Haafidh ibn Ahmed 'Alee al-Hakamee
Encyclopedia
Shaykh Haafidh ibn Ahmad ibn 'Alee al-Hakamee (1342-1377 AH
/ 1924-1958 CE
) (Arabic: الشيخ حافظ بن أحمد بن علي الحكمي ) was one of the notable scholars from the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
, and one of the most famous of those who lived in the 14th (Hijri
) century to come from the southern region of the country (i.e. Tuhaamah).
The young Haafidh was raised under the good and righteous guardianship of his father who taught him modesty, purity and good character. Before reaching the age of maturity, he worked as a shepherd herding his fathers' sheep, which were the most important form of wealth to his family as well as the rest of the people in the society in those days. However, Haafidh differed from the other boys in his village because of his intelligence and his ability to memorise and understand quickly. He learned to write while he was still a small boy and he memorised the entire Qur'an
by the time he was twelve years old.
, Shaykh Haafidh died in the city of Makkah from a sudden illness on the 18th of Dhul Hijjah, 1377 AH (1958 CE) while he was still a young man of only 35 years. May Allaah, the Exalted, have mercy upon him.
memorisation school in the city of al-Jaadi'. There he read juz Amma and juz Tabaarak (30th and 29th parts of the Qur'an
) to the teacher and afterwards he and his brother finished learning to read the entire Qur'an
with the proper rules of recitation in just a few months and shortly thereafter he completed memorising the Qur'an
in its entirety.
In the year 1358 AH (1940) Shaykh 'Abdullaah ibn Muhammad ibn Hamad al-Qar'aawee
travelled all the way from Najd
to the city of Tuhaamah in the southern part of the Kingdom after he heard about the level of ignorance and the spread of innovation in the region - which (eventually) becomes the condition of every area that has only a few people calling to Allaah's religion (Islam) or no one at all to set the affairs straight. Shaykh al-Qar'aawee vowed to shoulder the responsibility of calling to the True Religion (of Islam) and correcting the corrupt beliefs in aqeedah and the superstitions that were stuck in the minds of the ignorant people in the region.
In 1359 AH (1941) Haafidh ibn Ahmad's older brother Muhammad went to Shaykh Hamad al-Qar'aawee with a letter from the both of them requesting some books on Tawheed and expressing their regret at being unable to come (and study with him) because they were busy serving and seeing to their parents needs. They also requested that the Shaykh visit their village so that they might listen to some of his lessons. Shaykh al-Qar'aawee accepted their invitation and went to their village where he met the young Haafidh and got to know him very well and saw in him promising signs of excellence and intelligence - which turned out to be a very accurate evaluation.
Shaykh al-Qar'aawee remained in al-Jaadi' a number of days teaching, and a group of elders as well as some youth from the local people attended the lectures. Amongst them was the young Haafidh who was the smallest of them in age, yet the fastest of them in memorising and understanding the information given.
Shaykh 'Abdullaah al-Qar'aawee
said about him:
When Shaykh al-Qar'aawee was ready to return to the city of Saamitah - which by this time he had already made his dwelling place and the center for his da'wah activities - he asked the young Haafidh's parents to permit him to employ someone to herd their sheep on Haafidh's behalf in exchange for their permission that Haafidh and his older brother return with him to Saamitah so that they might seek knowledge there underneath his tutelage. But Haafidh's parents refused the Shaykh's request at first, insisting that their youngest son remain with them because of their great need for him. However, Allaah decreed that the life of Haafidh's mother would end during the month of Rajab in the year 1360H (1942), so Haafidh's father then allowed him and his brother Muhammad to study with the Shaykh two or three days a week and then return to him.
Sadly his father did not live long after that as he died on his way back from Hajj
in the same year 1360 AH (1942 CE). After that, Haafidh was able to study and gain knowledge (full time) so he went to his Shaykh and stayed with him, always learning and benefiting from him. Haafidh proved to be an exceptionally gifted student who learned very quickly. He was also very good at poetry and prose and he (eventually) authored many books in the major categories of Islamic knowledge.
When Haafidh was only nineteen years old, Shaykh al-Qar'aawee asked him to write a book about Tawheed and the 'aqeedah of the Pious Predecessors, that would be easy for students to memorise, and that would also demonstrate just how much he has benefited from his reading and studying. The young Haafidh responded by writing a treatise in didactic prose entitled: Sullamul Wusool ilaa Ilmil Usool fi at Tawheed which he completed in the year 1362 AH (1944 CE), and which met with the avid approval of his teacher as well as the other prominent scholars of his time.
He followed this work with other writings also in didactic prose on tawheed, hadeeth terminology, fiqh
, principles of fiqh
, inheritance law, seerah of the Prophet, and others, all of which were originally published with the help of King Saud ibn 'Abdul-'Azeez
.
He was profoundly affected by reading books that were written by the scholars of the early generation of Muslims about tafseer, hadeeth, fiqh
, and principles of fiqh
, Islamic manners, Arabic language and grammar. As regards 'aqeedah, he was obviously very influenced by the writings of Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyyah and his famous student Ibn al-Qayyim
.
In 1373 AH (1955 CE) a high school was opened in Jaazaan, the capital city of the southern region, and Shaykh Haafidh al-Hakamee was chosen to be its first director in the same year. Then in 1374 AH (1956 CE) a scholastic institute was opened in Saamitah by the General Directorate of Colleges and Institutes and Shaykh Haafidh al-Hakamee was chosen to be its director as well.
Islamic calendar
The Hijri calendar , also known as the Muslim calendar or Islamic calendar , is a lunar calendar consisting of 12 lunar months in a year of 354 or 355 days. It is used to date events in many Muslim countries , and used by Muslims everywhere to determine the proper day on which to celebrate Islamic...
/ 1924-1958 CE
Common Era
Common Era ,abbreviated as CE, is an alternative designation for the calendar era originally introduced by Dionysius Exiguus in the 6th century, traditionally identified with Anno Domini .Dates before the year 1 CE are indicated by the usage of BCE, short for Before the Common Era Common Era...
) (Arabic: الشيخ حافظ بن أحمد بن علي الحكمي ) was one of the notable scholars from the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
Saudi Arabia
The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia , commonly known in British English as Saudi Arabia and in Arabic as as-Sa‘ūdiyyah , is the largest state in Western Asia by land area, constituting the bulk of the Arabian Peninsula, and the second-largest in the Arab World...
, and one of the most famous of those who lived in the 14th (Hijri
Islamic calendar
The Hijri calendar , also known as the Muslim calendar or Islamic calendar , is a lunar calendar consisting of 12 lunar months in a year of 354 or 355 days. It is used to date events in many Muslim countries , and used by Muslims everywhere to determine the proper day on which to celebrate Islamic...
) century to come from the southern region of the country (i.e. Tuhaamah).
Early life
Shaykh Haafidh was born on the 24th of Ramadhaan, 1342 AH (1924 CE) in a coastal village called as-Salaam which lies just southeast of the city of Jaazaan. When he was still just a small boy he moved to the city of al-Jaadi' which is close to the city of Saamitah because his father found that farmland and pastures were better there. However, his immediate family continued to commute between the two cities due to extenuating circumstances.The young Haafidh was raised under the good and righteous guardianship of his father who taught him modesty, purity and good character. Before reaching the age of maturity, he worked as a shepherd herding his fathers' sheep, which were the most important form of wealth to his family as well as the rest of the people in the society in those days. However, Haafidh differed from the other boys in his village because of his intelligence and his ability to memorise and understand quickly. He learned to write while he was still a small boy and he memorised the entire Qur'an
Qur'an
The Quran , also transliterated Qur'an, Koran, Alcoran, Qur’ān, Coran, Kuran, and al-Qur’ān, is the central religious text of Islam, which Muslims consider the verbatim word of God . It is regarded widely as the finest piece of literature in the Arabic language...
by the time he was twelve years old.
Death
After completing the rights of HajjHajj
The Hajj is the pilgrimage to Mecca, Saudi Arabia. It is one of the largest pilgrimages in the world, and is the fifth pillar of Islam, a religious duty that must be carried out at least once in their lifetime by every able-bodied Muslim who can afford to do so...
, Shaykh Haafidh died in the city of Makkah from a sudden illness on the 18th of Dhul Hijjah, 1377 AH (1958 CE) while he was still a young man of only 35 years. May Allaah, the Exalted, have mercy upon him.
Education
When the young Haafidh reached the age of seven years, his father put both him and his older brother Muhammad into Qur'anQur'an
The Quran , also transliterated Qur'an, Koran, Alcoran, Qur’ān, Coran, Kuran, and al-Qur’ān, is the central religious text of Islam, which Muslims consider the verbatim word of God . It is regarded widely as the finest piece of literature in the Arabic language...
memorisation school in the city of al-Jaadi'. There he read juz Amma and juz Tabaarak (30th and 29th parts of the Qur'an
Qur'an
The Quran , also transliterated Qur'an, Koran, Alcoran, Qur’ān, Coran, Kuran, and al-Qur’ān, is the central religious text of Islam, which Muslims consider the verbatim word of God . It is regarded widely as the finest piece of literature in the Arabic language...
) to the teacher and afterwards he and his brother finished learning to read the entire Qur'an
Qur'an
The Quran , also transliterated Qur'an, Koran, Alcoran, Qur’ān, Coran, Kuran, and al-Qur’ān, is the central religious text of Islam, which Muslims consider the verbatim word of God . It is regarded widely as the finest piece of literature in the Arabic language...
with the proper rules of recitation in just a few months and shortly thereafter he completed memorising the Qur'an
Qur'an
The Quran , also transliterated Qur'an, Koran, Alcoran, Qur’ān, Coran, Kuran, and al-Qur’ān, is the central religious text of Islam, which Muslims consider the verbatim word of God . It is regarded widely as the finest piece of literature in the Arabic language...
in its entirety.
In the year 1358 AH (1940) Shaykh 'Abdullaah ibn Muhammad ibn Hamad al-Qar'aawee
‘Abdullaah bin Muhammad Al-Qar’aawee
Shaykh ‘Abdullaah ibn Muhammad ibn Hamad ibn Muhammad al-Qar’aawee an-Najdee from the district of Qaseem in Najd. He played a great role in Calling to Allaah and spreading the authentic creed, particularly in the southern regions of Saudi Arabia, where this Da’wah thrived and prospered.-Early...
travelled all the way from Najd
Najd
Najd or Nejd , literally Highland, is the central region of the Arabian Peninsula.-Boundaries :The Arabic word nejd literally means "upland" and was once applied to a variety of regions within the Arabian Peninsula...
to the city of Tuhaamah in the southern part of the Kingdom after he heard about the level of ignorance and the spread of innovation in the region - which (eventually) becomes the condition of every area that has only a few people calling to Allaah's religion (Islam) or no one at all to set the affairs straight. Shaykh al-Qar'aawee vowed to shoulder the responsibility of calling to the True Religion (of Islam) and correcting the corrupt beliefs in aqeedah and the superstitions that were stuck in the minds of the ignorant people in the region.
In 1359 AH (1941) Haafidh ibn Ahmad's older brother Muhammad went to Shaykh Hamad al-Qar'aawee with a letter from the both of them requesting some books on Tawheed and expressing their regret at being unable to come (and study with him) because they were busy serving and seeing to their parents needs. They also requested that the Shaykh visit their village so that they might listen to some of his lessons. Shaykh al-Qar'aawee accepted their invitation and went to their village where he met the young Haafidh and got to know him very well and saw in him promising signs of excellence and intelligence - which turned out to be a very accurate evaluation.
Shaykh al-Qar'aawee remained in al-Jaadi' a number of days teaching, and a group of elders as well as some youth from the local people attended the lectures. Amongst them was the young Haafidh who was the smallest of them in age, yet the fastest of them in memorising and understanding the information given.
Shaykh 'Abdullaah al-Qar'aawee
‘Abdullaah bin Muhammad Al-Qar’aawee
Shaykh ‘Abdullaah ibn Muhammad ibn Hamad ibn Muhammad al-Qar’aawee an-Najdee from the district of Qaseem in Najd. He played a great role in Calling to Allaah and spreading the authentic creed, particularly in the southern regions of Saudi Arabia, where this Da’wah thrived and prospered.-Early...
said about him:
When Shaykh al-Qar'aawee was ready to return to the city of Saamitah - which by this time he had already made his dwelling place and the center for his da'wah activities - he asked the young Haafidh's parents to permit him to employ someone to herd their sheep on Haafidh's behalf in exchange for their permission that Haafidh and his older brother return with him to Saamitah so that they might seek knowledge there underneath his tutelage. But Haafidh's parents refused the Shaykh's request at first, insisting that their youngest son remain with them because of their great need for him. However, Allaah decreed that the life of Haafidh's mother would end during the month of Rajab in the year 1360H (1942), so Haafidh's father then allowed him and his brother Muhammad to study with the Shaykh two or three days a week and then return to him.
Sadly his father did not live long after that as he died on his way back from Hajj
Hajj
The Hajj is the pilgrimage to Mecca, Saudi Arabia. It is one of the largest pilgrimages in the world, and is the fifth pillar of Islam, a religious duty that must be carried out at least once in their lifetime by every able-bodied Muslim who can afford to do so...
in the same year 1360 AH (1942 CE). After that, Haafidh was able to study and gain knowledge (full time) so he went to his Shaykh and stayed with him, always learning and benefiting from him. Haafidh proved to be an exceptionally gifted student who learned very quickly. He was also very good at poetry and prose and he (eventually) authored many books in the major categories of Islamic knowledge.
When Haafidh was only nineteen years old, Shaykh al-Qar'aawee asked him to write a book about Tawheed and the 'aqeedah of the Pious Predecessors, that would be easy for students to memorise, and that would also demonstrate just how much he has benefited from his reading and studying. The young Haafidh responded by writing a treatise in didactic prose entitled: Sullamul Wusool ilaa Ilmil Usool fi at Tawheed which he completed in the year 1362 AH (1944 CE), and which met with the avid approval of his teacher as well as the other prominent scholars of his time.
He followed this work with other writings also in didactic prose on tawheed, hadeeth terminology, fiqh
Fiqh
Fiqh is Islamic jurisprudence. Fiqh is an expansion of the code of conduct expounded in the Quran, often supplemented by tradition and implemented by the rulings and interpretations of Islamic jurists....
, principles of fiqh
Fiqh
Fiqh is Islamic jurisprudence. Fiqh is an expansion of the code of conduct expounded in the Quran, often supplemented by tradition and implemented by the rulings and interpretations of Islamic jurists....
, inheritance law, seerah of the Prophet, and others, all of which were originally published with the help of King Saud ibn 'Abdul-'Azeez
Ibn Saud of Saudi Arabia
King Abdul-Aziz of Saudi Arabia was the first monarch of the Third Saudi State known as Saudi Arabia. He was commonly referred to as Ibn Saud....
.
He was profoundly affected by reading books that were written by the scholars of the early generation of Muslims about tafseer, hadeeth, fiqh
Fiqh
Fiqh is Islamic jurisprudence. Fiqh is an expansion of the code of conduct expounded in the Quran, often supplemented by tradition and implemented by the rulings and interpretations of Islamic jurists....
, and principles of fiqh
Fiqh
Fiqh is Islamic jurisprudence. Fiqh is an expansion of the code of conduct expounded in the Quran, often supplemented by tradition and implemented by the rulings and interpretations of Islamic jurists....
, Islamic manners, Arabic language and grammar. As regards 'aqeedah, he was obviously very influenced by the writings of Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyyah and his famous student Ibn al-Qayyim
Ibn al-Qayyim
Muhammad ibn Abu Bakr...
.
Career
In 1363 AH (1945 CE) Shaykh al-Qar'aawee selected Haafidh to be the director of a school in Saamitah, which was the first and the largest of all of the schools that Shaykh al-Qar'aawee established for the students of knowledge in the southern region the kingdom. Haafidh was also made regional superintendent for all of the schools in the neighbouring villages and townships.In 1373 AH (1955 CE) a high school was opened in Jaazaan, the capital city of the southern region, and Shaykh Haafidh al-Hakamee was chosen to be its first director in the same year. Then in 1374 AH (1956 CE) a scholastic institute was opened in Saamitah by the General Directorate of Colleges and Institutes and Shaykh Haafidh al-Hakamee was chosen to be its director as well.
Works
- Ma’arijul Qobul
- Sullamul Wusool ilaa Ilmil Usool fi Tawheed
- Al Usool fi Manhajil Usool
- A'lamus Sunnah al Mansyuroh (The 200 FAQ on Muslim Belief)
- Al Jauharatul Faridah fi al Aqidah
- Al Lu’lu al Maknun fi Ahwalis Sanad wal Mutun
- An Nurul Faidh ila llmil Faraidh