Biography of Imam Shihab al Din al-Ramli

بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم
ترجمة الإ مام شهاب الدين الرملي
رحمه الله تعااى


al Imam Shihab al Din al Ramli






He is the Imam, ‘Alim, Sheikh of Islam, the scholar’s scholar of his time, Shihab al Din, Abu al-‘Abbas, Ahmad bin Ahmad bin Hamzah al Ramli, al-Munufi, al Misri, al-Ansari al Shafi’I, known as al-Shihab al Ramli.

He (may Allah Ta ‘Ala have mercy on Him) grew up in Allah Most High’s worship and obedience. Since His childhood, He tirelessly sought knowledge and worked very hard to attain it. No one among his peers could bear such persistence and hard work. He adhered to piety, scrupulousness, abstinence and humility.

He read Hadith, Fiqh, its principles, grammar, rhetoric and literature. His rank elevated and his prestige rose. None of his contemporaries achieved what He attained. So much so that His Sheikh, Sheikh al-Islam Zakariyya al-Ansari, permitted him to modify his writings both during his lifetime and after his death and he did not permit anyone else to do this.

Sheikh al-Islam used to say to him, “Correct what you see in my books that needs correcting and edit whatever needs to be edited and ascribe it to me.”

Al Shihab al-Din adjusted several passages of Sharh al Bahjah and Sharh al Rawd while Shiekh al Islam was alive. A group of his teachers authorized him to give fatwa and to teach. He undertook general lessons and his standing became widely known. His praise led him do widespread fame and his students came from everywhere.

Al Shihab al-Din had a sharp intellect and a pertinent understanding. He read the Quran excessively. He spoke the truth openly and didn’t fear to condemn a sin. He commanded the good and forbade evil and didn’t fear the tyranny of the oppressors.
Al Shihab al-Din may Allah Most High have mercy on Him, served himself out of humbleness. No one was able to buy any of his needs from the market place until he became old and weak. From the subtleties of character was his reverence for his teachers during their lifetime and after their death. He venerated and honored them so much so that when he’d see any of his teacher, Burhan al Din bin Abi Shareef’s companions or the companions of Shiekh al-Islam, he’d honor them saying ,”when I look at any of his companions, it is as if I am looking at the Sheikh.”


Al Imam al Shihab al Din had the good fortune of studying with the greatest scholars of his time who where lights in the various sciences. Their radiance remained luminous, illuminating the students of sacred knowledge and knowledge of Allah over the course of time.

Some of his teachers include;

Al Imam Ibn ‘Awjan

Al Imam Jalal al Din al Suyuti

Al Imam Burhan al Din ibn abi Shareef

Sheikh al Islam Zakariyya al Ansari

Al Imam al Hafidh Shams al Din al Sakhawi

Al Imam Khalid al Azhari

As for al Shihab al Din’s students, they are too many to count. Students traveled from east to west for study with him. He was the Sheikh al Shuyukh of the period of consolidation in the Shafi’I madhhab. It came to the point where he’d become leader of the Islamic sciences. Almost all of the Shafi’I scholars (of the later Shafi’is) were either his students or the students of his students.

The most prominent of his students are;

Al Imam Rajab al Ya’furi

Al Imam Shams al Din al Taniki

Al Imam Shams al Din al ‘Alqami

Al Imam ‘Abd Wahhab al Sha’rani

Al Imam ibn Hajar al Haytami

Al Imam Shams al Din Khatib al Shirbini

Al Imam Nur al Din al Nasafi

Sheikh al Islam Shihab al Din al Ghazzi

Al Imam Burhan al Din al ‘Alqami

Al Imam ibn Qasim al ‘Abbadi

Al Imam Shams al Din al Ramli

Al Imam Nur al Din al Maqdisi

Al Imam Badr al Din al Karkhi

Al Imam Ibrahim al Halabi

Al Imam Nur al Din al Zayadi

Al Imam Nur al Din al Tandatay


His writings

With his extensive knowledge in the various fields of Islamic sciences, He did not leave lengthy works, rather all of his works are beneficial short works and the bulk of these works are in the science of Fiqh.

His works include commentaries of the following;

Zahid’s Muqaddimah, commonly known as Sittin Masa’alah, by Imam Abul ‘Abbas Ahmad al Zahid.

Asna al Mutalib sharh Rawd al Talib by Sheikh al Islam.

Sharh Tahrir Tanqih al Lubab by Sheikh al Islam.

al Ajurumiyyah

Zubdat al Ulum

Baydhawi’s versification regarding marriage

Ghayat al Ma’mul sharh Waraqat al Usul by Imam al Haramayn.

Ibn ‘Imad’s versification entitled “Fath al Jawad”.

Zubad ibn Rislan entitled “Fath al Rahman.”

Tasliyah al Ka’ib bi faqd al Habib

A work regarding the conditions of the follower and Imam and the Conditions of Ablution.

Two Fatwa works, one gathered by His student, Imam Khatib al Shirbini and the other by His son, Shams al Din al Ramli.


His praise amongst the ‘Ulama;

-al Imam al Sha’rani, “He was the Imam, the God-fearing ‘Alim, the Khatimah of the Muhaqqiqin in Egypt, Hijaz and Sham.”

-al Imam bin Hajar al Haytami, “the greatest of Sheikh al Islam’s companions, the Muhaqqiq of his era by the agreement of the people of his land.”

-His son, Shams al Din al Ramli, “The Sheikh, Imam and Magnanimous Scholar. The ‘Allamah, the extremely knowledgeable Sheikh of the Masha’ikh of Islam. Al ‘Alim al Rabbani and al ‘Amil al Samadini, the Sheikh of legal verdict and teaching, the center of Fiqh.”

-al Imam Muhammad al Shawbari, “the Sheikh of the Shuyukh, the last of those deeply rooted.”


His death;

Allah Most High gave al Shihab al Din a long life. As He aged, he was still abstinent from this world and very humble. He occupied himself with knowledge by way of teaching, giving formal legal rulings, writing and commanding good and forbidding evil. He remained this way until he passed away and went on to the mercy of al Rahman in the beginning of Jumada al Akhir in the year 957.h. When news spread of His death, people gathered from everywhere, hearts filled with sadness and eyes filled with tears. On the day of Jumu’ah, the people prayed his funeral prayer at al Azhar. Al Azhar was so crowded that day that many people had to pray to funeral prayer in other places.


May Allah Most High have mercy upon Him.

Portions extracted from His biography in the introduction of Fath al Rahman bi sharh Zubad ibn Rislan.

Al Ramli, Fath al Rahman bi sharh Zubad ibn Rislan.
Jeddah, Saudi Arabiyya, Dar al Minhaj 2009


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