Imad ad-Din Abu al-Fida Ismail ibn Umar ibn Kathir al-Qurashi ad-Dimashqi

Ismail ibn Kathir was born in Busra, east of Damascus, in 1300 CE (701 AH). His father, a khatib (Friday sermon preacher), died when Ismail was young, and he was raised by his older brother before moving to Damascus in 1315 to pursue Islamic education. He studied under many of the greatest scholars of 14th-century Damascus, most influentially Ibn Taymiyyah, whose methodology of emphasizing القرآن, السنة, and the practice of the early generations profoundly shaped his intellectual approach.

Ibn Kathir's Tafsir al-القرآن al-Azim is one of the most important and widely read القرآن commentaries ever produced. His methodology was to explain القرآن primarily through القرآن itself (using one verse to illuminate another), then through authentic hadith, then through the statements of the Companions and their successors. This approach, which he inherited from Ibn Taymiyyah, produces a commentary grounded firmly in primary sources rather than speculative interpretation. The tafsir is valued for its clarity, accessibility, and reliability, making it the go-to reference for Muslims worldwide seeking to understand the meaning of القرآن.

His historical work Al-Bidayah wan-Nihayah (The Beginning and the End) is a monumental تاريخ spanning from creation through the events of his own time, integrating القرآنic narrative, prophetic traditions, and historical sources into a comprehensive chronological account. It remains one of the most important Islamic historical texts. He lost his eyesight toward the end of his life but continued teaching until his death in Damascus in 1373 CE (774 AH).