al-Imam al-Hafidh Abu Muhammad Abdul-Ghani ibn Abdul-Wahid al-Maqdisi al-Hanbali (RA) was born in the year 541 AH in the village of Jummail, in Palestine. While still in his infancy, his family migrated to Damascus where he began to seek knowledge alongside his cousin the famous Hanbali jurist Ibn Qudamah. He studied at the hands of renowned scholars in Damascus; many of them were from his own extended family. He was the first person to establish a school on the Qasyoon Mountain in Damascus and this area soon became synonymous with the pious, so much so that it was given the name Salihiya or ‘area of piety’, a name still used for this area till today.

He traveled thoroughly throughout the Muslim World and visited Alexandria, Isfahan, Jerusalem, Ba’albak, Cairo, Hamazan and Baghdad studying the Sacred Sciences with many scholars including the Imam of Tasawwuf Shaykh Abdul Qadir al-Jilani (RA).

Due to his faithful resolve to speak the truth in the face of falsehood he faced many difficulties and made many enemies, some of whom later took up influential positions of power. These and other extremist elements persecuted him to the extent that he was expelled from many cities and on the 23rd of Rabi al-Awwal 600 AH while in the company of his family passed in to the Mercy of Allah, leaving behind three sons all of whom were scholars.

Some of the most famous teachers that he studied with were:

Shaykh Abdul Qadir al-Jilani
Shaykh Abu'l-Faraj ibn al-Jawzi
Shaykh Hibatullah ibn al-Hasan al-Daqaq
Shaykh Abu Musa al-Madaini
Shaykh Abul Fath al-Kharqi
Shaykh Abul Fadl al-Tusi

Some of his most famous works are:

Manaqib al-Sahabah
al-Kamal fi Asma al-Rijal
al-Misbah fi Oyoun al-Hadith al-Sihah
Mihnah al-Imam Ahmad
al-Nasiha fi Adi’yah al-Sahiha