The `Abidin Family

The `Abidin Family

The ´Abidin family is a family of scholars and nobles, whose lineage goes back to Sayyiduna al-Husayn, the grandson of the Prophet ﷺ. They came to settle in Damascus in the 4th century H. The most famous member of the family is probably Sheikh Muhammad Amin b. Umar `Abidin (d. 1252 H.), the author of the famous Hashia.


Family tree

Lineage of `Umar ‘Abidin:

He was `Umar
b. `Abd al-`Aziz b. Ahmad
b. `Abd al-Rahim
b. Muhammad Salih al-Din (known as Ibn `Abidin because of his rightousness)
b. Najm al-Din b. Muhammad
b. Kamal b. Taqi al-Din (al-mudarris)
b. Mustafa b. Husayn b. Rahmatu Allahal-Thani b. Qasim
b. Hasan
b. Isma’il (the first of them who came to Damascus, became the leader of the guild of ashraf in 330 H. ),
b. Husayn al-Thalith,
b. Ahmad b. al-Khamis
b. Isma’il al-Thani
b. Muhammad
b. Isma’il al-A`raj
b. al-Imam Ja`far al-Sadiq
b. al-Imam Muhammad al-Baqir
b. al-Imam `Ali Zayn al-`Abidin
b. al-Imam al-Husayn
b. Sayyidina `Ali & Sayyidatina Fatima radia Allah `anhum.

Relation to Yaqoubi family

One of the highest isnads of hadith in the world today goes through the Yaqoubi scholars, through the `Abidins, through the Kuzbaris etc down to Ibn Hajar al-`Asqalani, as follows:
Sheikh Muhammad al-Yaqoubi
from Sheikh Abul Yusr `Abidin (d. 1401)
from Sheikh Ahmad `Abidin (d. 1307)
from Sheikh `Abd al-Rahman al-Kuzbari (d. 1262)
from Imam Mustafa al-Rahmati al-Ayyubi al-Ansari al-Hanafi (d. 1205)
from Imam `Abd al-Ghani al-Nablusi al-Hanafi (d. 1143)
from Imam Najm al-Din Muhammad ibn Muhammad al-Ghazzi al-Diamshqi
from his father al-Hafiz Badr al-Din Muhammad ibn Muhammad al-Ghazzi
from Shekh al-Islam al-Qadi Zakariyya al-Ansari
from Amir al-Mu’minin Imam Ahmad ibn `Ali known as Ibn Hajar al-`Asqalani al-Shafi`I (d. 852)

The Khalwati tariqa was revived in Damascus by Sheikh al-Mahdi al-Saklawi al-Jaza’iri (d. 1278). Among his murids where the greatest scholars of Damascus, such as

his son-in-law Sheikh Siddiq al-Yaqoubi (d. 1307), and his son Sheikh Sharif al-Yaqoubi (d. 1362)
his son-in-law Sheikh Muhammad al-Mubarak (the elder), and his son Sheikh Muhammad al-Tayyib (d. 1313)
Sheikh Abu Nasr al-Khatib al-Shami (who was older that sheikh al-Saklawi)
Sheikh Ahmad `Abidin (d. 1306), grandfather of Sheikh Abul Yusr `Abidin

Sheikh Abul Yusr was 30 years older that Sheikh Ibrahim, and passed away a few years before him. He ranked Sheikh Ibrahnim al-Yaqoubi as the top scholar if Usul al-Fiqh in Damascus, and said: “Sheikh Ibrahim is the authority if you don’t find me”

Sheikh Muhammad al-Yaqoubi was 18 years of age when Sheikh Abu Yusr passed away, He sat with his special students in the halaqa in his home, and he saw his library. He was given verbal ijaza by Sheikh Abul Yusr.

At the funeral of Sheikh Abul Yusr, Sheikh Muhammad al-Yaqoubi recited a poem in forty lines, written by his father Sheikh Ibrahim in eulogy of Sheikh Abul Yusr.

Burial places

Family grave of the Abidin family in the Bab Saghir Cemetry in Damascus

Tomb of Sh. Muhammad Amin ´Abidin (d.1252 H.), sahib al-Hashiya

Tombstone of Sh. ´Ala al-Din ´Abidin (d.1306 H.)

1. Tomb of Sh. Muhammad Amin ´Abidin (d.1252 H.), sahib al-Hashiya
2. Tombstone of Sh. ´Ala al-Din ´Abidin (d.1306 H.)

Nearby are also the graves of: ● Sh. Abul Yusr´Abidin, buried in the grave of ● his father Sh. Muhammad Abu Khayr, ● Sheikh Abd al-Karim al-Afghani, ● Sheikh `Ala al-Din al-Haskafi



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