Ibn al-Athir al-Jazri

Ibn al-Athir al-Jazari, Abu al-Sa'adat al-Mubarak ibn Muhammad, a scholar of hadith and of language, author of al-Nihaya fi Gharib al-Hadith wa al-Athar (The Final Word on Obscure Hadith and Report), which is his most important work, and of Jami' al-Usul fi Ahadith al-Rasul (Compendium of the Roots in the Hadiths of the Messenger). ^{1 2}

His brother was Izz al-Din Ibn al-Athir the historian, author of al-Kamil fi al-Tarikh (The Complete History). ¹ The book states that Ibn al-Athir al-Jazari himself was a Shafi'i. ¹

He held the diwan of al-Jazira, and then became one of the companions of Izz al-Din Mas'ud ibn Mawdud in Mosul, who appointed him head of the chancery (diwan al-insha'). After Mas'ud's death the diwan passed to his son Nur al-Din Arslan Shah. Gout kept him from writing, so he stayed at home, visited by scholars and students. It is said that he completed most of his works while ill, dictating them to his pupils. ¹

• The entry is based on the first volume of the Mawsu'at A'lam al-Ulama' wa al-Udaba', a modern reference used here for facts only.
• His birth and death dates do not appear in the pages read, so they are not recorded here.
• The number of his works (about sixteen according to the entry) should be checked against a book list before it is relied on.