الذهبي
Abu Abd Allah
Abu Abd Allah Shams al-Din Muhammad ibn Ahmad ibn Uthman al-Dhahabi al-Turkumani al-Fariqi al-Dimashqi (3 Rabi II 673 AH / 6 October 1274 – 3 Dhu al-Qaʿda 748 AH / 4 February 1348 CE) was a Damascene hadith scholar, historian, biographer and qiraʾat specialist of Turkmen family origin. His father worked in gold ornamentation, which gave the family the designation al-Dhahabi. He studied Qurʾanic readings intensively in youth, turned decisively toward hadith from around age eighteen, and benefited from a very large network of teachers across Damascus, Baalbek, Aleppo, Egypt, Alexandria, the Hijaz and other centers. Among the scholars who most shaped him were Alam al-Din al-Birzali, Yusuf al-Mizzi and Ibn Taymiyya, with whom he maintained close scholarly ties while retaining the capacity to criticize even admired contemporaries. Al-Dhahabi taught at several Damascene hadith institutions and by the end of his life held multiple teaching posts. His major works include Tarikh al-Islam, Siyar aʿlam al-nubalaʾ, Tadhkirat al-huffaz, Mizan al-iʿtidal, al-Kashif, Maʿrifat al-qurraʾ al-kibar and Muʿjam al-shuyukh. His method combines large-scale collection with concise critical judgment on narrators, reports and historical figures. In the final years of his life his eyesight deteriorated progressively and he eventually became unable to see. He died in Damascus and was probably buried in Bab al-Saghir cemetery.
Sources: [4] bio evidence, [5] bio evidence, [7] bio evidence
Sources: [4] bio evidence, [5] bio evidence, [7] bio evidence
Sources: [4] bio evidence, [5] bio evidence, [7] bio evidence
Sources: [4] bio evidence, [5] bio evidence, [7] bio evidence
Sources: [4] bio evidence, [5] bio evidence, [7] bio evidence
Sources: [4] bio evidence, [5] bio evidence, [7] bio evidence
Sources: [7] qiraat evidence, [9] qiraat evidence, [11] qiraat evidence
Sources: [7] qiraat evidence, [9] qiraat evidence, [11] qiraat evidence
Sources: [5] hadith_training evidence, [7] hadith_training evidence, [11] hadith_training evidence
Sources: [5] hadith_training evidence, [7] hadith_training evidence, [11] hadith_training evidence
Sources: [5] hadith_training evidence, [7] hadith_training evidence, [11] hadith_training evidence
Sources: [5] hadith_training evidence, [7] hadith_training evidence, [11] hadith_training evidence
Sources: [2] nasiha evidence, [4] nasiha evidence, [7] nasiha evidence
Sources: [3] travel evidence, [7] travel evidence, [11] travel evidence
Sources: [3] travel evidence, [7] travel evidence, [11] travel evidence
Sources: [3] travel evidence, [7] travel evidence, [11] travel evidence
Sources: [3] travel evidence, [7] travel evidence, [11] travel evidence
Sources: [4] teaching evidence, [5] teaching evidence, [7] teaching evidence
Sources: [4] teaching evidence, [5] teaching evidence, [7] teaching evidence
Sources: [4] teaching evidence, [5] teaching evidence, [7] teaching evidence
Sources: [4] teaching evidence, [5] teaching evidence, [7] teaching evidence
Sources: [4] teaching evidence, [5] teaching evidence, [7] teaching evidence
Sources: [4] teaching evidence, [5] teaching evidence, [7] teaching evidence
Sources: [3] method evidence, [7] method evidence, [12] method evidence
Sources: [3] method evidence, [7] method evidence, [12] method evidence
Sources: [3] method evidence, [7] method evidence, [12] method evidence
Sources: [3] method evidence, [7] method evidence, [12] method evidence
Sources: [3] method evidence, [7] method evidence, [12] method evidence
Sources: [3] tarikh evidence, [5] tarikh evidence, [7] tarikh evidence
Sources: [3] tarikh evidence, [5] tarikh evidence, [7] tarikh evidence
Sources: [1] siyar evidence, [4] siyar evidence, [7] siyar evidence
Sources: [1] siyar evidence, [4] siyar evidence, [7] siyar evidence
Sources: [4] tadhkirat evidence, [6] tadhkirat evidence, [7] tadhkirat evidence
Sources: [2] mizan evidence, [7] mizan evidence, [12] mizan evidence
Sources: [7] kashif evidence, [10] kashif evidence, [12] kashif evidence
Sources: [7] qiraat evidence, [9] qiraat evidence, [11] qiraat evidence
Sources: [7] qiraat evidence, [9] qiraat evidence, [11] qiraat evidence
Sources: [5] mujam evidence, [7] mujam evidence, [11] mujam evidence
Sources: [3] duwal evidence, [7] duwal evidence, [8] duwal evidence
Sources: [3] abridgment evidence, [7] abridgment evidence, [12] abridgment evidence
Sources: [3] abridgment evidence, [7] abridgment evidence, [12] abridgment evidence
Sources: [2] creed evidence, [5] creed evidence, [7] creed evidence
Sources: [2] creed evidence, [5] creed evidence, [7] creed evidence
Sources: [2] criticism evidence, [4] criticism evidence, [7] criticism evidence
Sources: [2] criticism evidence, [4] criticism evidence, [7] criticism evidence
Sources: [2] vision evidence, [5] vision evidence, [7] vision evidence
Sources: [2] vision evidence, [5] vision evidence, [7] vision evidence
Sources: [4] bio evidence, [5] bio evidence, [7] bio evidence
Sources: [4] bio evidence, [5] bio evidence, [7] bio evidence
Sources: [2] mizan evidence, [7] mizan evidence, [12] mizan evidence
Sources: [3] tarikh evidence, [5] tarikh evidence, [7] tarikh evidence
Sources: [1] siyar evidence, [4] siyar evidence, [7] siyar evidence
Al-Dhahabi was born at Batna near Damascus on 3 Rabi II 673 AH / 6 October 1274 CE.
Sources: [2] Evidence for birth_exact, [4] Evidence for birth_exact, [5] Evidence for birth_exact, [7] Evidence for birth_exact
Al-Dhahabi died in Damascus on 3 Dhu al-Qaʿda 748 AH / 4 February 1348 CE.
Sources: [2] Evidence for death_exact, [4] Evidence for death_exact, [5] Evidence for death_exact, [7] Evidence for death_exact
Al-Dhahabi’s father worked in gold ornamentation, which gave rise to the family designation al-Dhahabi.
Sources: [4] Evidence for father_gold, [5] Evidence for father_gold, [7] Evidence for father_gold
Al-Dhahabi received advanced training in qiraʾat and remained recognized as a specialist in Qurʾanic readings.
Sources: [7] Evidence for qiraat_specialist, [9] Evidence for qiraat_specialist, [11] Evidence for qiraat_specialist
Al-Dhahabi began concentrating seriously on hadith at about eighteen years of age.
Sources: [5] Evidence for hadith_age18, [7] Evidence for hadith_age18, [11] Evidence for hadith_age18
Alam al-Din al-Birzali played an important role in directing al-Dhahabi toward hadith study.
Sources: [5] Evidence for birzali_role, [7] Evidence for birzali_role, [11] Evidence for birzali_role
Al-Dhahabi maintained close scholarly relationships with al-Mizzi, al-Birzali and Ibn Taymiyya.
Sources: [5] Evidence for mizzi_taymiyya_ties, [7] Evidence for mizzi_taymiyya_ties, [11] Evidence for mizzi_taymiyya_ties
The attribution to al-Dhahabi of al-Nasiha al-dhahabiyya li-Ibn Taymiyya is disputed in modern scholarship.
Sources: [2] Evidence for nasiha_attribution, [4] Evidence for nasiha_attribution, [7] Evidence for nasiha_attribution
Al-Dhahabi travelled for study to numerous centers in Syria, Egypt and the Hijaz.
Sources: [3] Evidence for travel_network, [7] Evidence for travel_network, [11] Evidence for travel_network
A statement in Tarikh al-Islam indicates that al-Dhahabi probably performed the pilgrimage around 698 AH / 1298–1299 CE.
Sources: [3] Evidence for hajj_698, [7] Evidence for hajj_698, [11] Evidence for hajj_698
Al-Dhahabi’s first known teaching duty dates to 693 AH / 1294 CE at the Umayyad Mosque.
Sources: [4] Evidence for first_teaching_693, [5] Evidence for first_teaching_693, [7] Evidence for first_teaching_693
Al-Dhahabi became head of the hadith institution at Umm al-Salih in 718 AH / 1319 CE.
Sources: [4] Evidence for umm_salih_718, [5] Evidence for umm_salih_718, [7] Evidence for umm_salih_718
Al-Dhahabi assumed leadership of the Zahiriyya Dar al-Hadith in 729 AH / 1329 CE.
Sources: [4] Evidence for zahiriyya_729, [5] Evidence for zahiriyya_729, [7] Evidence for zahiriyya_729
By the end of his life al-Dhahabi held several hadith teaching or leadership posts simultaneously in Damascus.
Sources: [4] Evidence for multiple_posts, [5] Evidence for multiple_posts, [7] Evidence for multiple_posts
Al-Dhahabi critically evaluated both chains of transmission and the contents of reports.
Sources: [3] Evidence for critical_isnad_matn, [7] Evidence for critical_isnad_matn, [12] Evidence for critical_isnad_matn
Al-Dhahabi regularly identified sources behind biographical and historical reports more explicitly than many historians of his period.
Sources: [3] Evidence for source_citation, [7] Evidence for source_citation, [12] Evidence for source_citation
Al-Dhahabi sometimes rejected reports in respected sources when he judged their contents implausible.
Sources: [3] Evidence for reject_implausible, [7] Evidence for reject_implausible, [12] Evidence for reject_implausible
Tarikh al-Islam is al-Dhahabi’s largest historical work and combines chronological history with extensive biography.
Sources: [3] Evidence for tarikh_major, [5] Evidence for tarikh_major, [7] Evidence for tarikh_major
Siyar aʿlam al-nubalaʾ is a major generational biographical work combining transmitted information with al-Dhahabi’s own critical judgments.
Sources: [1] Evidence for siyar_major, [4] Evidence for siyar_major, [7] Evidence for siyar_major
Tadhkirat al-huffaz is devoted to major hadith memorizers and authorities.
Sources: [4] Evidence for tadhkirat_major, [6] Evidence for tadhkirat_major, [7] Evidence for tadhkirat_major
Mizan al-iʿtidal is al-Dhahabi’s major critical work on weak and criticized narrators.
Sources: [2] Evidence for mizan_major, [7] Evidence for mizan_major, [12] Evidence for mizan_major
Al-Kashif condenses information on narrators represented in the six canonical hadith collections.
Sources: [7] Evidence for kashif_six_books, [10] Evidence for kashif_six_books, [12] Evidence for kashif_six_books
Maʿrifat al-qurraʾ al-kibar is a major biographical work on Qurʾanic readers.
Sources: [7] Evidence for qurra_major, [9] Evidence for qurra_major, [11] Evidence for qurra_major
Al-Dhahabi’s abridgments often included corrections, additions and critical comments rather than simple shortening.
Sources: [3] Evidence for critical_abridgments, [7] Evidence for critical_abridgments, [12] Evidence for critical_abridgments
Al-Dhahabi was Shafiʿi in jurisprudence.
Sources: [2] Evidence for shafii_identity, [5] Evidence for shafii_identity, [7] Evidence for shafii_identity
Taj al-Din al-Subki criticized al-Dhahabi for perceived traditionalist-Hanbali bias and uneven treatment of some figures, while later writers disputed the fairness of those accusations.
Sources: [2] Evidence for subki_criticism, [4] Evidence for subki_criticism, [7] Evidence for subki_criticism
Some contemporaries accused al-Dhahabi of excessive negative commentary in later biographies, while defenders rejected that characterization.
Sources: [2] Evidence for ghibah_accusation, [4] Evidence for ghibah_accusation, [7] Evidence for ghibah_accusation
Al-Dhahabi’s eyesight deteriorated progressively in the final years of his life and he eventually became unable to see.
Sources: [2] Evidence for vision_loss, [5] Evidence for vision_loss, [7] Evidence for vision_loss
The exact date when al-Dhahabi became completely blind is uncertain because the sources disagree and manuscript evidence suggests gradual decline.
Sources: [2] Evidence for blindness_date, [5] Evidence for blindness_date, [7] Evidence for blindness_date
Al-Dhahabi was probably buried in Bab al-Saghir cemetery in Damascus.
Sources: [2] Evidence for burial_bab_saghir, [5] Evidence for burial_bab_saghir, [7] Evidence for burial_bab_saghir
Through Mizan al-iʿtidal, al-Kashif and related works, al-Dhahabi became a major later authority in narrator evaluation and the criticism of transmitted reports.
scholarly · established
Tarikh al-Islam combines chronology, biography, source citation and critical judgment on historical reports and personalities.
scholarly · established
Siyar aʿlam al-nubalaʾ and Tadhkirat al-huffaz became major models for biographical writing on scholars and hadith authorities.
scholarly · established
Maʿrifat al-qurraʾ al-kibar preserves extensive biographical and critical material on Qurʾanic readers and reflects al-Dhahabi’s own specialist training in qiraʾat.
scholarly · established
Al-Dhahabi’s many abridgments and reworkings preserved earlier scholarship while adding corrections, critical notes and independent judgments.
scholarly · established
al-Dhahabī · Classical biographical source
Taj al-Din al-Subki · Classical Shafiʿi biographical source
al-Dhahabi · Classical historical-biographical source
Ibn Hajar al-Asqalani · Classical biographical source
al-Safadi · Classical biographical source
al-Dhahabi · Classical hadith-biographical source
Tayyar Altıkulaç · TDV İslâm Ansiklopedisi · 2013
al-Dhahabi · Primary historical work
al-Dhahabi · Primary qiraʾat biographical work
al-Dhahabi · Primary narrator reference work
al-Dhahabi · Primary teacher dictionary
al-Dhahabi · Primary narrator criticism work