Ibnu Hajar Al-^Asqalaniyy's to praise the Prophet in his poems' anthology

والصَّلَاةُ والسَّلاَمُ عَلَى سَيّدِنَا مُحَمَّدٍ أَشْرَفِ اْلمُرْسَلِيْنَ وَعَلَى آلِهِ وَصَحْبِهِ الطَّيّبِيْنَ الطَّاهِرِيْن

He was named Ahmad, son of ^Aliyy, son of Muhammad, son of Muhammad, son of ^Aliyy, son of Ahmad of the tribe of Kinanah. Originally from ^Asqalan [west of Jerusalem], but Egyptian by birth and a follower of the Shafi^iyy school, he was, like his forebears, nicknamed Ibnu Hajar after the clan of Hajar that populated the south of Biledulgerid in the territory of Gabès [now in Tunisia].

As per Shihabu d-Din, it was the honorific name (laqab) given to him according to the custom of the time, and Abu l-Fadl was his common name (kunyah). He was born in old Cairo in 773 AH. His father passed away four years later, shortly after his mother. He grew up an orphan under the care of Radiyyu d-Din Abu Bakr Al-Kharubiyy, Egypt's greatest merchant.

His Pursuit of Knowledge

At the age of five, he was placed in the Kuttab. By nine, he had completed his Qur’an studies under Shaykh Sadru d-Din As-Saftiyy. He then memorised Al-^umdah and Al- Hawi in the field of jurisprudence, the ‘alfiyyah of his shaykh Zaynu d-Din Al-^Iraqiyy in hadith science, the Mukhtasar of Ibnu l-Hajib in the fundamentals of jurisprudence, and Mulhatu l-'i^rab in grammar by Abu Muhammad Al-Qacim son of ^Aliyy Al-Haririyy Al-Bisriyy. In 784 AH, he journeyed to Mecca to perform the pilgrimage. He studied there under Hafidh Abu Hamid Muhammad Ibnu Dhahirah et de Al-^Afif An-Nashawuriyy.

He studied Arabic under Shamsu d-Din Muhammad Al-Ghumariyy, literature and versification under Al-Badr Al-Bashtakiyy, jurisprudence under Burhanu d-Din Al-'Ibnaciyy, de Nuru d-Din Al-Haythamiyy, and with two prominent jurists of his time, Siraj Al-Bulqiniyy and Siraj Ibnu al Mulaqqin. He mastered most of the sciences under ^Izzu d-Din Ibnu Jama^ah, a scholar so knowledgeable that he claimed: "I know fifteen sciences unknown even by name to the scholars of my time."

In summary, Ash-Shihab Ibnu Hajar was a learned scholar who mastered the sciences of his era with their diverse ramifications and particularities, including morphology, rhetoric, other fields of the Arabic language, history, jurisprudence, hadith, Qur’an recitations, and both textual and rational sciences such as mathematics, among others.

His Mastery of hadith Science

Regarding the science of hadith, in which he surpassed his peers and gained fame beyond borders, his contemporaries, and successors unanimously recognised his erudition, profound knowledge, and exceptional memorisation capacity, honouring him with the title ‘the hafidh'. Shaykh ^Afifu d-Din An-Nashawuriyy was the first to impart this knowledge to him in Mecca. In his quest for knowledge, he travelled to Jerusalem, Nablus, RamAllah, Gaza, and Damascus, then to Alexandria and Qûs in Egypt, and later to Mecca and Yemen. However, he devoted particular attention to studying with the foremost Shaykh of the Prophetic Tradition [of his time], Az-Zayn Al-^Iraqiyy, in Cairo.

The Hafidh Ibnu Hajar had many teachers and reached a level of knowledge that none of his fellow students managed to attain. He mastered various aspects of this science, including the study of transmission chains, sayings attributed to the Prophet, signs of forgery, and terminology. Additionally, he possessed a deep knowledge of the lives of Islamic figures. For this reason, he composed several authoritative biographical compilations on which scholars relied. He thus became the person to whom people referred and to whom they travelled to acquire this eminent knowledge.

His Shaykhs

The Hafidh Ibnu Hajar made an alphabetical inventory of his masters in his dictionary ‘Al-mujma^u l-mu’assasu bi l-mu^jami l-mufahras’, classifying them into two categories. The first category included the shaykhs who transmitted the prophetic word to him, while the second comprised those from whom he learned terminology. He also quoted some of them in his history book, ‘'Inba'u l-ghumri bi 'anba'i l- ^umr’.
Among his most famous teachers were:

• In the Arabic sciences, especially language: Majdu d-Din Bnu Ya^quba l-Fayruz'abadiyy, Badru d-Dini l-Bashtakiyy in literature, and Al-Ghumariyy in various subjects.
• In recitations of the Qur’an: Abu Ishaq 'Ibrahim Bnu 'Ahmad At-Tanukhiyy Al-Ba^labaqiyy.
• In jurisprudence : Siraju d-Din Al-Bulqiniyy et Siraju d-Din Bnu l-Mulaqqin.
• In hadith: ^Afifu d-Din An-Nashawuriyy, Zaynu d-Din Al-^Iraqiyy, le hafidh Abu Hurayrah et Badru d-Din Bnu Qawam Al-Baliciyy.

And among his teachers were Fatimah, daughter of Al-Munja At-Tanukhiyyah, Fatimah, daughter of Muhammad Bnu ^Abdi l-Hadi, and her sister ^A'ishah.

His various functions 

Ibnu Hajar assumed the responsibility of leading assemblies reading and transcribing hadith, adhering closely to the customs observed by scholars of the Prophetic tradition. In addition to this role, he provided jurisprudential opinions, served as a judge on multiple occasions, and delivered teachings on exegesis at Al-Hasaniyyah and Al-Mansuriyyah. His instructional duties extended to teaching hadith at notable institutions such as Al-Bibarciyyah, Al-Jamaliyyah Al-Mustajidah, Al-Hasaniyyah, Ash-Shaykhuniyyah and Az-Zaynabiyyah —each institution bearing the name of the governors or dignitaries responsible for their establishment. Furthermore, he imparted his knowledge at the Ibnu Tulun mosque and Al-Qubah Al-Mansuriyyah.

Moreover, he was tasked with transmitting hadith to Al-Mahmudiyyah and teaching jurisprudence at Al-Kharubiyyah, Ash-Shaykhuniyyah, As-Salihiyyah An-Najmiyyah, and Al-Mu'yadiyyah. Additionally, he held the esteemed positions of Shaykh at Al-Bibarciyyah and Mufti at Dar l-^Adl. Furthermore, he was entrusted with the significant role of sermonist at both the grand mosque of Al-‘Azhar and the mosque of ^Amru bnu l-^As. He dedicated approximately twenty years to dictating hadith at the zawiyah (known as Khanqah) of Bibars, and later at Daru l-Hadith Al-Kamiliyyah in the vicinity of the same name, situated between the two palaces in Cairo.
Regarding the position of judge, it was initially bestowed upon him during the reign of Sultan Al-Ashraf Barsbay. Subsequently, he was offered the jurisdiction of the Sham concurrently, which he declined. He was also entrusted with managing the Mahmudiyyah library, where he meticulously catalogued its contents.

His death

In the year 852 AH, Ibnu Hajar Al-^Asqalaniyy suffered from diarrhoea, which persisted until his passing on the night of Saturday, the 18th of the month of Dhu l-Hijjah of the same year, while at his home in Cairo, not far from the Al-Mankutamriyyah school. The funeral prayer for him took place at Rumaylah outside the city, attended by Sultan Adh-Dhahir Jaqmaq and the ^Abbasiyy Caliph, with ^Alamu d-Din Al-Bulqiniyy leading it. His bier was then taken to the neighbourhood of Al-Qarafah As-Sughra, opposite the great Ad-Daylamiyy mosque, where he was buried not far from the tomb of Al-Layth Bnu Sa^ad.

His anthology of poems

This is the book in which he collected all his Andalusian poems and septets [seven-line poems]. It is divided into seven parts: the first contains septets in praise of the Prophet. The second praises some of the kings of his time. The third deals with emirs and companions, while the fourth deals with love. The fifth covers various subjects such as elegy, mourning, wisdom and others. The sixth is dedicated to the Andalusian septets. Finally, the seventh is entitled ‘al maqati^’ and refers to distiches [i.e. stanzas of two verses] built on the metrics [basic rhythmic structure of a verse] listed by Al-Khalil [ibnu Ahmad al-Farahidiy].

Ibnu Hajar Al-^Asqalaniyy composed those singing the praises of the Prophet solely in hope of Allah's grace, tabaraka wa ta^ala, and His rewards, aiming to be among those who benefit from his intercession on the Last Day. This alone suffices as proof to justify the permissibility of praising the Prophet and responding to the coarse-hearted rustics who forbid praising the best of prophets, celebrating his birth, and rejoicing in it. How could it be otherwise when jurists and worthy scholars have engaged in it?

They take as a model the companions of the Prophet, such as his uncle Al-^Abbas, who composed verses in his honour. Allah ta^ala praised the Prophet with His words, which mean: "And We have not sent you except as a mercy to the worlds."