He is Abu ‘Amr Taqee-ud-Deen ‘Uthmaan Ibn ‘Abdir-Rahmaan Ibn ‘Uthmaan Ibn Moosaa Al-Kurdee Ash-Shaafi’ee.

He was born in Sharakhaan in 577H, a small village in Shahrazoor, under Erbil (in North ‘Iraaq). Afterward, he moved to Mawsil and then to Khurasaan, then to Bait al-Maqdis, where he was given a teaching position in Salaahiyyah. Then he moved to Damascus where he was appointed as a teacher in Daar-ul-hadeeth when it was just built.

He, rahimahullaah, was a noble Imaam with vast knowledge and well known to have piety and abstinence of the worldly matters. His student, Ibn Khalqaan said of him: [1]

“He was one of the distinguished personalities of his time in the subject of Tafseer, Hadeeth, Fiqh, Names of Reporters, what is related to the Science of Hadeeth and reporting the Language. He also had a large role in numerous other disciplines and his religious verdicts (fataawaa) were precise. He was one of my Shaikhs (teachers) whom I benefited from."

Taaj-ud-Deen As-Subkee said of him:
“He was the Shaikh, the ‘Allaamah (great scholar), Taqee-ud-Deen, one of the Imaams of the Deen, in terms of knowledge and religious qualities." [2]

He also said: "And he was a big Imaam, a scholar of Fiqh and Hadeeth, abstinent of this worldly life and overly-cautious, one who gave benefit and taught knowledge."[3]

The first person he took knowledge from was his father, As-Salaah. Then he traveled to a number of other lands in order to learn and gain benefit and afterward to teach and give benefit. This was until he settled down in Damascus, where the people preoccupied him with seeking Hadeeth. [4] He had great precedence in knowledge and Religion.

And his condition of being precise and upright in teaching and exerting himself in knowledge and giving benefit continued until his death, which occurred on Thursday morning, the 25th of Rabee’ Al-Akhir 643H. He was buried in the Sufiyyah graveyards outside of Baab An-Nasr.

Among his written works on the branches of Fiqh are: "Ma’rifatu Anwaa’ ‘Ilm-il-Hadeeth", which is known as the "Muqaddimah of Ibn As-Salaah", "Ma’rifat-ul-Mu’talif wal-Mukhtalif fee Asmaa ar-Rijaal", "Al-Fataawaa" and "Sharh Mushkil-ul-Waseet."

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