Al-Uqud al-Durriyya - Ibn Abd al-Hadi - (الكتاب/3)

In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.

May Allah bless His Prophet Muhammad, his family, and grant them peace.

The shaykh, the eminent imam, the precise ḥadīth scholar and verifier, Abū ʿAbd Allah Muḥammad ibn Aḥmad ibn ʿAbd al-Hādī al-Maqdisī—may Allah sanctify his soul, be pleased with him, and reward him with Paradise by His bounty and mercy, together with us and all Muslims (1)—said:

All praise belongs to Allah. We praise Him, seek His help and guidance, and ask His forgiveness. We seek refuge in Allah from the evil within ourselves and from our misdeeds. Whomsoever Allah guides, none can mislead; and whomsoever He allows to stray, none can guide. I bear witness that there is no god but Allah, alone without partner, and I bear witness that Muhammad is His servant and messenger. May Allah bless him, his family, and his Companions, and grant them abundant peace (2).

To proceed: This is a brief, concise tract outlining the life of our master and teacher, Shaykh al-Islām, Taqī al-Dīn Abū al-ʿAbbās Aḥmad (3) ibn Taymiyyah—may Allah sanctify his soul, be pleased with him, and, through His mercy, admit him into Paradise (4)—together with a mention of some of his virtues and a selection of his writings.

He is the devout shaykh and imam, the imam of imams, the community’s mufti, an ocean of knowledge, the master of

(1) This preamble is taken from the base manuscript; a similar wording appears in K and F, but without the prayer for blessings. After the basmala, manuscript Q adds: hasbi Allah (Allah is sufficient for me); manuscript K further adds: wa niʿma al-wakil (and He is the best disposer of affairs); manuscript F adds: bi-faḍl raḥmatihi (by the grace of His mercy). (2) Omitted in manuscript B. (3) Omitted in manuscript B. (4) Manuscript K reads: wa athābahu (and may He reward him).

﷽ وصلى الله على نبيِّه محمد وآله وسلم تسليمًا. قال الشيخ الإمام الحافظ المحقِّق أبو عبد الله محمد بن أحمد بن عبد الهادي المقدسي، ﵀ ورضي عنه، وأثابه الجنةَ بفضله ورحمته، وإيَّانا وسائر المسلمين (١). الحمد لله، نحمده ونستعينه ونستهديه ونستغفره، ونعوذ بالله من شرور أنفسنا ومن سيئات أعمالنا، من يهده الله فلا مُضلَّ له، ومن يضلل فلا هادي له، وأشهدُ أن لا إله إلا الله وحده لا شريك له، وأشهدُ أنَّ محمدًا عبده ورسوله، صلى الله عليه وعلى آله وصحبه وسلم تسليمًا كثيرًا (٢). أما بعد، فهذه نبذةٌ يسيرة مختصرة في ذِكر حال سيِّدنا وشيخنا، شيخ الإسلام، تقيِّ الدين أبي العباس أحمد (٣) ابن تيميَّة ــ ﵀ ورضي عنه، وأدخله (٤) الجنةَ برحمته ــ وذِكْرِ بعضِ مناقبه وبعض مصنَّفاته. هو الشيخ الإمام الربَّاني، إمام الأئمة، ومفتي الأمَّة، وبحر العلوم، سيِّدُ

(١) هذه الديباجة من الأصل، وهي بنحوها في (ك، ف) بدون التصلية. وبعد البسملة في (ق): «حسبي الله»، وزاد في (ك): «ونعم الوكيل». وفي (ف): «بفضل رحمته». (٢) ليست في (ب). (٣) ليست في (ب). (٤) (ك): «وأثابه».