Ibn al-Salah

Abū ‘Amr ‘Uthmān ibn ‘Abd il-Raḥmān Ṣalāḥ al-Dīn al-Kurdī al-Shahrazūrī (c. 1181 CE/577 AH – 1245/643), commonly known as Ibn al-Ṣalāḥ, was a Kurdish Shafi'i hadith specialist and the author of the seminal Introduction to the Science of Hadith. He was born in the village of Sharazoor in Suleymaniyyah, raised in Mosul, and lived in Damascus where he died.

Early life

Birth Ibn al-Ṣalāḥ was born in the year 1181 CE/577 AH in Sharazoor.

Education He first studied fiqh with his father in Sharazoor, He read Sahih al-Bukhari upon two of his teachers, al-Mayyad ibn Muhammad al-Tusi and Mansur ibn 'Abd al-Mun'im al-Furawi, as well as Al-Sunan al-Kubra, by al-Bayhaqi, upon the latter.

Scholarly career al-Dhahabi described Ibn al-Ṣalāh as "the shaikh of the Shafi'i scholars." Ibn al-Hajib described Ibn al-Salah as being broad in his knowledge of both primary issues (al-usul) and peripheral (al-furu`).

Elsewhere, Ibn al-Salah discussed the role of theological discourse in answering questions of creed. He held that when a theological question could be addressed without causing harm, a detailed response was permissible if a brief answer would be insufficient for proper understanding. He limited this to cases involving sincere seekers of guidance rather than those motivated by disputation or controversy. In doing so, Ibn al-Salah recognized the role of qualified theologians (mutakallimūn) in defending orthodox belief, resolving theological doubts, and providing reasoned explanations when required, thereby implying the necessity of their existence as a communal obligation (farḍ kifāyah) for the preservation and defence of Sunni doctrine. He likewise interpreted reports from the Salaf discouraging theological discussion as applying primarily to discussions liable to produce confusion, sectarianism, or fruitless debate.

Ibn al-Ṣalāḥ clarified his position on philosophy, describing it as: "The basis of foolishness and degeneration, a topic of confusion and misguidance which is motivated by perversion and blasphemy. Whosoever engages in philosophy, has been blinded in his insight into the great aspects of the Sharia corroborated by evidences." Ishkalat 'ala al-Wasit, Siyanah Sahih Muslim – an explanation of Sahih Muslim of which only the beginning segment is published which al-Nawawi referred to in his own explanation Numerous fatawa, or religious rulings, described by Abu Shahbah as having "much benefit" Fawa`id, or benefits, from his travels which consisted of a number of volumes of unusual points of interest in various disciplines which he collected during his travels to Khurasan Adab al-Mufti wa al-Mustafti—The Etiquette of the One Giving a Verdict and of the One Seeking a Verdict Nukat `Ala al-Muhadhdhab Tabaqat al-Fuqaha al-Shafi`iyyah a collection of lesser known Shafi`i scholars of jurisprudence which al-Nawawi abridged and added to. Ibn al-Salah died before completing this work.