The Biography of Ibn Kathir

By Ayaan Malik

Born in Syria, Ibn Kathir was a scholar, an expert on tafsir, and a historian. He focused on the hadith’s of Prophet Muhammad (ﷺ), and he published books that got lots of attention. He was taught by Ibn Taymiyya and Al-Dhahabi. He was married to the daughter of Al-Mizzi.

He joined a commission that was made to make and ask questions. In 1345 he became a preacher, otherwise known as a khatib, at a Mosque made in Mizza, and later on, became a professorial position at the Great Mosque of Damascus.

In his life, he worked on a lot of things. He worked on talking about hadith from the Prophet, and he also wrote a commentary on the Quran, called the Tafseer al-Quran al-’Azeem. This linked different hadith to different areas and passages of the Quran as an offer to an explanation as to what is being said. His work on hadith was also a huge deal. Al-Jamil was a book of compiled hadiths published by him in alphabetical order of the companions of the Prophet. It was intended for encyclopedia usage.

On top of all of this, Ibn Kathir was also well-versed in the language of history. He wrote another book, this time called Al-Bidaya wa-Nihaya (البداية والنهاية), which translates to “the beginning and the end”. This work was about history from an Islamic point of view. It covers the full history of the world, starting from the beginning, all the way till the end of the world. It covers many things, such as stories of the prophets.

As time went on, he became blind, and his inevitable death was in 1373. We can learn a lot from the life of Ibn Kathir. He was a brilliant man and an intellectual scholar. He published many works, and he taught us about many topics. He guided and showed us his perspectives on many topics, which helps us to get an understanding of the Quran, the hadith, and more. His works allow us to gain more knowledge, and in turn, allow us to pass on this knowledge to others. To help spread the message of Allah (SWT), along with his insightful interpretations. Ibn Kathir was a brilliant man, and may Allah (SWT) grant him peace. May Allah (SWT) allow us to get to his level of knowledge, faith, and allow us to guide others just as he did. May Allah (SWT) allow us to go down the right path.