ابن خلكان
ابن خلكان
c. 1211 CE · c. 608 AH – c. 1282 CE · c. 681 AH
Ibn Khallikan, chief qadi of Damascus and author of Wafayat al-A'yan — born at Irbil 608, trained under Kamal al-Din ibn Yunus at Mosul and Ibn Shaddad in Syria, twice appointed and twice dismissed from the Damascus qadaship; al-Dhahabi: 'he compiled a precious book on the deaths of the notables' 1.
At a glance
- Roles
- judge · Scholar · writer
- Era
- The Crusades, Ayyubids and Mamluks
- Region
- Levant & Iraq
- Review
- Draft Completeness 2/5 · Help complete it
Life in time
Overview
Qadi al-Qudat Shams al-Din Abu al-Abbas Ahmad ibn Muhammad ibn Khallikan al-Barmaki al-Irbili al-Shafi'i, author of Wafayat al-A'yan (Obituaries of Eminent Men). He was born in Irbil in 608 AH and died in 681 AH. 2
Learning
He heard al-Bukhari from Ibn Makram, studied jurisprudence in Mosul under Kamal al-Din ibn Yunus and in Syria under Ibn Shaddad. He met the great scholars and excelled in letters. 2
Judgeship
He lived in Egypt for a time and deputised as judge there, then held the judgeship of Syria for ten years. He was removed in 669 AH, spent seven years dismissed in Egypt, was restored to the judgeship of Syria, and was removed a second time at the beginning of 680 AH. 2
Al-Dhahabi's words
Al-Dhahabi says that he was an accomplished imam who knew the school well, an authority in letters, poetry and the days of the people, and generous. He mentions that Ibn Khallikan compiled a valuable book on the obituaries of eminent men. 2
Connections
- Related to
- أبو المحاسن الشواء
People and things also explored
Sources
- Shadharat al-Dhahab — Ibn al-Imad al-Hanbali, p. 379
- Shadharat al-Dhahab — Ibn al-Imad al-Hanbali, p.379
- Mawsu'at A'lam al-Ulama' wa-l-Adaba' al-Arab wa-l-Muslimin — Dar al-Jil / ALECSO
Cite this page
islam.museum contributors. “ابن خلكان”. islam.museum, https://islam.museum/en/person/ibn-khallikan/. CC BY-SA 4.0. Accessed 2026-10-17.