Ibn Kathir
Abu al-Fida Isma'il ibn Umar ibn Kathir al-Dimashqi (Arabic: أبو الفداء إسماعيل بن عمر بن كثير الدمشقي, romanized: Abū al-Fiḍā’ Ismā‘īl ibn ‘Umar ibn Kathīr al-Dimashqī; c. 1300–1373), known simply as Ibn Kathir, was an Arab Islamic exegete, historian and scholar. An expert on tafsir (Qur'anic exegesis), tarikh (history) and fiqh (jurisprudence), he is considered a leading authority on Sunni Islam.
Ibn Kathir | |
|---|---|
| Personal | |
| Born | c. 1300 / 701 H Bosra, Mamluk Sultanate |
| Died | 18 February 1373 / 774 H Damascus, Mamluk Sultanate, (Present-day Syria) |
| Religion | Islam |
| Era | Bahri Mamluk Sultanate |
| Region | Sham |
| Denomination | Sunni |
| Jurisprudence | Shafi’i |
| Creed | Athari |
| Notable work(s) | - Tafsīr al-Qurʾān al-ʿaẓīm (Tafsir Ibn Kathir), a Quranic exegesis; - Al-Bidāya wan Nihāya ("The Beginning and the End"), a 14-volume history of Islam; - Kitāb al-jāmiʿ, a hadith collection. |
| Muslim leader | |
Influenced by | |
| Arabic name | |
| Personal (Ism) | Ismāʿīl إسماعيل |
| Patronymic (Nasab) | ibn ʿUmar ibn Kaṯīr بن عمر بن كثير |
| Teknonymic (Kunya) | Abū l-Fidāʾ أبو الفداء |
| Epithet (Laqab) | ʿImād ud-Dīn عماد الدين "pillar of the faith" |
| Toponymic (Nisba) | Ad-Dimashqi Al-Qurashi Al-Busrawi |
Born in Bostra, Mamluk Sultanate, Ibn Kathir's teachers include al-Dhahabi and Ibn Taymiyya. He wrote several books, including a fourteen-volume universal history titled al-Bidaya wa'l-Nihaya (Arabic: البداية والنهاية).
His renowned tafsir, Tafsir Ibn Kathir, is recognized for its critical approach to Israʼiliyyat, especially among Western Muslims and Wahhabi scholars. His methodology largely derives from his teacher Ibn Taymiyya, and differs from that of other earlier renowned exegetes such as Tabari. He adhered to the Athari school of Islamic theology.