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ABOUT THE AUTHORHE Syrian city of Aleppoalsoknown as the city of scholarsis considered by many to be

the cradle of Islamic scholarship. Oneof the greatest scholars it has everproduced was the Friend of Allah ,Imm Abdallh b. Muammad NajbSirjuddn al-usayn al-alab, anextraordinary saint who dedicated hisentire life to the service of Islam. Hisqualities were many and his skillsoutstanding. Imm Abdallh was arenowned spiritual master, an expert in jurisprudence, a fiand scholar ofadth as well as a brilliant exegete of the Qurn.He was most famous, however, for his immense and intense love

for our Master Muammad , the Messenger of Allah.A descendant of the Prophets grandson, our Master usayn

b. Al b. Ab lib on his fathers side, Imm Abdallh wasborn into an honourable and pious family on the verge of thecollapse of the Ottoman Sultanate in 1923 CE. During hischildhood, Imm Abdallh was surrounded by the love and careof his father, the esteemed Shaykh Muammad Najb Sirjuddnal-usayn who was himself a spiritual master and a leading

jurist, exegete of the Qurn and scholar of adth. ImmAbdallh began his pursuit of knowledge at an early age andmemorized the Qurn when only thirteen years old under theguidance of his father. At that time, he was studying adth atthe Islamic school of al-Khasrawiyya. There he studied underleading scholars of the time such as the great jurist ImmMuammad Ibrhm al-Salqn , the Saintly Sufi Shaykh Isal-Bayann , Shaykh Umar Masd al-arr , Shaykh

Fayallh al-Ayyb al-Kurd , Shaykh Amad al-Shamm and several other prominent scholars. Imm Abdallh alsofrequented other scholars who did not teach at his school, suchas the jurist Shaykh Amad al-Kurd and Shaykh Muammad

T

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Sad al-Idlb . As he remained in their proximity, the greatscholar of adth and leading historian of Aleppo ShaykhMuammad Rghib al-Tabbkh noticed his intelligence and

intense devotion to the pursuit of knowledge and he decided tobecome his mentor.

He continued his studies under the supervision of his father,Shaykh Muammad Najb Sirjuddn who always attracted largecrowds to his lessons. In this environment Imm Abdallh wasgiven the opportunity to further develop his skills and increasehis knowledge and his fame as a scholar soon spread throughoutAleppo. He began teaching Islam in various mosques, such as the

amaw Mosque where he tutored one hour in the morning, fourtimes a week. Soon he was asked to teach at various collegesincluding the Shabniyya school. He also taught many coursesand lessons in various mosques including his own where hecontinued to impart knowledge upon the masses even when thefunds that provided his payment were stopped. Then came one

year in which his fathers age prevented him from continuing hisclasses. Imm Abdallh, still only twenty-two years old, carried

the heavy load of succeeding his father as a scholar. The demandsof the public and the high level of his fathers classes made this agreat test for him, but by the Grace of Allah he succeeded in it,and honouring this responsibility caused the admiration of thepublic for him. Following the vacuum caused by the closing of theShabniyya Islamic school, Imm Abdallh felt the need tofound a large Islamic school in Aleppo that would take charge oftraining future scholars and preachers.

He decided to revive religious teaching by founding the Schoolof Islamic Teachings in 1958 CE. Its program combined legalcourses, Islamic spirituality, the life and qualities of theMessenger of Allah as well as the sciences of adth. Inaddition, he founded a Qurnic school whose mission it was toteach its students the Majestic Qurn. Generous scholarshipswere granted to the pupils in order to encourage thepreservation of this knowledge.

Imm Abdallh was known to be generous and helpfultowards the poor, lenient towards the pupils of his school, andfamed for his humility and devotion. As Imm Abdallh becamethe leading scholar of Aleppo, he conveyed in his classes the

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quintessence of Islamic legislation and spirituality. In a movingvoice, he often spoke of love towards the Messenger of Allah and the duty to follow his excellent manners. He promoted love

for the Sunna and revived it in his behaviour and exhortations.Shaykh Dr. Nr al-Dn Itr mentions that he was extremelyscrupulous and avoided any doubtful thing.

Imm Abdallh was truly in love with the Messenger of Allah. He did not cease pointing out his qualities, his ethics and thenobility of his status in nearness of Allah , and did not acceptanyone to be given the importance of our Master Muammad .In light of this incredible love Shaykh Abd al-Ramn

al-Shghrcalled him the Pole of Prophetic love of our times.Imm Abdallh wrote nearly thirty books dealing with Islamicspirituality, creed, ethics, and the noble manners of theMessenger of Allah , the sciences of adth and Tafsr of theQurn. Perhaps his most famous work, however, was the book ofwhich we have the translation before us today, Our MasterMuammad the Messenger of Allah.

Imm Abdallhs students were numerous, many of them

becoming prominent scholars themselves, such as his son ShaykhDr. Amad Sirjuddn, his nephew and son-in-law Shaykh Dr. Nral-Dn Itr, Shaykh Dr. Smir al-Nass, Shaykh MuammadAwwma and Shaykh Muammad al-Ninowy, may Allahpreserve them.

Following a surgical operation carried out toward the end ofhis life, the health of Imm Abdallh deteriorated. On the 4th ofMarch 2002 CE [1422 H] he returned to his Lord. The news of his

passing was announced throughout the Muslim world andcovered it with a veil of sorrow. Imm Abdallh b. MuammadNajb Sirjuddn al-usayni al-alab was buried in theShabniyya complex, next to the graves of its Ottoman founders.

May Allah sanctify the noble Imms secret.