Imam Hafiz Shamsuddin Az-Zahabi (R.A.) Muhammad ibn Ahmad ibn Uthman ibn Qayyum Abu Abdullah Shams ad-Din az-Zahabi (Arabic: محمد بن احمد بن عثمان بن قيوم ، أبو عبد الله شمس الدين الذهبي) (Born: 1274 - Died: 1348) was a famous Muhaddith and Islamic historian. He is known as Az-Zahabi. Az-Zahabi was born in Damascus on October 5, 1274, his family had been living there since the time of his grandfather Uthman. He sometimes introduced himself as Ibn al-Zahabi (son of the goldsmith) because of his father's profession. At the age of eighteen, he traveled from Damascus to Baalbek, Homs, Hama, Aleppo, Nablus, Cairo, Alexandria, Jerusalem, Hejaz, etc. to study Hadith. After completing his education, he returned to Damascus and started teaching and researching Hadith. Two of his notable teachers were Sheikh Ibn Taymiyyah and Ibn Daqiq al-Eid.