Sharaf al-Din Abu'l-Hasan Ali ibn Yusuf ibn Haydara ibn al-Hasan al-Rahbi, born in 667/1187–88 in Damascus, followed in the footsteps of his father, Radiyy al-Din al-Rahbi (d. 631/1233), who was also a physician. He is said to have closely resembled his father in character and moral conduct.

He possessed profound knowledge in the art of medicine and meticulously studied both the comprehensive and particular aspects of the discipline. He authored several books and numerous notes on medical subjects.

He received his medical training from his father and also studied under Sheikh Muvaffaq al-Din Abd al-Latif ibn Yusuf al-Baghdadi (d. 629/1231). He conducted extensive scholarly investigations into the works of Sheikh Muvaffaq al-Din al-Baghdadi in particular.

He was also interested in astronomy and astrology.

In addition, he studied literature under Sheikh Alam al-Din al-Sahawi (d. 643/1245) and other scholars. He mastered the science of literature with exceptional proficiency and is said to have attained a rare level of distinction in this field.

He had a natural talent for poetry. His greatest pleasures were solitude, continuing his reading and studies, examining classical texts, and drawing insight from the works of philosophers.

He served for a time at the Nuri Hospital (al-Bimaristan al-Kabir), established by Nur al-Din Zengi (d. 569/1174). When the renowned physician Muhyi al-Din Abd al-Rahim ibn Ali (d. 628/1230) endowed his house in Damascus to be converted into a medical school for teaching medicine and serving the Muslim community—the Dahwariyya Medical School—he specifically bequeathed that Sharaf al-Din ibn al-Rahbi be appointed to teach there, due to his trust in Sharaf al-Din’s scholarship and understanding. Sharaf al-Din indeed taught at this school for a period.

It is reported that he was deeply devoted to books and spent the greater part of his time reading, studying, and pursuing knowledge. He is also noted for deliberately avoiding contact with rulers.

Sharaf al-Din al-Rahbi died in Damascus and was buried on Mount Qasiyun. He passed away on the eleventh night of Muharram, which coincided with a Friday morning, in 667/20 September 1268, due to pleurisy.

The judge of Baalbek, Shams al-Din al-Kutubi Ibn Abi Usaybi’a, who was known as Bedr al-Din ibn al-Qadi wa al-Huvatimi, reported the following: “Several months before falling ill and dying, Sharaf al-Din addressed the gathering around him and his students, saying, ‘I shall soon die, and this will occur during the conjunction of two planets.’ He then told them, ‘Tell people this, so that they may understand the value of my knowledge and my awareness of the time of my death.’ And his words came to pass exactly as he foretold.”