Brief biography of the life of one the greatest scholar of Yemen,Sheikh Islam Imam Sayyid Muhammad bin Ismail al-Amir(قدس الله سره).
Among the scholars who appeared in Yemen in the twelfth century, Imam Muhammad bin Ismail Al-San’ani, may God have mercy on him, was Mujadid, had a long tradition in the Hadith’ science, and left a huge legacy that exceeded three hundred books he had a great impact on the Reformation of Islamic society in Yemen and South Asia.
Islamic jurisprudence received wide great attention from Muslim scholars who did not spare an effort to derive rulings from the Book of God Almighty and the Sunnah of his Prophet.
Brief summary of his life and the society in which he lived:
Imam Ibn al-Amir al-San’aani lived in the twelfth century AH, seventeenth to eighteenth centuries CE, a period of Yemen’s independence from the Ottoman Empire.The Yemeni society was at that time separated into several classes and castes ,the highest of these classes where those who were the Sayyids,Qazis and those who were associated with the Ruling Family .Then we’re the craftsmen, farmers, and merchants, which represents the majority of Yemenis, and most of these people used to work in several different occupations such as carpentry, blacksmithing, farmers and other occupations, then the last layer, which is the layer of Slaves , who formed the lowest class in society and work in hard jobs.
He is Muhammad bin Ismail bin Salah bin Muhammad bin Ali bin Hafiz al-Din bin Sharaf al-Din bin Salah Ibn al-Hasan bin al-Mahdi bin Muhammad bin Idris bin Ali bin Muhammad bin Ahmed bin Yahya bin Hamza bin Suleiman bin Hamza bin al-Hassan bin Abdul Rahman bin Yahya bin Abdullah Bin Al Hussain Bin Al Qasim Bin Ibrahim Bin Ismail Bin Ibrahim Bin Al Hassan Bin Al Hassan Bin Ali Bin Abi Talib – may God be pleased with them. Al-Kahalani , then Al-San’ani , called Al-Badr and “Al-Muayyad Bellah”, known as the Prince , and he is also known as Ibn Al-Amir, according to his grandfather Yahya bin Hamza bin Suleiman Al-Hassani who died in 63.
Birth and upbringing:
Imam Ibn Al-Amir Al-San’aani was born on Friday night, half of Jumada Al-Akherah in the year 1099 AH. Then he moved with his father to the city of Sanaa in the year 1107 AH and he grew up in it until he died, and this is why he is called Al-Sanani .
Doctrine:
Imam Ibn Al-Amir Al-San’ani was Ahl Al Hadith’ . The term ‘Ahl-e- Hadith ‘literally means ‘people of the Hadith’, signifying to be the strict followers of the Prophet’s (peace be on him), Sunnah or practice, as reflected in the Hadith traditionalist’.The Manhaj of Salaf Saliheen is the best way to steer well clear of the extremes and ensure that in our learning and practices of Islam we be people of isnad, those who are linked to an unbroken chain of scholarship which extends all the way back to the practice of islam we be people of isnah those whoare linked to an unbroken chain of scholarship which extends all the way back to the prophetic age through Salaf saliheen.
The Ahl-e-Hadith (people of the traditions) appear to have developed out of a pious reaction to the assassination of Caliph Yazid bin Walid (d.744).Prior Yazid bin walid ’s assassination, scholars who emphasized Hadith and Athar (traditions of the prophet Muhammad) as the primary source for interpreting the will of Allah were disorganized and fairly removed from the widespread emphasis on applying varying levels of reason to the Qur’an.
His father, Sayyid Ismail bin Salah al-Amir, who was born in the city of Khwlaan in the year 1072 AH and achieved jurisprudence and statutes, studied and became famous for science, austerity, generosity, and softness .He moved with his family to Sana’a, Yemen in the year 1108 AH, and died in Sana’a in the third Dhu al-Hijjah 1146 AH (11).
Silsilay Isnad (transmission ) from Imam Muḥammad ibn Ismā‘īl Bukhari (قدس الله سرة) to Imam Muhammad bin Ismail al-Amir (قدس الله سره) goes as Follows:
The Shaykh studied the books of the Aqedah directly with Shaykh -ahl Hejaz al-Sheikh Abu Tahir Kurdistani (قدس الله سرة) who took from his Father al-Qadi ‘Ibrahim Kurrani Kurdistani(قدس الله سرة),Sheikh i Haram , Ahmad Kashashi (قدس الله سرة)who took from Sheikh Ahmad bin Abdul Qaddus Sanabii (قدس الله سرة) who took from Al Qadi Muhammad bin Ahmad Ramli Filastini(قدس الله) who took from Sheikh Al Islam Khwaja Zakariya Ansari Khorasani(قدس الله) who took from Al Imam Hafiz ibn Hajr Askalani (قدس الله)who took from Sheikh Ibrahim Tanukhii (قدس الله) who took from Sheikh Ahmad bin Abi Talib al Hajarii(قدس الله) who took from Abul Hassan Muhammad bin Abd Al Rehman Dabardii (قدس الله سرة)who took from Imam Muhammad bin Ahmad Al Ramli(قدس الله سرة) who took from Imam Muhammad bin Abdullah Hamvi Shamii (قدس الله سرة)who took from Sheikh Abdullah bin Yousuf Faraabi(قدس الله سرة) who Took From Al Imam_Abū ‘Abd Allāh Muḥammad ibn Ismā‘īl ibn Ibrāhīm ibn al-Mughīrah ibn Bardizbah al-Ju‘fī al-Bukhārī (عليه رحمة).
His students, the books of biographies mentioned many numbers of those who were disciples of Ibn Al-Amir, the most famous of whom are:
Ahmed bin Muhammad bin Abd al-Hadi bin Saleh bin Abdullah bin Ahmad Qatin al-Hababi was born on the night of fourteen Muharram in 1118 AH. AH).
Abdul Qadir bin Nasser bin Abdul Rab was born in the month of Dhul Qi’dah in the year 1135 AH.
Sayyid al-Husayn ibn Abd al-Qadir ibn Ali ibn al-Mahdi, who was born in Sanaa in Rabi` al-Awwal in the year 1120 AH.
Sayyid Muhammad bin Ishaq bin Al-Imam Al-Mahdi was born during the fifteenth of Wednesday night, from Dhu al-Hijjah in the year 1090 AH.
As for the writings of Ibn Al-Amir Al-San’ani and his scientific heritage, he has many books exceeding three hundred. Among his most important books:
سبل السلام شرح بلوغ المرام وقد اختصره من شرح البدر التمام للمغربي۔
منحة الغفار حاشية على ضوء النهار۔
إسبال المطر على قصب السكر۔
جمع الشتيت في شرح أبيات التثبيت۔
توضيح الأفكار في شرح تنقيح الأنظار۔
العدة على شرح العمدة (حاشية على شرح عمدة الأحكام لابن دقيق العيد)۔
التحبير شرح على كتاب تيسير الوصول إلى جامع الأصول۔
الروضة الندية شرح التحفة العلوية۔
اللمعة بتحقيق شرط الجمع۔
ثمرات النظر في علم الأثر۔
استيفاء الأقوال في بيان تحريم إسبال الثياب على الرجال۔
ديوان محمد بن إسماعيل الأمير جمعه بعد وفاته ابنه عبد الله۔
وغيرها من المؤلفات والمخطوطات والأبحاث العلمية۔
