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هذا الموقع بحاجة ماسة إلى تبرعاتكم لدعم الخادم
Part One In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful
He is the Imam, the Hafiz, Abu al-Fida’ Isma’il ibn ‘Umar ibn Kathir ibn Daw’ ibn Kathir ibn Dir’ al-Qurashi, from the Banu Hasalah. He was born in the year seven hundred and one, as he himself mentioned in al-Bidayah wa al-Nihayah «1», in the village of "Majdal" from the administrative districts of "Busra." Its name appeared in al-Bidayah wa al-Nihayah «2» as "Mujaydil," and perhaps that occurred as a clerical error. His father, the Khatib (preacher) Shihab al-Din, died in the village of al-Majdal in the year 703 AH—as the author mentioned in al-Bidayah wa al-Nihayah within an extensive biography of his father «3». The Imam grew up after the death of his father under the care of his elder brother, about whom he said: "He was a brother to us, and to us a compassionate companion" «4». The eighth century AH witnessed great events under the Mamluk state, represented by the attacks of the Tatars, numerous successive famines, and epidemics that claimed millions of people; it also witnessed wars with the Crusaders and a frequency of conspiracies and strife among princes and ministers.
Nevertheless, this era was dominated by prominent intellectual activity represented by the abundance of schools and the abundance of compositions, especially encyclopedic compositions.
Imam Ibn Kathir studied at the hands of hundreds of teachers; we mention among them: Al-Qasim ibn Muhammad al-Birzali, the historian of Sham (d. 739 AH); Sheikh Yusuf ibn ‘Abd al-Rahman al-Mizzi (d. 744 AH); the Hafiz Ibn al-Qalanisi (d. 729 AH); Ibrahim ibn ‘Abd al-Rahman al-Fazari (d. 729 AH); Najm al-Din Ibn al-Asqalani; Ibn al-Shihnah Shihab al-Din al-Hajjar (d. 730 AH); Kamal al-Din Ibn Qadi Shuhbah; Sheikh Najm al-Din Musa ibn ‘Ali ibn Muhammad al-Jili then al-Dimashqi, known as Ibn al-Basis (d. 716 AH); and the Hafiz Shams al-Din al-Dhahabi (d. 748 AH). He also took [knowledge] from al-Qasim ibn ‘Asakir, Ibn al-Shirazi, Ishaq al-Amidi, and many others.
Dengan nama Allah Yang Maha Pengasih lagi Maha Penyayang
Biografi Ibnu Katsir
Beliau adalah Imam al-Hafizh Abu al-Fida’ Ismail bin Umar bin Katsir bin Dla’u bin Katsir bin Dira’ al-Qurasyi dari Bani Hashilah. Ia lahir pada tahun 701 H, sebagaimana ia sendiri sebutkan dalam al-Bidayah wa an-Nihayah1, di desa Majdal yang termasuk wilayah Bushra. Nama desa tersebut juga disebut dalam al-Bidayah wa an-Nihayah2:
“Majidil”, kemungkinan terjadi kesalahan penyalinan. Ayahnya, sang khatib Syihabuddin, wafat di desa al-Majdal pada tahun 703 H, sebagaimana penulis sebutkan dalam al-Bidayah wa an-Nihayah dalam biografi panjang tentang ayahnya3.
Setelah wafatnya ayahnya, Imam Ibnu Katsir tumbuh dalam asuhan kakaknya yang lebih tua, tentang siapa ia berkata: “Ia adalah saudara kami, penuh kasih sayang, ramah, dan penyayang”4.
Abad kedelapan Hijriyah menyaksikan peristiwa-peristiwa besar di bawah kekuasaan Dinasti Mamluk, berupa serangan bangsa Tatar, berbagai bencana kelaparan yang berulang, dan wabah penyakit yang merenggut jutaan nyawa manusia. Juga terjadi peperangan melawan pasukan salib serta banyaknya konspirasi dan fitnah di antara para amir dan menteri.
Namun demikian, pada masa itu juga berkembang aktivitas keilmuan yang menonjol, yang terlihat dari banyaknya madrasah serta banyaknya karya tulis, khususnya karya-karya ensiklopedis.
Guru-gurunya:
Imam Ibnu Katsir belajar kepada ratusan guru. Di antara mereka: al-Qasim bin Muhammad al-Barzalī, sejarawan Syam (w. 739 H), Syaikh Yusuf bin Abdurrahman al-Mizzi (w. 744 H), al-Hafizh Ibnu al-Qalānisi (w. 729 H), Ibrahim bin Abdurrahman al-Fazārī (w. 729 H), Najmuddin Ibnu al-‘Asqalānī, Ibnu asy-Syuhnah Syihabuddin al-Hajjār (w. 730 H), Kamaluddin Ibnu Qadhi Syuhbah, Syaikh Najmuddin Musa bin Ali bin Muhammad al-Jīlī kemudian ad-Dimasyqi yang dikenal dengan Ibnu al-Bashīsh (w. 716 H), al-Hafizh Syamsuddin adz-Dzahabī (w. 748 H). Ia juga mengambil ilmu dari al-Qasim Ibnu ‘Asākir, Ibnu asy-Syirāzī, Ishaq al-Amadī, dan banyak yang lainnya.