Ibn Kathir
Damascus historian and Quran commentator
- Born
- c. 1300, near Bosra, Syria
- Died
- 1373, Damascus
- Works
- Tafsir of the Quran; al-Bidaya wa al-Nihaya (history)
- Post
- Taught at the Great Mosque of Damascus from 1366
Fourteenth-century Damascus scholar whose widely read Quran commentary names Asif ibn Barkhiya as the man who moved Sheba's throne.
What is Ibn Kathir known for?
Ismail ibn Kathir was born around 1300 near Bosra in Syria and educated in Damascus, where he taught at the Great Mosque from 1366 and died in 1373. He studied with the Hanbali scholar Ibn Taymiyya, whose influence is visible in his approach.
His history, al-Bidaya wa al-Nihaya ('The Beginning and the End'), runs in many volumes from Creation to his own time and ends with the signs of the end of the world. His Tafsir, a commentary on the Quran that explains verses through other verses, hadith and early authorities, is one of the most widely read commentaries today, available in many abridged translations.
He was cautious about Isra'iliyyat, stories drawn from Jewish and Christian lore, and often flagged them. On Surah 27:40, where an unnamed man 'with knowledge of the Book' brings the Queen of Sheba's throne to Solomon in the blink of an eye, he reports Ibn Abbas' view that this was Asif ibn Barkhiya, Solomon's scribe.
His commentary is the source cited for naming Asif ibn Barkhiya as the man who carried Sheba's throne.
Mentioned on these pages
- Rabbit holeAsif ibn Barkhiya (the throne carried in a blink)
- PersonIbn Abbas
Sources
- Encyclopaedia Britannica, 'Ibn Kathir'Reference
- Quran 27:40, Quran.comPrimary text
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