Muḥibb al-Dīn Ibn al-Najjār

Abū ʿAbdallāh Muḥammad b. Maḥmūd b. al-Ḥasan b. Hibatallāh b. Maḥāsin al-Baghdādī, Muḥibb al-Dīn Ibn al-Najjār, commonly known as Ibn al-Najjār (; 1183-1246 CE), was a Baghdadi Sunni Muslim scholar of the late Abbasid era. He is regarded as the leading muhaddith of his generation and, according to his contemporaries, the foremost authority in biographical history. He was the senior pupil of Ibn al-Dubaythi.

Early life Upbringing Ibn al-Najjār was born in Baghdad in the year of 578 AH/1183 CE. Born into a modest family, he was son of the leader carpenter of the Dar al-Khilafah located in the Abbasid Palace of Baghdad. His father died when he was eight and his older brother Ali began raising him instead. Ali was a textile seller who had knowledge in calculation of inheritance, anecdotes, and history. Ibn al-Najjār studied the Hadith and the Qur'an with scholars of Baghdad. Ibn al-Najjar had over 3000 teachers with 400 of his teachers being women. He was heard in every city he stayed in, and established himself as the worlds most famous memorizer.

Then he returned to Baghdad and studied history. He left for Isfahan for about a year (620 AH/1223 CE), then made the Hajj (pilgrimage) to Mecca, then moved to Egypt, then returned to Baghdad.

Among the many students he trained were Yaqut al-Hamawi, Ibn al-Sa'i, and Ibn al-Sha'ar, to whom he gave permission to transmit all his books and narrations. Nuzhat al-Wara fi Akhbar Umm al-Qura, a history compilation of Mecca. Al-Durra al-Thamina fi Akhbar al-Madina, a history compilation of Medina. Al-‘Aqd al-Fa’iq fi ‘Uyoon Akhbar al-Dunya wa-Mahasin Tawarikh al-Khala’iq Rawdat al-Awliya fi Masjid Ilya Manaqib Al-Shafi'i, a biography of Imam al-Shafi'i

Hadith Al-Qamar al-Munir fi al-Musnad al-Kabir, in which he mentioned the Companions and the narrators, and what each of them had from the hadith. Kanz al-Ayyam fi Ma‘rifat al-Sunan wa’l-Ahkam Al-Mukhtalif wa’l-Mu’tafiq, it is a supplement to Ibn Makula's Al-Ikmāl. Al-Sabiq wa’l-Lahiq Al-Muttafiq wa'l-Muftariq, following al-Khatib al-Baghdadi's methodology. Kitab al-Alqab Nahj al-Isabah fi Ma‘rifat al-Sahaba Al-Kafi fi Asma’ al-Rijal Nasab al-Muhaddithin ila al-Aba’ wa’l-Buldan ‘Awali, where he compiles Hadith with the shortest chain. Mu‘jam, a biographical dictionary of his teachers Jannat al-Nazirin fi Ma‘rifat al-Tabi‘in Al-Kamal fi Ma‘rifat al-Rijal

Literature Anwar al-Zahr fi Mahasin Shu‘ara’ al-‘Asr Al-Azhar fi Anwa‘ al-Ash‘ar Nuzhat al-Tarf fi Akhbar Ahl al-Zarf Ghurur al-Fawa’id (in six volumes) Sulwat al-Wahid Ikhbar al-Mushtaq bi-Akhbar al-‘Ushshaq Nashwar al-Muhadara Al-Shafi fi al-Tibb