Ibn al-Athir Izz al-Din

Ibn al-Athir Izz al-Din, Abu al-Hasan Ali ibn Muhammad al-Shaybani (555–630 AH), a historian, scholar of hadith and genealogist, author of al-Kamil fi al-Tarikh (The Complete History). ¹

He was born in Jazirat ibn Umar. He lived in Mosul with his father and two brothers, then travelled to Syria and Jerusalem, where he heard hadith from a number of scholars. He returned to Mosul and kept to his house for learning and writing. ¹

He abridged and supplemented Ibn al-Sam'ani's al-Ansab (Genealogies), and brought the result out as al-Lubab fi Tahdhib al-Ansab (The Essence in Refining the Genealogies). He also wrote a book on the Companions that gathered their biographies. ¹

He relied fundamentally on the history of al-Tabari for his history, and said so in more than one place. He also gave reports that al-Tabari did not mention. ² He witnessed some events in Syria in the time of Salah al-Din, and so was close to them in time and place. ²

• 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 death date (630 AH) is given in the heading of the entry. His birth date (555 AH) is given in the body as the text gives it.
• The text of the Kamil should be compared with the edition relied on before any report from it is quoted.