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ABD AL'HAQQ, is Shah Abd al-Haqq bin. Sayf ad-Din bin. Sadullah al-Bukhari, al-Muhaddith al-Dehlvi, born in Dehli, India in 958 AH/1551 CE. He was one of the prominent Hanafi Scholar of his age in the Indian sub-continent. Although he is most recognised as a leading Muhaddith, he wrote works on a wide range of religious sciences, including fiqh, history, aqeeda, Qur'anic science and hadith commentaries. His works, which amount to about 50, are in Arabic and Persian. He taught and preached in Dehli for half a century, where he finally passed away in 1052 AH/1642 CE.

Abu Dawud, is Abu Dawud, Sulayman bin. al-Ash'ab bin. Ishaq, al-Sijistani, born in Sijistan, Persia in 202 AH/817 CE. He was a Shafi'i scholar who travelled wideley in search of hadith. He became a hadith master and Imam of the subject in his time. His collection is one of the six most authentic sources of hadith (Sahih Sitta). He past away in Basra, Iraq in 275 AH/889 CE.

Abu Hanifa, is (Imam) Abu Hanifa, Mu'man bin Thabit bin Zuta, Imam al-Azam, born in Kufa, Iraq in 80 AH/699 CE. He was the first of the four great mujtahids of Islam, he other three being Imam Malik, Imam Shafi'i and Imam Ahmed bin Hanbal. He was born at a time when there were a number of Companions of the Prophet still alive, includin Anas bin Malik (d. 93 AH), who he certainly met. He studied the curricula of his day, including fiqh, hadith, kalam and history, but it is fiqh that he is most remembered for. Imam Shafi'i used to say, " In fiqh, all scholars are the children of Abu Hanifa." Among his teachers were authorities like Imams Hammad, Sha'bi, Abu Ishaq Sab'i, Qatadah, Shu'bah and Sufyan al-Thawri. He was a wealthy man, but lived a humble an ascetic life. Imam Abu Qasim al-Qushayri notes that Abu Hanifa would not sit in the shade of a tree belonging to someone he loaned money to, saying, "Every debt that brings about a benefit is usury." It is said that for 40 years he prayed salaat al-fajr with wudu he made for salaat al-isha. He passed away in Baghsas in 150 AH/767 CE.

Adawiyya, is Rabi'a al-Adawiyya al-Kaysiyya, born in Basra, Iraq in 95 AH/714 CE or 99 AH/717 CE. She is one of the most famous woman mystic and saint in the history of Islam. She was renowned for her piety, self-denial, renunciation, tawakkul Allah and her love for Allah. Many great scholars and awliya, including Imam Hasan al-Basri, Imam Sufyan al-Thawri, the ascetic Malik bin Dinar and sufi Shaykh Shaqiq al-Balkhi, came to seek her counsel and listen to her words of wisdom. Hasan al-Basri once asked her how she had attained her spiritual greatness, she replied, "I forget all existence (become non-existence) in His (Allah's) remembrance." She passed away in Basra in 185 AH/801 CE.

Ali, is Abdullah Yusuf Ali, born in Surrat, India in 1289 AH/1872 CE Translator of the Qur'an. He began his religious education, in particular study of the Qur'an, at a very early age; between the age of 4 and 5, as he himself recalls. This early interest in Qur'anic studies was the fuel that kindled the fire of his lifetime ambition, to translate the Holy Book into English. He strived for more than forty years (his own words), in preperation to launch this project. His translation and brief commentary of the Holy Qur'an was finally published in 1938. He passed away in London in 1372 AH/1953 CE.

Alusi, is Abu Fadl, Muhammas bin Abdullah, al-Alusi, al-Baghdadi, born in Baghdad in 1217 AH/1802 CE. He comes from a very illustrious family of scholars who trace their ancestors back to Imam Hasan and Imam Hussain . Imam al-Alusi was a prominent scholar and mufti of Baghdad and he authored many works, among them is his 30 volume tafseer, Ruh al-Ma'ani. He passed away in Baghdad in 1270 AH/1854 CE.

Attar, is Fariduddin Muhammad bin Ibrahim, born in NIshapur, Persia in 536 AH/1142 CE (or 513/1119 according to some reports). It is said that he was a chemist/physician in his early days, but abandoned his practice in favour of search for spiritual enlightenment. He travelled widely, visiting Egypt, Syria, Arabia, India and Central Asia, finally settling in his native town of Nishapur. He was renowned for his piety and spiritual practices. He authores over 114 works on tasawwuf, the most famous of which are Divan; Mantiq al-Tayr (The Conference of the Birds) and Tadhkirat al-Awliya (biographies of saints). He passed away in 627 AH1230 CE, probably in Nishapur.

Baghawi, is Abu Muhammad, al-Hussain bin Mas'ud bin Muhammad, al-Baghawi, born in Bagha, Persia in 436 AH/1044 CE. He was a Shafi'i scholar of fiqh, hadith, tafseer and authored books on various subjects. Amongst his most famous works are his commentary on the Qur'an, and his Masabih al-Sunnah ( a book on hadith which was later rearranged by Wali ad-Din al Tabrizi and published under the title of Mishkat al-Masabih). He passed away in Merv, Turkmenistan, in 510 AH/1117 CE.

Baydawi, is Abd Allah bin Umar bin Muhammad, Nasir ad-Din al-Shirazi al-Baydawi, born near the famous city of Shiraz, Persia (date uncertain). He was a Shafi'i scholar well known for wide learning and prolific writing. His most famous work is his commentary on the Qur'an, called: Anwar al-Tanzil wa-Asrar al-Ta'wil. He became chief qadi (judge) of Shiraz. According to Imam Suyuti he passed away in Tabriz in 685AH/1286 CE.

Bayhaqi, is Abu Bakr bin Ahmad bin Hussain, al-Bayhaqi, born near the town of Nishapur, Khursan province, Persia in 384 AH/994 CE. He was a Shafi'i faqih and an outstanding muhaddith of his time. He authored nearly one thousand works on all areas of religious sciences, perhaps the most notables being his Sunan al-Kubra, Shu'ab al-Imaan and Dala'il al-Nubuwwah. He passed away in Nishapur in 485 AH/1066 CE.

Bukhari, is Abu Abd Allah, Muhammad bin Isma'il bin Ibrahim, al-Bukhari, born in Bukhara, present day Uzbekistan in 194 AH/810CE. He was a hadith master of first rank. None mastered the subject of hadith better than him. He was a man of great piety, scrupulous character and phenomenal memory. He travelled wideley, collecting some 600,000 hadith, approximately 200,000 which he knew by heart. His Jami' as Sahih contains just over 7200 ahadith. He passed away in Samarkand in 256 AH/870 CE.

Busiri, is Sharf ad-Din Muhammad bin Sa'id al-Busiri al-Sanhaji, born in Abusir, Egypt around 609 AH/1212 CE. He was a ascetic, poet and calligrapher, most famous for his poem al-Burdah, which he wrote in praise for the Prophet . He passed away in Alexanderia, Egypt in 694 AH/1295 CE.

Dhahabi, is Abu Abd Allah, Muhammad bin Ahmad bin Uthman, Shams ad-Din al-Dhahabi, born in Damascus, Syria in 673 AH/1274 CE. He was an outstanding Shafi'i scholar who made major contribution to several areas of religious sciences, in particular biographies, hadith and history. His Siyar a'lam al-Nubala (biographies of prominent personalities) runs into 36 volumes and his Tarikh al-Islam al-Kabir (history) is no less than 23 volumes. Both of these works are still very popular. He passed away in Damascus in 748 AH/1348 CE

Firuzabadi, is Abu al-Tahir, Muhammad bin Yaqub bin Muhammad, al-Shafi'i, al-Shirazi, born in Firuzabad (town near Shiraz), Persia in 729 AH/1329 CE. He was a prominent Shafi'i scholar who travelled across the Muslim Empire from Dehli to Jerusalem in search of Knowledge. He took knowledge from many Shuyukh of his time, including Shaykh al-Islam Taki al-Din Subki. He authored many works on tafseer (e.g. Tanvir al-Miqbas min Tafseer ibn Abbas), hadith and history, but is probably most remebered for his contributions to the field of Lexicography. His Qamus (dictionary), which in its original form is thought to have been in more than 60 volumes (a summarised version still exists), served as the basis for later European dictionaries in Arabic. He passed away in Zabib, Yemen, in 817 AH/1415 CE.

Ghazali, is Abu Hamid, Muhammad bin Muhammad bin Muhammad al-Tusi, al-Ghazali, known as Hujjut al-Islam (proof of Islam), born in Tus in the famous province of Khursan, Persia in 450 AH/1058 CE. He was a Shafi'i Imam of outstanding intelligence, instrumental in demonstrating spiritual life (tasawwuf) as an intregal part of orthodox Islam. He travelled and studied in all major centres of learning of his time Nishapur, Baghdad, Makkah, Madina and Damascus, among others. His intellectual brilliance earned him numerous titles and academic positions, including professorship in the famous Nizamiyya Madrasa at Baghdad. However, he abandoned his academic career and devoted himself in the pursuit of spiritual way of life. It was during this period that he wrote his masterpiece, Ihya Ulum ad-Din (The Revivsl of Religious Sciences). He authored some two hundred works, a significant number of which still survive. He passed away in Tus in 505 AH/1111 CE.

Hakim, is Abu Abd Allah, Muhammad bin Abd Allah bin Hamdawayah, al-Hakim, al-Nishapuri, born in Nishapur, Persia in 321 AH/933 CE. He was a Shafi'i Imam and among the most distinguished hadith scholars of his time. He travelled wideley and heard hadith from some 2000 scholars. He wrote many books, among which al-Mustadrak 'ala al-Sahihayn and Ma'rifat Ulum al-Hadith, are very popular. He passed away in Nishapur in 405 AH/1014 CE.

Hujwiri, is Abu al-Hasan, Ali bin Uthman bin Ali al-Ghaznavi, al-HUjwiri, born in Hujwir, a suburb of Ghazna, Persia (present day Afghanistan) in about 400 AH/1010 CE. He was a Hanafi scholar and sufi shaykh who travelled extensively in the search of knowledge, particularly that of tasawwuf. His shaykh in the sufi path was Abu al-Fadl Muhammad bin Hasan of Damascus, whos spiritual lineage reaches Junayd al-Baghdadi. He is the author of Kash al-Mahjub (The Unveiling of the Veiled), which is one of the oldest Persian treatise on tasawwuf. He passed away in Lahore, (present day Pakistan), in around 465 AH/1073 CE.

Ibn Abi Dunya, is Abu Bakr, Abd Allah bin Muhammad bin Ubayd al-Kurashi, al-Baghdadi, born in Baghdad in 208 AH/823CE. He was a master of many sciences, especially hadith and morals. He authored many works, the majority of which are centred on purification of the nafs. These include: Repentance, Trust in Allah, Renunciation, Patience, Miricales of Awliya and Who Lives after Death. He passed away in Baghdad in 281 AH/894 CE.

Ibn Hajar Al-Asqalani, is Abu Fadl, Ahmad bin Ali bin Muhammad al-Kinani, al-Asqalani, born in Cairo, Egypt in 773 AH/1375 CE. He was a Shafi'i scholar and hadith expert, who like many muhadditheen before him, travelled widley in search of hadith. His famous work is his 14 volume commentary on Sahih Bukhari, called: Fath al-Bari. He passed away in Cairo in 852 AH/1449 CE.

Ibn Hajar Al-Haythami, is Abu al-Abbas, Ahmad bin Muhammad bin Muhammad, al-Haythami, born in the village of Abi Haytham, Egypt in 909 AH/1504 CE. He was a famous scholar and prolific writer of the Shafi'i school. He was educated at al-Azhar and by the age of 20, his teachers gave him ijaza to give fatwas and teach. He moved to Makkah where he taught and authored many of his works. It is said that he began writing books on fiqh at the order of the sufi Shaykh Harith bin Muhasibi, who he saw in a dream. He passed away in Makkah in 974 AH/1567 CE.

Ibn Hanbal, is (Imam) Ahmad bin Muhammad bin Hanbal, born in Baghdad in 164 AH/780 CE. He was one of the four mujtahid Imams of the Ahl al-Sunnah. He travelled extensively in search of hadith, memorising over one hundred thousand in the process, thirty thousand of which he recorded in his Musnad. He was a student of Imam Shafi'i and like his teacher, lived a very pious, God-fearing and ascetic way of life. He passed away in Baghdad in 241 AH/855 CE.

Ibn Jawzi, is Abu al-Farash, Abd al-Rahman bin Ali bin Muhammad, born in Baghdad in 510 AH/1126 CE. He was a Hanbali scholar of some distinction, versed in almost every branch of learning. He himself states that: 2I never got tired of reading...., I had gone through some 20,000 books during my student days." He was a prolific writer, authoring more than 200 works on a wide range of sciences, including hadith, fiqh, history and biographies. He passed away in Baghdad, in 597 AH/1200 CE.

Ibn Juzayy, is Abu Abd Allah, Muhammad bin Muhammad bin Ahmad bin Juzayy al-Kalabi born in Granada, Spain in 693 AH/1294 CE. He was a Maliki scholar famous for his commentary on the Qur'an (al-Tashil li ulum al-Tanzil). He passed away around 756-8 AH/1355-7, probably in Fez, Morocco.

Ibn Kathir, is Abu Fida, Isma'il bin Umar bin Kathir, Imad ad-Din al-Dimishqi, born in Busra, Syria in 701 AH/1302 CE. At the age of 5, after the death of his father, he moved to Damascus where he was raised and educated. He was a prolific writer, becoming prominent in a number of subjects, including fiqh, hadith, history and biography. His 4 volume tafseer of the Qur'an is so wideley accepted throughout the world, that it is rarely out of print. His 14 volume treatise, al-Bidayah wa'l-Nihayah, on the history of Islam from beginning of creation to his own time, is also very popular. He passed away in Damascus in 744 AH/1373 CE.

Ibn Majah, Abu Abd Allah, Muhammad bin Yazid al-Rub'i al-Kazwini, born in Kazwin, Persia in 209 AH/824 CE. He was a hafiz of hadith and the author of Kitab as-Sunnah (one of the six most authentic collections of ahadith). He travelled extensively, learning hadith from many authorities. He passed away in Kazwin in 273 AH/887 CE.

Ibn Naqib, is Ahmad bin Lu'lu bin Abdullah al-Rumi, al-Misri, born in Cairo, Egypt in 702 AH/1302 CE. He was a Shafi'i scholar andsufi well versed in fiqh, aqeedah, tafseer, and Arabic grammar. Among his many works is Umdat al-Salik (SHafi'i Law), which has been translated into English as : Reliance of the Traveller, by Shaykh Nuh Keller. He passed away in Cairo in 769 AH/1368 CE.

Isfahani, is Abu Na'im, Ahmad bin Abd Allah bin Ahmad, al-Isfahani, born in Isfahan, Persia in 335 AH/948 CE. He was a Shafi'i scholar, sufi shaykh and hadith master of his time, most famous for his 18 volume Hilyatul Awliya wa Tabaqat al-Asfiya (The Beauty of the Righteous and Ranks of the Elite). He passed away in Isfahan in 430 AH/1028 CE.

Jazri, is Abu Kharyr, Muhammad bin Muhammad bin Muhammad, Shams al-Din, al-Jazri, born in Damascus, Syria in 751 AH/1350 CE. He was a judge and famous faqih, qari, and muhaddith, who travelled widely in search of knowledge. Among his teachers include authorities such as Ibn Kathir, Shaykh al-Islam al-Bulkini and direct students of Ibn Abd al-Salaam. He wrote a great number of works, primarily on qira'at (Qur'anic reading), fiqh and hadith. He also wrote the celebrated al-Hisn al-Haseen (book on prophetic du'as), by regular reading of which, he says that he was blessed with the vision of the Prophet . He passed away in Shiraz, Persia in 833 AH/1429 CE.

Jilani, is Abdul Qadir bin Abu Salih bin Abd Allah, al-Jilani, famously known as Ghaus-e-Azam, born in Jilan, Persia in 470 AH/1077 CE. He was a Hanbali scholar most famous for his spiritual achievements. The qadiriyah order of sufis bears his name. He was a descendent of the Prophet through both Imam Hasan and Imam Hussain . At the age of 18, he left Jilan to travel to Baghdad, the then centre of learning. Here, he mastered all the major sciences, including tafseer, hadith, fiqh, sirah, grammar and philosophy. He took the spiritual path at the hands of Shaykh Hammad bin Muslim al-Dabbas and then completed his initiation at the hands of Shaykh Qadi Abi Said al-Mukharami. He wrote many works, including al-Fathu Rabbani and Futuh al-Ghaib. He passed away in Baghdad in 561 AH/1166 CE.

Junayd, is Abu Qasim, Junayd bin Muhammad bin al-Junayd al-Khazzaz, al-Baghdadi. He was the Imam of both the Zahir (outer Shari'ah) and batin (inner, spiritual) sciences. He was acknowledged as Shaykh al-Mushaykh in his lifetime, for most of the Shuyukh of Baghdad were his students. He associated with the likes of Harith bin Muhasibi and Sari al-Saqati. The latter was a maternal uncle and murshid. He passed away in Baghdad in 297 AH/910 CE.

Khan, is Ahmad Yaar bin Muhammad bin Munawwar Khan, al-Badayuni, born in Badayun, India in 1324 AH/1906 CE. He was a prolific Hanafi mufti, sufi and scholar of hadith and tafseer. He studied in several institutions in India, the most prominent of which was Jamia Naeemiya, under the care of Mawlana Naeemuddin Muradabadi. He authored numerous works, the most famous of which are his, Tafseer Nur al-Irfan, his 8 volume commentary on Mishkat al-Masabih (hadith), and Fatwa al-Naeemiya (fiqh). He embarked on writing 30 volume tafseer, but unfortunately was only able to complete 11 volumes. He passed away in Gujarat in Ramadan 1391 AH/1971 CE.

Malik, is (Imam) Abu Abdullah, Malik bin Anas bin Malik al-Asbahi, al-Humayr, born in the blessed city of Madina Sharif in 93 AH/712 CE. He was one of the four great mujtahid Imams of the Ahl al-Sunnah. He was a colleague of Imam Abu Hanifa and teacher of Imam Shafi'i. Imam Malik was renowned, not only for his scholarship, but also for his piety., God-fearing, asceticism and his love for the Prophet . He never mounted a horse while in the city of the Prophet and when questioned about it, he said: "I am to ashamed before Allah to tread with the hoof of any animal of burden on the soil wherein lies His Prophet ." He is the author of the hadith book, Muwatta. He passed away in Madina in 179 AH/795 CE.

Mullah Ali Qari, is Ali bin Sultan Muhammad, Nur al-Din, al-Mullah al-Qari, born in Herat, Afghanistan. He was an outstanding Hanafi scholar of his time, who wrote on a range of subjects, including Hanafi fiqh, aqeedah, history, tafseer, hadith, tasawwuf and Prophetic supplications. He also wrote commentaries on many prominent earlier works. He was a pious and God-fearing man and earned his living by writing copies of the Holy Qur'an. He spent a considerable part of his life in Makkah where he finally passed away in 1014 AH/1606 CE.

Muslim, is Abu al-Hussain, Muslim bin al-Hajjaj bin Muslim al-Qushayri, al-Nishapuri, born in Nishapur, Iran in 202 AH/817 CE or 206 AH/821 CE. He was a Shafi'i Imam and one of the greatest scholar of hadith the world has ever known. He travelled throughout the Muslim world in search of hadith and associated with all the major authorities of his day, collecting some 300,000 ahadith in the process. His collection, Jami' as-Sahih, is equal or second only to that of Imam Bukhari, the teacher and mentor of Imam Muslim. Imam Muslim was a pious, God-fearing person who never swerved from the aqeedah of the Ahl al-Sunnah. He stood shoulder to shoulder with Imam Bukhari, against those who claimed that the Qur'an was created. He passed away in Nishapur in 261 AH/875 CE.

Nabahani, is Yusuf bin Isma'il bin Yusuf al-Nabahani, born in Ijzim, Palestine in 1265 AH/1849 CE. He was SHafi'i scholar, sufi, poet and judge. He was educated at al-Azhar and served as a judge in Berut for about twenty years. He authored works in a number of Islamic sciences, including hadith, fiqh, aqeedah, tasawwuf and sirah. He passed away in his town of birth in 1350 AH/1932 CE.

Nasai, is Abu Abd al-Rahman, Ahmad bin Ali bin Shu'ayb, born in Nasa, Persia in 215 AH/830 CE. He was a Shafi'i Imam and hadith master (hafiz) and the author of hadith collection Sunan Nasai, which is one of the six canonical collections (sihah sitta). He was severely beaten in Damascus for his feelings in favour of Sayyidna Ali against the Umayyads and subsequently passed away in Damascus (according to some in Makkah) in 303 AH/915 CE.

Nawawi, is Abu Zakariyya, Yahya bin Sharaf bin Muri, al-Nawawi, bor in the village of Nawa, Syria in 631 AH/1233 CE. He was one of the most outstanding Shafi'i scholar of his time, who lived and studied in Damascus for some 27 years. He made major and lasting contributions to several Islamic sciences. His most notable works include: Sharh Sahih Muslim (18 volume commentary on Imam Muslim's Sahih), Riyad al-Salihin (hadith), Kitab al-Adhkar (hadith), Minhaj al-Talibin (Shafi'i Law) and Bustan al-Arifin (tasawwuf). In addition to his scholarship, Imam Nawawi was also renowned for his piety, self-denial and abstinence. He passed away in his father's house in Nawa in 676 AH/1277 CE.

Qadi Iyad, is Abu al-Fadl, Iyad bin Musa bin Iyad al-Yahsubi, born in Ceuta, Spain in 476 AH/1083 CE. He was one of the most distinguished Maliki scholar and qadi (judge) of Andalus (Spain) of his time. His family was of Yemeni origin. He studied primarily in Spain, which was at the time a major centre of learning. He was an authority in several Islamic sciences, including hadith, fiqh and history. He wrote more than 20 prominent works, the most famous of which is ash-Shifa bi-Ta'rif Huquq Mustafa (Prophetic biography). He passed away in Marrakesh, Morocco in 544 AH/1149 CE.

Qurtubi, is Abu Abd Allah, Muhammad bin Ahmad bin Abi Bakr al-Ansari, al-Qurtubi, born in Cordoba, Spain. He was an eminent Maliki Imam versed in numerous branches of scholarship, especially fiqh, hadith and tafseer. He was a pious and humble man, deeply inclined towards spirituality and mediation on the life after death. He made many scholarly contributions including, al-Asna, al-Tadhkar fi Afdal al-Adhkar and al-Tadhkira fi Ahwaal al-Mauwt wa Amoor al-Akhira, but is probably best remembered for his monumental 20 volume tafseer (al-Jami li ahkkam al-Qur'an). He was an ocean of learning whose works testify to his depth in knowledge. He passed away in Egypt in 671 AH/1273 CE.

Qushayri, is Abu Qasim, Abd al-Karim bin Hawazin bin Abd al-Malik, al-Qushayri, born in the small town of Ustuwa (district Khursan), Persia in 376 AH/986 CE. He was a Shafi'i scholar and sufi master of his age. He took the spiritual path at the hands of the sufi Shaykh Abu Ali ad-Daqqaq. His most famous works are his Risala al-Qushayriyya and his 3 volume commentary of the Qur'an, Lata'if al-Ishrat. He passed away in Nishapur in 465 AH/1072 CE.

Shafi'i, is (Imam) Abu Abd Allah, Muhammad bin Idris bin al-Abbas, al-Shafi'i, al-Qurayshi, born in Palestine (Yemen according to some reports) in 150 AH/767 CE. He was one of the four great mujtahids of Islam. He was orphaned at a very early age and his mother emigrated to Makkah, where his early education took place. He memorised the Holy Qur'an by the age of 7 and the whole of Imam Malik's Muwatta by 10. By the age of 15, he was given ijaza to issue legal ruling (fatwa). He subsequently continued his studies with authorities like Imam Malik (in Madina) and Imam Muhammad al-Shaybani (student of Imam Abu Hanifa in Baghdad). Imam Ahmad bin Hanbal was his most eminent student. He spent last years of his life in Cairo, where he formulated the school of jurisprudence that bears his name. He passed away in 204 AH/820 CE.

Shah, is Muhammad Karam bin Muhammad Shah, born in Bhera Pakistan in 1336 AH/1918 CE. He was a Hanafi scholar, judge, sufi, and educationalist. Educated at Bhera, then Lahore, then Jamia Na'imiya (India) and finally at al-Azhar (Egypt). He was the director of the Muhammad Ghousia College in Bhera for some 40 years and established dozens of other institutions throughout the world. He was appointed judge on Shari'ah bench of the Supreme Court of Pakistan. His major literary contributions include his 5 volume Tafseer Zia ul-Qur'an and his 7 volume Zia ul-Nabi (Prophetic biography). He passed away in Islamabad in 1418 AH/1998 CE.

Shurunbulali, is Abu al-Ikhlas, Hasan bin Ammar bin Ali al-Shurunbulali, al-Hanafi, born in Shurunbula, Egypt in 993 AH/1585 CE. At the age of six he was sent to Cairo, where he memorised the Qur'an and attended al-Azhar for higher studies. He excelled in fiqh and became a prominent Hanafi faqih of his time. Students from as far as Damascus travelled to study at his feet. He authored a number of works, the most famous being Maraqi al-Falah, which is his commentary on his earlier book on Hanafi Fiqh, Nur al-Idah. He passed away in Cairo in 1069 AH/1659 CE.

Subki, is Abu al-Hasan, Ali bin Abd al-Kafi bin Ali, Taqi al-Din al-Subki, born in Subk, Egypt in 683 AH/1284 CE. He was a Shafi'i Imam and Shaykh al-Islam of his time, distinguished in the field of hadith, tafseer and fiqh. He came from a celebrated family of Shafi'i ulama. He authored some 150 works on a range of Islamic sciences, among which his Fatwa is well known. He was appointed Chief Qadi in Damascus for some 17 years, after which he retired and returned to his homeland, where he passed away in 756 AH/1355 CE.

Suyuti, is Abu Fadl, Abd al-Rahman bin Abi Bakr bin Muhammad, Jalal ad-Din as-Suyuti, born in Suyut, Egypt in 849 AH/1445 CE. He was an outstanding Shafi'i Imam, renowned for his encyclopaedic knowledge. He authored more than 600 works on virtually every Islamic science including; Qur'an, fiqh, sirah, history and Medicine. Among his most popular works are; Tafseer Jalalayn, which is co-authored with Jalal ad-Din Mahalli, his Itqan fi' Ulum al-Qur'an, his 10 volume hadith work Jami' al-Jawami, and his history of the Caliphs (Ta'rikh al-Khulafa). He passed away in Cairo in 911 AH/1505 CE.

Tabarani, is Abu al-Qasim, Sulayman bin Ahmad bin Ayyub al-Tabarani, born Acre, Palestine in 260 AH/873 CE. He was an outstanding hadith master (hafiz) who travelled extensively throughout the Muslim World in search of hadith. He authored three major works on hadith, the largest of which is his 25 volume al-Mu'jam al-Kabir. He passed away in Isfahan, Persia in 360 AH/971 CE.

Tabari, is Abu Jaf'ar, Muhammad bin Jarir bin Yazid al-Tabari, born in Tabaristan, Persia in 224 AH/839 CE. He was a genius of his time whose encyclopaedic works on various subjects is testimony to his indepth understanding of his subjects. He made a distinct contribution to the consolidation of Sunni thought during the 9th century and laid the foundations for both Qur'anic and historical sciences. His major works include his 30 volume tafseer and his 15 volume Ta'rikh ar-Rusul wa al-Muluk (history). He passed away in Baghdad in 310 AH/923 CE.

Tabrizi, is Abu Abd Allah, Wali ad-Din Muhammad bin Abd Allah al-Khatib, al-Umari, al-Tabrizi, born Tabaristan, Persia. He was a prominent scholar of hadith whose major literary contribution is the hadith work Mishkat al-Masabih. This work is based on Imam al-Baghawi's Mashabih al-Sunna, but with considerable re-arrangement and the addition of 1511 ahadith, raisin the total from 4434 to 5945. He passed away in 743 AH/1342 CE.

Thawri, is Abu Isa, Muhammad bin Isa bin Sorah, al-Tirmidhi, born in Termiz, Uzbekistan in 209 AH/824 CE (not to be confused with al-Hakim at-Tirmidhi, d.295 AH). He was a hadith master (hafiz) and the author of Jami' as-Sahih, one of the six canonical collections of hadith. He travelled wideley and studied with such renowned authorities as Imam Bukhari, Imam Ahmad bin Hanbal and Imam Abu Dawud. He passed away in Termiz in 279 AH/892 CE.

Taken From yanabi.com
Its from a book titled DUA THE ESSENCE OF WORSHIP.