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Ali ibn Muhammad Alawi Umari with the full name of Najmuddin Abul-Hasan Ali ibn Abul-Ghanaim Alawi Umari known as Ibn Sufi (born AD/CE Islamic calendar in Basra, died AD/CE Islamic calendar in Mosul) was a prominent Shiite genealogist and the author of the famous Arabic language historical genealogy book "Al-Majdi fi Ansabi al-Taalebiyin" ( in , ).

Life and lineage

Ibn Sufi was born and raised in Basra, and is known as " Umari" and also " Alawi" due to his ancestry to his grandfather, " Umar al-Atraf", the son of the first Shia Imam, " Ali", known as " Ibn Taghlibiyah".

Ibn Sufi's father, " Abu al-Ghana'im Muhammad", known as " Ibn Mahlabiyah",

was considered as an authority on the genealogy science.

In fact, genealogy had a long history in Ibn Sufi's family, and even his sixth grandfather, " Muhammad Sufi", to whom Ibn Sufi is attributed and who was killed by order of Harun al-Rashid ( the fifth Abbasid caliph of the Abbasid Empire),

was also a genealogist.

It seems that Ibn Sufi spent most, if not all, of his time in Baghdad between 1016 AD/CE to 1029 AD/CE ( 407 Islamic calendar to 420 Islamic calendar).

Ibn Sufi migrated from Basra to Mosul in 1032 AD/CE ( 423 Islamic calendar), where he married and settled down.

Ibn Sufi,

in his account of the lineage of Zayd ibn Ali, referred to Twelver school of thought as his own sect. According to Ibn al-Tiqtaqa ( a prominent historian) in his book " Al-Asili", Ibn Sufi died in Mosul.

Educations

As Ibn Sufi himself says, from childhood he studied various sciences, especially genealogy, and benefited from the presence of great masters.

Ibn Tawus ( a Shiite jurist, theologian, historian and astrologer) considered Ibn Sufi as the foremost genealogist of his time,

and according to Ibn Inabah ( a Shiite historian and genealogist),

Ibn Sufi's statement in the field of genealogy was a proof. Ibn Sufi traveled to many lands and cities to gain experience and knowledge in sciences specially in genealogy, such as Ramla, Nusaybin, Levant, Mayafarfin, Egypt, Oman, Kufa, and Ukbara. Ibn Sufi has also been introduced by some historians as a writer, poet, and jurist.

His masters

In various historical Shia books, the names of 20 of Ibn Sufi's masters are mentioned. Ibn Sufi mentioned the names of some of his masters in his book "Al-Majdi fi Ansabi al-Taalebiyin" ( in , ) too. Among Ibn Sufi's masters, the following prominent individuals can be mentioned:

Ibn Sufi was a contemporary of Sharif al-Murtaza ( one of the greatest Shia scholars of his time),Sayyid Razi: Life and Work By: Dr. Sayyid Muhammad Mahdi Ja'fari and Ibn Sufi met with him in Baghdad in 1034 AD/CE ( 425 Islamic calendar).

According to Sayyid Ali Khan Madani ( a Shiite scholar), Ibn Sufi studied a while under the supervision of Sharif al-Murtaza and narrated from him and his brother Al-Sharif al-Radi, but Ibn Sufi himself does not mention this.

His works

The writings of Ibn Sufi are more famous in the field of Islamic genealogy. The following can be mentioned among others:

Ibn Sufi

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Ibn Sufi ( 1000 Births )

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Ibn Sufi

( 1000 Births )