Ibn al-Dayba'

ʿAbd al-Raḥmān ibn ʿAlī ibn Muḥammad ibn ʿUmar ibn ʿAlī al-Shaybānī al-ʿAbdarī al-Zabīdī al-Shāfiʿī, (), commonly known as Ibn al-Daybaʿ (; 866–944 AH/ 1462–1537 CE) was a was a Yemeni Sunni scholar, hadith specialist, historian, genealogist, poet, and a jurist of the Shafi'i school. He was a leading hadith scholar in his time, he was regarded as Amīr al-Muʾminīn fī al-Ḥadīth ("Commander of the Faithful in Ḥadīth") and The Seal of the Great Hadith Critics. His other known honorific epithets goes by Shaykh al-Islām and Hafiz al-Asr ("Hadīth Master of his Age"). He authored important works in history and prophetic traditions, most notably Taysīr al-Wuṣūl ilā Jāmiʿ al-Uṣūl and Bughyat al-Mustafīd fī Akhbār Madīnat Zabīd.

Name and lineage

His full name and patronymic was 'Abd al-Rahman ibn Ali al-Shaybani al-Zabidi which indicated that he was from the Banu Shayban tribe. Hence, he is a descendant of the Arabian patriarch Adnan through Rabi'a ibn Nizar.

The nickname "Ibn al-Dayba'" was given to him by his grandfather Ali ibn Yusuf. Daiba' was a slang word founded by the local Ethiopians in Yemen that was used to describe a fair-skinned Ethiopian.

Early life

He was born in Zabīd, Yemen, in 866 AH (1461 CE). His father died in India before his birth, so the young ʿAbd al-Raḥmān was raised under the care of his maternal grandfather, who ensured he received a proper upbringing.

Education

From childhood, he showed a strong aptitude for learning. He memorized the Qurʾān at an early age, mastering not only the text but also the seven canonical recitations. Alongside his Qurʾānic studies, he delved into mathematics (including arithmetic, algebra, and geometry), Islamic jurisprudence, and Arabic grammar, laying a foundation for both religious and rational sciences.

He undertook multiple pilgrimages (ḥajj) to Mecca, during which he also spent time in Medina, visiting the Prophet's Mosque and meeting prominent scholars of the Hijaz. These travels allowed him to study, exchange transmissions, and expand his scholarly network, further strengthening his standing as a muḥaddith (hadith scholar). He also engaged with visiting scholars and Sufis in Zabīd.

Teachers

His pursuit of knowledge soon focused on hadith, the sayings of the Islamic prophet Muhammad. He studied under some of the most prominent scholars of his time, both in Yemen and during his travels to the Hijaz. Among his notable teachers were:

• Shams al-DÄ«n al-SakhāwÄ«
• Zayn al-Din al-Zabidi
• Jamāl al-DÄ«n Muḥammad al-Ṭayyib ibn Ismāʿīl,
• AbÅ« Ḥafá¹£ Ê¿Umar ibn Muḥammad ibn MaÊ¿Ä«bÄ«d al-Sirāj,

Scholarly life

Career

Back in Yemen, his reputation as a ḥāfiẓ (a master of Hadith who memorized vast numbers of narrations with their chains) grew rapidly. He became known as Amīr al-Muʾminīn fī al-Ḥadīth ("Prince of the Believers in Hadith"), a rare title reserved for the most eminent hadith authorities. The ruling Sultan ʿĀmir ibn ʿAbd al-Wahhāb held him in high regard, granting him residences and land in Zabīd. Eventually, Ibn al-Dayba' was appointed to teach Hadith publicly from the minbar of Zabīd's Great Mosque, a position of honour that reflected his status.

Students

Among his own students were:

• AbÅ« al-Ḍiyāʾ Ê¿Abd al-Raḥmān al-GhaythÄ«,
• Muḥammad ibn Aḥmad al-NahrÅ«wÄ«,
• Shaykh ibn Ê¿Abd Allāh ibn Shaykh al-Ê¿IdrÅ«s,
• Aḥmad ibn Ê¿AlÄ« al-Mazāji.

Death

After a lifetime dedicated to teaching, writing, and guiding students, Ibn al-Dayba' died in Zabīd in 944 AH (1537 CE) at the age of 78. He was buried in his hometown, remembered as one of Yemen's greatest hadith masters and historians in history.

Works

Ibn al-Daybaʿ was a prolific author whose writings span ḥadīth sciences, history, Sīrah, jurisprudence, poetry and Islamic related fields. His following works include:

Hadith

• TaysÄ«r al-Wuṣūl ilā JāmiÊ¿ al-Uṣūl min ḤadÄ«th al-RasÅ«l — A well-known and widely read summary of Majd ad-DÄ«n Ibn AthÄ«r's JāmiÊ¿ al-Uṣūl fÄ« AḥādÄ«th al-RasÅ«l (d. 606/1209). That collection brought together hadith from the six canonical sources: á¹¢aḥīḥ al-BukhārÄ«, á¹¢aḥīḥ Muslim, al-Muwaá¹­á¹­aʾ of Mālik, Sunan AbÄ« DāwÅ«d, Sunan al-TirmidhÄ«, and Sunan al-Nasāʾī. Earlier scholars such as Ibn al-BarÄ«zÄ« (d. 738/1337) also produced abridgments, but Ibn al-DaybaÊ¿ distinguished his by reorganizing the material for easier use. The book was printed and spread globally, with a well-known revised edition by Muḥammad Ḥāmid al-FaqÄ« of al-Azhar.
• TamyÄ«z al-Ṭayyib min al-KhabÄ«th mimmā yadÅ«r Ê¿alā al-alsinah min al-ḥadÄ«th — Abridgment of his teacher al-SakhāwÄ«'s al-Maqāṣid al-Ḥasanah, a key work in Ilm al-Rijal. He produced this summary to make the complex content more accessible to students and the general public. Additionally, in his treatise "TamyÄ«z al-Ṭayyib min al-KhabÄ«th", Ibn al-Dayba' aimed to provide clarity on distinguishing authentic (sahÄ«h) hadiths from weak (daÊ¿Ä«f), fabricated (mawdÅ«Ê¿), or suspicious ones, offering guidance on how to evaluate narrations and preserve the integrity of Islamic teachings.
• Miá¹£bāḥ Mishkāt al-Anwār min á¹¢iḥāḥ AḥādÄ«th al-NabÄ« al-Mukhtār — A condensation of al-Khaá¹­Ä«b al-TabrÄ«zÄ«'s Mishkāt al-Maṣābīḥ, itself is an expanded and revised version of al-BaghawÄ«'s Maṣābīḥ as-Sunnah. It was published with critical editing by Dr. Ê¿AlÄ« Ḥasan al-Bawwāb.
• Tanqīḥ al-Wuṣūl wa-JāmiÊ¿ al-Uṣūl li-AḥādÄ«th al-RasÅ«l — Mentioned by Ismāʿīl Pasha in Hidāyat al-ʿĀrifÄ«n as Ibn al-DaybaÊ¿'s work, though not confirmed in earlier biographies. It may have been another summary of TaysÄ«r al-Wuṣūl. No known manuscript has yet surfaced.
• Al-AḥādÄ«th al-Qudsiyyah — A collection of about 80 hadith qudsÄ«, transmitted without chains or indications of authenticity. Later scholars such as Dr. YÅ«suf Ṣādiq attempted takhrÄ«j on some of them. Manuscripts exist in the Great Mosque Library of á¹¢anʿāʾ (997 AH) and in the Ahqāf Library of TarÄ«m.
• Ghāyat al-Maá¹­lÅ«b wa-Aʿẓam al-Minah fÄ«mā yaghfir Allāh bihi al-dhunÅ«b wa-yÅ«jib al-Jannah — Written during the lifetime of his teacher, Zayn al-DÄ«n Aḥmad ibn Ê¿Abd al-Laá¹­Ä«f al-SharjÄ«, who trained him in writing and composition. Edited by Dr. Riḍā Muḥammad á¹¢afÄ« al-DÄ«n al-SanÅ«sÄ« and published in Beirut (1998).
• Kitāb al-Awāʾil — A compilation of “first” hadith reports, which scholars traditionally recited to teachers at the beginning of study to establish isnād connections. Survives only in manuscript form.
• Al-TaʾyÄ«d Mukhtaá¹£ar al-TaqyÄ«d fÄ« Ruwāt al-Sunan wa'l-MasānÄ«d — Cited by the Yemeni bibliographer Ê¿Abd Allāh al-ḤabshÄ«. Appears to be a shortened version of works on narrators of the Sunan and Musnads.
• AsānÄ«d al-DaybaÊ¿ Ê¿an Shaykhihi al-SharjÄ« Ê¿an NafÄ«s al-DÄ«n al-Ê¿AlawÄ« — A ten-folio collection of isnāds, half relating to the Kitāb al-Sunnah. A manuscript is preserved in the Western Library of á¹¢anʿāʾ.
• TashÄ«l al-Murtaqā li-tanāwul al-Muntaqā — Mentioned by al-ḤabshÄ«, apparently an abridgment of Ibn Taymiyyah's al-Muntaqā fÄ« AḥādÄ«th al-Aḥkām.
• MuÊ¿jam al-Ḥāfiẓ Ê¿Abd al-Raḥmān Ibn al-DaybaÊ¿ — Listed by al-ḤabshÄ«, possibly identical with his AsānÄ«d collection noted above. Needs further study to determine if they are separate works.
• Tuhfat al-Zamān bi Faḍāʾil al-Yaman wa Ahluh — A short treatise in three chapters compiling Prophetic traditions on the virtues of Yemen and its people. It was published in Beirut (, 1992), edited by Sayyid KasrawÄ« Ḥasan under the title Tuhfat al-Zamān fÄ« Faḍāʾil Ahl al-Yaman.

History

• Bughyat al-MustafÄ«d fÄ« Akhbār MadÄ«nat ZabÄ«d, also known as Tarikh al-Zabid — His most famous history work, focused on the city of ZabÄ«d. This work is especially valuable for the information on the architecture, noble figures and scholars.
• Al-Faḍl al-MazÄ«d Ê¿alā Bughyat al-MustafÄ«d — A continuation of the above, recording events and deaths of scholars from 1495–1517 CE, covering the end of the Ṭāhirid dynasty and MamlÅ«k entry into Yemen. Published in multiple editions, including Yemen (1993) and Kuwait.
• Qurrat al-Ê¿UyÅ«n bi-Akhbār al-Yaman al-MaymÅ«n — A general history of Yemen from the early Islamic period through his own time. Based on al-Khazrajī’s al-Ê¿Iqd al-MasbÅ«k, with additions on the RasÅ«lid and Ṭāhirid dynasties. Published in several editions, including one by Muḥammad Ê¿AlÄ« al-AkwaÊ¿.
• Al-Ê¿Iqd al-Bāhir fÄ« TārÄ«kh Dawlat BanÄ« Ṭāhir — A focused account of the Ṭāhirid rulers, prepared for Sultan ʿĀmir ibn Ê¿Abd al-Wahhāb. Considered a lost work, though al-ḤabshÄ« reported a manuscript in the Great Mosque Library of á¹¢anʿāʾ (no. 115).
• TārÄ«kh al-Dawlatayn al-Nāṣiriyyah wa’l-Ẓāhiriyyah wa-mā baynahumā — Covers the reigns of Yemeni rulers al-Nāṣir ibn al-Ashraf (1400–1423), al-Manṣūr II (1423–1426), al-Ashrāf III Ismāʿīl (1426–1427), and al-Ẓāhir Yaḥyā ibn al-Ashrāf II (1427–1438).
• Mukhtaá¹£ar al-Ê¿Aṭāyā al-Sunniyyah — A condensed version of al-Ê¿Aṭāyā al-Sunniyyah wa al-Mawāhib al-Haniyyah fÄ« al-Manāqib al-Yamaniyyah by al-Malik al-Afḍal Ê¿Abbās ibn Ê¿AlÄ« ibn DāwÅ«d al-Mujāhid al-RasÅ«lÄ« (764–778H / 1363–1376M). Ibn al-DaybaÊ¿'s summary preserves accounts of companions, scholars, saints, and ministers who came to Yemen. The work is organized alphabetically for easier reference.

SÄ«rah

• Mawlid al-Dayba'i — Abd al-Rahman al-Zabidi famously compiled Mawlid al-Dayba'i, a work of poetry that eulogizes and praises (Salawat) the Islamic prophet Muhammad. The poem begins with the birth of Muhammad and continues into describing exemplary events in his life, with other figures like Husayn ibn Ali occasionally being mentioned. The Mawlid al-Dayba'i is usually recited aloud during celebrations of Milad Nabi in the Islamic month of Rabi' al-Awwal. The Mawlid al-Dayba'i is popular in Southeast Asian countries such as Indonesia. It has also become a tradition in Masjid Al-Abdul Razak, a Singaporean mosque.
• Ithāf al-LabÄ«b bi-Isrāʾ al-ḤabÄ«b, also known called Kitāb al-MiÊ¿rāj — This short treatise covers the Prophet's Night Journey (isrāʾ) and Ascension (miÊ¿rāj). Qāṭin records the title as Ithāf al-LabÄ«b bi-Isrāʾ al-ḤabÄ«b, whereas al-Ê¿AydarÅ«s and Ibn al-Ê¿Imād refer to it as Kitāb al-MiÊ¿rāj. According to Ê¿Abd Allāh ibn Muḥammad al-ḤabshÄ«, a manuscript copy exists in the Maktabah al-Gharbiyyah in |á¹¢anʿāʾ, although it has not yet been published.
• Tuhfat al-Azkiyāʾ li-Mawlid Khātam al-Anbiyāʾ — Mentioned by the Yemeni researcher Ê¿Abd Allāh ibn Muḥammad al-ḤabshÄ«, this work commemorates the birth of the Prophet Muhammad (Mawlid), highlighting its religious significance.
• Al-Tuhfah al-Laá¹­Ä«fah fÄ« ḥādithat al-biÊ¿thah al-sharÄ«fah — A short didactic poem recounting the major events of the Prophet's life, preserved in manuscripts and printed in a critical edition by Dār al-Bashāʾir (2006).

Other literary works

• Kashf al-Kurbah fÄ« Sharḥ Duʿāʾ al-Imām AbÄ« Hirbah — This is a commentary on the khatm al-Qurʾān supplication composed by Imām Muḥammad ibn YaÊ¿qÅ«b AbÄ« Hirbah. Ibn al-DaybaÊ¿ stated that he wrote it after returning from his third pilgrimage in 896H/1491M. Radhi Daghfus listed it among his lost works, but this was incorrect. Manuscripts of the book survive in the Library of al-Aḥqāf (Tarim, Ḥaḍramawt) and in the private collection of Aḥmad Ê¿Abd al-JalÄ«l al-GhāzÄ« (ZabÄ«d).
• Ghāyat al-Waá¹­ar fÄ« Adhkār al-Safar — Cited by Dr. Aḥmad Ê¿Awwād al-KubaysÄ«, who listed it among Ibn al-DaybaÊ¿'s works. It parallels Tuhfat al-Ikhwān of Shaykh Aḥmad Muḥammad Qāṭin.
• Muntaqā al-Durar al-MaknÅ«n fÄ« Gharāʾib al-FunÅ«n — Mentioned by Yemeni researcher Ê¿Abd Allāh ibn Muḥammad al-ḤabshÄ«, though he provided no source. No surviving copy has been identified.
• Shifāʾ al-Fuʾād bi Sharḥ Banāt Suʿād — Also noted by al-ḤabshÄ« without citing a source. No manuscript has been located.
• Bughyat al-Irbah fÄ« MaÊ¿rifat Aḥkām al-Ḥisbah — A treatise on ḥisbah and comparative jurisprudence, drawing on the methods of al-GhazālÄ« and al-MāwardÄ«. Edited by Dr. Ṭalāl ibn JamÄ«l al-Rifāʿī (Umm al-Qura University), who confirmed the manuscript dates to the 10th century AH and is in Ibn al-Daybaʿ’s own hand. It comprises eight folios, each with 25 lines. The work was published in 1423H/2002. Al-Rifāʿī noted the need for further investigation to confirm attribution and to search for additional copies.
• Mukhtaá¹£ar Muntaqā al-Ê¿Asjād fÄ« ḤurÅ«f Abjad — Briefly mentioned by al-KubaysÄ« in his study of Ibn al-DaybaÊ¿'s al-Tuhfat al-Laá¹­Ä«fah. Its content remains unknown.
• Al-Nuẓm al-Shāmil fÄ« Aḥkām al-Manāzil fÄ« Ê¿Ilm al-Falak — Also cited by al-KubaysÄ«, who reported that a single folio is preserved in the Library of al-Ashāʿir (ZabÄ«d, Yemen).

See also

• List of Ash'aris

References

Bibliography