شمس الدين الذهبي
al-Dhahabi (RH)
Shams al-Din al-Dhahabi
673–748 AH · 1274–1348 CE
Hadith Shafi'i
Historian and hadith critic of Damascus, author of Siyar A'lam al-Nubala'.
Al-Dhahabi, whose family were goldsmiths (hence his name), studied in Damascus, Cairo and the Hijaz and became one of the greatest historians and critics of narrators. He was a friend of Ibn Taymiyyah and al-Mizzi, though he did not hesitate to disagree with them. He went blind in his last years.
His Siyar A'lam al-Nubala' (Lives of the Noble Figures) and Tarikh al-Islam are vast biographical histories and are among the most important sources used on this site. His Mizan al-I'tidal evaluates thousands of narrators.
Life journey
- 1274 CE Damascus دمشقDied 1348 CE · 748 AH
Teachers
- Ibn Taymiyyah (RH) 1263–1328 CEAl-Dhahabi studied with Ibn Taymiyyah in Damascus and wrote about him in his works.
Key works
- Siyar A'lam al-Nubala' سير أعلام النبلاءLives of the Noble FiguresA vast biographical history of Islam's notable figures.
- Mizan al-I'tidal ميزان الاعتدالThe Balance of ModerationAn evaluation of thousands of narrators.
Places in their life
Photo: Vyacheslav Argenberg, CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Sources
- Taj al-Din al-Subki, Tabaqat al-Shafi'iyya al-Kubra
- Ibn Hajar al-'Asqalani, al-Durar al-Kaminah
Draft, awaiting scholarly review.