ʿAbd al-Qādir ibn Badrān

Introduction

Imam Sheikh Abdul Qadir bin Ahmed bin Mustafa bin Abdul Rahim bin Muhammad bin Badran Al-Saddi Al-Dumi Al-Dimashqi Al-Hanbali Al-Athari, known widely as Ibn Badran. He was a distinguished Syrian scholar of the Hanbalī school, known for his deep expertise in fiqh, uṣūl al-fiqh, poetry and Arabic language. He lived during the late Ottoman and early modern period and became one of the leading figures in the revival and teaching of Hanbalī jurisprudence. His writings, especially in fiqh continue to be widely studied today.

His Teachers

Ibn Badrān began his studies under many of the notable scholars of his hometown Douma, afterwards moving to Damascus to complete his studies:

• Sheikh Mustafa Badran, his grandfather.

• Sheikh Muhammad ibn Uthman al-Hanbali, known as the Khateeb of Douma.

• Muhammad Badr al-Din al-Hasani, the great hadeeth scholar of Damascus.

• Salim ibn Yasin al-Attar, also a hadeeth master from Damascus.

• Shaykh Ṭāhir al-Jazā’irī, the reformist scholar who strongly influenced his approach to education and Arabic sciences

He learned from the scholars of the Hanbalī madhhab in Damascus, from whom he learned fiqh and legal theory. He also had teachers of hadith, tafsīr, grammar, and rhetoric throughout the city’s traditional learning circles. Through these teachers, he gained both traditional training and exposure to intellectual renewal.

His Students and Influence

Ibn Badrān taught in several mosques and schools in Damascus and became known for his clarity in explaining complex legal and linguistic issues. Not much is known about specific students who studied with him. It is known that many scholars of the Hanbalī school would later teach his works. He was influenced by the reformist movement in Syria during the late Ottoman period and further influenced many others.

His writings became standard references for students of fiqh, especially Al-Madkhal ilā Madhhab Al-Imām Aḥmad, which is still printed and taught today.

His Path In Seeking Knowledge

He also devoted himself to other sciences. He excelled in all intellectual, literary, and mathematical disciplines, and became deeply versed in jurisprudence and grammar. However, he paid particular attention to the science of the principles of jurisprudence, becoming a leading figure in the field. He was regarded as one of the most important Hanbalī jurists and educators of his era in Syria.

His Works

Among his most important works are:

• Al-Madkhal ilā Madhhab al-Imām Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal – his most famous book, an essential introduction to the Hanbalī school

• Notes and commentary on Al-Rawd Al-Murbiʿ

• Al-Usūl al-ʿIlmiyyah – a book on methodology, knowledge, and learning

• Al-Rawd Al-Bassam fi Tarajim Al-Muftin bi Dimashq Al-Sham.

• Explanation of Rawdat Al-Nadhir by Ibn Qudamah.

• Commentary on Lum'at al-I'tiqad al-Hadi ila Sabil al-Rashad by Ibn Qudamah.

• Abridgment of Tarikh Dimashq by Ibn 'Asakir (in thirteen volumes).

• A History of Douma from the Dawn of the Abbasid State until the Fourteenth Century AH.

His Passing

ʿAbd al-Qādir ibn Badrān passed away in 1346 AH (1927 CE), after the fall of the Caliphate, putting him squarely in our present era. He left behind a generation of students and a body of writings that would preserve his scholarly influence.

His Legacy

He was appointed Mufti of the Hanbalis and a teacher at the Umayyad Mosque. He began giving regular lessons at the Great Mosque of Douma and became a member of the Department of Education, which was formed in 1309 AH to spread knowledge, culture, and education, and to encourage people to educate their children and send them to Quranic schools and other schools. During the Ottoman era, he participated in editing the newspaper Al-Muqtabas and wrote for Damascus newspapers such as Al-Mishkat, Al-Sham, Al-Kainat, and Al-Ra'i Al-Aam. 

In 1329 AH, he founded the magazine Mawarid Al-Hikma. He followed the path of the early Muslims, denounced innovations, and enjoined what is right and forbade what is wrong, until he was persecuted by the rulers.

Ibn Badrān is remembered today as:

A leading figure of Hanbalī  scholarship in the late Ottoman period, a reform-minded educator who helped shape modern Islamic learning in Damascus, and an author whose works, especially in fiqh and uṣūl, remain part of the curriculum in many traditional and contemporary institutions.

His widely followed suggested curriculum in attaining scholarship in the Hanbali      School:

1. Akhsar al-Mukhtasarāt or ‘Umdat Al-Talib

2. 'Umdat Al-Fiqh or Dalīl Al-Tālib

3. Al-Rawd Al-Murbi'

4. Sharh Al-Muntahā