Imam ibn Rajab al-Hanbali was known as the leading scholar of his era, an eminent Quran master, a jurist of repute, a moving sermonizer, and a major historian. He was born in Baghdad in 1335. At the age of eight, he moved to Damascus along with his father. In Damascus, he began his religious studies, first memorizing the Quran in its variant canonical readings. He then began the study of hadith, a pursuit that would take him to Makkah, Egypt, and other Islamic centers of learning. Ibn Rajab studied with the leading scholarly authorities of his day. He was especially influenced by the great Hanbali scholar, Ibn Qayyim al-Jawziyya, one of the most renowned names in Muslim history.
