Ibn Kathir

Isma'il ibn Kathir (701–774 H / 1301–1373 CE) was a Damascene scholar who was among the greatest commentators on the Quran, hadith scholars and historians in Islam. His commentary 'Tafsir al-Qur'an al-'Azim,' known as 'Tafsir Ibn Kathir,' is one of the most widely circulated commentaries in the world. He was a student of Ibn Taymiyya and al-Mizzi, and the author of 'al-Bidaya wa an-Nihaya,' the great historical encyclopaedia — the book from which many accounts in these profiles were drawn.

Isma'il ibn 'Umar ibn Kathir was born around 701 H (1301 CE) in the village of Mijdal near Busra, south of Damascus. An orphan from a young age, he was raised by his brother who brought him to Damascus; it is reported that he had memorised the entire Quran by age ten.

He studied under the greatest scholars of his time: al-Mizzi whose daughter he married, then Ibn Taymiyya whom he followed closely, and al-Dhahabi. He followed the Shafi'i school.

His crown is 'Tafsir al-Qur'an al-'Azim' — 'Tafsir Ibn Kathir.' His method is his fame: he interprets the Quran by the Quran first, then by the authentic Sunnah, then by the words of the Companions, with vigilance against Isra'iliyyat which he identified with a sharp eye. It is today one of the most widely circulated commentaries in the world.

He also produced 'al-Bidaya wa an-Nihaya,' the encyclopaedic history stretching from creation to his era — the book from which many accounts in these profiles were drawn — as well as 'Qisas al-Anbiya'.'

In the latter part of his life he lost his sight. He died in Damascus in 774 H (1373 CE) and was buried beside his teacher Ibn Taymiyya.

This profile is not for a Quranic figure but for a fourteenth-century scholar (701–774 H). His biography is drawn from historical and encyclopaedic sources, not hadith collections, as he lived centuries after the prophetic era. His place in Islam-K is for his direct connection to the Quran: he is one of its greatest commentators. A notable detail: 'al-Bidaya wa an-Nihaya' which he authored is one of the very sources of these profiles themselves.

Ibn Kathir teaches that understanding the Quran must not be improvised: he interpreted it by the Quran, then by the Sunnah, then by the Companions — a method of rigour and humility before the text. His work reminds us that knowledge is a heritage: received, verified, transmitted and bequeathed.

Il en va de même des hommes, des animaux et des bestiaux, qui présentent des couleurs tout aussi variées. De Ses serviteurs, seuls craignent Allah ceux qui Le connaissent vraiment. Allah, en vérité, est Tout-Puissant et Très Clément.

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