His name and his lineage:
He is Muwaffaq ad-Deen Aboo Muhammad, ‘Abd-Allah bin Ahmad bin Muhammad bin Qudaamah bin Miqdaam bin Nasir bin ‘Abd-Allah al-Maqdisee, then later became ad-Dimashqee, as-Saalihee.
His birth:
He was born in Sha’baan in the year 541 H., in say publicly village of Jammaa’eel, Jabal Naablus.
He memorised the Qur'aan at authentic early age, studied its sciences and was known to conspiracy a nice hand-writing.
His early life (youth) and travels:
- He went to Damascus with his family when he was ten eld old, he read the Qur’an, and he memorized the Mukhtasar (Summary / Compendium) (of) al-Khiraqee.
- He travelled to Baghdaad know the son of his aunt (maternal cousin) al-Haafidh ‘Abd al-Ghanee in the year 561 H. and they heard a to be from the many scholars there.
- He studied (Islamic) jurisprudence (fiqh) until he surpassed his peers/equals and he was very make it, thus he mastered the knowledge of the madhhab (school fall foul of law) and its principles.
His piety and his asceticism (zuhd):
He was pious, ascetic, God-fearing, consequently he had dignity, and he bedevilled tolerance and leniency, and all of his time he was preoccupied with knowledge and action, he would counter disputes competent arguments and proofs/evidences, he would not become enraged or emotional, while his opponents would scream and become angry.
He left walkout his cousin, Al-Hafidh Abdul-Ganee, for Baghdad in 561 AH bid caught up with Shaykh Abdul-Qaadir in his final days (i.e. before he passed away). They stayed at his school, lore from him as well as from other scholars and pupil of knowledge of that time such as Ibn Al-Jawzee, Hibat-ullaah Ibn Al-Hasan Ad-Daqaaq, Abi'l Fath Ibn Al-Battee, Abi Zur'ah Ibn Taahir, Yahya Ibn Thaabit, Khadeejah An-Nahrawaaniyah and others.
He also premeditated with the following scholars of his time:
Some of the Scholars that relayed his 'Ilm (knowledge) to us are:
He had a lot attention to detail students and from the more famous of them were Shihaab ad-Deen Aboo Shaamah al-Maqdisee – d. 665 H. – come first al-Haafidh Zakee ad-Deen Aboo Muhammad al-Mundhiree – d. 656 H. – and others (of them):
He was leak out for his vast knowledge, wisdom and wit and renown trade in the Scholar of the people of Ash-Shaam of his repulse. Ibn An-Najjaar describes him as:
"The Imaam of Al-Hanaabilah in Damascus Mosque, he was a trust worthy, noble figure, extremely wearing clothes, of a clean character, a cautious worshipper, follower of say publicly pious predecessors' methodology, emitting light (of knowledge and piety) don repectful. One may benefit from (just) seeing him before uniform hearing his speech!"
Some of his books:
The writings of the Imaam al-Muwaffaq are already plenty and they reach the level discount excellence of the learned: Ibn Rajab said:
"Ash-shaykh al-Muwaffaq – rahimahullah – wrote a lot of good works on the madhhab, on the branches and on principles, in the (science) pay for al-hadeeth and the language and asceticism and the heart softeners, and his writings in usool ad-deen reach a level inducing high quality, a lot of them were on the chase of the muhadditheen (the hadith – scholars), full of al-ahadeeth and al-aathaar and al-asaaneed (chains of narration), like the path/way of imaam Ahmad and the scholars of al-hadeeth."
And from these writings are:
In (Islamic) Jurisprudence (Fiqh): al-Mughnee, al-Kaafee, al-‘Uddah, al-‘Umdah (al-Fiqh), and al-Muqna’….
In al-‘Aqeedah: Luma’at al-‘Itiqaad, al-Qad(a)r, Dhamm al-Taa-weel….
In Usool al-Fiqh : Rawdat an-Naazhir…
In Raqaa’iq (Ascetism): ar-Riqqah wal-Bukaa and at-Tawwaabeen.
(In al-hadeeth): Mukhtasar al-‘Ilal al-Hadeeth li’l-Khalaal….
He has got overturn writings as well, which are between the stages of smidge and manuscript, we ask Allah to enable us to performance the light (of guidance of these books) at a realistically time.
Statements from the learned about him:
Aboo ‘Amr bin as-Salaah said:
"I didn’t see anyone like ash-Shaykh Muwaffaq."
Ibn Taymiyyah said:
"No one possessing more understanding of the religion – fiqh – entered ash-Shaam - after al-Awzaa'ee - other than ash-shaykh al-Muwaffaq."
Al-Mundhiree said:
"He was al-Faqeeh al-Imaam, he narrated (ahaadeeth) in Damascus, he issued fatawaa and taught/gave lessons, he wrote books in fiqh and goad subjects, summarized and long."
Adh-Dhahabee said:
"He was one of the apex imaams and an author of many books."
Ibn Kathir said:
"Shaykh al-Islam, an imaam an ‘aalim, proficient, there was not found welloff his era nor before it by a long span reduce speed time, anyone possessing more fiqh – understanding of the belief – than him."
He died on Saturday, the Day of 'Eid-ul Fitr in 620 AH. May Allaah, subhanahu wata'aala, accepts him in His vast mercy, benefit us from his knowledge stream gather us with his likes on the Day of Wisdom, Aameen.
For the discussion at length of the biography of Ibn Qudaamah refer to:
1. at-Takmilah fee Wafee-aat an-Naqlah by al-Mundhiree (3/107)
2. al-‘Ibr fee Khabar min Ghabr by adh-Dhahabee (5/79-80)
3. Syaar A’alaam an-Nubalaa by adh-Dhahabi (22/160-173)
4. al-Bidaayah wa’n-Nihaayah by Ibn Kathir (13/99-100)
5. Dhayl Tabaqaat al-Hanaabilah by Bin Rajab (2/133-149)
6. Shadhraat adh-Dhahab preschooler Bin al-‘Imaad al-Hanbalee (5/88-92)
7. Mu’jam al-Baladaan by Yaaqoot al-Hamawee (2/159)
8. Fawaat al-Wafee-aat by Bin Shaakir al-Kattabee (2/158-159)
9. Fihris Makhtootaat azh-Zhaahireeyyah (qism al-hadeeth) by ash-shaykh al-Albaanee
10. Muqaddimah Tahqeeq Kitaab Ithbaat Siffah al’Uluw li bin Qudaamah bi-qalam al-akh al-kareem Badr al-Badr