The Shaykh, the Scholar, Muhammad bin Hadi Al-Madkhali, may Allah Ta’ala preserve him
His Name and Lineage:
He is our venerable Shaykh, the eminent Hadith scholar, the noble memorizer and jurist, Abu Anas Muhammad bin Hadi bin Ali Faqih bin Muhammad bin Muhsin bin Husain bin Ahmad bin Umar Jurdi Al-Madkhali Al-Shubaili.
His Birth:
He was born around the year 1386 AH in the governorate of Samtah within the Jazan region.
His Studies and Most Prominent Teachers:
He studied the various branches of knowledge—including Hadith, jurisprudence (Fiqh), and legal theory (Usul)—under a group of scholars. Among his most prominent teachers are:
- His father, Shaykh Hadi bin Ali Al-Madkhali, may Allah have mercy on him.
- The Scholar, Shaykh Ahmad bin Yahya Al-Najmi, may Allah have mercy on him.
- The Scholar, Shaykh Zaid bin Muhammad bin Hadi Al-Madkhali, may Allah have mercy on him.
- The Shaykh of Islam, the Scholar and Imam, Abdul Aziz bin Abdullah bin Baz, may Allah have mercy on him.
- The Scholar, Shaykh Abdullah bin Muhammad bin Humaid, may Allah have mercy on him.
- The Scholar, Shaykh Hammad bin Muhammad Al-Ansari, may Allah have mercy on him.
- The Scholar, Shaykh Hamud bin Abdullah Al-Tuwaijri, may Allah have mercy on him.
- The Scholar, Shaykh Salih bin Abdul Rahman Al-Atram, may Allah have mercy on him.
- The Scholar, Shaykh Muhammad bin Salih Al-Uthaymin, may Allah have mercy on him.
- The Scholar, Shaykh Abdul Aziz bin Muhammad Al-Salman, may Allah have mercy on him. And others.
I heard him say once: “I met the Scholar Shaykh Muhammad Nasiruddin Al-Albani, may Allah have mercy on him, and attended his gatherings in Madinah. He was, may Allah have mercy on him, exceptionally intelligent, his eyes blazing with keenness, and I saw the senior Shaykhs in Madinah holding him in great awe.”
And he said once: “I missed studying under Shaykh Muhammad Al-Amin Al-Shinqiti, may Allah have mercy on him.”
His Formal Education:
His Eminence graduated from the College of Sharia at Imam Mohammad Ibn Saud Islamic University in the capital, Riyadh, in the year 1408 AH.
He also worked on the Sunan of the Imam and Hafiz Abu Dawud Al-Sijistani, may Allah the Most High have mercy on him, for his master’s and doctoral theses. He attained his Master’s degree (Al-Aalamiyyah) in 1414 AH from the Islamic University of Madinah with a study on (What Imam Abu Dawud Remained Silent Upon Regarding Weaknesses in its Chain of Narration), under the supervision of the eminent scholar and professor, Dr. Rabee bin Hadi Al-Madkhali—former head of the Sunnah Department at the Islamic University—may Allah preserve him and grant him long-lasting beneficial life.
He also attained his Doctorate degree (Al-Aalamiyyah Al-Ulya) in 1425 AH from the same university with a study on (The Additions of Imam Abu Dawud over the Eight Primary Sources: A Compilation and Study), under the supervision of the eminent scholar and professor, Dr. Abdul Rahman bin Salih Muhyiddin, may Allah preserve him.
His Teaching:
He was appointed as a teacher at the Islamic University of Madinah on the second of Muharram in the year 1409 AH. There, he taught:
- The Sunan of Al-Nasa’i
- The Sunan of Abu Dawud
- The Jami of Al-Tirmidhi
- Sahih Al-Bukhari
- Bulugh Al-Maram by Hafiz Ibn Hajar
- Al-Muharrar by Ibn Abd Al-Hadi
- And other foundational works in Hadith and its sciences.
This is in addition to his scholarly and proselytizing activities inside and outside the City of the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him.
His Academic Attainment and Memorization:
As for his scholarly attainment and his meticulous care, may Allah preserve him, in memorization and precision, do not ask about it! This is clearly evident in his rapid recall and the strength of his evidentiary citations.
He was asked once: “Do you have Bulugh [Al-Maram] and Al- Zad [Al-Mustaqni] memorized?”
He replied: “Yes, I memorized Al-Zad while I was in intermediate school, and I memorized Bulugh while I was in high school.”
He stated another time: “I memorized Al-Subul Al-Sawiyyah fi Fiqh Al-Sunan Al-Marwiyyah, the poetic composition of Shaykh Hafiz Al-Hakami, may Allah have mercy on him, while I was in high school.” Then he added: “Our Shaykh, the Scholar Ahmad Al-Najmi, may Allah have mercy on him, used to say: ‘Whoever memorizes the text of Al-Subul, I authorize him to issue fatwas.’”
I say: May Allah preserve him, he was the object of admiration of his teachers, may Allah have mercy on them. How could he not be, when he outpaced his peers and surpassed his student contemporaries? The Scholar Ibn Baz, may Allah have mercy on him, counted him among the teachers of Madinah while he was still in the prime of his youth, singling him out alongside its senior scholars.
He held a position of high esteem and reverence from all his teachers and the scholars of Madinah, such as the Scholar Ahmad Al-Najmi, the Scholar Zaid Al-Madkhali, may Allah have mercy on them, as well as the Scholar Dr. Muhammad Aman bin Ali Al-Jami, may Allah have mercy on him, the Scholar Shaykh Hammad Al-Ansari, may Allah have mercy on him, and our Shaykh, the Scholar Prof. Dr. Rabee bin Hadi Al-Madkhali, may Allah preserve him and grant us benefit through him in goodness, alongside other people of knowledge.
Moreover, the Shaykh—may Allah preserve him—has profound diligence regarding the works of his teacher’s teacher, the eminent and brilliantly versatile Scholar Shaykh Hafiz bin Muhammad bin Ali Al-Hakami, may Allah have mercy on him, mastering both their wording and study.
We have read to him chapters from the Sunan of the Imam and Hafiz Abu Dawud Al-Sijistani, may Allah have mercy on him; chapters from the Sunan (Al-Mujtaba) of the Imam and Hafiz Ahmad bin Shu’ayb Al-Nasa’i, may Allah have mercy on him; chapters on transactions (Al-Buyu) from the book Al-Muharrar by Ibn Abd Al-Hadi, may Allah have mercy on him; as well as certain discussions on the sciences of Hadith and various scholarly texts.
Written by his student: Abu Abd Al-Rahman / Adam bin Hasan Al-Jawhar On the morning of Monday, the fourteenth of the sacred month of Muharram In the year one thousand four hundred and forty In the honored city of Madinah (1440/1/14 AH)