Al-Khatib al-Baghdadi
| Al-Khatib al-Baghdadi | |
|---|---|
| Born | 24 Jumadi' al-Thani, 392 A.H/May 10, 1002 C.E |
| Died | 7 Zulhijja, 463 A.H/ September 5, 1071 C.E |
| Occupation | Islamic scholar, Muhaddith |
| Religion | Islam |
| Denomination | Sunni |
| Jurisprudence | Shafi'i |
| Creed | Ash'ari |
| Main interest(s) | Hadith studies, Fiqh |
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Abu Bakr Ahmad ibn `Ali ibn Thabit ibn Ahmad ibn Mahdi al-Shafi`i, commonly known as al-Khatib al-Baghdadi (Arabic: الخطيب البغدادي) or "the lecturer from Baghdad" (10 May 1002 – 5 September 1071; 392 AH-463 AH), was a Sunni Muslim scholar and historian.
Al-Khatib al-Baghdadi was born on 24 Jumadi' al-Thani, 392 A.H/May 10, 1002, in Hanikiya, a village south of Baghdad. He was the son of a preacher and he began studying at an early age with his father and other shaykhs. Over time he studied other sciences but his primary interest was hadith. At the age of 20 his father died and he went to Basra to search for hadith. In 1024 he set out on a second journey to Nishapur and he collected more hadith in Rey and Isfahan. It is unclear how long he traveled but his own accounts have him back in Baghdad by 1028. While he was an authority on hadith it was his preaching that led to his fame that would help him later in life. One biographer, Al-Dhahabi, said that contemporary teachers and preachers of tradition would usually submit what they had collected to Al-Baghdadi before they used them in their lectures or sermons.
al-Baghdadi was a member of the Hanbali school of Fiqh (jurisprudence religious law) but moved across to Shafi'i Based on his theological opinions. This change may have happened after a trip to Nahrawan in 1038 but it is not clear. His change in opinion upset Imam Hanbal's followers and, as a result, there was some ongoing hostility between them and al-Baghdadi. Despite this hostility, al-Baghdadi had the protection of Caliph Al-Qa'im and, under that protection, he gave lectures on hadith in the Mansur Mosque.
In 1059, a rebellion led by the Turkish general, Basasiri, was successful and he overthrew Caliph Al-Qa'im for control of Baghdad. This loss of protection led to al-Baghdadi going to Damascus. He spent eight years lecturing in the Umayyad Mosque until he was the subject of a major controversy. Biographers Yaqut, Sibt ibn al-Jawzi, al-Dhahabi, as-Safadi, and Ibn Taghribirdi all contend that the controversy involved al-Baghdadi's relationship with a youth. Sibt ibn al-Jawzi contends that the youth in question had travelled with al-Baghdadi from Baghdad. Yaqut goes on to explain that the controversy reached the ears of the ruler of Damascus who, in turn, ordered his security chief to kill al-Baghdadi. The police chief, who was a Sunni, advised al-Baghdadi to gain the protection of Shari ibn Abi al-Hasan al-'Alawi, because the security chief recognised that al-Baghdadi was an important person and killing him would lead to a retaliation against the Shi'i. al-Baghdadi was advised that he was in danger and fled to Sur, Lebanon. He stayed there for about a year before he returned to Baghdad where he died in September 1071. He was buried next to Bishr al-Hafi.
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