His Name, Lineage and Agnomen:
He is the illustrious scholar, the expert in Islamic jurisprudence, the remnant of the salaf, our shaykh, Abū Muḥammad Zayd ibn Muḥammed ibn Hādī al-Madkhalī of the renowned al-Madākhilah tribe located in the province of Jizān in the southern part of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. It is one of the tribes of Banī Shabīl and Shabīl was Ibn Yashjub ibn Yaʾrib ibn Qaḥṭān.
His Birth:
He was born in the year 1357 AH corresponding to the Gregorian year of 1938 in the town of al-Rukūbah, officially affiliated with the town of Ṣāmiṭah in the province of Jizān. It is located east of Ṣāmiṭah, approximately 3 kilometers away from the town today.
His Upbringing:
The Shaykh was raised in his village at the service of his parents. Before he reached maturity, his mother passed away when he was 7 years of age. She was known for her commitment to the religion and righteousness. His father passed when the Shaykh was 30 years old, he used to encourage Shaykh Zayd with seeking knowledge during his youth and likewise his relative, Shaykh Aḥmād ibn Aḥmad Ulūsh al-Madkhalī.
He joined the circles of knowledge in his village wherein he learnt how to read and write, studied the rules related to the recitation of the Qu’ran and other subjects pertaining to tawḥīd (monotheism). He started to read the Qurʾān and memorised al-Baqarah, Aal-Imrām and others chapters of the Qu’ran.
He then joined the lessons in al-Rukūbah when he was approximately 7 years old. Shaykh Zayd subsequently resided near al-Dighārī and then transferred to the city of Ṣāmiṭah, where he enrolled at the Salafīyaah al-Ẓāhir School, which was founded by the reviver, Imām ʿAbdullāh ibn Muḥammad al-Qarʿāwī. At that time it was under the supervision of Shaykh Nāṣīr ibn Kulūf Tīyash Mubārikī who protected it with his knowledge and favour for the students of knowledge. It was at this school where the shaykh studied Kitāb al-Tawḥīd, Bulūgh al-Marām, laws of inheritance, rules pertaining to Qurʾānic Recitation, Arabic grammar and morphology.
In the year 1368 AH he joined Shaykh Ḥāfiẓ al-Ḥakamī in the city of Bīsh where he, along with other students read and studied with him for a period of three months. He then returned to the Salafī School to be assigned as a teacher over some of the students of knowledge, he also taught in the circles of knowledge in his village. He was then allocated as a teacher in the village of al-Rukūbah in the school of al-Qarʿāwī in the year 1372 AH at the age of 15, and became its director with the assistance of Shaykh Jābir ibn Muḥammad al-Madkhalī – the director of the Institute of Islamic Recognition of Ḥajj. Subsequently, when the al-Qarʿāwī School united with Wazarah al-Maʿrifah to establish the Maʿḥad al-ʿ Ilmī in the town of Ṣāmiṭah in the year 1374 AH, the Shaykh enrolled at the secondary level in the year 1375 [AH] following the advice of Shaykh ʿAbdullāh’ ibn Muḥammad al-Qarʿāwī and Ḥāfiẓ al-Ḥakamī. He graduated in the year of 1379/1380AH having studied many subjects under a number of scholars at the institute.
Shaykh Zayd al-Madkhalī thereafter enrolled at the Islamic University of Imām Muḥammad ibn Saʿūd in the faculty of Sharī’ah for period of two years; within the second year of his studies he completed the memorisation of the Qurʾān. He was then assigned as a teacher at the Maḥad al-ʿIlmī – this was before he graduated from Muḥammad ibn Saʿūd University, at the request of the director at that time – Shaykh Ḥāfiẓ al-Ḥakamī without him seeking (the position). He shortly after completed his education receiving a certificate in the year of 1382 AH
The Shaykh entered the age of retirement after 35 years of serving knowledge. He retired in the year 1417 AH.
His Pursuit of Knowledge:
Those who know the Shaykh are witness to his great abstention from worldly pleasures, of which he does not seek (worldly pleasures) nor ask for. Rather he surrendered himself to knowledge, spreading it, teaching it, issuing Islamic verdicts and authoring.
His Previous and Current Work Positions:
- He was a teacher at the Maʿḥad al-ʿIlmī for 35 years until he retired on the 1st Rajab in the year 1417 AH.
- He has been an Imām and Khaṭīb in his (own) masjid. The Shaykh would tour the province, giving sermons in its local mosques.
- The Shaykh built Ṣāmiṭah first salafi library in the year 1416 AH shelving over 7000 resources in service to the students of knowledge who flock to it from every place.
- He established the Imām ʿAbdullāh ibn Muḥammad al-Qarʿāwī conference along with Shaykh Aḥmad ibn Yaḥyá al-Najmī, which he supervises. Students of knowledge from within the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and outside of it attend the conference every summer. It was founded in the year 1416 AH.
- He is the chairman of administration of the al-Maktaba al-Taʿāwanī for Daʿwah, guidance and spreading (Islamic) awareness in Ṣāmiṭah. It was founded in the year 1423 AH.
- His participation in spreading of Islamic awareness during al-Ḥajj from 1398 AH until 1398 AH for a period of 27 years.
- His devotion to teaching essential issues at his masjid and issuing Islamic Verdicts in his district.
His Scholars:
- Shaykh ʿAlī ibn Muḥammad Ḥajj Mahjūrī al-Madkhalī
- Shaykh Hādī ibn Hādī al-Madkhalī
- Shaykh ʿAbdullāh ibn Muḥammad al-Qarʿāwī
- Shaykh Muḥammad ibn Aḥmad al-Ḥamaki
- Shaykh Jābir ibn Salmān al-Madkhalī
- Shaykh ʿAlī ibn Yaḥyá al-Baḥkalī
- Shaykh Aḥmad ibn Yaḥyá al-Najmī
- Shaykh Ḥasan ibn Muḥammad Shibīr an-Najmī
- Shaykh Muḥammad ibn Muḥammad Jābir al-Madkhalī
- Shaykh Nāsīr ibn Kulūfī Tīyash Mubārikī
- Shaykh Muḥammad Amān ibn ʿAlī al-Jāmī
- Shaykh ʿAbd al-ʿAzīz ibn ʿAbdullāh ibn Bāz
- Shaykh ʿAbd al-Raḥmān al-Najdī
- Shaykh ʿAbdullāh ibn ʿAbd al-Raḥmān al-Ghudayān
- Shaykh Muḥammad Attīyah Salīm
His Students:
From the blessings of Allāh upon our scholar – Shaykh Zayd ibn Muḥammad ibn Hādī al-Madkhalī, is that he devoted many years teaching, which has extending over 50 years. He has many students attend from various cities and countries. There are many intelligent people amongst his students, who are from the major callers to Allāh. Many of whom hold high positions in education institutes and government bodies, especially those who sought knowledge from him during his position at the Maʿḥad al-ʿIlmī. His students extend from various countries, most of them are predominantly from the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Yemen, the Emirates, Bahrain, Kuwait, Qatar, Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, Lebanon, Egypt, Indonesia, and other countries from Europe and America which attended his lessons by way of the Internet.
His Writings:
The virtuous Shaykh first began authoring before he reached the age of 40. His wrote his first book at the age of 37. His writings exceed over 60 books and still continues to write – may Allāh preserve him, he has a strong desire for writing and authoring books.
Many of his writings evolve around the following
- The explanation of the salafī creed and clarifying it with evidences from the intellect upon the methodology of the Salaf al-Ṣāliḥ, clarifying the falsehood attached to it from polytheism, innovations and misguidance.
- Islamic jurisprudence in terms of worship, interaction, regulations, manners, ethics, etiquettes and invitation.
- Refutations of (misguided) tapes, individuals and pamphlets using textual evidences from the Qurʾān and Sunnah upon the understanding of the salaf, clarifying the truth and defending it against innovations.
Some of His Books Currently in Print:
- Life under the Shade of the Islamic Creed
- The True Methodology in Following the Prophet ﷺ
- Explanation of Ḥāfiẓ al-Ḥakamī’s Poem – Subul al-Wasūl
- Questions and Answers to Righteous Questions (3 Vols)
- The Explanation of the Poem – Wasīlah al-Ḥusūl
- The Obligation of Covering the Face, Hands, and the Condition of the Veil of Women.
- Insight in Calling to Allāh and the Qualities of the Caller
- Answers Relating to Matters of Islamic Jurisprudence, Methodology and Islamic Monotheism with the checking of ʿAlī ibn Zayd al-Madkhalī
- Legislated Reason for Victory and the True Attributes of Islamic Soldiers
- Islamic Verdicts Regarding Smoking and Drugs
- Explanation of Ibn Abī Dawūd’s Poem – The Consonance of the Letter Ha (al-Hāʾīyyah)
- Terrorism and its Evil Effects on Individuals and the Islamic Community
- The Reasons for the Steadfastness of the Youth and the Matters that Encourage their Deviance.
- Explanation of the Three Fundamental Principles of Ibn ʿAbd al-Wahhāb
- Paramount Benefits from the Four Principles of Ibn ʿAbd al-Wahhāb
- Explanation of the Six Fundamental Principles of Ibn ʿAbd al-Wahhāb
- A Commentary on the Removal of Doubts of Ibn ʿAbd al-Wahhāb
- Concise Answers to Ten Questions.
- A Beneficial Response to Those who say the People Are in Need of a New Revelation.
- An Explanation of the Names and Attributes of Allāh.
- An Explanation of the Creed of Ibn Abī Zayd al-Qayrawānī.
- Shedding Light upon the Difference Between Disbelief, Polytheism, Hypocrisy and Disobedience.
- A Compilations of his Treaties.
- A Commentary on the Foundations of the Sunnah of the two Rāzī’s
- Explanation of the Chapter of Knowledge from Ṣaḥiḥ al-Bukhārī
- A Commentary on Shaykh al-Islam Muḥammad Ibn ʿAbd al-Wahhāb’s Foundations of Faith.
- A Commentary upon Foundations of the Sunnah of Imām Aḥmad
- The Virtue, Status and Merits of Friday.
- A Commentary on The Devil’s Deception of Ibn Jawzī
- Fifty Questions and Answers on Methodology
- An Explanation of Aspects of the Days of Ignorance of Ibn ʿAbd al-Wahhāb
Some of the Book under Production:
- Compilation of his Friday Sermons
- An Explanation of ʿAqīdah al-Wāsiṭīyah of Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyyah
- Explanation of the Foundations of Faith of Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyyah
- The Explanation of the Qurʾān
- An Explanation of Imām al-Bukhārī’s al-Adab al-Mufrad
Scholars Who Have Praised Him:
- Shaykh, al-ʿAllāmah Muḥammad ibn Aḥmad al-Hakamī
- Shaykh, al-ʿAllāmah Aḥmad ibn Yaḥyá al-Najmī
- Shaykh, ḥadīth specialist, Professor Rabīʿ ibn Hādī al-Madkhalī
- Shaykh Dr. Sāliḥ ibn Fawzān al-Fawzān – a Member of the Permenant Committee of Major Scholars
- Shaykh Muḥammad ibnʿAbdullah Sabīl – an Imām at the holy mosque in Makkah and a Member of the Permenant Committee of Major Scholars
- Shaykh, al-ʿAllāmah, the ḥadīth specialist ʿAbd al-Muḥsin al- ʿAbbād al-Badr
- Shaykh Dr. ʿAlī ibn Muḥammad ibn Nāṣīr al-Faqīḥī
- Shaykh ʿUbayd ibn ʿAbdullāh al-Jābirī
- Shaykh Sāliḥ ibn Ṣa’d al-Suḥaymī
- Shaykh Sāliḥ ibn ʿAbd al-ʿAzīz Āl-Shaykh- The Ministry of Islamic Affairs, KSA
- Shaykh Sulaymān ibn ʿAbdullāh Abā Khayl – Dean of Imām Muḥammad ibn Saʿūd University
- Shaykh Wasīullah ibn Muḥammad ʿAbbās
- Shaykh ʿAbdullāh ibn Saʿd ibn Muḥammad al-Saʿd
- Professor Hasan ibn ʿAlī Abū Tālib al-Qādiʾī
- Shaykh ʿAlī ibn ʿAbdullāh al-Ahdīl
- Prince Muḥammad ibn Nāṣīr ibn ʿAbd al-ʿAzīz Āl-Saʿūd
- Prince Fayṣal ibn Muḥammad ibn Nāṣīr ibn ʿAbd al-ʿAzīz Aal-Saʿūd
- Prince ʿAbd al-ʿAzīz ibn Saṭām ibn ʿAbd al-ʿAzīz Āl-Saʿūd
May Allāh protect the Shaykh from every evil and raise his rank.