IBN AL-JAWZĪ – A PROLIFIC SCHOLAR

INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE ISSN: 2692-5206, Impact Factor: 12,23 American Academic publishers, volume 05, issue 12,2025 Journal: https://www.academicpublishers.org/journals/index.php/ijai page 451 IBN AL-JAWZĪ – A PROLIFIC SCHOLAR Abdullaev Muhammad Khamzaevich Candidate of Philological Sciences, Associate Professor Uzbekistan State University of World Languages Department of Theory and Practice of Arabic Translation Phone: +998 90 928 34 83 Email: [email protected] Annotation: This article provides a comprehensive and analytical overview of the life, scholarship, and intellectual legacy of the eminent Muslim scholar Jamāl al-Dīn Abū al-Faraj Ibn al-Jawzī (508–597 AH / 1115–1201 CE). Drawing upon classical biographical sources and historical accounts, the study highlights his early upbringing, extensive scholarly training under leading scholars of Baghdad, and his mastery of diverse Islamic sciences including tafsīr, hadith, fiqh, preaching, asceticism, history, and literature. The article examines Ibn al-Jawzī’s exceptional contributions as an author of more than two thousand works, his influential role as an orator whose sermons inspired tens of thousands, and his deep spiritual reflections that shaped Islamic intellectual tradition. Keywords: Ibn al-Jawzī; Islamic scholarship; medieval Baghdad; hadith studies; Qur’anic exegesis; Islamic preaching; Islamic history; biographical literature; asceticism; Islamic theology; Arabic literature; classical Islamic scholars. Introduction. As a product of the First Renaissance (al-Nahda al-Ūlā), ʿAbd al-Raḥmān ibn ʿAlī Abū al-Ḥasan ibn Muḥammad ibn ʿAlī ibn ʿAbd Allāh ibn ʿAbd Allāh ibn Ḥamūdī ibn Aḥmad ibn Muḥammad ibn Jaʿfar ibn ʿAbd Allāh ibn Qāsim ibn Naẓr ibn Qāsim ibn Muḥammad ibn ʿAbd Allāh ibn ʿAbd al-Raḥmān ibn Qāsim ibn Muḥammad ibn Abī Bakr alṢiddīq ʿAbd Allāh ibn Abī Quḥāfa — the Ḥāfiẓ of the Qur’an, the erudite scholar (ʿAllāma), Jamāl al-Dīn Abū al-Faraj Ibn al-Jawzī al-Qurashī, al-Tamīmī, al-Baghdādī, al-Ḥanbalī — was born in Baghdad in 508 AH / 1115 CE and passed away in Baghdad in 597 AH / 1201 CE. Ibn al-Jawzī lost his father at the age of three, and his upbringing was undertaken mainly by his aunt, a woman well-versed in religious sciences, who paid great attention to his education. According to Arab historians, he began studying with teachers at the age of six. His sharp intellect and powerful voice contributed to his reputation as an effective and compelling orator (khaṭīb mu’assir). The gifted Ibn al-Jawzī mastered numerous sciences, including Qur’anic exegesis (tafsīr), hadith, jurisprudence (fiqh), preaching, asceticism (zuhd), history, literature, medicine, and other fields — and later authored works on all of these disciplines. Historians state that among his teachers were Abū al-Ḥusayn ʿAdī ibn ʿAbd al-Wāḥid alDaynūrī, Ḥusayn ibn Muḥammad al-Barraʾ, Abū al-Saʿāda Aḥmad ibn Aḥmad al-Mutawakkilī, Abū Saʿīd Ismāʿīl ibn Abī Ṣāliḥ al-Muʾadhdhin, Abū al-Ḥasan ʿAlī ibn Zāghūnī al-Faqīh, Abū Ghālib ibn Bannā, Yaḥyā, Abū Bakr Muḥammad ibn Ḥusayn, Hibat Allāh ibn al-Ṭabarī, Abū Ghālib Muḥammad ibn Ḥasan al-Māwardī, al-Khaṭīb al-Isfahānī, Abū al-Qāsim ʿAbd Allāh ibn al-Rāwī, Abū al-Saʿūd Aḥmad ibn Mufajjalī, Abū Manṣūr ʿAbd al-Raḥmān ibn Muḥammad alQazzāz, ʿAlī ibn Aḥmad al-Muwahhid, Abū al-Qāsim ibn Samarqandī, Ibn al-Nāṣir and around eighty other scholars of that period. Ibn al-Jawzī quoted narrations from these teachers throughout his works. His writings have not yet been fully studied in a comprehensive manner. INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE ISSN: 2692-5206, Impact Factor: 12,23 American Academic publishers, volume 05, issue 12,2025 Journal: https://www.academicpublishers.org/journals/index.php/ijai page 452 He was particularly renowned for his mastery in the art of oratory (fann al-khiṭāba). At the age of 13–14, he would deliver eloquent sermons from the pulpit, attended by thousands — ranging from representatives of the caliphate to ordinary citizens — who would request him to continue speaking. Ibn al-Jawzī learned this art of preaching from Abū al-Qāsim ʿAlī ibn Yaʿlā ibn ʿAwaḍ al-ʿAsī al-Harawī and Abū al-Ḥasan ibn Zāghūnī. He also had a deep passion for learning. He studied jurisprudence under Abū Bakr Aḥmad ibn Muḥammad al-Daynūrī, and later authored a book on this discipline entitled al-Ilqāʾ wa-lTaʾthīr (“Delivery and Influence”). According to the historian Imām al-Dhahabī, the number of his authored works exceeds one hundred, and they are well-known across various fields of knowledge. He studied hadith under Ibn al-Nāṣir, and history and literature under Abū Manṣūr Mawhūb ibn Jawāliqī — later composing his work Fuhūm al-Āthār fī al-Tārīkh wa-l-Siyar (“Understanding Historical Reports and Biographies”). When reviewing the sources, we find that those who narrated information about Ibn al-Jawzī include, first and foremost, his son Muḥyiddīn Yūsuf, as well as his students: Sabta Shams alDīn Yūsuf al-Wāʿiẓ, Ḥāfiẓ ʿAbd al-Ghanī, Shaykh al-Muwaffaq, Bahāʾ ʿAbd al-Raḥmān, Ḍiyāʾ Muḥammad, Ibn Khalīl, Dabisī, Ibn al-Najjār al-Buldānī, Zayn ibn ʿAbd al-Karīm, Najīb ʿAbd al-Laṭīf, and a number of other transmitters. In the Eastern Islamic scholarly tradition, the practice of granting ijāza (authorization to transmit knowledge) was well established. Ibn al-Jawzī received his ijāza in the science of ḥadīth—(which we may conditionally call a “diploma”)—from his teachers: the muḥaddith Shaykh Shams al-Dīn ʿAbd al-Raḥmān and Aḥmad ibn Abī al-Khayr. In the field of oratory (ʿilm al-khiṭāba), he received authorization from his teacher, the preacher (al-Wāʿiẓ) ʿAbd alʿAzīz ibn Sayqal. Among his most devoted teachers were Quṭb al-Dīn Aḥmad ibn ʿAbd al-Salām al-Asrūnī, Taqī al-Dīn Ismāʿīl ibn Abī al-Yūsuf, Khiḍr ibn ʿAbd Allāh ibn Himwayh, and Fakhr ʿAlī ibn alBukhārī. One of the teachers who played a particularly active role in the education of this exceptionally talented orphan boy was Ḥāfiẓ Ibn al-Nāṣir. Ibn al-Jawzī also learned various modes of Qur’anic recitation (qirāʾāt) from Abū Muḥammad Salt al-Khayyāṭ.Recalling his youth, Ibn al-Jawzī said: “The hardships I endured in seeking knowledge, because of my passion for learning, felt sweeter to me than eating honey. I would be content with dry bread and cold water, and in that I found the true delight of knowledge.” His deep love and longing for learning undoubtedly became the driving force that shaped him into a great and multifaceted scholar in the future. Ibn al-Jawzī authored works in numerous fields, including literature, history, Qur’anic exegesis (tafsīr), hadith, biographical virtues (manāqib), Qur’anic recitation (qirāʾāt), the science of writing, medicine, and several other disciplines. Among his works are the following: 1. AlMughnī – on the science of Qur’anic recitation. 2. Zād al-Masīr – in the field of tafsīr. 3. Tadhkirat al-Adab fī Sharḥ al-Gharīb. 4. Nuzhat al-Nawāẓir fī al-Wujūh wa al-Naẓāʾir. 5. Uyūn ʿUlūm al-Qirāʾāt wa Huwa Funūn al-Afnān. 6. Al-Nāsikh wa al-Mansūkh. 7. Minhāj al-Wuṣūl ilā ʿUlūm al-Uṣūl. 8. Nafy al-Tashbīh. 9. Jāmiʿ al-Masānīd. 10. Al-Ḥaqāʾiq. 11. Nafy al-Naql. 12. Al-Mujtabā. 13. Al-Nazha. 14. Uyūn al-Ḥikāyāt. 15. Al-Mawḍūʿāt. 16. Al-Aḥādīth al- INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE ISSN: 2692-5206, Impact Factor: 12,23 American Academic publishers, volume 05, issue 12,2025 Journal: https://www.academicpublishers.org/journals/index.php/ijai page 453 Rāʾiqah. 17. Al-Ḍuʿafāʾ. 18. Talqīḥ Fuḥūm Ahl al-Athar fī ʿUyūn al-Tārīkh wa al-Siyar. 19 AlMuntaẓam fī Akhbār al-Mulūk wa al-Umam. 20. Shudhūr al-ʿUqūd fī Tārīkh al-Yahūd. 21. Manāqib Baghdād. 22. Al-Madhhab fī al-Madhhab. 23. Al-Intiṣār fī Masāʾil al-Khilāf. 24. AlDalāʾil fī Mashhūr al-Masāʾil. 25. Al-Yawāqīt fī Khuṭab al-Waʿẓiyyah. 26. Al-Muntakhab. 27. Nasīm al-Saḥar. 28. Al-Mukhtār fī Ikhtiyār al-Akhbār. 29. Ṣafwat al-Ṣafwah. 30. Musīr al-Azm al-Sākin ilā Ashraf al-Amākin. 31. Al-Muqʿid al-Muqīm. 32. Tabsirat al-Mubtadī. 33. Tuhfat al-Wāʿiẓ. 34. Dhamm al-Hawā. 35. Talbīs Iblīs (one of his most famous works). 36. AlAdhkiyāʾ. 37. Al-Ḥumqā wa al-Mughfilīn. 38. Al-Manāfiʿ fī al-Ṭibb – on medicine. 39. AlShayb wa al-Khiḍāb. 40. Rawḍat al-Nāqil. 41. Taqwīm al-Lisān. 42. Minhāj al-Iṣābah fī Maḥabbat al-Ṣaḥābah. 43. Sabā Najd. 44. Al-Muzʿij. 45. Al-Mulahhib. 46. Al-Muṭrib. 47. Muntahā al-Mushtahā. 48. Funūn al-Albāb. 49. Al-Zurafāʾ wa al-Mutamājinīn. 50. Taqrīb Ṭarīq al-Abʿad fī Faḍl Maqbarat Aḥmad. 51. Al-ʿIlal al-Mutanāhiyah fī al-Aḥādīth al-Wāhiyah. 52. Asbāb al-Bidāyah fī Aṣḥāb al-Hidāyah. 53. Silwat al-Aḥzān. 54. Yaqūtat al-Mawāʿiẓ. 55. Minhāj al-Qāṣidīn. 56. Al-Laṭāʾif. 57. Wāsiṭat al-ʿUqūd. 58. Al-Khawātim. 59. Al-Majālis alYūsufiyyah. 60. Al-Muḥāḍathah. 61. Īqāẓ al-WasnāN. 62. Nasīm al-Riyāḍ. 63. Al-Thabāt ʿinda al-Mamāt. 64. Al-Wafāʾ bi Faḍāʾil al-Muṣṭafā. 65. Manāqib Abī Bakr. 66. Al-Maʿād. 67. Manāqib ʿUmar ibn ʿAbd al-ʿAzīz. 68. Manāqib Saʿīd ibn al-Musayyab. 69. Manāqib al-Ḥasan al-Baṣrī. 70. Manāqib Ibrāhīm ibn Aḥmad. 71. Manāqib al-Fuḍayl. 72. Manāqib Aḥmad. 73. Manāqib al-Shāfiʿī. 74. Manāqib Maʿrūf. 75. Manāqib al-Sawrī. 76. Manāqib Bishr. 77. Manāqib Rābiʿah. 78. Al-ʿUzlah. 79. Marāfiq al-Marāfiq. 80. Al-Riyāḍah. 81. Al 82. Naṣr ʿalā Miṣr. 83. Kāna wa Kāna fī al-Waʿẓ. 84. Mawāsim al-ʿUmr. And among the works most frequently republished—belonging to the field of literature—is his renowned book “Ṣayd al-Khāṭir” (Captured Thoughts). This is the work we would like to present to you. He has many other compilations as well. Among his ancestors was Jaʿfar, who was known as al-Jawzī: he was one of the people of the port district of Basra. The term furḍa refers to a harbor or port. It is also said that he was called al-Jawzī because there was a walnut tree (jawz) in his courtyard. Thus, his title “al-Jawzī” derives from one of these two reasons, and no other explanation has been mentioned. His childhood: When Abū al-Faraj Abū al-Ḥasan was three years old, his father passed away. He had a pious aunt whose family worked as coppersmiths and were engaged in the copper trade. For this reason, we find that Ibn al-Jawzī occasionally wrote about certain crafts. When he grew older, his aunt once carried him to the house of Ibn Abī Nāṣir. That scholar became fascinated by the boy’s intelligence, for Abū al-Faraj had been granted an exceptional natural gift for receiving and absorbing sermons. His rank as a preacher: He attended the assemblies of caliphs, viziers, and high-ranking figures, and they in turn attended his sermons. At least one thousand admirers would participate in his gatherings. Sabta Shams al-Dīn Abū al-Muẓaffar says: “I heard Ibn al-Jawzī, near the end of his life, standing on the pulpit and saying: ‘With these very fingers I wrote two thousand volumes. One hundred thousand people repented at my hands. Twenty thousand Jews and Christians embraced repentance in my presence.’” Ibn al-Jawzī would sit in al-Qaṣr, al-Ruṣāfa, al-Manṣūr, Bāb Badr, or the mausoleum where the mother of the caliph was buried, and each week he would complete a full recitation of the Qur’an. He would only leave his home for Friday prayer or for his preaching sessions. INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE ISSN: 2692-5206, Impact Factor: 12,23 American Academic publishers, volume 05, issue 12,2025 Journal: https://www.academicpublishers.org/journals/index.php/ijai page 454 Examples from his sermons: In one of his sermons he said: “The scorpions of desires sting— beware! Indeed, the body of desire kills the senses. The water of life is sprinkled into the vessel of one’s lifespan by means of breaths.” When he delivered admonitions to some rulers, he said: “When you wield power, do not forget the justice that God will execute upon you. And when you punish someone, remember that God is fully capable of exacting retribution from you. Do not try to quench your anger by tormenting people in the name of your religion.” A man once said to Ibn al-Jawzī: “Because of my eagerness, I could not sleep last night while waiting for your sermon.” Ibn al-Jawzī replied: “Then you only wished to take pleasure in listening. A true listener is one who stays awake at night reflecting on what he has heard.”A man asked Ibn al-Jawzī: “Is it better for me to recite tasbīḥ or to seek forgiveness?” He answered: “A dirty garment needs soap more than it needs perfume.” (i.e., first purify yourself through repentance before increasing devotional recitations) Among his supplications are the following: “My Lord, do not punish the tongue that speaks of You, the eye that looks toward the knowledge that guides to You, the feet that walk in Your service, and the hand that writes the sayings of Your Messenger. By Your might, do not let me enter Hell—let not the people of Hell say that the one who defended Your religion has been cast into it”. Examples from the poetry of Ibn al-Jawzī: Imād al-Kātib mentions the following lines from his verses: 1. ةًلَّ ز يَّ ىرَرَنْرَيَِوسُرَ دِرورَ سََُِارَرَنْرَارََْل َّازِّ ىرَرَ ارَ ِرَِِ “My envier longs to see me slip even once; But if he sees many slips, then lies begin to pour forth.” 2. ر ََِارََِر َنْرّرَ يَِنْرَ ىرَرَ دِسَرَ بََُِنْرَرَبْن ورَروسُرَ يَّن ورََاِرَ ىرَرَ “I refute my adversary, yet he is unable to refute my words— For to oppose my speech is death and torment for him.” 3. يَِرَنْسََّ ِةَنْسَُِالُسحنِّ رَوسَسَ ىرَرَ رَُِِْرَرَ رِوسُنْرِارَسُنَُِرَنَِْرَ “You see the faces of my envier pale when they behold me; But if I perceive their envy, their faces turn black as a raven’s wing.” An Unexpected Calamity. In the final years of his life, Ibn al-Jawzi faced extremely difficult ordeals. His envious rivals slandered him before the caliph, and a grave conspiracy was formed against him. This incident occurred during the summer. He was in the cellar of his house, occupied with writing, when suddenly men of harsh temperament stormed into his courtyard. INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE ISSN: 2692-5206, Impact Factor: 12,23 American Academic publishers, volume 05, issue 12,2025 Journal: https://www.academicpublishers.org/journals/index.php/ijai page 455 They insulted him, sealed his books and his home, dispersed the members of his family, and after nightfall forced him onto a boat and sent him to Wasit. There he lived for five days without even tasting salt. At that time, he was eighty years old. Later, they confined him to a house in Wasit and placed guards at its door. Ibn al-Jawzi was compelled to take care of all his needs by himself: washing his clothes, cooking his food, and drawing drinking water from a well. He remained in this condition for five long years. The reason behind this ordeal was the arrest of his supporter, the vizier Ibn Yunus. Ibn alQassab, who was tracking down Ibn Yunus’s associates, was approached by Rukn ʿAbd alSalam ibn ʿAbd al-Wahhab al-Jili—an individual accused of corrupt belief. He said to Ibn alQassab: “Why do you not target the greatest of Ibn Yunus’s men, Ibn al-Jawzi? He granted him my grandfather’s madrasa, and on his advice my books were burned. He is my enemy and a descendant of Abu Bakr.” Ibn al-Qassab, being from among the Shi‘a, readily accepted this incitement. He and a group of others misled the caliph, who then ordered the matter to be placed in Rukn ʿAbd al-Salam’s hands. At that time, the caliph’s son, Muhyiddin Yusuf—a highly intelligent young man who had mastered the science of preaching—intervened. He appealed to the mother of the vizier, hoping she could help save his father. The vizier’s mother held great respect for Ibn al-Jawzi and would read his books even before the ink had dried. She wrote a plea to the caliph, requesting the scholar’s release from imprisonment. Her request was accepted, and Ibn al-Jawzi was set free. When he returned to Baghdad, the streets were filled with crowds welcoming him. Alas, the five years of imprisonment and his advanced age had exhausted him, leaving clear signs of weakness and fatigue. According to the narration of his student, Sabta Abu al-Muzaffar, Ibn alJawzi – may Allah have mercy on him – ascended the pulpit located in the mausoleum of the caliph’s mother near the grave of Ma‘ruf al-Karkhi on the seventh day of the blessed month of Ramadan. Sitting there, he recited several poetic verses: يَدَ لوطَ َْ لأَُ لَ يِْن يَ اَ ماْنلاِ لانََ “I ask Allah to prolong my life, And grant me, through His grace, that which I intend.” اَُثَ نَ اَ مَِّْ يَ ًِه يّ يِِّ يه لوحنِّ ُنَ يِِّ يهَ “I possess an ambition for knowledge unlike any other; It is like that which the bees gather in their hives.” ُُبش وّ ََجَ نَ يّ ْاَ مَ ًنجّاِ ُُبشِّ هِّاَ “How many assemblies I have held — If one were to liken them, they would resemble Paradise itself.” After reciting these verses, he descended from the pulpit. Five days later, he fell ill. On the night of Friday, the thirteenth of Ramadan, between Maghrib and ‘Isha, he passed away. At INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE ISSN: 2692-5206, Impact Factor: 12,23 American Academic publishers, volume 05, issue 12,2025 Journal: https://www.academicpublishers.org/journals/index.php/ijai page 456 dawn, when his body was washed, Ziyā’ al-Dīn ibn Sakīna and Ziyā’ al-Dīn ibn Hubayra were present. The people of Baghdad gathered in great numbers, and the markets were closed. Crowds carried the bier of Ibn al-Jawzi to the mausoleum of Ahmad ibn Hanbal. A great multitude attended his funeral, and that day became a day of mourning forever remembered in the history of Baghdad. I would like to express my own reflections on these events. In this regard, I cite a verse from one of the qasidas of my compatriot, the great poet Khalil ibn Ahmad al-Sarakhsi, who lived and created works during that era: ،هَدَ نِّ هََش نَ مَِّْ … هَدَ مََُ سانِّ لْجَ َْ “Knowledge has this quality: To those who serve it (those who seek it), it makes all people appear as its servants.” (This verse, written in the poetic meter al-Baḥr alMunsariḥ, contains the rhetorical device of jinas — a form of wordplay.) Ibn al-Jawzi had bequeathed that the following verses be inscribed upon his grave: نَِ حِّْْ َْثَ اَ هَدّ ُنِِّ َْثَ “O You who abundantly pardons the one who comes to You with abundant sins.” لِ وَََ ُنِِِّ كَاَ هَدَ مََ نَ وَْ “Your sinful servant comes to You, hoping for Your forgiveness for the crimes his hands have committed.” لِ َِزََ فْض انَ هِّْ ْاَُِ فْض “I am Your guest, and the due of a guest is that he be received with kindness.” Conclusion Ibn al-Jawzī stands among the most distinguished figures of the Islamic intellectual tradition, embodying the synthesis of rigorous scholarship, eloquent oratory, and spiritual refinement. Raised under challenging circumstances and trained by some of the most respected scholars of his time, he developed extraordinary intellectual curiosity and an unwavering dedication to learning. His legacy of more than two thousand works, spanning Qur’anic sciences, hadith, fiqh, literature, history, ethics, and medicine, demonstrates both the breadth and depth of his knowledge. His sermons influenced vast audiences—from caliphs and viziers to common people—and his writings continue to enrich contemporary Islamic scholarship. Even during periods of political persecution and imprisonment, Ibn al-Jawzī remained steadfast in devotion, productivity, and spiritual insight. His poetry and supplications reflect humility, sincerity, and a profound awareness of God. INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE ISSN: 2692-5206, Impact Factor: 12,23 American Academic publishers, volume 05, issue 12,2025 Journal: https://www.academicpublishers.org/journals/index.php/ijai page 457 Overall, Ibn al-Jawzī’s life offers a powerful example of intellectual perseverance, moral courage, and scholarly excellence. His enduring contributions ensure his prominent place among the greatest scholars of the Islamic Golden Age, and his works remain an essential foundation for the study of classical Islamic sciences. References (Suggested Sources) 1. Ibn al-Jawzī, Abū al-Faraj. Ṣayd al-Khāṭir. Cairo: Dār al-Kutub al-ʿIlmiyyah. 2. Ibn al-Jawzī, Abū al-Faraj. Talbīs Iblīs. Beirut: Dār al-Fikr. 3. Al-Dhahabī, Shams al-Dīn. Siyar Aʿlām al-Nubalāʾ. Beirut: Mu’assasat al-Risālah. 4. Ibn Kathīr, Ismāʿīl. Al-Bidāyah wa-l-Nihāyah. Cairo: Dār al-Ḥadīth. 5. Ibn Rajab al-Ḥanbalī. Dhail Ṭabaqāt al-Ḥanābilah. Beirut: Dār al-Maʿrifah. 6. Al-Suyūṭī, Jalāl al-Dīn. Tabaqāt al-Ḥuffāẓ. Beirut: Dār al-Kutub al-ʿIlmiyyah. 7. Makdisi, George. Ibn al-Jawzī’s Life and Works: A Study in Medieval Islamic Scholarship. Cambridge University Press. 8. Fudge, Bruce. “Preaching and Oratory in Medieval Baghdad.” Journal of Islamic Studies. 9. Ibn al-Najjār. Tārīkh Baghdād (continuation). Beirut: Dār al-Gharb al-Islāmī.