Suliman Bin Suhman
Suliman Bin Suhman (1849–1930) was a Saudi scholar, jurist, and poet who lived during the late period of the Second Saudi State and the early stages of the unification of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. He authored several religious and literary works, as well as a poetry collection encompassing most of his poems.
Life of Suliman Bin Suhman
Suliman Bin Suhman was born in the village of Al-Saqa, one of the villages belonging to the city of Abha in Aseer region of southwestern Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. His father was from the village of Tibalah in Bishah and came from a family known for its scholarship and literary tradition. He had memorized the Qur’an.
His father moved to Najd, heading to Riyadh, bringing Suliman and his younger brother Muhammad with him during the reign of Imam Faisal Bin Turki. They stayed as guests of the Imam, who honored and generously received them. Upon learning of Sulayman’s scholarly abilities, the Imam suggested that he open a kuttab (a traditional school) to teach children the basics of writing, reading, and Qur’an memorization and recitation. Suliman established the school, which was soon attended by the children of Riyadh.
Suliman Bin Suhman’s father married another woman besides his first wife in their village, and she gave birth to a son named Ismail, whom he raised alongside his other sons, Suliman and Muhammad. After the death of Imam Faisal Bin Turki, he decided to move with his children to the town of Al-Amar in Al-Aflaj, Najd, in 1867, when Suliman was eighteen years old. At that time, he had reached a stage of maturity and knowledge, studying fiqh (Islamic jurisprudence), tawhid (Islamic theology), and language under the scholars of Riyadh. Upon arriving in Al-Amar, he studied under one of the southern scholars, Hamad Bin Atiq, from whom he learned the foundations and branches of Islamic jurisprudence as well as the sciences of Hadith.
Suliman Bin Suhman devoted himself to religious and scholarly knowledge, including Islamic jurisprudence and theology, as well as other fields such as language, poetry, and mastery of Arabic calligraphy.After spending approximately seventeen years in the town of Al-Amar, he returned to Riyadh in 1883 and connected with the city’s scholars.
Ibn Suhman contributed to the defense of his religion and country intellectually and literarily through poetry and prose, in addition to his religious writings and treatises, continuing his work until the era of Saudi Arabia’s founder, King Abdulaziz Bin Abdulrahman Al Saud. In the later years of his life, he lost his sight.
Works of Suliman Bin Suhman
Suliman Bin Suhman produced a range of religious and literary works, including Iqamat al-Hujjah wa al-Dalil (Establishing the Proof and Evidence), Kashf Ghayahib al-Zhulm ‘an Awhaam Jalā’ al-Awhaam (Unveiling the Darkness of Misconceptions from the Illusions of Clarifying Misconceptions), Al-Dhiya’ al-Shariq fi Radd Shubuhat al-Mazq al-Mariq (The Radiant Light in Refuting the Objections of the Straying), Ash‘at al-Anwar (Rays of Light), Irshad al-Talib ila Asna al-Matalib (Guidance for the Seeker to the Highest Goals), and Kashf al-Awhaam wa al-Iltibas (Unveiling Misconceptions and Confusions). In addition, he compiled a poetry collection (diwan) encompassing most of his poems.
Death of Suliman Bin Suhman
Suliman Bin Suhman passed away in the city of Riyadh at the age of eighty-four.
Sources
‘Uqud al-Jawahir al-Mundadah al-Hassan: Poetry of the Renowned Scholar of His Time, Suliman bin Suhman (1849–1930), by Abdulrahman Al-Ruwaishid. Published by the Islamic Da‘wah Press Foundation.
Al-A‘lam: A Dictionary of Biographies of Famous Men and Women from Arabs, Arabists, and Orientalists, by Khair al-Din al-Zarkali, 2002.