Despite its significance, Al-Ansari's work has remained untranslated and overlooked in Kurdish studies. This translation is the first effort to demonstrate its relevance to the field while making some of its most noteworthy passages available to a broader readership.
In his 18th-century work, Al-Ansari documents the family histories of several Kurdish households in Medina and provides biographical details on their most distinguished members. His testimony is especially valuable because of his personal familiarity with many of these families. Among the first Kurdish families he discusses are the Barzanjis. Al Ansari's study of the Kurdish families who settled in Medina represents around a century of credible genealogy. The descendants of the founding fathers and some of their life tales are told. These details are typically absent from biographies of Kurdish migrants.
The Barzanjis of the Hijaz have been of particular interest to me because I myself come from the Barzanji lineage. Over the years, I have been in contact with some Barzanjis who still reside in Arabia, and I have found them to be deeply aware of and proud of their Kurdish heritage. What surprised me even more was noticing that some of them retain physical features that are commonly found with Kurdish populations. Despite centuries having passed since their ancestors left Kurdistan, certain traits seem to have endured, serving as subtle reminders of their origins:
The Barzanji Family
The Barzanji family takes its name from Barzinja, a well-known town in the land of the Kurds. Their ancestor was the eminent scholar and meticulous researcher Sayyid Muḥammad ibn ʿAbd al-Rasūl. Many later authors wrote his biography, foremost among them our late father in his biographical compendium, as well as Shaykh Muṣṭafā ibn Fatḥ Allāh al-Ḥamawī and others. He was born in 1044 AH (1634–35 CE). He devoted himself to the study of the sciences in both their theoretical and practical aspects. He authored numerous works and beneficial books. Around 1068 AH (1657–58 CE) he came to Medina and studied under Mullā Ibrāhīm al-Kurdī. He married the daughter of Khwāja Muḥammad al-Maghribī. He later traveled to the Ottoman Empire, where he was warmly received, gained favor, and attained all that he desired. He traveled there a second time and then returned to Medina. On the very day of his arrival, death overtook him, in 1103 AH (1691–92 CE). He endured some trials and hardships in his lifetime. He left two sons: Sayyid Aḥmad and Sayyid ʿAbd al-Karīm, whose mother was the daughter of Khwāja Muḥammad al-Maghribī. His male descendants eventually died out, and his endowment came to be inherited through the descendants of his daughters.
Sayyid Aḥmad: Sayyid Aḥmad had a son named ʿUmar. ʿUmar in turn had: Sayyid Aḥmad (still living at the time of writing), Sharīfa Khadīja, mother of Sharīfa Ḥafṣa daughter of Sayyid Jaʿfar. Sayyid Aḥmad had four daughters and one son, all living at the time of writing.
Sayyid ʿAbd al-Karīm
Sayyid ʿAbd al-Karīm served as preacher (khaṭīb) in 1111 AH. He was later executed as a martyr in the prosperous port city of Jeddah. He was put to death by Bakīr Pasha under an imperial decree issued by the Ottoman government because of the disturbances that occurred in Medina during that period.
One poet commemorated his death with the phrase:
"ʿAbd al-Karīm died a martyr" (1138 AH).
He left the following children: The distinguished scholar Sayyid Ḥasan, Sayyid Ḥusayn, Sayyid Muḥammad, Sharīfa Umm al-Ḥusayn.
Sayyid Ḥasan ibn ʿAbd al-Karīm
He was born in 1099 AH (1687–88 CE). During the disturbances mentioned above, he secretly left Medina and went to Cairo, where he remained in hiding in the house of Sayyid Muḥammad al-Naḥḥāl until his death in 1148 AH (1735–36 CE). He authored books, treatises, sermons, and other works. He had two sons: Zayn al-ʿĀbidīn, Jaʿfar. Their mother was Ḥafṣa, daughter of Shaykh ʿAbd al-Raḥmān al-Kāzarūnī al-Shāfiʿī al-Zubayrī. Zayn al-ʿĀbidīn died in Basra in 1169 AH, and was buried beside the grave of his maternal ancestor, al-Zubayr ibn al-ʿAwwām. He left two sons: Ḥasan, Muḥammad, both born in the city of Zabīd and still living at the time of writing.
Jaʿfar ibn Ḥasan
Born in 1128 AH (1715–16 CE), he received an excellent upbringing and excelled especially in preaching and letter-writing. He became a preacher, imam, teacher, and eventually the chief Shāfiʿī mufti. He died in Shaʿbān 1177 AH (1764 CE). He left a daughter named Ḥafṣa, who was still alive when this was written. She married her cousin, Sayyid Muḥammad, and bore him a son named Zayn al-ʿĀbidīn, born in 1176 AH, who was also living at the time of writing.
Sayyid Ḥasan also fathered: Sayyid Qāsim by a concubine, who was living in India. Sayyid ʿAlī, whose mother belonged to the family of Mikāʾīl. He was born in 1134 AH and excelled in both poetry and prose. Sharīfa Ṣāliḥa, wife of Sayyid Abū al-Qāsim ibn Sayyid Ibrāhīm, who gave birth to twin sons in Jumādā I, 1187 AH.
Sayyid Ḥusayn ibn ʿAbd al-KarīmBorn in 1110 AH, he became a preacher and died in 1178 AH. He left a son: Sayyid Muḥammad, who died in 1189 AH, leaving a son named Sayyid Ḥasan, born in 1179 AH. His mother was Sharīfa ʿĀʾisha, daughter of Sayyid Aḥmad ibn ʿUmar.
Sayyid Muḥammad ibn ʿAbd al-Karīm
Born in 1112 AH, he died in 1145 AH. He left a son: Sayyid Muḥammad Rasūl, who died in 1182 AH. He also left two daughters by Sharīfa Sāra, daughter of Sayyid Ḥasan and sister of Sayyid ʿAlī. Both daughters were still living.
Another Branch of the Family
Sayyid Qāsim, son of the aforementioned Sayyid ʿAbd al-Rasūl, arrived in Medina around 1098 AH. He lived an ascetic life and was regarded as a man of piety and righteousness. He married his cousin Sharīfa Fāṭima, who bore him: Sayyid Ibrāhīm, Sharīfa Āmina. He died in 1144 AH. From this branch descended Sayyid Qāsim and Sayyid ʿAbd al-Karīm, sons of Sayyid Ḥaydar, brother of Sayyid Muḥammad.
Sayyid Ibrāhīm
Born in 1112 AH, he died in 1182 AH. He left: Abū al-Qāsim, Ḥasan, who was blind, Sharīfa ʿĀʾisha. Abū al-Qāsim was born in 1158 AH. He devoted himself to scholarship and was known for exceptional intelligence, understanding, excellent character, and many virtues. He had a son: Sayyid ʿUmar, born in 1178 AH. As for his brother Ḥasan, he was born in 1160 AH. Both of them were still living at the time of writing.
As for Sayyid ʿAbd al-Karīm ibn Ḥaydar, he was blind in one eye. He was arrested and sent to the Ottoman government in connection with the disturbances that took place in Medina in 1134 AH. He died there in 1142 AH, leaving a son named Zakī al-Dīn.
As for Sayyid Zakī al-Dīn, he had a son named Sayyid ʿAbd al-Karīm, who was still living at the time of writing. He was a man of upright conduct, never neglecting the recitation of the Qurʾān or the Prophetic Sunnah, and was diligent in attending the congregational prayers. He had several children by the daughter of Sayyid Aḥmad, and they were all still living at the time of writing.
The Kurdish (Al Kurdi) Family
The Kurdī family takes its name from the well-known Kurds. Their homeland is a great mountainous region, and many people in Medina trace their ancestry to it. We shall mention the most prominent among them who were known for learning and piety. The most famous among them was Shaykh Yūsuf al-Kurdī, deputy to the Shāfiʿī imams in the Prophet's Mosque. He arrived in Medina in 1120 AH. He was a learned, virtuous, and devout man, and he taught in the Prophet's Mosque, focusing primarily on Shāfiʿī jurisprudence. He left four sons:
- Muḥammad
- ʿUbayd
- Ismāʿīl
- Sulaymān
As for the aforementioned Muḥammad, he was raised in a righteous manner and later traveled to the Ottoman lands. He obtained permission from the Ottoman government to construct a building on a platform near the eastern side of the Noble Prayer Mosque adjacent to the Prophet's Mosque. He began construction, but the Shaykh of the Sanctuary objected and halted the work. Thereafter he traveled repeatedly between the Ottoman lands and Medina in pursuit of the matter. Eventually he returned, completed the building, and was living there at the time of writing. He had children, including a daughter.
As for ʿUbayd, he set out for Egypt on his way to the Ottoman lands but died there.
As for Ismāʿīl, he also traveled abroad and was residing in the Ottoman lands at the time of writing.
Among them was Shaykh Sulaymān al-Kurdī, who taught the Qurʾān to children at the Ribāṭ al-Sabīl. He came to Medina in 1115 AH. He was a blessed and righteous man. He died leaving three sons:
- Muḥammad
- Aḥmad
- Ibrāhīm
Shaykh Muḥammad ibn Sulaymān al-Kurdī
Muḥammad was born in 1126 AH. He received an excellent upbringing, memorized the Noble Qurʾān, and devoted himself to the pursuit of knowledge in all its branches. He became exceptionally accomplished in jurisprudence, until there was said to be no equal to him in Shāfiʿī law.
He was regarded as one of the most accomplished of men: a scholar, a jurist, and a man of great distinction. His reputation spread throughout many lands until news of him reached the Shaykh al-Islām in the Ottoman Empire. As a result, he was appointed Mufti of the Shāfiʿīs in Medina.
His official letters of appointment reached him in 1189 AH. Before him, no Shāfiʿī had held this office except one from Mecca. Despite his elevation, he did not alter his manner of life or his clothing.
He died in 1194 AH. Among his children were:
- ʿAbd Allāh
- Ḥamza
- ʿAbd al-Raḥmān
all of whom were still living at the time of writing.
Aḥmad ibn Sulaymān al-Kurdī
Aḥmad did not follow the path of his father and brother. He was nicknamed "al-Jinnī" because of his constant activity and lack of steadiness. He was a famous and courageous man and became one of the nawbatjiyya (a military or guard corps). He died in 1175 AH.
Ibrāhīm ibn Sulaymān al-Kurdī
Ibrāhīm was raised in a virtuous manner. God granted him a son who managed his livelihood and affairs, named Sulaymān.
Ibrāhīm himself died in 1192 AH.
His son Sulaymān became engaged in trade, buying and selling and conducting business transactions. He was considered one of the finest and most accomplished of men, and he had children.
Shaykh Fayḍ Allāh al-Kurdī al-Madūs
Among them was Shaykh Fayḍ Allāh al-Kurdī al-Madūs, who arrived in Medina in 1170 AH.
He was a learned, virtuous, and practicing scholar. There existed between him and the author a friendship and mutual affection. He told me that he had written a commentary on Jamʿ al-Jawāmiʿ in legal theory by Imām al-Subkī.
He purchased a ruined house in the quarter known as Zuqāq Banī Ḥusayn, restored it splendidly, and took up residence there. According to his own statement, he spent approximately 10,000 qurūsh (piastres) on its reconstruction.
Afterward he settled down, ceased attending the Friday prayer and congregational prayers, and was still alive at the time of writing. He had two sons who were also living.
Shaykh Ilyās al-Kurdī
Among them was our companion Shaykh Ilyās al-Kurdī, deputy to the Shāfiʿī imams in the Noble Rawḍa of the Prophet's Mosque.
He arrived in Medina in 1172 AH.
He was a complete and accomplished man: intelligent, learned, devout, and deeply engaged in the pursuit of the religious sciences. He taught in the Blessed Rawḍa. He later traveled to the Ottoman lands and then returned to Medina.
He married the daughter of Mullā Muḥammad al-Dāghistānī, and had children by her.
The Family of Mullā Ibrāhīm al-Kurdī
The House of Mullā Ibrāhīm al-Kurdī was a distinguished family, renowned for its learning and virtue.
Their ancestor was the celebrated scholar and erudite savant Mullā Ibrāhīm ibn Ḥasan Shihāb al-Dīn al-Kurdī al-Shahrazūrī al-Kūrānī, whose biography is well known.
He arrived in Medina around 1063 AH, attached himself to Shaykh Aḥmad al-Qushāshī, was trained by him, married his daughter, and was appointed his successor after his death.
He remained occupied with scholarship, teaching, writing, and authorship until his death in 1103 AH. He had been born in 1025 AH.
He left two sons:
- Abū al-Ḥasan
- Abū Ṭāhir
Abū al-Ḥasan
Abū al-Ḥasan had a son named Abū al-Ṭayyib.
Abū al-Ṭayyib was a courageous man. He was caught up in the famous disturbances and was exiled by imperial decree from Medina to Damascus. He remained there for approximately twenty-two years. In 1160 AH, another decree permitted his return to Medina. He lived there until his death in 1168 AH.
He left two sons:
- Abū al-Ḥasan
- Abū al-Barakāt
Abū al-Ḥasan
His mother was a slave woman, from whom he inherited wealth. Most of it was eventually lost and squandered.
It was said that his father used to pray against him and that the prayer was answered. He traveled to the Ottoman lands, then to Egypt, where he died in poverty and miserable circumstances in 1173 AH.
Abū al-Barakāt
Abū al-Barakāt was a spirited and capable man with excellent handwriting. He copied many scholarly books for people in exchange for payment.
He died in 1168 AH, leaving a son named Abū al-Suʿūd. The latter traveled to the Ottoman lands and died young in 1178 AH, leaving no descendants.
Muḥammad Saʿīd
Muḥammad Saʿīd's mother was Wahba, daughter of Shaykh Aḥmad al-Qushāshī.
He was a courageous man who was martyred on Mount Salʿ on 22 Shawwāl 1134 AH. He was buried near the gate of Ismāʿīl ibn Jaʿfar al-Ṣādiq, inside the Ottoman city wall. His grave was well known and visited.
He left two sons:
- Aḥmad Abū al-Faraj
- Ḥasan
Aḥmad Abū al-Faraj
Aḥmad was a righteous and learned man.
There existed between him and the author—and between the author and his brother Ḥasan, a severe hostility that lasted until death. Many people attempted to reconcile them, but none succeeded.
He traveled to India, where he gained favor and prosperity and accumulated considerable wealth. His two sons, Ḥusaynand Abū al-Ḥasan, accompanied him.
They later returned to Medina.
He died in 1167 AH, leaving the sons already mentioned.
Ḥusayn
Ḥusayn was a virtuous, righteous, and blessed man.
Abū al-Ḥasan
Abū al-Ḥasan was an accomplished and upright man, noted for his generosity and honorable conduct.
Among his children were:
- Abū al-Faraj
- Umm al-Ḥasan, wife of the preacher and mufti ʿAbd Allāh al-Khalīfatī
Abū al-Futūḥ
Abū al-Futūḥ received a good upbringing, memorized the Qurʾān, and led the congregation in the Ramadan tarāwīḥprayers.
He died during his father's lifetime in 1190 AH.
Ḥasan Abū al-Faḍl
Born in 1100 AH, he received a good education and pursued learning until he achieved the level he sought.
He taught in the Prophet's Mosque.
He traveled first to India and then to the Ottoman lands, where he was warmly received and amassed substantial wealth. His son Aḥmad accompanied him.
Toward the end of his life he lost his sight.
He was a learned scholar, accomplished intellectual, and theologian.
He died in 1180 AH and was said never to have liked people asking him his age.
He left a son named Muḥsin, who died young, leaving a son:
- Muḥyī al-Dīn, who was still living at the time of writing.
Shaykh Ḥasan Abū al-Faḍl also left:
- Aḥmad
- Muḥammad Saʿīd
- Ibrāhīm
- ʿĀʾisha
- Fāṭima
Their mother was Ruqayya, daughter of Shaykh ʿAlī al-Qushāshī, who was still living.
Aḥmad
Aḥmad was a pleasant and refined man with charming manners.
He died young in 1183 AH, leaving a son:
- Muḥammad Abū al-Faraj, who was still living.
His mother was Rābiʿa al-Maraʿashiyya.
Muḥammad Saʿīd
Muḥammad Saʿīd was a distinguished man.
He died young in 1185 AH, leaving a daughter:
- Khadīja
She was still living, though bedridden. Her mother was Fāṭima, daughter of the Maghribi Fāsī pilgrim Abū Jayda.
Ibrāhīm
Ibrāhīm was an accomplished and intelligent man who appreciated elegance and refinement in all things.
He was still living at the time of writing and had children.
ʿĀʾisha
ʿĀʾisha was the wife of Abū al-Ḥasan and the mother of his daughter Umm al-Ḥasan, who in turn became the wife of al-Khalīfatī.
Muḥammad Abū Ṭāhir
Muḥammad Abū Ṭāhir was born in 1085 AH.
He was an accomplished and distinguished scholar and was among the greatest teachers from whom we ourselves acquired knowledge. He granted us authorization (ijāza) for all the traditions and works he had received from his father and other teachers.
He remained occupied with scholarship and teaching until his death in 1145 AH.
He developed and built a number of properties, including:
- the garden, residence, and reception hall known as his dwelling in the district of al-ʿArīḍiyya,
- and the large house adjoining the outer cemetery.
He left:
- Ibrāhīm,
- Fāṭima, wife of Sayyid ʿAbd Allāh ʿAbbās al-Bukhārī and mother of his children,
- and Āmina, wife of Abū al-Barakāt and mother of Abū al-Suʿūd, who later died in the Ottoman lands.
The Jāmī Family
The Jāmī family was a Kurdish family. The name "Jāmī" was given in imitation of Mullā Jāmī, the famous commentator on al-Ḥājibiyya in Arabic grammar, as a blessed and auspicious honorific.
The distinguished scholar Shaykh ʿAbd al-Raḥmān Mullā Jāmī came to Medina together with his brother Mullā Maḥmūd.
He became deputy to the Shāfiʿī imams and one of their teachers in the Prophet's Mosque.
He was a righteous man devoted to the Sacred Sanctuary and remained so until his death in 1162 AH.
He left:
- Yaḥyā
- Aḥmad
- Umm Kulthūm, wife of Shaykh Muḥammad Saʿīd Ṭāhir al-Kurdī and mother of his children
Yaḥyā
Yaḥyā's profession was tailoring, in which he excelled.
He traveled twice to the Ottoman lands and was still living in Medina at the time of writing.
In 1190 AH, he married his daughter to Aḥmad Āghā, the agent of the Murādiyya.
Aḥmad
Aḥmad possessed outstanding personal qualities and accomplishments.
He obtained an imperial decree appointing him as a Shāfiʿī imam and served in that capacity in the Noble Rawḍa of the Prophet's Mosque.
He composed fine poetry, pursued learning, and wrote elegant prose.
He traveled to the Ottoman lands, achieved his ambitions there, and later returned to Medina, where he was still living.
He had several noble children.
Maḥmūd
Maḥmūd was a righteous man and student of knowledge, possessing considerable merit.
He traveled to the Ottoman lands and later returned to Medina.
He died there in 1188 AH.
He had a talented son named ʿAbd al-Raḥīm, who traveled to India and died in 1185 AH.
The ʿImādī Family
The ʿImādī family takes its name from al-ʿImādiyya, a well-known city in the land of the Kurds.
The first member of this family to arrive in Medina was al-Ḥājj Yāsīn ibn Muḥammad al-ʿImādī al-Kurdī. He was an accomplished and intelligent man, possessed of great wealth. He died in 1138 AH, leaving no children.
He did, however, leave behind a number of freedmen (mawālī). The most prominent among them was al-Ḥājj ʿUthmān al-ʿImādī. He was an accomplished and sensible man who engaged in trade and commerce through his shop and eventually amassed considerable wealth. He built the two houses adjoining the inner bathhouse and became a member of the Sipahi corps.
He died in 1162 AH, leaving:
- ʿUmar
- Ṣafiyya, the wife of our companion ʿUbayd Efendi Kadak and the mother of his children.
ʿUmar al-ʿImādī
The aforementioned ʿUmar received a good upbringing. He was one of the finest and most accomplished of men.
He succeeded his father among the Sipahis. During the famous Citadel Affair, he was among those arrested by Sharīf Surūr. He was taken to Mecca as a prisoner and died there in 1196 AH.
He left behind one son and two daughters, all of whom were still young at the time of his death.
The Hijrī Family
The Hijrī family derives its name from Dār al-Hijra ("the Abode of Migration").
The first person to be known by this nisba was our companion, the learned ʿAlī al-Kurdī al-Baghdādī al-Hijrī.
He arrived in Medina in 1170 AH and taught in the Noble Prophet's Mosque. He later traveled to the Ottoman lands and then set out on his return journey to the Prophet's City. However, he died at Maʿān, on the Syrian route, in 1194 AH.
He married and had children by a daughter of Sayyid Marnaqiyya.
He was hunchbacked, and the people of Medina nicknamed him Abū Qunbūr ("Father of the Hump"). Nevertheless, he was a pleasant and charming man with an agreeable personality. He was also known at times for his playful, lighthearted behavior and for amusing others with jokes and humorous antics.
Al-Ansari's catalogue of notable families in Medina includes roughly 300 families. Of these, approximately 3 percent can be identified as Kurdish families. This should be regarded as a conservative estimate, as I have not undertaken a systematic investigation of families whose ethnic origins remain uncertain but may also have been Kurdish.
In one sense, 3 percent represents a considerable overrepresentation relative to the size of the Kurdish population in the broader Islamicate world. Yet it also raises a legitimate question: why was Kurdish representation in the Hijaz not even greater? Al-Ansari's work itself provides the answer. Compared to other major urban centers of the Islamicate world, Kurdish migration to the Hijaz was remarkably limited. The region was generally not regarded as an attractive destination for permanent settlement.
The biographies of Medina's migrant families paint a revealing picture. Many maintained connections with the great political and economic centers of the age, particularly the Ottoman capital and the Mughal Empire. Al-Ansari leaves little doubt as to the motives behind such journeys. More often than not, they were undertaken in pursuit of wealth, patronage and office.
The experiences of Kurdish families provide concrete examples. The founder of the Barzanji family in Medina travelled to the Ottoman capital in search of what he ultimately desired: greater prosperity and standing back home in Medina. Likewise, Ali Kurdi died while returning from a journey to the Ottoman center. This is often the practical meaning behind biographical notices stating that an individual "went to Rum." Such travel was frequently tied to the pursuit of material advancement, patronage networks, or political opportunities.
Indeed, Al-Ansari openly mocks those Medinans who journeyed to Rum only to return empty-handed, without gifts, appointments, promises of advancement, or support in local power struggles. Understanding these ambitions helps explain both the migration of Kurdish families to Medina and their continued presence there. For many, the Hijaz was not the endpoint of a migration story but one node within a much wider network that connected Medina to the imperial capitals of the Ottoman and Mughal worlds.
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