Muhammad Nasiruddin al-Albani (Arabic: محمد ناصر الدين الألباني) (1914 – October 2, 1999) was an influential Albanian Sunni Islamic scholar of the 20th Century; he specialised in the fields of hadith and fiqh. He was also a prolific writer and speaker.
Biography
Early life
Al-Albani was born into a poor family in the city of Shkodër. His father, Haaj Nuh Najati al-Albani, had completed Sharia studies in Istanbul and returned to Albania. During the reign of secularist Ahmet Zogu, al-Albani's family disagreed with the Western-influenced views of the government and migrated to Damascus. In Damascus, he completed his early education, and taught himself the Quran, Tajwid, Arabic linguistic sciences, Hanafi Fiqh and further branches of the religion with the help of native scholars.[2]
Beginning of hadith studies
Al-Albani learned clock and watch repair from his father. By the age of twenty, he began specializing in the field of Hadith (narrations of prophet Muhammad) and its related sciences, becoming influenced by articles in Al-Manaar magazine. He began work in this field by transcribing Abd al-Rahim ibn al-Husain al-'Iraqi's monumental Al-Mughnee 'an-hamlil-Asfar fil-Asfar fee takhrej maa fil-lhyaa min al-Akhbar.[2]
Scholastic career
After some time he started giving two weekly classes attended by university students, teaching various books of Aqidah, Fiqh, Usul and Hadith. He also began organizing monthly journeys for da'wah to various cities in Syria and Jordan.
After a number of his works appeared in print, Al-Albani started to teach Hadith at the Islamic University of Madinah, for three years (from 1381 to 1383H) where he was also a member of the University board. Later he would return to his studies and work in the Az-Zahiriyah library, leaving his shop in the hands of one of his brothers.[2]
He visited various countries for preaching and lectures – amongst them Qatar, Egypt, Kuwait, the United Arab Emirates, Spain and the United Kingdom. He was forced to emigrate a number of times moving from Syria to Jordan, then Syria again, then Beirut, then the UAE, then again to Amman, Jordan.[2] It is also well-know that he has memorized hundred thousand hadith.[3]
Students
His students were numerous and include many Sheikhs of the present day, including:
- Shaykh Abi Ishaq al Heweny
- Shaykh Rabee' Ibn Haadee 'Umayr al-Madkhalee
- Sheikh Hamdi 'Abdul-Majed as-Salafi
- Sheikh Muhammad 'Eed 'Abbasi
- Dr. Umar Sulayman al-Ashqar
- Sheikh Muhammad lbrahim Shaqrah
- Sheikh Muqbil bin Haadi al-Waadi'ee
- Sheikh 'Ali Khushan
- Sheikh Muhammad bin Jamil Zeno
- Sheikh 'Abdur-Rahman Abdus-Samad
- Sheikh Ali bin Hasan bin Abdul-Hamid al-Halabi al-Athari
- Sheikh Mashhur Hasan Al-Salman
- Sheikh Muhammad Musa Nasr
- Sheikh Husayn al-Awayishah
- Sheikh Basim al-Jawabirah
- Sheikh Salim al-Hilali
Work
His works, mainly in the field of Hadith and its sciences, number over 100 and include:[2]- At-Targhib wa't-Tarhib (Volumes 1–4)
- At-Tasfiyyah wa't-Tarbiyya
- At-Tawassulu: Anwau'hu wa Ahkamuhu (Tawassul: Its Types & Its Rulings) (link to english translation)
- Irwa al-Ghalil (Volumes 1–9)
- Talkhis Ahkam al-Janaez
- Sahih wa Da'if Sunan Abu Dawood (Volumes 1–4)
- Sahih wa Da'if Sunan at-Tirmidhi (Volumes 1–4)
- Sahih wa Da'if Sunan ibn Majah (Volumes 1–4)
- al-Aqidah at-Tahawiyyah Sharh wa Ta'liq
- Sifatu Salati An-Nabiyy (link to English translation)
- Silsalat al-Hadith ad-Da'ifa (Volumes 1–14)
- Silsalat al-Hadith as-Sahiha (Volumes 1–11)
- Salat ut-Tarawih (later an abridgement of this book was published by al-Albani – Qiyamu Ramadhan)
