Ibn Hajar al-'Asqalani - Shakir Mahmud 'Abd al-Mun'im (2 vol.)

Book written on the great scholar Ibn Hajar al-'Asqalani. His name is Ahmad ibn 'Ali ibn Muhammad ibn Muhammad 'Ali al-Kinani al-Asqalani. His great grandparents lived in Asqalan where they entered it in the year 583H. The word Hajar is the name of one of his grandfathers. His kunya is Abul-Fadl and his Laqab is Shihabuddin. This city Asqalan is found in Palestine in Gaza. Ibn Hajar was born on the 12th of Sha'ban, 773H. Ibn Hajar was an orphan. His father who was a great scholar and merchant died in the year 777H (making Ibn Hajar only four years old). His mother passed away before that and so he was an orphan from both of his parents. Ibn Hajar had an older brother who was very learned, but died before Ibn Hajar and due to this his father became very upset and saddened. One of the pious people saw a dream and he gave glad tidings to the father of Ibn Hajar, and told him that he would be succeeded by a person who would be better than him and have a long life. Ibn Hajar himself then says that, "I was born and Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala opened my hands for me."