"[7] Ibn Qudamah was born in Palestine in Jammain,[4] a town near Jerusalem (Bayt al-Maqdīs in the Arabic vernacular, whence his extended name), in 1147[6] during the Crusades to the revered Hanbali preacher and mystic Aḥmad b. Muḥammad b. Qudāmah (d. 1162), "a man known for his asceticism" and in whose honor "a mosque was [later] built in Damascus.

[9] In turn, all these various teachers gave Ibn Qudamah the permission to begin teaching the principles of hadith to his own students, including important female disciples such as Zaynab bint al-Wāsiṭī (d. ca.

He visited Baghdad again in 1189 and 1196, making his pilgrimage to Mecca the previous year in 1195, before finally settling down in Damascus in 1197,[6] Ibn Qudamah died on Saturday, the Day of Eid al-Fitr, on July 7, 1223.

"[11][12] According to one scholar, it is evident that Ibn Qudamah "completely opposed discussion of theological matters and permitted no more than repeating what was said about God in the data of revelation.

"[14] Ibn Qudamah seems to have been a formidable opponent of heresy in Islamic practice, as is evidenced by his famous words: "There is nothing outside of Paradise but hell-fire; there is nothing outside of the truth but error; there is nothing outside of the Way of the Prophet but heretical innovation.

I have heard God say [in the Qur’an], ‘Had they come to you [the Prophet] after having done injustice to themselves [sinned] and asked God for forgiveness and [additionally had] the Messenger asked for forgiveness on their behalf, they would have found God to be oft-turning [in repentance] and merciful.’[18] And I have come to you seeking forgiveness for my sin[s], and seeking your intercession near God.” He [the bedouin man] then said the following poem:O he who is the greatest of those buried in the grandest land, [Of] those whose scent has made the valley and hills fragrant, May my life be sacrificed for the grave that is your abode, Where chastity, generosity and nobility reside!Al-’Utbiyy then narrates that he fell asleep and saw the Prophet in a dream and was informed that the bedouin man had indeed been forgiven.

[22][23][24] Due to Ibn Qudamah's public support for the necessity of Sufism in orthodox Islamic practice, he gained a reputation for being one of "the eminent Sufis" of his era.

[26] Ibn Qudamah staunchly criticized all who questioned or rejected the existence of saints, the veneration of whom had become an integral part of Sunni piety by the time period[27] and which he "roundly endorsed.

Among them are the learned who practise their knowledge, the saints and the righteous men, the God-fearing and pious, the pure and the good, those who have attained the state of sainthood and the performance of miracles, and those who worship in humility and exert themselves in the study of religious law.

"[28] ( a documentation of a debate he had with the Ash'aris on the subject of the Qur'an ) ( المنتخب من العلل للخلال ) ( الـصـراط الـمـسـتـقـيـم في إثـبـات الـحـرف الـقـديـم )