Ibn Kathir wrote the universal history al-Bidaya wa'l-Nihaya and a celebrated Quranic commentary. He studied with Ibn Taymiyya and Ibn al-Qayyim yet his positions on many issues align with broader Sunni jurisprudence and theology.
His eyewitness descriptions of mawlid gatherings in Damascus are often cited in discussions of the practice's historical spread.
Mawlid and scholarly views
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Context for classical and contemporary rulings.