Ebû Şâme

Ebû Şâme was a Shafi'i scholar and historian who lived in Damascus during the Ayyubid period, known for his works on the Nûreddîn and Selâhaddîn eras.

Life and Scholarly Journeys

Ebû Şâme was a scholar who embarked on various journeys from a young age to acquire knowledge. In 621/1224, he attended the scholarly discussions of Hüccetüddîn Ebû Tâlib in Mecca, where he went to perform the Hajj pilgrimage. In 624/1226, he went to Jerusalem, and upon returning to Damascus from there, he joined the study circle of İzzeddîn b. Abdüsselâm. During his journey to Egypt in 628/1230, he met with renowned scholars in Dimyat, Cairo, and Alexandria; in Alexandria, he took lessons from eş-Şerîşî, the famous qira'at and language scholar of the period. He returned to Damascus in 629/1231 and continued his scholarly activities there (Volume 1, p. 178).

Teaching Post

Ebû Şâme, who did not leave Damascus until his death, served as a professor in the Âdiliyye and Rükniyye madrasas, which were allocated to Shafi'is in this city. The author, who is understood to have taught at the Âdiliyye Madrasa until 660/1261, began teaching at the Rükniyye Madrasa from that date (Volume 1, p. 178).

Works

His most renowned work is Kitâbü'r-Ravzateyn, which covers the periods of Nûreddîn and Selâhaddîn. Ebû Şâme also authored a supplement titled Terâcimü Ricâli'l-Karneyn: es-Sâdis ve's-Sâbi' (ez-Zeyl 'ale'r-Ravzateyn) as a complementary work to this. This fundamental source, containing biographies of important figures who lived in the 6th and 7th Hijri centuries and providing solid information for the cultural history of the Ayyubids after Selâhaddîn, covers the years between 590 and 665; a significant portion of the information provided is based on the author's own observations and testimonies. The work offers original and detailed information about the siege of Damascus by the Ayyubid sultan el-Melikü'l-Kâmil in 635/1238 and by the Mongols in 658/1260 (Volume 1, p. 179).

Influence on Later Historians

Ebû Şâme's works were also used by later period historians. The Mamluk period historian 'Aynî, regarding the Ayyubid period, benefited from the works of Ebû Şâme, as well as Kâdî el-Fâzıl, İmâdüddîn el-İsfahânî, İbn Şeddâd, and İbnü'l-Esîr (Volume 1, p. 201).