Ibn Kathir
Ibn Kathir | |
|---|---|
اِبْنُ كَثِيرٍ | |
| Title | Imam |
| Personal life | |
| Born | c. 1300 (701 AH) |
| Died | 27 February 1373 (774 AH) |
| Era | Medieval Era (Middle Ages) |
| Region | Sham |
| Main interest(s) | |
| Notable work(s) | Tafsir Ibn Kathir Tarikh Ibn Kathir Kitab al-jami al-Sira al-Nabawiyya |
| Occupation | |
| Religious life | |
| Religion | Islam |
| Denomination | Sunni |
| Jurisprudence | Shafi'i |
| Creed | Athari |
| Muslim leader | |
Influenced by | |
| Arabic name | |
| Personal (Ism) | Ismāʿīl إسماعيل |
| Patronymic (Nasab) | ibn ʿUmar ibn Kaṯīr بن عمر بن كثير |
| Teknonymic (Kunya) | Abū l-Fidāʾ أبو الفداء |
| Epithet (Laqab) | ʿImād ud-Dīn عماد الدين "pillar of the faith" |
| Toponymic (Nisba) | Ad-Dimashqi Al-Qurashi Al-Busrawi |
Abu al-Fida Isma'il ibn Umar ibn Kathir al-Dimashqi (Arabic: أبو الفداء إسماعيل بن عمر بن كثير الدمشقي, romanized: Abū al-Fidā' Ismā'īl ibn 'Umar ibn Kathīr al-Dimashqī; c. 1300–1373), known simply as Ibn Kathir, was an Arab Islamic exegete, historian and scholar. An expert on tafsir (Quranic exegesis), tarikh (history) and fiqh (Islamic jurisprudence), he is considered a leading authority on Sunni Islam.
Born in Bostra, Mamluk Sultanate, Ibn Kathir's teachers include al-Dhahabi and Ibn Taymiyya. He wrote several books, including a fourteen-volume universal history titled al-Bidaya wa'l-Nihaya (Arabic: البداية والنهاية).
His renowned tafsir, Tafsir Ibn Kathir, is recognized for its critical approach to Israʼiliyyat, especially among Western Muslims and Wahhabi scholars. His methodology largely derives from his teacher Ibn Taymiyya, and differs from that of other earlier renowned exegetes such as Tabari. He adhered to the Athari school of Islamic theology which rejected rationalistic theology in favor of strict textualism in the interpretation of the Quran and the hadith.