter that he was attending to, or took up what he had left off, based upon such consultation or advice He always upheld Allaah's limits whenever he found proof from the Book of Allaah and the Sunnah of the Prophet (sal-Allaahu `alayhe wa sallam) and never put before them the word of a friend 15th Century (1400H-1499H) | Shaykh Muhammad ibn 'Abdullaah as-Sumaalee All praise be to Allaah alone and may the peace and blessing be on the best of His creation, Muhammad, and on his family and Companions To proceed: Muhammad 'Abdullaah As-Sumaalee was a teacher in Al-Masjid Al-Haraam and in the Daar-ul-Hadeeth Al-Khairiyyah in Makkah He was a noble scholar and a knowledgeable Muhaddith I attended his classes on Saheeh Al-Bukhaaree and other subjects, which he gave in Al-Masjid Al-Haraam during my first years of seeking knowledge from 1397H to 1398H I benefited from his knowledge and from his good manners and character He was highly proficient - specifically in the Science of Hadeeth and it's Terminology He was well grounded and strong in his knowledge of the Science of narrators and chains of narration, as well as other Islamic sciences and the Arabic language Allaah granted benefit through his teaching in Al-Masjid Al-Haraam and in Daar-ul-Hadeeth Many students of knowledge from various parts of the world came out from him He, may Allaah have mercy on him, gave great importance to rectification and fearing of Allaah along with humbleness, gentle character, abstinence, piety and a rejection of this worldly life He would not preoccupy himself with things other than Islaamic knowledge, worship and obedience (to Allaah), up until the time He returned to His Lord May Allaah shower him with His vast mercy and contentment, and may He accept him among His righteous servants And we ask Allaah to give him a high place in Paradise, with the pious Verily Allaah is the One who hears and answers the supplications And may the peace and blessings of Allaah be on our Prophet, Muhammad, his family and his Companions Stated by Shaikh 'Umar Ibn Muhammad As-Subayyal, Imaam of Al-Masjid Al-Haraam (who recently passed away) His place of birth and his early upbringing The Shaikh, the Muhaddith, Muhammad Ibn 'Abdillaah Ibn Ahmad As-Sumaalee traced his lineage back to the village of Amaadin in Ogaden, which is in western Somalia, an area currently being occupied by Ethiopia Shaikh Muhammad Ibn 'Abdillaah As-Sumaalee was born at the beginning of this (20th) century, around 1910 or so This is because the Shaikh remembers seeing the Somali Mujaahid known as Sayyid Muhammad 'Abdullaah, and he was a little older by then And Sayyid Muhammad died in the year 1919 His quest for knowledge He sought knowledge from his early youth since he was seven or eight years old He began by memorizing the Qur'aan and read it to Shaikh Hasan Then he read the book Safeenah An-Najaa, which is a book on Shaafi'ee Fiqh to Shaikh 'Abd-ur-Rahmaan 'Awl Then he read the book Al-Minhaaj, on Shaafi'ee Fiqh, to Shaikh Haaj 'Alee Tam'asee Then after that, he read from the text of Al-Ajroomiyyah to Shaikh Muhammad Noor Hirsee concerning Arabic grammar, as well as its explanation by Al-'Ashmaawee, then Milhat-ul-'Iraab, then Laamiyyat-ul-Af'aal concerning Arabic morphology After the Shaikh completed his studies with the scholars of his land, he decided to travel to other lands in search of knowledge, following the way of his pious predecessors (i.e the Salaf) His first travel was to Ethiopia, to the regions known as JakJakaa and Faafan, which took a distance of ten day's journey from his country At that time he was twenty years old He studied the book Nadhm Al-'Umarbatee with Shaikh Muhammad Mu'allim Husayn, and he studied Laamiyyat-ul-Af'aal and Milhat-ul-'Iraab with Shaikh 'Abd-un-Noor He also studied the books Qatr-un-Nadaa and Alfiyyah Ibn Maalik with Shaikh Aruboo Then he studied the science of Bayaan with Shaikh 'Alee Jawhar and then with Shaikh Hasan Ibn Ash-Shaikh Hasan His stay in Ethiopia lasted about two years During his journey back home, the Shaikh became very sick due to the difference of foods between Somalia and Ethiopia His paternal aunt tended to him, nursing him When he recovered from his sickness, he became determined to travel again, so his aunt gave him an ox, which he sold and used the money to travel to Djibouti There he read the book Safeenah An-Najaa to Shaikh 'Alee Jawhar but he did not finish it And his stay did not last for more than two months, for he traveled by sea towards Yemen The waves and the currents of the sea threw their ship back and forth until they feared for their lives, and it was such that the Shaikh swore that he would not ride by sea again They arrived at the city of Zabeed in Yemen and stayed there for three months There he studied the book As-Safeenah concerning Shaafi'ee Fiqh Then he traveled to the area of Qatee' and remained there for a month listening to Al-Minhaaj concerning Shaafi'ee Fiqh in the presence of Shaikh Yahyaa, the Muftee of the lands of Qatee' Then he moved to the city of San'aa and studied the sciences of the Arabic Language there So he studied the books Qawaa'id-ul-'Iraab, Qatr-un-Nadaa, Al-Jawhar-ul-Maknoon, Al-Alfiyyah and AlAshmoonee He rejected the beliefs of the people of that land, which was Zaydee (a sect of the Shi'ah), and said to them: "I am a Shaafi'ee." But they did not let him continue studying his madh-hab Then, one of the teachers there, Al-Ustaadh Yahyaa Al'Eesaa advised him to study the Science of Hadeeth So Shaikh Muhammad began to memorize Buloogh Al-Maraam and memorized 500 hadeeth from it Then he began to study the book Subul-us-Salaam (the explanation of Buloogh Al-Maraam) with one of the well-known Shaikhs Among his teachers of the Arabic Language in Yemen, were Shaikh Lutfee, Shaikh 'Alee Fiddah and Shaikh Kabasee Then the Shaikh desired to go to Egypt to seek knowledge, but at that time World War II started and all of the sea routes were closed Then the Shaikh met a man that had come from Makkah, so he asked him about how Makkah was The man responded to him, saying: "O Muhammad, there is a school in Makkah in which they teach hadeeth It is called Daar-ul-Hadeeth." So the Shaikh was pleased with this and traveled to Makkah from San'aa towards the end of 1359H along with other people going to Hajj Shaikh Yahyaa entrusted the leader of the Hajj trip with him So he gave him a riding animal and the journey lasted a month from San'aa to Makkah He reached Makkah in 1360H and enlisted in the Daar-ul-Hadeeth school In Daar-ul-Hadeetth, Shaikh Muhammad Haamid Al-Fiqqee met Shaikh Muhammad Ibn 'Abdillaah and asked him: "Where did you come from O Muhammad?" So he told him: "I came from Somalia in search of the noble hadeeth." So he was greatly impressed and said: "The Khuraafees (a deviant sect) and the followers of (sufi) orders eat and fill themselves, but the students of Hadeeth not find anything." So he took him to a shelter whose caretaker was from the ashraaf (those whose lineage can be traced back to the Prophet) and said to him: "This person seeks the hadeeth of your forefather." So he would reserve two loaves of white bread for him every day The Shaikh continued seeking knowledge in the Haram and in Daar-ul-Hadeeth He studied under Shaikh 'Abd-ur-Razzaaq Hamzah Al-Misree, Shaikh Abu As-Samah, Imaam of the Haram, Shaikh Sulaymaan Ibn 'Abdir-Rahmaan Al-Hamdaan, teacher of Tawheed and Hadeeth at Al-Masjid Al-Haraam, Shaikh Abee Sa'eed Al-Pakistani, Shaikh Muhammad Sultaan Al-Ma'soomee, Shaikh Abu Muhammad 'Abdul-Haqq Al-Haashimee, and Shaikh Ibn Maani' From the most particular of his teachers was Shaikh 'Abd-ur-Razaaq Hamzah, whom he studied and read the Six Books of the Sunnah with, as well as Tafseer Ibn Katheer and Al-Bidaayah wan-Nihaayah, but he didn't complete it Upon seeing the Shaikh's eagerness and great concern for seeking knowledge, Shaikh 'Abd-ur-Razaaq Hamzah began to esteem him and love him more than his own children Shaikh 'Abd-u-Razaaq's method in teaching hadeeth was that he would read the chain of narration and then ask his students about the name, kunyah and laqab of the reporter So if they didn't know, they would have to research it in their books After studying for two years in Daar-ul-Hadeeth, he was appointed as teacher of Arabic Language, which he would while still studying Hadeeth The Shaikh graduated from Daar-ul-Hadeeth in 1975 and achieved the high approval (Ijaazah 'aaliyah) and the degree of Mujtahid in the assigned subjects Then he was appointed as a teacher in the Islaamic University of Madeenah and there a number of students of knowledge studied under him Afterward, he was appointed as a teacher in the Haram of Makkah until the year 1406H when he broke his leg But he remained employed as a teacher and was given permission to teach at home And he would teach in his home until the time he passed away His Abstinence and Piety The Shaikh was one who abstained from worldly luxuries, who was careful of what he received and took and was very modest He did not know anything of the dunyaa for he had abandoned the worldly life after it had been presented to him Among the examples of this is the following story He used to live in one small apartment, and when it was said to him: "Shall we not look for another apartment for you", he responded by saying: "Do you want people to say that Shaikh Muhammad is greedy?" And one time when he broke his leg and was not able to go to the Haram to teach, he refused to accept the stipend that he normally would take (for teaching) So Shaikh Muhammad Ibn 'Abdillaah As-Subayyal, head of the affairs of the Haramayn, said to him: "The pious and wicked both take this money, and you have more right to it So whoever comes to you, then teach him in your home." His students A number of students studied under the Shaikh, the number of which cannot be counted, whether in the Daar-ul-Hadeeth center or in Al-Masjid Al-Haraam or in the Islamic University His educational gatherings would be constantly frequented and attended by the elite amongst the noble scholars, such as: Shaikh Muhammad Ibn 'Abdillaah As-Subayyal, the head of the affairs of the Haramayn and the Imaam and khateeb of AlMasjid Al-Haraam Shaikh Yahyaa Ibn 'Uthmaan Al-Makkee Al-Hindee, from the scholars of Hijaaz Shaikh Muqbil Ibn Haadee Al-Waadi'ee, the Muhaddith of the lands of Yemen, who described his Shaikh in his book "AlMuqtarah fee 'Ilm-il-Mustalah" as "the most knowledgeable person about the Science of Hadeeth in the area of Hijaaz." Shaikh 'Umar Ibn Muhammad Ibn 'Abdillaah As-Subayyal, Imaam and Khateeb of Al-Masjid Al-Haraam Shaikh Ahmad Wulu Al-Habashee Shaikh Muhammad Hasan Al-Jaysh Those who received an ijaazah (religious certification) from him They are a large number Amongst the most famous of them are: 'Abd-ur-Rahmaan Al-Hudhaifee, Shaikh Ahmad Ibn Muhammad Ibn 'Uthmaan Al-Mani'ee, Shaikh Musaa'id Al-Humaid, Shaikh Rabee' Ibn Haadee Al-Madkhalee, Shaikh Muhammad AlMadkhalee, Shaikh Usaamah Al-Qoosee and Shaikh Wasiyullaah Muhammad 'Abbaas The beginning of his terminal sickness and his death The beginning of his last sickness was at the start of the month of Sha'baan, when he began feeling great sluggishness On Saturday, he made a lot of supplication, and from his supplications was: "O Allaah, let me live if life is better for me, and let me die if death is better for me." Then on Monday morning, he fainted and was taken to a hospital The Shaikh regained consciousness the next day and a large group of his students came to visit him He made a final request that Shaikh Muhammad 'Abdullaah As-Subayyal lead the prayer over him Then he fainted again after that and from then on it was customary that he would recover and then go into unconsciousness again and again for some days We ask Allaah that He make that as a means of purifying him and raising him in levels The Shaikh finally died on Sunday night, the 3rd of Ramadaan 1420H And his Janaazah funeral prayer) was prayed the next day, Monday, in Al-Masjid Al-Haraam after 'Ishaa He was buried in the Al-'Adl cemetery, in the vicinity of his brother (in Islaam) Shaikh 'Abdul-'Azeez Ibn 'Abdillaah Ibn Baaz, may Allaah have mercy on both of them Footnotes [1] Translator's Note: Ogaden is a large area of land in west Somalia that borders with Ethiopia It was taken over by the Ethiopian government and to this day is occupied by their forces There is still fighting going on between Somalis and Ethiopians with regard to liberating Ogaden May Allaah assist the Muslims there [2] Translator's Note: Shaikh Ibn 'Abd-ir-Razaaq Hamzah was born in 1311H and died on 1392H (1893 - 1972) He was born in a small lightly populated village in Qalyubiyyah (a province) in Lower Egypt) He studied there in Al-Azhar University and then traveled to Saudi Arabia in 1344H He was put in charge of giving the khutbah and leading the prayers (Imamate) in the Prophet's Mosque in Madeenah Then he moved to Makkah and was appointed a teacher in Hadeeth and Tafseer He specialized in Hadeeth and its sciences and was in charge of printing a number of books, such as Ikhtisaar 'Uloom-il-Hadeeth of Ibn Katheer, Mawaarid-udh-Dhamaan of Al-Haithamee and Al-Kabaa'ir of Adh-Dhahabee He also wrote books, a majority of which were refutations of some books, such as his works: Dhulumaat Abee Rayaa, which is a critique of the book "Adwaa 'alaa As-Sunnah An-Nabawiyyah" of Mahmood Abu Rayya in which there is disparaging of the Sunnah and some Companions Another book he wrote was Ash-Shawaahid wan-Nusoos, which is a criticism of the book "Al-Aghlaal" by 'Abdullaah Al-Qaseemee And he also wrote "Al-Muqaabilah baina Al-Hudaa wad-Dalaal." He died while in Makkah 15th Century (1400H-1499H) | Shaykh Dr Muhammad Amaan Ibn 'Alee al-Jaamee He was born in 1349 A.H / 1927C.E as indicated in his official papers The Shaykh was raised in a village by the name of Tughaa Taab in Habashah where he studied the Noble Qur.aan After he completed this, he began studying the books of Fiqh of the Shaafi'ee madhhab He also studied Arabic in the village with Shaykh Muhammed Ameen al-Huraree He then left the village for another, where he met with another student, Shaykh 'Abdul-Kareem, with whom he later made hijrah to Saudi Arabia They both then proceeded to Shaykh Moosa and studied under him «Nuthum azZuhd» of Ibn Raslaan They then studied «Matan al-Minhaaj» under Shaykh Abaadir, inclusive of many other fields of knowledge He then had a desire to travel to the Holy Land of Makkah to seek knowledge and perform hajj So the two of them left alHabashah (Ethiopia/Eritrea) and travelled to Somalia from where they boarded a ship heading for Aden, Yemen There they faced much danger and difficulties both on land and at sea So they travelled by foot and fasted the month of Ramadhaan in this state until they reached Saudi Arabia They passed Saamitah and Subyaa and Abee 'Areesh until they were granted permission to enter Makkah and all this whikst travelling on foot After the Shaykh performed Hajj in 1369 A.H, he began seeking knowledge in the knowledge circles in al-Masjid al-Haraam, amongst them the circles of Shaykh 'Abdur-Razzaaq Hamzah (rahima-hullaah) and Shaykh 'Abdul-Haqq al-Haashimee (rahimahullaah) and Shaykh Muhammed 'Abdullah as-Soomaalee and other than them Whilst in Makkah, he came to know his excellency Shaykh 'Abdul-'Azeez ibn Baaz, whereupon he accompanied him on his journey to Riyadh when the Educational Institute was opened This was in the early 1970's C.E / 1370 A.H Amongst those who befriended him through his secondary education at the Educational Institute was the noble Shaykh 'AbdulMuhsin ibn al-'Abbaad al-Badar and the noble Shaykh 'Alee ibn Mahnaa who later became a judge at the major Sharee'ah court at Madeenah The Shaykh also attended the many circles of knowledge in Riyadh He benefited and was affected by his excellency, the Muftee, the Faqeeh Shaykh Muhammed ibn Ibraaheem 'Aal-ash-Shaykh (rahima-hullaah) He also adhered to being in the company of the noble Shaykh 'Abdur-Rahmaan al-'Afeefee (rahima-hullaah) just as he did so with his excellency Shaykh 'Abdul-'Azeez ibn Baaz, whereby he benefited immensely from the Shaykh's vast knowledge and his noble manners and characteristics Likewsie, whilst in Riyadh, he sought knowledge under the noble Shaykh Muhammed al-Ameen alJaknee ash-Shanqeetee (rahima-hullaah) and the noble Shaykh and Muhaddith Hammaad al-Ansaaree (rahima-hullaah) and the noble Shaykh 'Abdur-Razzaaq 'Afeefee (rahima-hullaah) under whom he was influenced by his teaching methods As he was influenced by the noble Shaykh 'Abdur-Rahmaan as-Sa'dee (rahima-hullaah) whom he did not study under, however they wrote to each other He also studied under the noble Shaykh Muhammed Khaleel Harraas (rahima-hullaah) and the noble Shaykh 'Abdullah al-Qar'aawee (rahima-hullaah) Having graduated from his secondary studies at the Educational Institute, he proceeded to the faculty of Sharee'ah from where he graduated in 1380 A.H He then obtained a Masters in Sharee'ah from the University of Punjab in 1974 C.E and a doctorate from Daar al-'Uloom in Cairo The Shaykh had attained a high regard amongst the people of knowledge whereby he was well-spoken of and very trustworthy, such that Shaykh Ibn Baaz interceded on his behalf to Shaykh Muhammed Ibraaheem to appoint him as a teacher at the Educational Institute in Saamitah in the region of Jaazaan Additionally, from that which bares evidence to his thorough knowledge and 'aqeedah and respect amongst the people of knowledge is that when the Islaamic University of Madeenah was established he transferred there to teach after Shaykh Ibn Baaz selected him And it is known that the Islaamic University of Madeenah was set up to propagate the pure and correct 'aqeedah of the Pious Predecessors and the University appointed him in charge of 'aqeedah at the Faculty of Secondary Education and then, later, at the Faculty of Sharee'ah because of his strong knowledge of 'aqeedah Upon the death of the Shaykh, Shaykh Ibn Baaz wrote of him: "He was known to me for his sound knowledge and correct 'aqeedah and his activeness in the field of da'wah to Allaah (Subhaanahu wa Ta'aala) and warning against the innovations and deviation May Allaah forgive him and grant him an abode in Paradise and make noble his offspring and join us all in His Noble House (Paradise) Indeed, He is the All-Hearing and Near (with His Knowledge)." (9/1/1418 A.H.) And Shaykh 'Abdul-Muhsin al-Abbaad al-Badar, a teacher at the Prophet's Masjid, said: "I came to know Shaykh Muhammed Amaan Ibn 'Alee al-Jaamee as a student at the Educational Institute in Riyadh and then at the faculty of Sharee'ah in Riyadh and then as a teacher at the Islaamic University of Madeenah in the Faculty of Secondary Education and then in the faculty of Sharee'ah I knew him to have correct 'aqeedah and sound foresight and he strove in inviting to the 'aqeedah of the Pious Predecessors and warning against innovation and this was via his lessons and circles (of knowledge) and his books against innovation May Allaah forgive him and have mercy upon him and reward him well." Shaykh Saalih Ibn Fowzaan wrote: "Shaykh Muhammed Amaan as I knew him: Indeed the teachers who possess certificates of higher education are many, however, there are very few amongst them from whom benefit (knowledge) can be sought Shaykh Muhammed Amaan al-Jaamee, he is from amongst those few scholars who have striven hard with their knowledge for the benefit of the Muslims and their guidance in da'wah (calling) to Allaah upon (correct) knowledge by way of his teaching in al-Jaami'ah al-Islaamiyyah and al-Masjid anNabawee and by way of his travels inside and outside the Kingdom, giving lessons and lectures, calling to tawheed and propagating the sound 'aqeedah, guiding the youth of the Ummah to the manhaj of the Pious Predecessors and warning against innovations and misguidance And whoever does not personally know him, then will come to know him by way of his beneficial books and many (audio) cassettes which incorporate an abundance of knowledge and immense benefit He was consistent in his good actions until he died And he has left knowledge with which benefit is sought, from his students and books May Allaah have mercy upon him and forgive him and reward him for that which he knew and acted upon with much good And may Allaah send prayers and salutations upon our Prophet Muhammed and his family and his companions." From amongst his many students are: The noble Shaykh Rabee' Ibn Haadee 'Umayr al-Madkhalee; The noble Shaykh Zayd Ibn Haadee Madkhalee; The noble Shaykh 'Alee Ibn Naasir Faqeehee; The noble Shaykh Muhammed Ibn Hamood al-Waa.ilee; The noble Shaykh 'Abdul-Qaadir Ibn Habeebullaah as-Sindee; The noble Shaykh Saalih Ibn Sa'd as-Suhaymee; The noble Shaykh Faalih Ibn Naafi' al-Harbee; The noble Shaykh Saalih ar-Rifaa'ee; The noble Shaykh Falaah Ismaa'eel; The noble Shaykh Falaah Ibn Thaanee; The noble Shaykh Ibraaheem Ibn 'Aamir ar-Ruhaylee .and many others The Shaykh was known to mix very little with the people, except in that which was good So most of his time and days was allocated for and his way in this was well known If he left the house to go to work to the University, he would return straight back and then later proceed to al-Masjid an-Nabawee to teach after 'Asr, and then after Maghrib and then after 'Ishaa and then after Fajr And like this he would continue until he was bed-ridden due to the severity of his illness The Shaykh was also very careful with his tongue and never backbit nor slandered nor talked evil about anyone Rather, he did not permit anyone in his company to speak ill of another and further, did not permit the spreading of false speech and people's defects to him If any of his students fell into error, he would request the audio cassette or book (within which the error had been recorded) and would either listen or read If it became apparent that an error had been made, he would approach the one who had erred in the most befitting manner and advise him There were amongst the people few who would curse him and speak ill of him, and he would simply forgive them and say: "I hope Allaah does not enter anyone into the Fire (of Hell) because of me." He used to mention in his gatherings and circles (of knowledge) that he had forgiven everyone and requested those in his gatherings to spread this of him The Shaykh was also one who was concerned about his students, not just during the lessons, rather he used to attend their gatherings and used to ask about the state of their affairs and used to assist them in either terms of advice or finance During the final stages of his life, the Shaykh became gravely ill and was confined to his bed for approximately one year, patient at what had befallen him On the morning of Wednesday 26 Sha'baan 1416 A.H, the Shaykh passed away The funeral prayer was performed over him after Salaat az-Zhuhr on the same day and he was buried in the graveyard of al-Baqee' al-Gharqad in Madeenah Many attended his funeral, amongst them the scholars, the judges from the Sharee'ah courts, the students of knowledge and other than them With his death, the Ummah was at a loss of the likes of those scholars who acted upon their sound knowledge So we ask Allaah (Subhaanahu wa Ta'aala) to forgive him and have mercy upon him and bring forth for the Ummah more scholars who act upon their sound knowledge, aameen 15th Century (1400H-1499H) | Shaykh Muhammad Naasiruddeen al-Albaanee He was born in the city of Ashkodera, then the capital of Albania in the year 1332 A.H./1914 C.E into a poor family His father alHaaj Nooh Najjaatee al-Albaanee had completed Sharee'ah studies in Istanbul and returned a scholar to Albania After Albania was taken over by atheism the family made Hijrah to Damascus In Damascus Shaykh al-Albaanee completed his initial education and was then taught the Qur.aan, Tajweed, sciences of Arabic language, fiqh of the Hanafee madhab and further branches of the Deen by various Shaykhs and friends of his father He also learnt from his father the art of clock and watch repair - and became highly skilled in that and famous for it and derived his earnings through it He began to specialise in the field of Hadeeth and its related sciences by the age of 20 - being influenced by articles in 'al-Manaar' magazine He began to work in this field by transcribing al-Haafiz al-Iraaqee's monumental "alMughnee 'an-hamlil-Asfaar fil-Asfaar fee takhreej maa fil-lhyaa minal-Akhbaar" and adding notes to it He delved further into the field of Hadeeth and its various sciences despite discouragement from his father Furthermore, the books he needed were not to be found in his father's library which was composed mainly of various works of Hanafee Fiqh - and since he could not afford many of the books he required he would borrow them from the famous library of Damascus - "alMaktabah adth-Dthaahiriyyah" or sometimes from book sellers He became engrossed with the science of Hadeeth to the extent that he would sometimes close up his shop and remain in the library for up to twelve hours - breaking off his work only for prayer - he would not even leave to eat, but would take two light snacks with him Eventually the library authorities granted him a special room to himself for his study and his own key for access to the library before normal opening time Often he would remain at work from early morning until after 'Ishaa During this time he produced many useful works - many of which are still waiting to be printed The Shaykh faced much opposition in his efforts to promote Tawheed and the Sunnah but he bore this with patient perseverance He was encouraged by some of the noble Shaykhs of Damascus who urged him to continue, amongst them Shaykh Bahjatul Bayjaar, Shaykh 'Abdul-Fattaah -the imam, and Towfeeq al-Barzah-rahimahumullaah After some time he started giving two weekly classes attended by students of knowledge and university teachers - in which he taught various books of 'Aqeedah, Fiqh, Usool and Hadeeth sciences He also began organised monthly journeys for Da'wah to the various cities of Syria and then Jordan After a number of his works appeared in print the Shaykh was chosen to teach Hadeeth in the new University in Madeenah, Saudi Arabia, for three years from 1381 to 1383H where he was also a member of the University board After this he returned to his former studies and work in "al-Maktabah adth-Dthaahiriyyah" leaving his shop in the hands of one of his brothers He visited various countries for Da'wah and lectures - amongst them Qatar, Egypt, Kuwait, the Emirates, Spain and England He was forced to emigrate a number of times moving from Syria to Jordan, then Syria again, then Beirut, then the Emirates, then again to 'Ammaan, Jordan His works - mainly in the field of Hadeeth and its sciences number over 100 His students are many and include many Shaykhs of the present day amongst them: Shaykh Hamdee 'Abdul-Majeed, Shaykh Muhammad 'Eed 'Abbaasee, Dr 'Umar Sulaymaan al-Ashqar, Shaykh Muhammad lbraheem Shaqrah, Shaykh Muqbil ibn Haadee al-Waadi'ee, Shaykh 'Alee Khushshaan, Shaykh Muhammad Jameel Zaynoo, Shaykh 'Abdur-Rahmaan Abdus-Samad, Shaykh 'Alee Hasan 'Abdul-Hameed al-Halabee, Shaykh Saleem al-Hilaalee The Shaykh passed away on Saturday 22 Jumaadaa ath-Thaaniyah 1420 A.H / October 1999 C.E He was 87 years of age May Allaah (Subhaanahu wa Ta'aala) have Mercy upon his soul, aameen For more about the noble Shaykh, kindly refer to Jewels of Guidance 15th Century (1400H-1499H) | Shaykh Muhammad Ibn Saalih Ibn 'Uthaymeen Abu 'Abdullaah Muhammad ibn Saalih ibn Muhammad ibn 'Uthaymeen at-Tameemee an-Najdee was born in the city of Unayzah, Qaseem Region on 27th Ramadhaan 1347 A.H./1926 C.E in a famous religious family He received his education from many prominent scholars like Shaykh 'Abdur-Rahmaan as-Sa'dee, Shaykh Muhammad Ameen ash-Shanqeetee and Shaykh 'Abdul-'Azeez ibn Baaz When he entered into teaching, a great number of students from inside and outside Saudi Arabia benefited from him He had his own unique style of interpretation and explanation of religious points He was from among those scholars who served Islaam without any type of religious prejudice and kept themselves away from the limitations of blind-following He was distinguished in his great exertion of effort in religious matters and analogical deductions which clearly prove the religious understanding he possessed, and the correct usage of the principles of religion, he adopted In giving religious verdicts, like Shaykh ibn Baaz, his Fataawa were based on evidence from the Qur.aan and Sunnah He had about fifty compilations to his credit He taught Religious Fundamentals at the Sharee'ah Faculty of Imaam Muhammad ibn Sa'ood Islaamic University, Qaseem Branch He was also a member of the Council of Senior Scholars of the Kingdom, and the Imaam and Khateeb of the big Mosque of Unayzah city The Shaykh passed away on Wednesday 15 Shawwaal 1421 A.H / 10 January 2001 C.E He was 74 years of age May Allaah (subhaanahu wa ta'aala) have Mercy upon his soul, aameen For more about the noble Shaykh, kindly refer to Jewels of Guidance The Shaykh's official website: www.ibnothaimeen.com 15th Century (1400H-1499H) | Shaykh Dr Rabee' Ibn Haadee 'Umayr al-Madkhalee He is the Noble Shaykh, the Scholar of Hadeeth Rabee' Ibn Haadee 'Umayr al-Madkhalee He comes from the well-known tribe of al-Madaakhalah from the province of Jaazaan to the south of Saudi Arabia It is one of the tribes of Banee Shabeel, and Shabeel was the son of Yashjub Ibn Qahtaan He was born in the village of al-Jaraadiyah, which is a small village to the west of the town of Saamitah at a distance of three kilometers He was born in 1352 A.H./1931 C.E., and his father died approximately a year and a half after his birth So his mother (rahima-hallaah) brought him up She supervised him and gave him the best of upbringings, teaching him praiseworthy manners of truth and trustworthiness When he reached the age of eight years, he joined the circles of knowledge in his village and learnt to read and write And from those under whom he studied were Shaykh Shaybaan al-'Areeshee and also al-Qaadhee Muhammad Ibn Muhammad Jaabir alMadkhalee, and also Muhammad Ibn Hussayn Makkee from the town of Sibyaa He studied the Qur.aan with Shaykh Muhammad Ibn Muhammad Jaabir al-Madkhalee, as he also studied with him tawheed and tajweed He later studied at the Madrasah in Saamitah And from those under whom he studied were: Shaykh Naasir Khaloofah Tayaash Mubaarakee (rahima-hullaah), the well-renowned scholar from the major students of Shaykh al-Qar'aawee Under him, he studied Buloogh al-Maraam wa Nuzhatu an-Nadthar of al-Haafith Ibn Hajar (rahima-hullaah) then he joined the educational institute in Saamitah and there studied under esteemed scholars, the most renowned of them was Shaykh Haafith Ibn Ahmad al-Hakamee (rahima-hullaah) and also his brother, Shaykh Muhammad Ibn Ahmad al-Hakamee He also studied under the Noble Shaykh and Scholar of hadeeth Ahmad Ibn Yahyaa an-Najmee (hafidha-hullaah), and also studied 'aqeedah under the Noble Shaykh Dr Muhammad Amaan Ibn 'Alee alJaamee (rahima-hullaah) He also studied fiqh (Zaad al-Mustaqni') under Shaykh Muhammad Sagheer Khamees and many others under whom he studied Arabic language and poetry In 1380 A.H./1960 C.E he graduated from the educational institute in Saamitah and in 1381 A.H./1961 C.E he joined the Faculty of Sharee'ah in Riyaadh and continued there for a period of a month or two, then the Islaamic University of Madeenah opened and he transferred to Madeenah and joined the Faculty of Sharee'ah and studied there for four years and graduated in the year 1384 A.H./1964 C.E with excellence From those under whom he studied whilst at the Islaamic University of Madeenah were: Shaykh 'Abdul-'Azeez Ibn 'Abdullaah Ibn Baaz (rahima-hullaah), he studied al-'Aqeedah at-Tahaawiyyah under him; Shaykh Muhammad Naasiruddeen al-Albaanee (rahima-hullaah), he studied hadeeth and the science of the chains of narrations; Shaykh 'Abdul-Muhsin al-'Abbaad (hafitha-hullaah), he studied fiqh (Bidaayatul-Mujtahid) for three years under him; Shaykh Muhammad al-Ameen ash-Shanqeetee (rahima-hullaah), he studied tafseer and Usool al-Fiqh under him for four years; Shaykh Saalih al-'Iraaqee (rahima-hullaah), he studied 'aqeedah under him; Shaykh 'Abdul-Ghaffaar Hasan al-Hindee (hafitha-hullaah), he studied the science of hadeeth with him After he graduated, he worked as a teacher in the Islaamic University for a while, then he joined the Department for Higher Studies at Umm al-Quraa University in Makkah where he continued his studies attaining a masters degree in hadeeth in 1397 A.H./1977 C.E In the year 1400 A.H./1980 C.E he attained a doctorate from Umm al-Quraa University, also with excellence He then returned to the Islaamic University as a teacher at the Faculty if Hadeeth He taught hadeeth in all it's forms and sciences and became the head of the Department of the Sunnah at the Department for Higher Studies a number of times at the rank of chairman The Shaykh (hafitha-hullaah) excels in much humility with his brothers, students, and visitors He is humble in his housing, dress and transportation; he does not seek nor like luxury in any of these He is also always cheerful and open, with boredom not striking any of his sittings His sittings are filled with readings of hadeeth and the Sunnah and warnings against innovations and their perpetrators, such that one who sees him and does not know him feels nothing more concerns him than this The Shaykh loves the students of knowledge and honours them and gives to them in charity and seeks to have their needs met to the best of his ability both physically and financially His house is always open to the students of knowledge such that no day passes whereby he tucks into his breakfast, lunch or evening meal by himself, and his students call upon him He is from the most enthusiastic of callers to the Qur.aan, the Sunnah and the understanding of the Pious Predecessors He is full of a sense of honour and intensity over the Sunnah and the understanding of the Pious Predecessors There are very few comparable to him in this issue in our time and he is from the defenders in our time of the path of the Pious Predecessors day and night, inwardly and outwardly The Shaykh has written many books, and all praise is for Allaah, as he has frequently broached many subjects which required attention, particularly the issue of refuting the perpetrators of innovations and desires in our time Amongst his numerous books is that entitled: "The Methodology of the Prophets in calling to Allaah - that is the way of wisdom and intelligence" which is available in the English language Amongst the many scholars who have praised the Shaykh are: Shaykh Muhammad Naasiruddeen al-Albaanee (rahima-hullaah) who mentioned on the tape "Liqaa Abee al-Hasan al-Ma.rabee ma'a al-Albaanee" about him and Shaykh Muqbil Ibn Haadee al-Waadi'ee: "Without a doubt we praise Allaah the Almighty Who has, for this pure and upright da'wah to the Qur.aan and the Sunnah upon the methodology of the Pious Predecessors, made use of numerous callers from different Islaamic lands who uphold the collective obligation which very few so in the Islaamic world today, notably the two Shaykhs (Rabee and Muqbil), the callers to the Qur.aan and the Sunnah and that which the Pious Predecessors were upon and wagiing war against those who oppose this correct methodology…" The Shaykh further adds: "So I wish to say, that which I have seen of the writings of the Shaykh Dr Rabee, then it is beneficial and I not recall having seen anything wrong or outside of the methodology which we have come together upon with him, and him having come together upon with us…" He also mentions on the tape "al-Mawaazanaat Bid'atul-'Asr": "And in short, I say that the one who carries the banner of al-Jarh wat-Ta'deel in this present day and age in truth is our brother (Shaykh) Dr Rabee, and those who refute him not refute him upon (sound) knowledge - never…" Shaykh 'Abdul-'Azeez Ibn 'Abdullaah Ibn Baaz (rahima-hullaah) who mentioned on the tape "Tawdeeh lil-Bayaan" about him: "So the explanation which has been issued by us, it's intention was the call of all, all the callers and the scholars to the constructive criticism…and the intention was not our brothers the people of Madeenah from the students of knowledge and the teachers and the callers, and nor was the intention other than them in Makkah or Riyaadh or in Jeddah Rather our general intention was our brothers the well-known Shaykhs in Madeenah of whom there is no doubt, they are the people of sound 'aqeedah and from the Ahlus-Sunnah wal-Jamaa'ah, such as: Shaykh Muhammad Amaan Ibn 'Alee, Shaykh Rabee' Ibn Haadee, Shaykh Saalih Ibn Sa'd as-Suhaymee, Shaykh Faalih Ibn Naafi', Shaykh Muhammad Ibn Haadee - all of them are known to us in uprightness and knowledge and sound 'aqeedah…" He also mentions on the tape: "al-As.ilah as-Suwaydiyah": "Indeed Shaykh Rabee' is from amongst the scholars of the Sunnah" Shaykh Ibn Baaz also permitted Shaykh Rabee' to teach in his masjid (Masjid Ibn Baaz) in Makkah His lessons still continue to this day, and this is evidence enough that the Shaykh died and he was pleased with Shaykh Rabee' and that which he was upon in creed and methodology Shaykh Muhammad Ibn Saalih al-'Uthaymeen on the tape "al-As.ilah as-Suwaydiyah" said: "…as for Shaykh Rabee, then regarding him, I not know anything but good, and the man is an upholder of the Sunnah and an upholder of Hadeeth" He was asked on the tape "Kasf al-Lathaam 'an Mukhaalif Ahmad Salaam": "What is your advice for the one who forbids (listening to) the tapes of Shaykh Rabee' Ibn Haadee with the claim that they stir up fitnah and within them is praise for the rulers in the Kingdom and that his praise, i.e Shaykh Rabee's praise for the rule, is hypocrisy?" The Shaykh responded: "Our opinion is that this is incorrect and is a major error, and Shaykh Rabee' is from amongst the scholars of the Sunnah and the people of good and his 'aqeedah is sound and his manhaj is correct…" Shaykh Dr Saalih Ibn Fowzaan Ibn 'Abdullaah Ibn Fowzaan on the tape "al-As.ilah as-Suwaydiyah", after mentioning Shaykh Rabee' along with a number of other scholars he said: "…and they are from amongst the distinguished scholars who have much experience in da'wah and refutation against those who desire to take the path of the da'wah outside it's correct path, so it is obligatory to circulate their tapes because indeed in them there is great benefit for the Muslims" Shaykh Muhammad Ibn Subayyal (General President of the Affairs of al-Masjid al-Haraam (Makkah) and al-Masjid an-Nabawee (Madeenah), and the Imaam and Khateeb of al-Masjid al-Haraam) was asked about his opinion regarding whoever forbids (listening to) the tapes of the well-known scholars of Ahlus-Sunnah such as Shaykh Muhammad Amaan al-Jaamee (rahimahullaah) and Shaykh Rabee' Ibn Haadee al-Madkhalee (hafitha-hullaah), whereby he says that tapes of the Shaykh stir up fitnah So the Shaykh responded: "Look! These two scholars (their tapes) are amongst the best tapes, they call to the Sunnah and holding firm to the Sunnah, however, none speaks about them (in this manner) except one who follows his desires, and those who speak most about them are the people of partisanship who associate themselves with a group from amongst the groups, they are the ones who forbid these things As for these two scholars well-known for their holding form to the Sunnah and their sound 'aqeedah upon the methodology of the Pious Predecessors, then they are amongst the best of people" The Shaykh's official website: www.rabee.net 15th Century (1400H-1499H) | Shaykh Dr Saalih Ibn Fowzaan Ibn 'Abdullaah Ibn Fowzaan He is the noble Shaykh Dr Saalih ibn Fowzaan ibn 'Abdullaah from the family of Fowzaan from the people/tribe of ashShamaasiyyah He was born in 1354 A.H./1933 C.E His father died when he was young so he was brought up by his family He learnt the Noble Qur.aan, the basics of reading and writing with the imaam of the masjid of the town, who was a definitve reciter He was the noble Shaykh Hamood Ibn Sulaymaan at-Talaal, who was later made a judge in the town of Dariyyah (not Dar'iyyah in RIyaadh) in the region of Qaseem He later studied at the state school when it opened in ash-Shamaasiyyah in the year 1369 A.H./1948 C.E He completed his studies at the Faysaliyyah school in Buraydah in the year 1371 A.H./1950 C.E and was then appointed an infant school teacher Then he joined the educational institute in Buraydah when it opened in the year 1373 A.H./1952 C.E., and graduated from there in the year 1377 A.H./1956 C.E He then joined the Faculty of Sharee'ah (at the University of Imaam Muhammad) in Riyaadh and graduated from there 1381 A.H./1960 C.E Thereafter he gained his Masters degree in fiqh, and later a Doctorate from the same faculty, also specialising in fiqh After his graduation from the Faculty of Sharee'ah, he was appointed a teacher within the educational institute in Riyaadh, then transferred to teaching in the Faculty of Sharee'ah Later, he transferred to teaching at the Department for Higher Studies within the Faculty of the Principles of the Religion (usool ad-deen) Then he transferred to teaching at the Supreme Court of Justice, where he was appointed the head He then returned to teaching there after his period of headship came to an end He was then made a member of the Permanent Committee for Islaamic Research and Fataawa, where he continues to this day The noble Shaykh is a member of the Council of Senior Scholars, and member of the Fiqh Committee in Makkah (part of arRaabitah), and member of the Committee for Supervision of the Callers (du'aat) in Hajj, whilst also presiding over (his main role) membership of the Permanent Committee for Islaamic Research and Fataawa He is also the imaam, khateeb and teacher at the Prince Mut'ib Ibn 'Abdul-'Azeez masjid in al-Malzar He also takes part in responding to questions on the radio program "Noorun 'alad-Darb", as he also takes part in contributing to a number of Islaamic research publications at the Council for (Islaamic) Research, Studies, Theses and Fataawa which are then collated and published The noble Shaykh also takes part in supervising a number of theses at the Masters degree and Doctorate level He has a number of students of knowledge who frequent his regular gatherings and lessons He himself studied at the hands of a number prominent scholars and jurists, the most notable of whom were: The noble Shaykh 'Abdul-'Azeez ibn Baaz (rahima-hullaah); The noble Shaykh 'Abdullaah ibn Humayd (rahima-hullaah); The great Shaykh Muhammad al-Ameen ash-Shanqeetee (rahima-hullaah); The noble Shaykh 'Abdur-Razzaaq 'Afeefee (rahima-hullaah); The noble Shaykh Saalih Ibn 'Abdur-Rahmaan as-Sukaytee; The noble Shaykh Saalih Ibn Ibraaheem al-Bulayhee; The noble Shaykh Muhammad Ibn Subayyal; The noble Shaykh 'Abdullaah Ibn Saalih al-Khulayfee; The noble Shaykh Ibraaheem Ibn 'Ubayd al-'Abd al-Muhsin; The noble Shaykh Saalih al-'Alee an-Naasir; He also studied at the hands of a number of scholars from al-Azhar University (Egypt) who specialised in hadeeth, tafseer and Arabic language He has played a major role in calling to Allaah and teaching, giving fatwa, khutbahs and knowledgeable refutations His books number many, however the following are just a handful which include Sharh al-'Aqeedatul Waasitiyyah, al-irshaad ilasSaheehil-I'tiqaad, al-Mulakhkhas al-Fiqhee, Foods and the Rulings regarding Slaughtering and Hunting, which is part of his Doctorate They also include at-Tahqeeqaat al-Mardiyyah in inheritance which is part of his Masters degree Further titles include Rulings relating to the Believing Women, and a refutation of Yoosuf Qaradaawi's book al-Halaal wal-Haraam The Shaykh's official website: www.alfuzan.com 15th Century (1400H-1499H) | Shaykh 'Umar ibn Muhammad ibn Muhammad Bakar Fallaatah He was the faqeeh, the muhaddith, the mufassir, the noble Shaykh 'Umar ibn Muhammad ibn Muhammad Bakar al-Fallaanee, popularly known as Fallaatah And al-Fallaanee refers to the tribe of al-Fallaanah, which is well-known and widespread in most of Western Africa And according to some historians, his lineage goes right back to 'Uqbah ibn Naafi' or Ibn 'Aamir or Ibn Yaasir, however, it is most probably another 'Uqbah and not the great companion of the Prophet (sal-Allaahu 'alayhe wa sallam) who conquered Africa His birth He was born in 1345 A.H (1925 C.E) near Makkah, during his parents hijrah from Africa which took them approximately a year Regarding this, the Shaykh mentions: "Allaah willed for them to begin their journey and they were two, and when they completed their journey they/(we) were three" His education In 1346 A.H they moved to al-Madeenah an-Nabawiyyah, where he grew up and began his education with what were known in those days as al-Kuttaab, by the name of Muhammad Saalim, under whom he memorised the first few chapters of the Noble Qur.aan Later, he entered the Daar al-'Uloom ash-Shar'iyyah in Madeenah and studied there until he was approximately years old There, he graduated from his primary education and completed the memorisation of the Qur.aan His work In 1365 A.H (1945 C.E.) he taught at the Daar al-Hadeeth In addition to this, he taught the the Daar as-Sa'oodiyyah in 1373 A.H (1953 C.E.) as he was appointed an assistant to the principal In 1375 A.H (1955 C.E.) he taught hadeeth and it's fundamentals in al-Ma'had al-'Ilmee until 1378 A.H (1958 C.E.) In 1377 A.H (1957 C.E.) the Daar al-Hadeeth was placed under his principalship In 1385 A.H (1965 C.E.) he was appointed assistant secretary of the Islaamic University of Madeenah In 1395 A.H (1975 C.E.) he was appointed general secretary of the Islaamic University of Madeenah In 1396 A.H (1976 C.E.) he was appointed an assistant lecturer in the Faculty of Hadeeth as well as maintaining his position as general secretary of the Islaamic University of Madeenah Later, he became the principal in charge of the Centre for Da'wah Affairs at the Islaamic University of Madeenah In 1406 A.H (1986 C.E.) he was appointed principal in charge of the Centre for the study of the Sunnah and the Prophetic Seerah at the Islaamic University of Madeenah, which was actually setup by the Shaykh himself After he retired, he went back to the Daar al-Hadeeth His efforts at Daar al-Hadeeth Daar al-Hadeeth was setup by one of the scholars from India by the name of Shaykh Ahmad ad-Dahlawee (rahima-hullaah) who was a scholar from amongst the Ahlul-Hadeeth, who opened up the Daar al-Hadeeth in 1350 A.H (1930 C.E.) by permission of King 'Abdul-'Azeez (rahima-hullaah) A kind donor from India by the name of Shaykh Muhammad Rafee' (rahima-hullaah) donated a building for the Daar al-Hadeeth which was near the al-Masjid an-Nabawee It was named Maktabah Ahlul-Hadeeth and also Madrasah Daar al-Hadeeth While the Shaykh was teaching at the Daar al-Hadeeth in 1367 A.H (1947 C.E.) he also attained a higher certificate He was close to his Shaykh, the great noble Shaykh 'Abdur-Rahmaan al-Ifreeqee, who took over principalship of the Daar alhadeeth after Shaykh Ahmad ad-Dahlawee (rahima-hullaah) died in 1375 A.H (1955 C.E.) And when Shaykh 'Abdur-Rahmaan al-Ifreeqee (rahima-hullaah) died in 1377 A.H ( 1957 C.E.) Shaykh 'Umar assumed principalship of the Daar al-hadeeth thereafter And when the project of the extension of al-Masjid an-Nabawee began, the Daar al-Hadeeth had to be knocked down to make way for the necessary extension, and appropriate compensation was paid to those responsible at the Daar al-Hadeeth With this money, Shaykh 'Umar strived hard to find an appropriate piece of land to buy and build the new Daar al-Hadeeth and the Maktabah Finally he purchased a piece of land and in 1413A.H (1993 C.E.) work began on building the new Daar al-Hadeeth and was completed in 1417 A.H (1997 C.E.) The new Daar al-Hadeeth incorporated a school, a library (Maktabah Daar alHadeeth), a masjid, a department for hadeeth, a large lecture theatre which could hold a thousand students, housing accomodation for students, a business centre, housing accomodation for visitors and a car park When the building was finally finished, it was something of a sight, so much so that it won a prize for its design And the Shaykh was extremely attached to the Daar al-Hadeeth and held it very dear to him, and used to extend much assistance to it His Shuyookh The Shaykh said: "I met more than seventy scholars at the masjid of the Messenger of Allaah (sal-Allaahu 'alayhe wa sallam) and they were in truth inheritors of the Prophet" The Shaykh, the muhaddith Muhammad Ibraaheem al-Khatanee, who was a student of the muhaddith, Shaykh Muhammad 'Abdul-Baaqee al-Ayyoobee al-Madanee He studied under him at the Daar al-'Uloom ash-Shar'iyyah Shaykh 'Ammaar al-Jazaa.iree, under whom he also studied at the Daar al-'Uloom ash-Shar'iyyah Shaykh Yoosuf ibn Sulaymaan al-Filisteenee, under whom he also studied at the Daar al-'Uloom ash-Shar'iyyah Shaykh Saalih az-Zughaybee Shaykh Muhammad 'Alee al-Harakaan, who was previously the assistant secretary of the Muslim World League He studied the majority of «Saheeh al-Bukhaaree» under him, along with it's explanation, «Fat.h al-Baaree» And this was while he was teaching in al-Masjid an-Nabawee Shaykh As'ad Muhiy ad-Deenal-Husaynee, under whom he read the Noble Qur.aan, thereby further strengthening his memorisation Shaykh Muhammad Jaatoo al-Fallaanee, under whom he studied a number of texts of the Maalikee madhhab, and some their explanations He also studied ad-Dimishqee's explanation of «Mukhtasir Khaleel», along with some of «Aqrab al-Masaalik», and then completed the rest under Shaykh 'Ammaar al-Jazaa.iree The Shaykh, the muhaddith Muhammad ibn Ahmad as-Soodaanee al-Madanee, under whom he studied some books of poetry and Arabic grammer and some aspects of Usool al-Fiqh The Shaykh, the muhaddith Muhammad al-Haafidth ibn Moosaa Humayd The Shaykh, the muhaddith 'Abdur-Rahmaan ibn Yoosuf al-Ifreeqee, who had a tremendous effect on his personality, such that there became a great similarity between them, as Shaykh 'Abdul-Muhsin al-'Abbaad mentioned in his lecture about Shaykh 'Umar He studied «Buloogh al-Maraam» under Shaykh 'Abdur-Rahmaan along with «Subul as-Salaam» and some major books of hadeeth such as «al-Muwatta,» of Imaam Maalik, and also in tafseer and the science of hadeeth, while also hearing him respond to the questions of the people seeking fataawa The Shaykh, the muhaddith Saalim ibn Ahmad Baajnidaan al-Hadramee, the renowned muhaddith from Indonesia May Allaah have mercy upon all of the deceased amongst them His teaching in al-Masjid an-Nabawee The Shaykh began teaching in al-Masjid an-Nabawee in 1370 A.H (1950 C.E.), when he had attained a permit to teach from the Presidency of Judges of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia The Shaykh thereby taught for approximately 49 years in al-Masjid anNabawee, and his teaching place used to be very close to what is popularly known as "Riyaadh al-Jannah" (the Garden of Paradise) which is the area stretching from the Prophet's house (current resting place) to his mimbar Many students of knowledge used to attend his lessons, as well as the visiting pilgrims And many of his lessons were recorded and are available free of (recording/copying) costs from the recording library in al-Masjid an-Nabawee As an example, his explanation of «Saheeh Muslim» strecthes to 817 audio cassettes, and that is a complete recording of the Shaykh's explanation And his explanation of the «Tafseer of Ibn Katheer» stretches to 720 audio cassettes, but this is incomplete And his explanation of «Sunan Abee Daawood» stretches to 576 audio cassettes, and this is also incomplete In total, all his audio cassettes amount to approximately 2,253 His manners The Shaykh was of excellent manners, and was very concerned about the benefititng and assisting the Muslims He was extremely humble and noble to his guests as he would greet them with a cheerful face, enticing the guests to feel full of cheer as a result He used to enjoy assisting the people, whethe rold or young, considering he was himself worthy of receiving assistance because of his position and knowledge and old age So as a result of his impeccable manners, he was loved by those who knew him and those who did not And Shaykh al-Albaanee praised him much for his good neighbourly conduct and his impeccable good manners when he was a neighbour of Shaykh 'Umar during the time he spent teaching at al-Jaami'ah al-Islaamiyyah (Islaamic University) in Madeenah [Note from Abu 'Abdullaah: Having been taught Arabic grammer by Shaykh 'Umar's son 'Abdul-Haadee; Shaykh 'Abdul-Haadee once mentioned to us in class that the Shaykh did not permit the television inside their home, saying "Why should I invite Shaytaan into my house and force the angels to depart?"] And the Shaykh was extremely wise in his opinions and sharp-witted at the many issues which people brought to his attention, as those who spent time with him in his tent during Hajj and the different da'wah centres he would visit would well know In conclusion to all this, Dr Marzooq az-Zahraanee, who was previously the principal of the Centre for Prophetic Studies mentioned: "The Shaykh was complete in his manners, complete in his uprightness, complete in his manhaj and complete in his taqwa " And the Shaykh was blessed with impeccable manners as has been mentioned, even when he faced those who disliked him for his manhaj or manner, and he was able to affect them with his good manners in such a way that they would correct their ways and ahere to the true path and manhaj, which is based upon the Noble Qur.aan and the authentic Sunnah according to the understanding of the pious predecessors And all this was whilst he was teaching in al-Masjid an-Nabawee His 'aqeedah and manhaj The Shaykh adhered steadfastly to the Noble Qur.aan and the authentic Sunnah as understood by the pious predecessors and he invited to this path with wisdom and maturity He also used to encourage others to understand the evidences, and used to detest the opposing manaahij His Hajj journey The Shaykh was blessed to have performed Hajj a great number of times, with his first ever Hajj being in 1365 A.H (1945 C.E.), and from that time until 1418 A.H (1998 C.E.) he performed Hajj every single year except once when he was ill So he performed Hajj a total fo 53 times, as he also performed 'Umrah a great number of times too May Allaah (Subhaanahu wa Ta'aala) accept from him, aameen His travels The Shaykh travelled to many countries for da'wah purposes, either with the Islaamic University or to setup Summer camps From amongst the countries he visited were: Egypt, Syria, Jordan, Lebanon, India, Pakistan, and many African countires The Scholars praise of him Amongst the many shcolars who praised him were: Shaykh al-Albaanee, who praised him much for his good neighbourly conduct and his impeccable good manners and knowledge, such that when in 1395 A.H (1975 C.E.) Shaykh al-Albaanee was asked as to who should be referred to when seeking fatwa, Shaykh al-Albaanee advised that Shaykh 'Umar should be referred to for all fatwa-seeking questions Also, Shaykh 'Abdul-Muhsin al-'Abbaad described him as: " a great man, a rightly-guided scholar, one who possessed noble manners and praiseworthy characteristics And that he was upon the manhaj of the pious predecessors adhering to what was transmitted from Allaah and His Messenger (sal-Allaahu 'alayhe wa sallam)." And Shaykh 'Abdul-Muhsin mentioned that since he first met Shaykh 'Umar way back in 1381 A.H (1961 C.E.) love had entered into his heart for Shaykh 'Umar His death The Shaykh had great desire to die in Madeenah, and Allaah permitted his wish to be met as he died in Madeenah on Wednesday 29 Muharram 1419 A.H (17 March 1999 C.E.) after having received medical treatment and returning from Riyadh just a day before his death The Shaykh was 74 years of age His funeral prayer was performed after Salaatul-'Asr and he was then buried in the graveyard of Baqee', near al-Masjid an-Nabawee Many attended his funeral from amongst the scholars and the judges and lecturers and teachers from the universities along with many students, and pilgrims and those who simply loved him May Allaah (Subhaanahu wa Ta'aala) have Mercy upon his soul, aameen The Shaykh left behind him one wife, seven sons: Dr Muhammad (a member of the teaching staff at the Islaamic University of Madeenah), 'Abdur-Rahmaan (a member of the teaching staff at the Primary school within the Islaamic University), 'Abdul-Haadee (a member of the teaching staff at the Arabic Language Institute within the Islaamic University), 'Abdul-Kareem, 'Abdur-Razzaaq and Anas, and two daughters The Shaykh bequeathed his entire library to Daar al-Hadeeth, and his bequest was carried out after his death 15th Century (1400H-1499H) | The Permanent Committee for Islaamic Research and Fataawa A Royal Decree, number 137/1 and dated 08/07/1391 A.H / (29/08/1971 C.E.) was issued for the establishment of the Council of Senior Scholars Whereby, under section four it mentions: "The Permanent Committee has been left the task of selecting its members from amongst the members of the Council (of Senior Scholars) in accordance with the Royal Decree Its aim is to prepare research papers ready for discussion amongst the Council (of Senior Scholars), and issue fataawa on individual issues This is by responding to the fatwa-seeking public in areas of 'aqeedah, 'ibaadah and social issues It will be called: The Permanent Committee for Islaamic Research and Fataawa (al-Lajnah ad-Daa.imah lil-Buhooth al-'Ilmiyyah wal-Iftaa.)" Further, it is mentioned in section eight of the attachment to the Royal Decree: "No fatwa will be issued by the Permanent Committee until the majority of its members have absolute agreement concerning it Such, that the number (of scholars) studying each fatwa is no less then three members (of the Committee) And if there exists an equal voice (differing in opinion), then the decision of the Head (of the Committee) will take precedence." The current members of the Permanent Committee include: Head: Shaykh 'Abdul 'Azeez Aal ash-Shaykh; Deputy Head: Shaykh 'Abdullaah Ibn Ghudayyaan; Member: Shaykh 'Abdullaah Ibn Qu'ood; Member: Shaykh 'Abdullaah Ibn Munee'; Member: Shaykh Saalih Ibn Fowzaan; Member: Shaykh Bakar 'Abdullaah Abu Zayd Amongst the members who have passed away include: Shaykh Ibraaheem Ibn Muhammad Aal ash-Shaykh; Shaykh 'Abdul 'Azeez Ibn Baaz; Shaykh 'Abdur-Razzaaq Ibn 'Afeefee From amongst the rules (applied) in forming the (Permanent) Committee was the importance attached to the majority view (of the Committee), and no doubt this gives each fatwa an element of knowledge-based strength, for certainly exchanging views simplifies (the task of) arriving at that which is correct Noting therefore, the path which the Committee has taken is selecting the opinion(s) which are based upon daleel (proof) in addition to the daleel from the Sunnah being from authentic ahaadeeth The Noble Shaykh 'Abdul 'Azeez Ibn Baaz has assisted in this issue from his (vast) knowledge of hadeeth Likewise, as has Shakyh 'Abdur-Razzaaq Ibn 'Afeefee's (vast) knowledge of the various groups and differences in 'aqeedah that we have today, added an element of knowledge-based strength to each fatwa ... contemporary and succeeding scholars have acclaimed him with such complimentary remarks as "The master spirit of the age", "The crown of scholars" , "Last of the Enlightened scholars" , and "A sign... amongst the major scholars of Tunisia; 7) Shaykh Muhammad Abu Khubzah who was from amongst the scholars of Morocco; 8) Shaykh Muhammad 'Ataa.ullaah Haneef who was amongst the major scholars of Pakistan;... continued there until 1412 A.H./1991 C.E He was then made a member of the Council of Senior Scholars in 1407 A.H./1986 C.E., whereafter he was made a member of the Permanent Committee for Islaamic