‘Abdul-Hameed ibn Baadees was born in Constantine, Algeria in 1889 and memorized the Qur’aan in his early childhood. His father sent him to study in the University of Zaytoonah in Tunisia in 1908. In the year 1913 after his graduation, he travelled to Arabia and spent one year in Madeenah, during which he sat with leading scholars, like Shaykh Husayn Ahmad al-Hindee. He also gave classes in the Prophet’s Masjid. From Madeenah, he went to Syria and Egypt and sat with the leading scholars there.
Upon returning to Algeria he made the Green Congregational Mas-jid (al-Jaami‘ al-Akhdar) his teaching base. His circle had over 300 students and he taught Tafseer, Hadeeth, Fiqh, ‘Aqeedah, Tajweed, Arabic grammar, Mathematics, and Geography. He also encouraged his students to learn French, which became a required subject at Jam‘iyyah at-Tarbiyyah wat-Ta‘leem al-Islaamiyyah (Islamic Edu-cation Association), an institute that he supervised in Constantine.
Ibn Baadees avidly read Islamic magazines such as al-Manaar of Imaam Rasheed Ridaa and Al-Fat’h of Muhibbud-deen al-Khateeb. In 1925 he published a political newspaper entitled Al-Muntaqid (The Critic), which called for Algerian independence, but it was banned after its 18th edition by French Colonial authorities. He then published a weekly Islaamic paper called ash-Shihaab (The Shoot-ing Star), which later became a monthly Islaamic magazine, in which he wrote most of his articles. It became popular and wide-spread around the Muslim world and was praised by eminent schol-ars and Muslim reformers alike.
In 1931 Ibn Baadees was instrumental in the formation of Associa-tion of Algerian Scholars as the forefront of the resistance move-ment against French colonization.
Ibn Baadees edited al-‘Awaasim minal-Qawaasim by Aboo Bakr ibn al-‘Arabee and printed it at his own expense. During his life-time, he did not author any books; however, his student Muhammad as-Saalih Ramadaan, gathered his commentary on the Qur’aan and hadeeths, as well as his lessons in ‘Aqeedah and biographies of the Companions under the titles: Majaalis at-Tathkeer min Kalaam al-Hakeem al-Khabeer, Majaalis at-Tathkeer min Hadeeth al-Basheer an-Natheer, al-‘Aqaa’id al-Islaamiyyah minal-Aayaat al-Qur’aaniyyah wal-Ahaadeeth an-Nabawiyyah, and Rijaalus-Salaf wa Nisaa’uh. And in 1968, Dr. ‘Ammaar at-Taalibee compiled many of his writings and published it in Algeria in four volumes.
Shaykh Ibn Baadees passed away in the year 1359 AH (1940). May Allaah have mercy on him and reward him for the benefit he has passed on to the ummah.