Finally, the Shaykh’s life teems with stories, unusual happenings, and gripping events—an inexhaustible mine for anyone writing about mujtahids, reformers, righteous men, ascetics, hadith scholars, jurists, those who strive in Allah’s cause, authors, self-made scholars, and, indeed, for all who seek models of those who have followed the path of the believers.

I reiterate: although some of what has been written about the Shaykh is undoubtedly valuable, it still falls far short of the effort he exerted during his lifetime.

Anyone who wishes to compile a full-length biography of the Shaykh can draw upon the following sources (1):

(1) The introductions to his books. In these prefaces the Shaykh records episodes with his critics and others, notes some of his journeys and meetings, and so forth. Because they are in his own hand, they rank among the most important sources. The main text of his works is useful as well, yet I have singled out the prefaces owing to their importance and the sheer amount of material they contain. Foremost among these works are the two series al-Silsilah al-Ṣaḥīḥah and al-Silsilah al-Ḍaʿīfah, followed by Irwāʾ al-Ghalīl and others.

(2) Next comes the book by Shaykh Muḥammad ibn Ibrāhīm al-Shaybānī, Ḥayāt al-Albānī wa Āthāruhu wa Thanāʾ al-ʿUlamāʾ ʿAlayh. This voluminous work, in addition to the Shaykh’s biography and bibliography, contains a wealth of his views, legal issues, fatwas, distinctive positions, and a selection of questions, verdicts, rejoinders, and critical remarks. Some items—such as “Refutation of the Treatise ‘Permissibility of Adorning Oneself with Rounded Gold Ornaments’” by the esteemed Shaykh Ismāʿīl al-Anṣārī, may Allah have mercy on him—are not to be found elsewhere. The book was read aloud to the Shaykh himself, and he annotated it, which lends the work great additional value (2).