Ibn Humayd al-Najdi


Muḥammad ibn ʻAbd Allāh ibn Ḥumayd known simply as Ibn Ḥumayd al-Najdī was a Muslim scholar of the Hanbali school of thought. He was the head representative and Mufti of the Hanbalis in Mecca during Ottoman rule and was a staunch opponent of Muhammad bin Abdul Wahhab and the Wahhabi movement. Ibn Humayd is best known for his biographical work regarding the early Hanbali scholars.

Biography

Muhammad ibn 'Abdullah ibn Humayd was born in the city of Unaizah in the region of Najd. He studied under several teachers throughout the Arabian Peninsula, which included the Qadi of Mecca, Aba Butayn. He also had several travels in Egypt and Iraq to study and seek knowledge. At some point in his lifetime, he was appointed as the Mufti of the Hanbali school of thought, serving in Mecca during Ottoman rule. Ibn Humayd al-Najdi died in 1878 and was buried in the cemetery behind the Abd Allah ibn al-Abbas Mosque in Taif.

Opposition to Wahhabism

Ibn Humayd al-Najdi opposed the Wahhabi movement which was slowly emerging during his time. He strongly condemned Muhammad ibn Abdul Wahhab and refused to write a biography of him in his work, Al-Suḥub al-Wābilah. However, his condemnation of the infamous scholar was largely due to the fact that some of the Wahhabi movement used extreme violence to spread their teachings widely, giving an example of an incident where Sulayman ibn Abdul Wahhab was threatened by Wahhabi swordsmen. In terms of creedal matters and fiqh, however, Ibn Humayd was in agreement with Muhammad ibn Abdul Wahhab, and even praised one of the Wahhabi scholars of the time, Aba Butayn, who was also his teacher.

Works

Ibn Humayd wrote several works on the Hanbali school of thought, such as Al-Suḥub al-Wābilah ʿAlā Ḍarāʾiḥ al-Ḥanābilah, a compilation of biographies of past Hanbali scholars from the times of Ahmad ibn Hanbal to contemporary times which is also considered his best work. He also wrote an annotated version of the Sharḥ Muntaha al-Irādāt, a treatise on Hanbali doctrinal issues that was originally written by the Hanbali scholar Taqi' al-Din Muhammad ibn Ahmad ibn 'Abd al-Aziz al-Futuhi al-Misri.

List of works

  • Al-Suḥub al-Wābilah ʿAlā Ḍarāʾiḥ al-Ḥanābilah
  • Ḥāshiyat Ibn Ḥumayd ʿalā Sharḥ Muntahā al-Irādāt li-l-Buhūtī