Shaykh al-Albaanee has ijaazah in hadeeth from the late ’Allaamah Shaykh Muhammad Raaghib at-Tabbaagh with whom he studied hadeeth sciences, gaining authority to transmit from him. The Shaykh himself refers to this ijaazah in Mukhtasarul-’Uluww (p. 72) and in Tahdeerus-Saajid (p. 63). He has a further ijaazah from Shaykh Bahjatul-Baytaar (through whom his isnaad stretches back to Imaam Ahmad). These are mentioned in the book Hayaatul-Albaanee (the Life of al-Albaanee) by Muhammad ash-Shaybaanee. This sort of ijaazah is given only to those who have excelled in hadeeth and can be trusted to accurately convey a hadeeth. A copy of the ijaazah is in the possession of his student, ’Alee Hasan al-Halabee. So it is not correct to say that the Shaykh is self-taught from books, without authority and without ijaazah.
Whilst we are on the subject, I think it would not be out of place here to mention a few snippets from Shaykh al-Albaanee’s life and career to further emphasize his great standing in the field of hadeeth science as well as the respect shown to him by other scholars. One cannot really do the subject justice in one or two brief emails, however, i hope the readers will find this information both encouraging and interesting:
[1] Shaykh al-Albaanee was born in 1914CE in Ashkodera, the former capital of Albania.
[2] His first Shaykh was his father, al-Haaj Nooh an-Najjaatee, who himself had completed Sharee’ah studies in Istanbul, returning to Albania as one of its Hanafee scholars. Under his father’s guidance, Shaykh al-Albaanee studied Qur‘aan, tajweed, Arabic language as well as Hanafee fiqh.
[3] He further studied Hanafee fiqh and Arabic language under Shaykh Sa’eed al-Burhaan.
[4] He would attend the lectures of Imaam ’Abdul-Fattaah and Shaykh Tawfeeq al-Barzah.
[5] The Shaykh met the late hadeeth master, Ahmad Shaakir, with whom he participated in knowledge based discussions on hadeeth and its research.
[6] He met the late Indian hadeeth scholar, Shaykh ’Abdus-Samad Sharfud-Deen, who himself had referenced the hadeeth to the first volume of an-Nisaa‘ee’s Sunanul-Kubraa as well as al-Mizzee’s monumental Tuhfatul-Ashraaf, and they continued to exchange letters on matters of knowledge. In one such letter, Shaykh ’Abdus-Samad expressed his belief that Shaykh al-Albaanee was the greatest hadeeth scholar of the time.
[7] In recognition of his knowledge of hadeeth, he was commissioned as far back as 1955CE by the Faculty of Sharee’ah at Damascus University to carry out detailed analysis and research into hadeeth related to buying and selling and other business related transactions.
[8] Shaykh al-Albaanee began his formal work in the field of hadeeth by transcribing al-Haafidh al-’Iraaqee’s monumental al-Mughnee ’an Hamlil-Asfaar, being a study of the various hadeeth and narrations contained in al-Ghazaalee’s famous Ihyaa‘ ’Uloomud-Deen. This work alone contains some 5000 hadeeth.
[9] The Shaykh was famous for attending the Zaahiriyyah library in Damascus, and was eventually given his own set of keys due to his frequent and lengthy study there. On one such occasion, an important folio was missing from a manuscript in use by the Shaykh and this led Shaykh al-Albaanee to painstakingly catalogue all the hadeeth manuscripts in the library in an endeavour to locate the missing folio. Consequently, he gained in-depth knowledge of 1000’s of hadeeth manuscripts, something that was attested to years later by Dr. Muhammad Mustafa Azami in the introduction to Studies in Early Hadith Literature where he said, ‘I wish to express my gratitude to…Shaikh Nasir al-Din al-Albani, who placed his extensive knowledge of rare manuscripts at my disposal.’
[10] Shaykh al-Albaanee would sometimes mention his extreme poverty during his early life. He said he would be reduced to picking up scraps of paper from the street, often discarded wedding cards, and use them to write his hadeeth notes on. Often, he would purchase scrap paper in bulk from the rubbish dump and take it home to use.
[11] He would correspond with numerous scholars, particularly those from India and Pakistan, discussing matters related to hadeeth and the Religion in general, including Shaykh Muhammad Zamzamee from Morocco and ’Ubaydullaah Rahmaan, the author of Mirqaatul-Mafaateeh Sharh Mushkilatil-Masaabeeh.
[12] His skill in hadeeth is attested to by a host of qualified scholars, past and present, including Dr. Ameen al-Misree, head of Islaamic Studies at al-Madeenah University who considered himself to be one of the Shaykh’s students; also Dr. Subhee as-Salaah, former head of Hadeeth Sciences at the University of Damascus; Dr. Ahmad al-Asaal, head of Islaamic Studies at Riyaad University; the late Pakistani hadeeth scholar, ’Allaamah Badee’ud-Deen Shaah as-Sindee; Shaykh Muhammad Tayyib Awkeej, former head of Tafseer and Hadeeth at the University of Ankarah in Turkey; not to mention the likes of Shaykh Ibn Baaz, Ibnul-’Uthaymeen, Muqbil Ibn Haadee and many others in later times.
[13] After a number of his works appeared in print, the Shaykh was chosen to teach hadeeth at the new Islaamic University of al-Madeenah for three years from 1381H to 1383H where he was also a member of University board. After this he returned to his former studies and work in the Zaahiriyyah library. His love for al-Madeenah University is evidenced by the fact that he bequeathed his entire personal library to the University.
[14] He would hold study circles twice a week whilst in Damascus which were attended by numerous students and university lecturers. In this way, the Shaykh completed instruction in the following classical and modern works:
Fathul-Majeed of ’Abdur-Rahmaan Ibn Husayn Ibn Muhammad Ibn ’Abdul-Wahhaab
Rawdatun-Nadiyyah of Siddeeq Hasan Khaan
Minhaajul-Islaamiyyah of Muhammad Asad
Usoolul-Fiqh of al-Khallaal
Mustalahut-Taareekh of Asad Rustum
Al-Halaal wal-Haraam fil-Islaam of the innovator Yoosuf al-Qardaawee
Fiqhus-Sunnah of Sayyid Saabiq
Baa’ithul-Hatheeth of Ahmad Shaakir
At-Targheeb wat-Tarheeb of al-Haafidh al-Mundhiree
Riyaadus-Saaliheen of Imaam an-Nawawee
Al-Imaam fee Ahaadeethil-Ahkaam of Ibn Daqeeq al-’Eed
[15] After carrying out an analysis of the hadeeth in Ibn Khuzaymah’s Saheeh, the Indian hadeeth Scholar, Muhammad Mustafa Azami (head of Hadeeth Science in Makkah), chose Shaykh al-Albaanee to verify and re-check his analysis and the work is currently published in four volumes containing both their comments. This is an indication of the level of trust placed in Shaykh al-Albaanee’s hadeeth ability by other scholars.
[16] In their edition of the well known hadeeth compilation, Mishkaatul-Masaabeeh, the Maktabatul-Islaamee publishing house requested Shaykh al-Albaanee to edit the work before publication. The publisher wrote in the introduction, ‘We requested that the great hadeeth scholar, Shaykh Muhammad Naasirud-Deen al-Albaanee, should help us in the checking of Mishkaat and take responsibility for adding footnotes for any ahaadeeth needing them, and researching and reproducing their sources and authenticity where needed, and correcting any deficiencies…’
[17] The Shaykh’s printed works, mainly in the field of hadeeth and its sciences, number some one hundred and twelve books. Seventeen of these books alone run into forty five volumes! He left behind him in manuscript form at least a further seventy works.
[18] It is recorded on one occasion (and this incident is available on two tape cassettes - his students were in the habit of recording his teaching sessions), that a man visited Shaykh al-Albaanee in his home in Jordan claiming to be a prophet! How would we have reacted when faced with such a situation? Shaykh al-Albaanee sat the man down and discussed his claims at length (as I said, covering two tape cassettes) and in the end the visitor made tawbah from his claim and all present, including the Shaykh, were overcome with tears. In fact, how often is Shaykh al-Albaanee heard on tape bursting into tears when speaking about Allaah, His Messenger and the affairs of the Muslims?
[19] On another occasion he was visited by three men all claiming that Shaykh al-Albaanee was a kaafir. When it came time to pray they refused to pray behind him, saying it is not possible for a kaafir to lead the Prayer. The Shaykh accepted this, saying that in his eyes the three of them were Muslims so one of them should lead the prayer. Afterwards, they discussed their differences at length and when it came time for the following prayer, all three men insisted on praying behind Shaykh al-Albaanee!
[20] During the course of his life the Shaykh has researched and commented on over 30,000 individual chains of transmission (isnaad) for countless hadeeth, having spent sixty years in the study of the books of the Sunnah and being in the company of, and in contact with, its scholars.
http://www.troid.org/articles/manhaj/innovation/indefenceoftheulamaa/alalbaanee.htm
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