Ibn al-Athir
Islamic historian and geographer (1160–1232/3)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
AbÅ« al-Ḥasan Ê¿AlÄ« ibn Muḥammad ibn Muḥammad ash-ShaybÄnÄ«, better known as Ê¿AlÄ« Ê¿Izz ad-DÄ«n Ibn al-AthÄ«r al-JazarÄ« (Arabic: عÙ٠عز اÙدÛ٠ب٠اÙاثÛر اÙجزرÙ; 1160â1233) was a Hadith expert, historian, and biographer of Arab descent who wrote in Arabic and was from the Ibn Athir family.[5] At the age of 21, he settled with his father in Mosul to continue his studies, devoting himself to the study of history and Islamic tradition.
Izz ad-Din
Izz ad-Dīn Abū al-Hasan Ibn al-Athīr | |
|---|---|
| Title | Al-Hafiz Izz ad-Din |
| Personal life | |
| Born | May 12, 1160 CE, Jazirat Ibn Umar, present-day Cizre, Seljuk Empire |
| Died | 630 AH (1232/1233 CE), Mosul, Ayyubid dynasty[1] |
| Era | Islamic golden age |
| Main interest(s) | Hadith, History |
| Notable work(s) | The Complete History and The Lions of the Forest and the knowledge about the Companions |
| Religious life | |
| Religion | Islam |
| Denomination | Sunni |
| Jurisprudence | Shafi'i[2] |
| Creed | Ash'ari[3][4] |
| Muslim leader | |
Influenced by | |
Influenced | |
Biography
Ibn al-Athir belonged to the Shayban lineage of the large and influential Arab tribe Banu Bakr,[6][7][8][9] which lived across upper Mesopotamia and gave its name to the city of Diyar Bakr.[10][11][12] He is also described to have been of Kurdish origin.[13]
In the analysis of Sharafnama , historian Naji Ma'ruf notes that its author, Emir Sharaf Khan Bidlisi, explicitly identified a number of scholars and families of Arab origin, stating their lineage without ambiguity. However, in the Arabic translation of the work, these same individuals are often presented in a way that may lead readers to assume they were Kurds, despite the original text confirming their Arab heritage. According to Ma'ruf, Arabs constitute more than half of the figures mentioned in Sharafnama, even though the work primarily concerns the history of Kurdish states and emirates. As an example, Ma'ruf cites the historian Ibn al-Athir al-Jazari and his brothers DiyÄ' ad-DÄ«n Ibn Athir and Majd ad-DÄ«n Ibn Athir, who, according to all major Arabic biographical sources, were Arabs of the Banu Shayban tribe. In the translatorâs footnotes to the Arabic edition, Ibn al-Athir is described as Kurdish, a claim that is unfounded and contrary to Sharaf Khan's own statements.[14]
As above mentioned, Ibn al-Athir was the brother of Majd ad-DÄ«n Ibn Athir and DiyÄ' ad-DÄ«n Ibn Athir. al-Athir lived a scholarly life in Mosul, often visited Baghdad, and for a time traveled with Saladin's army in Syria. He later lived in Aleppo and Damascus. His chief work was a history of the world, al-Kamil fi at-Tarikh (The Complete History).
Death
Ibn al-Athir died in 1232/1233 and was buried in a cemetery in Mosul, at the district of Bab Sinjar.[15] His tomb was built in the 20th century and was located in the middle of a road, after the cemetery was cleared for modernization.[16] It became a site of an erroneous legend, which identified it as a tomb of a female mystic.[17] However, the government later installed a marble stele to indicate that it was Ibn al-Athir's tomb.[18][19] His tomb was also regarded in local Yazidi folklore as being the grave of a girl who married the Emir of Mosul but died of poisoning.[20]
The tomb of Ibn al-Athir was bulldozed by members of Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant in June of 2014.[21]
Works
- Al-KÄmil fÄ« al-tÄrÄ«kh (اÙÙا٠٠Ù٠اÙتارÙØ®): "The Complete History"; 11 volumes[22]
- al-Usd al-ghÄbah fi maârifat al-á¹£aḥÄbah: "The Lions of the Forest and the knowledge about the Companions"
- Al-Qawl al-Jamil fi 'Ilm al-Jarh wa at-Ta'dil
- Al-TÄrÄ«kh al-bÄhir fÄ« al-Dawlah al-AtÄbakÄ«yah bi-al-Mawá¹£il
- Al-LubÄb fÄ« tahdhÄ«b al-ansÄb
