Ibn Khallikan
| Shams al-Dīn Abū Al-ʿAbbās Aḥmad Ibn Muḥammad Ibn Khallikān | |
|---|---|
| Title | Chief Judge |
| Born |
September 22, 1211 Irbil (now Iraq) |
| Died |
October 30, 1282 (aged 71) Damascus (now Syria) |
| Region | Middle East |
| Religion | Islam |
| Denomination | Sunni |
| Jurisprudence | Shafi'i[1] |
| Notable work(s) | Deaths of Eminent Men and History of the Sons of the Epoch |
Aḥmad b. Muḥammad b. Ibrāhīm Abu ’l-ʿAbbās S̲h̲ams al-Dīn al-Barmakī al-Irbilī al-S̲h̲āfiʿī[2] (Arabic: احمد ابن محمد ابن ابراهيم ابوالعباس شمس الدين البرمكي الاربيلي الشافعي) (September 22, 1211 – October 30, 1282) was a Shafi'i Islamic scholar of the 13th century and is famous as the compiler of a great biographical dictionary of Arab scholars, Wafayāt al-Aʿyān wa-Anbāʾ Abnāʾ az-Zamān (Deaths of Eminent Men and History of the Sons of the Epoch).
Biography
Born in Arbil, Iraq on September 22, 1211 (11 Rabī’ al-Thānī, 608), into a respectable family that claimed descent from Barmakids,[2] Ibn Khallikan's studies began in Arbil. These took him on to Aleppo, then to Damascus.[3] and then to Mosul to study jurisprudence ], before settling down finally in Cairo.[4] He gained prominence as a jurist, theologian and grammarian.[4] An early biographer described him as "a pious man, virtuous, and learned; amiable in temper, in conversation serious and instructive. His exterior was highly prepossessing, his countenance handsome and his manners engaging."[5]
He married in 1252[4] and was assistant to the chief judge in Egypt until 1261, when he assumed the position of chief judge in Damascus.[3] He lost this position in 1271 and returned to Egypt, where he taught until being reinstated as judge in Damascus in 1278.[3] He retired in 1281[4] and died in Damascus on October 30, 1282 (Saturday, 26th of Rajab 681).[3]
Works
Ibn Khallikan began compiling his renowned biographical dictionary entitled Wafayāt al-aʿyān wa-anbāʾ abnāʾ az-zamān (وفيات الأعيان وأنباء أبناء الزما) (Deaths of Eminent Men and History of the Sons of the Epoch).[6][3] in 1256, which he completed in 1274, as an eight-volume work of reference of Islamic scholarship and literature.[3] Deaths of Eminent Men excludes biographies already sufficiently covered, such as the Islamic Prophet Muhammad and the caliphs.[3] It was translated into English by William McGuckin de Slane, (1801–1878), and is over 2,700 pages, in four volumes.[7][4] The British scholar Reynold A. Nicholson called it the "best general biography ever written".[5]
References
- ↑ Lewis, B.; Menage, V.L.; Pellat, Ch.; Schacht, J. (1986) [1st pub. 1971]. Encyclopaedia of Islam (New Edition). Volume III (H-Iram). Leiden, Netherlands: Brill. p. 832. ISBN 9004081186.
- 1 2 J.W., Fück,. "IBN K̲H̲ALLIKĀN". Encyclopaedia of Islam, Second Edition. Brill. doi:10.1163/1573-3912_islam_sim_3248. Retrieved 6 March 2017.
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 "Encyclopædia Britannica Online, Ibn Khallikān". 2010. Retrieved May 22, 2010.
- 1 2 3 4 5 "Ibn Khallikan". Humanistic Texts.org. Retrieved May 22, 2010.
- 1 2 Ludwig W. Adamec (2009), Historical Dictionary of Islam, p.139. Scarecrow Press. ISBN 0810861615.
- ↑ Wafayāt al-aʿyān wa-anbāʾ abnāʾ az-zamān
- ↑ Ibn Khallikan's Biographical Dictionary
