Ibn Kathir al-Dimashqi إسماعيل بن عمر بن كثير الدمشقي

Imam Abu al-Fida' 'Imad al-Din Ibn Kathir al-Dimashqi rahimahullah (701-774 AH / 1301-1373 CE) was born in a village on the outskirts of Basra in Syria, and later settled in Damascus where he spent most of his scholarly life and passed away. A towering Shafi'i scholar of the 8th century AH, he studied under some of the foremost scholars of his era, most notably Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyya. He became a leading authority in Qur'anic exegesis, hadith, and Islamic history. Among his most celebrated works are Tafsir al-Qur'an al-Azim, one of the most widely referenced classical Qur'anic commentaries, and al-Bidaya wa al-Nihaya, a monumental chronicle of Islamic history from creation to his own era. His biographical dictionary al-Bidaya also preserves extensive records of scholars and events. His profound love and veneration for the Prophet ﷺ is a recurring theme in his writings, including the present work on the Prophet's blessed birth.