Imam Muhammad Sa`id Badran

1343-1434 AH

One of the Maraji` of Sham

He is Muhammad Sa`id ibn Muhammad Badran Ad-Dumi Al-Hanbali
Born in the year 1343 in Duma in Syria, he was raised in a noble family that was
faithful and upright. His father sent him to the kuttab when he gained six years
and he learned to read, write and recite the Quran with Shaikh Salih Badran.
When he reached ten years of age, he had memorised the entire Quran from the
narration of Hafs from `Asim. After that, he kept the company of the Shaikh
Ahmad `Abdul Majid, who is also known as As-Sa`ati. He recited the entire Quran
to him again and memorised texts on tajwid before heading to Dar ul-Hadith
when he was 20 years old.
Upon entrance into the Dar ul-Hadith in Damascus, he kept the company of the
Shaikh, the hadith scholar, the scholar of fiqh, Ahmad Quwaidir As-Samadaih.
With this Shaikh, Imam Badran read to him the six books of hadith, Arabic
grammar, fiqh based on Dalil ut-Talib by Imam Al-Karmi (d. 1033 AH) as well as
other sciences.
When the shaikh of Imam Badran died suddenly, he returned back to Duma and
studied with some of the scholars of fiqh there and in particular spent most of
his time with the marja` scholars Imams Ahmad Ash-Shami, `Abdul Majid `Abdul
Majid and `Abdul Qadir Al-Hattawi.
After a period of study, he was declared as marja` and told to teach and spread
the knowledge. Imam Badran did just this and took the following students to
assist him in his endeavours:
`Abdul Karim Badran, the son of the Imam and Muhammad Badran, the son of
`Abdul Karim. Known for his piety, Imam Muhammad Sa`id Badran in his lifetime
made 35 hajjs and when he died, the people of Duma mourned for him greatly.