Siyar — A 39-lam Al-nubala English Pdf
Siyar A‘lām al-Nubalā’ (The Lives of Noble Figures) is a monumental 25–40 volume biographical encyclopedia (depending on edition). Imam al-Dhahabī (d. 1348 CE / 748 AH) arranged it chronologically by death year.
Volume 39 in the Mu’assasat al-Risālah edition (the standard scholarly reference) covers the generation whose deaths fall between approximately 701–720 AH (1301–1320 CE). This period includes late Mamluk scholars, jurists, hadith masters, Sufis, and political leaders.
Key figures found in Volume 39 include:
Each biography typically includes: full name, teachers, students, scholarly rank, anecdotes, death date, and al-Dhahabī’s own critical remarks.
However, there are excellent partial translations often mislabeled as the "full Siyar." These are usually selections of notable biographies. The most authoritative among them is:
Option 1 – Partial translations online
Search for: "Siyar A'lam al-Nubala" volume 39 English translation or "Ibn Daqiq al-Eid" Siyar English. Some Islamic blogs and academia.edu pages contain translated excerpts from Volume 39.
Option 2 – Use the Arabic PDF + machine translation Siyar A 39-lam Al-nubala English Pdf
Option 3 – Consult reference works in English
Instead of a direct PDF, these books often quote or paraphrase Volume 39:
Option 4 – Academic request
Check JStor, ProQuest, or university repositories for dissertations that translate sections of Volume 39. Scholars like Dr. Scott Lucas or Dr. Jonathan Brown have referenced and translated parts in their works.
This is where the discussion becomes crucial. If you search for "Siyar A'lam al-Nubala English PDF", you will find many misleading links. Here is the reality:
He was Abū al-Fatḥ Taqī al-Dīn Muḥammad ibn ‘Alī ibn Wahb ibn Muṭī‘ al-Qushayrī al-Manfalūṭī al-Miṣrī, known as Ibn Daqiq al-‘Īd. He was the imam, the exemplary scholar, the signpost of the jurists, the hadith master of his time… He mastered the sciences: jurisprudence, principles, hadith, tafsir, Arabic language, and differences of opinion. He was given swift comprehension and sharp intelligence. He passed away on Monday night, the 6th of Dhū al-Qa‘dah in the year 702 [June 1303 CE], in Cairo, and was buried next to al-Shāfi‘ī. May Allah have mercy on him.
If you want, I can help you translate specific biographies from Volume 39 if you provide the Arabic page images or the names of the figures. Alternatively, I can guide you step-by-step to locate the Arabic PDF and then produce an English rendering of any section you need.
While Siyar A'lam al-Nubala (Biographies of Eminent Nobles) is a monumental Islamic historical work by Imam al-Dhahabi, there is no complete English translation currently available in PDF or print. The original Arabic work is massive, spanning 30 volumes in modern editions, which has made a full English translation a prohibitive task. Overview of Siyar A'lam al-Nubala Siyar A‘lām al-Nubalā’ (The Lives of Noble Figures)
Author: Shams al-Din al-Dhahabi (d. 748 AH), a renowned Hadith scholar and historian.
Content: A biographical dictionary detailing the lives of thousands of eminent Muslims, including companions of the Prophet, scholars, rulers, and poets from the first seven centuries of Islam.
Structure: The biographies are arranged chronologically based on the era (generations) in which the individuals lived. Where to Find English Content
Although a full PDF does not exist, you can find specific portions or summaries in English:
Individual Biographies: Online platforms such as AbdurRahman.org provide translated excerpts of specific figures, like Al-Hasan Al-Basri.
Video Summaries: Educational channels like YouTube occasionally feature readings from the book with English subtitles. If you want
Biographical Overviews: Some English-language books on Islamic history utilize Siyar as a primary source for specific historical figures. Accessing the Arabic Original
If you can read Arabic or are looking for the original text, it is widely available: Siyar A'lam Al-Nubala'i Imam Dhahabi (Arabic) 20 Vol Set
Report: "Siyar A'lam al-Nubala" (Biographies of the Noble Figures)
Subject: Availability and details of the English translation of Siyar A'lam al-Nubala in PDF format.
Overview: Siyar A'lam al-Nubala (Biographies of the Noble Figures) is a monumental biographical dictionary authored by the renowned Islamic historian and hadith scholar Imam Shams al-Din al-Dhahabi (d. 748 AH / 1348 CE). It is considered one of the most comprehensive encyclopedias dealing with the lives of scholars, rulers, and notable figures of Islamic history from the early generations (the Salaf) up to the author's time.
Since a complete free PDF in English does not exist, here are the best alternatives for English-speaking researchers: