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Template:Muslim scholars
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Muhammad Nasir ud deen al-Albani was born into a poor family in the city of Shkodra, then the capital of Albania in the 1914 (1332 AH). His father, Haaj Nooh Najati al-Albani, had completed Shariah (Islamic law) studies in Istanbul and returned to Albania as a scholar. During the reign of secularist Ahmet Zogu, Albania suffered oppression of all religious expression, including Islam, forcing the family to make hijrah (immigration) to Damascus. In Damascus, Sheikh al-Albani completed his early education, and was then taught the Quran, tajweed, Arabic linguistic sciences, Hanafi fiqh and further branches of the deen by various sheikhs and friends of his father.
Al-Albani also learned from his father's clock and watch repair practice, becoming highly skilled in the trade. By the age of 20, he began specializing in ahadeeth (narrations of the Prophet Muhammad) and its related sciences, becoming influenced by articles in Al-Manaar magazine which was edited by the alleged freemason - Muhammad Rashid Ridah. He began work in this field by transcribing Hafiz al-Iraqi's monumental Al-Mughnee 'an-hamlil-Asfar fil-Asfar fee takhrej maa fil-lhyaa minal-Akhbar'.
Al-Albani delved further into ahadeeth sciences despite discouragement from his father, who hoped he'd pursue easier fields of study. Unable to afford many of the required books, he often borrowed them from the famous Az-Zahiriyah library in Damascus. He became engrossed with his studies to the extent that he sometimes closed his shop and remained in the library for up to twelve hours - breaking only for prayer - not even leaving to eat, preferring to instead take light snacks with him.
Eventually the library authorities granted him a special room for his studies, and his own key for access to the library before normal opening time. Often he would remain at work from early morning until after 'Isha. During this time he produced many useful works - many of which have yet to be printed.
After some time he started giving two weekly classes attended by university students and professors, teaching various books of 'Aqeedah, Fiqh, Usool and Hadeeth. He also began organised monthly journeys for da'wah to various cities in Syria and Jordan.
After a number of his works appeared in print the Al-Albani was chosen to teach Hadeeth at the Islamic University of Madinah, for three years (from 1381 to 1383H) where he was also a member of the University board. Later he would return to his studies and work in the Az-Zahiriyah library, leaving his shop in the hands of one of his brothers.
He visited various countries for da'wah and lectures - amongst them Qatar, Egypt, Kuwait, the United Arab Emirates, Spain and the United Kingdom. He was forced to emigrate a number of times moving from Syria to Jordan, then Syria again, then Beirut, then the UAE, then again to 'Ammaan, Jordan. His works - mainly in the field of Hadeeth and its sciences number over 100. His students were numerous and include many Sheikhs of the present day, including: Sheikh Hamdee 'Abdul-Majed, Sheikh Muhammad 'Eed 'Abbasi, Dr. Umar Sulayman al-Ashqar, Sheikh Muhammad lbrahim Shaqrah, Sheikh Muqbil ibn Hadi al-Wadi'i, Sheikh 'Alee Khushan, Sheikh Muhammad Jamil Zaynu, Sheikh 'Abdur-Rahman Abdus-Samad, Sheikh 'Alee Hasan 'Abdul-Hamid al-Halabi, and Sheikh Salim al-Hilali.
Passing and Contemporary Evaluation
Albani was later expelled from Syria then Saudi Arabia and lived in Amman, Jordan under house arrest until his death onOctober 2, 1999 (22 Jumada ath-Thaniyah 1420 AH) at 87 years of age.
Al-Albani is considered by many Muslims, especially Salafis as being perhaps the greatest Islamic scholar of our time. Sheikh 'Abd-ul-'Aziz Ibn Baz said: "I have not seen under the surface of the sky a person knowledgeable of the Hadeeth in our current time the likes of the great scholar, Muhammad Nasir-ud-Deen Al-Albani." When asked about the hadeeth of the Prophet Muhammad (saws): "Indeed Allah raises up from this ummah (community) at the beginning of every century someone who will revive it for them (i.e. a mujaddid)." So he was asked who is the mujaddid of this century? He replied: "Shaikh Muhammad Nasir-ud-Deen Al-Albani. He is the mujaddid in my opinion and Allah knows best."
The great scholar, Sheikh Zayd Ibn Fayad said about him: "Indeed, Sheikh Muhammad Nasir-ud-Deen Al-Albani is from the most prominent and distinguished personalities of this era. He had great concern for the Hadeeth - its paths of transmission, its reporters and its levels of authenticity or weakness. This is an honorable task from the best things in which hours can be spent and efforts can be made. And he was like any other of the scholars - those who are correct in some matters and err in other matters. However, his devotion to this great science is from that which requires that his prestige be acknowledged and his endeavors in it be appreciated."
Another great scholar, the teacher, Muhibb-ud-Deen Al-Khatib said: "And from the callers to the Sunnah who devoted their lives to reviving it was our brother Muhammad Nasir-ud-Deen Nooh Najati Al-Albani."
Criticism
Al-Albani has faced intense criticism from traditional scholars through out his life as well. Some scholars have referred to him "a self-taught claimant to hadith scholarship who has no known teacher in any of the Islamic sciences and has admitted not to have memorized the Book of Allah nor any book of hadith, fiqh, `aqîda, usûl, or grammar. He achieved fame by attacking the great scholars of Ahl al-Sunna and reviling the science of fiqh with especial malice towards the school of his father who was a Hanafi jurist."
Some of the reasons they criticize him are:
He claimed that 2.5% zakât is not due on money obtained from commerce, i.e. the main activity whereby money circulates among Muslims.
He compared Hanafi fiqh to the Gospel. (In his commentary on al-Mundhiri's Mukhtasar Sahih Muslim, 3rd ed. (Beirut: al-Maktab al-Islami, 1977, p. 548). This phrase was removed from later editions.
He suggested that Imam al-Bukhari is a disbeliever for interpreting the Divine Face as dominion or sovereignty (mulk) in the verse (Everything will perish save His countenance( (28:88) in the book of Tafsir in his Sahih: "Except His wajh means except His mulk, and it is also said: Except whatever was for the sake of His countenance." Albani blurts out: "No true believer would say such a thing" and "We should consider al-Bukhari innocent of that statement." Fatawa (p. 523).
Academic line
Notable Publications
- Ahadtih Manar Asabeel (Volumes 1-8)
- Mawadhu'a (Volumes 1-2)
- Talkhis Ahkam al-Janaez
- Sifatu Salati An-Nabiyy (saw)
- Attawsulu: Anwau'hu wa Ahkamuhu