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“The muhaddith of Sham” – one of the last great memorisers of hadith. This Hanafi master had a photographic memory and used it to his utmost ability. He lived a life of ascetic worship and teaching, with a handful of students receiving his full devotion.
 

“The greatest muhaddith” – All scholars and shaikhs of Syria accepted him as their teacher, and those living in Damascus used to attend his daily lessons. He had a photographic memory. Knew by heart all the hadeeths of Bukhaari, Muslim, and the remainder of the six most famous books of Hadeeth, including the biography of all narrators of all chains of every hadeeth, their dates of birth and decease, and their status of authenticity. Also, he used to explain the Qur’aan by heart from al Baydaawi’s Tafseer (explanation of the Qur’aan). His ijaazah was especially besought by Hadeeth scholars for being the closest one of his age to the Prophet Salla’l Laahu `Alaihi Wa Sallam (counting the number of men in the chain). Doctors and engineers who attended his classes used to say: We exhausted our life learning our profession, and he knows it more than us. He was also instrumental in the organization of the revolution against the French occupation.

One of the great scholars, Badruddin Al-Hasani (who was a master of hadith), from the city of Damascus, who died in this age, at every ‘Eid, he would go out, and he would give his students charity from his own pocket, and there were places, particularly in the colonialism era, where there were a lot of women that were impoverished and forced into prostitution to support themselves, and he would tell his student to give those prostitutes charity, and he would say to them, “Tell them that Badruddin Al-Hasani asked you to make du’ah (supplication) for him.” And those women would weep when they heard that: “Who are we to make du’ah for Badruddin Al-Hasani?.” There were people who repented because of that act.

The following are quoted from Al Durar Al Lu’lu’iyyah by Shaikh Mahmood al Rankoosi (pp. 9, 13, 28) who was his special student for the last twelve years of his life:
“He knew Saheeh Muslim and Bukhaari by heart, including individual chains of narrators and their biographies. It is not improbable that he also knew by heart their commentaries from “Fath Al Baari”, al `Ayni and al Nawawi.

Egypt’s Mufti Shaikh Muhammad Bakheet said: “If he was with us in Egypt, (out of respect) scholars would carry him over their shoulders.”

Shaikh Muhammad al Qaayaati said:”He is among the rarities of this age… We were present one night when he was reciting Saheeh Al Bukhaari. He recited more than one hour, discussing topics and explaining Hadeeth by heart.”

The great Hadeeth scholar Abdu’l Waasi` al Yamaani said: “I have heard teachers and preachers in numerous countries but I have never seen anybody similar to him concerning his expertise in all Sciences.”

A scholar from India said in a long biography: “He is the Qutb -pivot, pillar- of our time and the Mujaddid -renovator of religion- of our age.”

Shaikhu’l Islam in Istanbul, Musa Kaazim Afandi said: “He is the Qutb of the Muslim world.”

Al Sayyid al Kabeer al Kittaani al Maghribi said: “There has been no one comparable to him since five hundred years.”

Experts in engineering and mathematics would often attend his lessons and concede his superiority in these sciences saying: “We spent all our life learning but did not reach his level.”

هو الشريف الشيخ ولي الله تعالى محمد بدر الدين ابن الشيخ يوسف الحسني المغربي الاصل الدمشقي محدث الديار الشامية. ولد بدمشق سنة 1267 هـ = 1850 وأخذ علومه عن والده وخاله الشيخ صالح الكزبري وغيرهما ثم رحل إلى مصر فأخذ عن جملة من علمائها. عرف بالزهد والورع والذكر اشغل وقته بالتدريس والعبادة والتأليف، توفي بدمشق سنة 1354 هـ = 1935.

 

Buried outside the Maqbara Bab Saghir. A modern mosque with an institute is erected next to his grave. With him is buried his son Sheikh Yusuf al-Hasani (d. 1279 H), who succeded him as a head of Dar al-Hadith.