al-Suyuti
Al-Suyuti | ||
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السيوطي | ||
Shadhiliyya | ||
Muslim leader | ||
Influenced by
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Influenced | ||
Epithet (Laqab) Jalāl al-Dīn | | |
Toponymic (Nisba) | al-Suyūṭī, al-Khuḍayrī, al-Shāfi'ī |
Jalal al-Din al-Suyuti (
He was described as one of the most prolific writers of the Middle Ages and is recognized today as one of the most prolific authors of all Islamic literature. Al-Suyuti wrote approximately one thousand works.[16] His biographical dictionary Bughyat al-Wuʻāh fī Ṭabaqāt al-Lughawīyīn wa-al-Nuḥāh contains valuable accounts of prominent figures in the early development of Arabic philology. He was also in his time the leading authority of the Shafi'i school of thought (madhhab).[17]
Biography
Early life
Al-Suyuti was born to a family of Persian descent on 3 October 1445 AD (1 Rajab 849 AH) in Cairo in the Mamluk Sultanate.[10] According to al-Suyuti his ancestors came from al-Khudayriyya in Baghdad.[18] His family moved to Asyut, hence the nisba "al-Suyuti".[19][20] His father taught Shafi'i law at the Mosque and Khanqah of Shaykhu in Cairo, but died when al-Suyuti was 5 or 6 years old.[20][21]
Education
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Ash'arism |
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Background |
Al-Suyuti grew up in an orphanage in Cairo. He became a
He then dedicated his entire life to master the Sacred Sciences under approximately 150 sheikhs. Among them were renowned scholars who were the leading scholars of each sacred Islamic science of their time.[12]
- faqih and polymathof his era.
- faqih of his era and the son of the highly celebrated scholar, Siraj al-Din al-Bulqini.
- Al-Jami' as-Saghir entitled Fayd al-Qadir).
- Taqi al-Din al-Shamani, a hadith expert and a leading professor of the Arabic sciences.
- Jalal al-Din Al-Mahalli, a leading mufassir and a leading specialist in the principles of the law of his time who authored along with Al-Suyuti, one of the most famous tafsirs entitled Tafsir al-Jalalayn.
- Ibn Hajar Al-Asqalani
- Shihab al-Din As-Sharmisahi, a famous Hanafischolar of his time.
- Sayf al-Din Qasim ibn Qatlubagha, a famous Hadith master of his time.
- Muhyi al-Din Al-Kafayji
In his thirst for quest for knowledge, Al-Suyuti travelled to Syria, Hejaz (Mecca & Medina), Yemen, Iraq, India, Tunisia, Morocco, and Mali as well as to educational hubs in Egypt such as Mahalla, Dumyat, and Fayyum.[12]
Teaching
He started teaching Shafi'i jurisprudence at the age of 18, at the same mosque as his father did.
Al-Suyuti became the head master of Hadith at the Shaykhuniyya school in Cairo, at the suggestion of Imam
Avoiding Public Life
In his late forties, al-Suyuti began avoiding the public when he argued with the Sufis in the Baybarsiyyah lodge, he disagreed their claim to be Sufis and were not following the path of saints in terms of manners and ethics, he was thus dismissed.[22]
Ibn Iyas, in his book called Tarikh Misr, said that when al-Suyuti became forty years of age, he left the company of men for the solitude of the garden of al-Miqyas, close to the
Rich and Influential Muslims and rulers would visit him with large sums of money and gifts but he rejected their offers and also refused the king many times when he ordered al-Suyuti's to be summoned. He once said to the king's ambassador:[12]
"Do not ever come back to us with a gift, for in truth Allah has put an end to all such needs for us."
Controversy
Al-Suyuti had some backlash with some of his contemporaries especially by his own teacher
Defending Ibn Arabi
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Ibn 'Arabi |
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His most famous clash was with one of his teachers, Burhan al-Din al-Biqa'i, who staunchly criticized
Creed & Spiritual Lineage
In terms of his theological positions, Al-Suyuti had a contempt feeling towards speculative theology (kalam) and pushed for strict submission (tafwid). He opposed the use of logic in the Islamic sciences.[24][25] He does, however, agree with Al-Ghazali's conservative view of kalam, which states that the science should be studied by scholars who meet the necessary requirements to administer the appropriate dosages as bitter medicine to people who are in dire need.[15]
Al-Suyuti was
"The parents of the Prophet died before he attained Prophethood, and there is no punishment for them. The Qur'an says
'We never punish until We send a messenger [whom they reject]' (al-Isra' 17: 15).
Our Ash'arī Imams, among those in kalam, usul, and fiqh, agree on the statement that one who dies while da'wah has not reached him, dies saved. This has been explained by Imam Al-Shafi'i as follows: 'some of the fuqaha' explained that the reason for the above is, such a person follows fitra (primordial disposition), and has not stubbornly refused nor rejected any Messenger."
Al-Suyuti claimed to be a
"I did not mean that I was similar to one of the Four Imams, but only that I was an affiliated mujtahid (mujtahid muntasib). For, when I reached the level of tarjih or distinguishing the best fatwa inside the school, I did not contravene Al-Nawawi's tarjih. And, when I reached the level of ijtihad mutlaq, I did not contravene Al-Shafi'i's school."
Al-Suyuti claimed he reached the same level as the major Imams of Hadith and Fiqh.[26]
"When I went on hajj, I drank
Ibn Hajar Al-Asqalani.'"
Al-Suyuti also claimed there was no scholar on Earth more knowledgeable than him:
"There is no one in our time, on the face of the earth, from East to West, more knowledgeable than me in
Al-Khidror the Pole of saints or some other wali - none of whom do I include into my statement - and Allah knows best."
This brought huge attention and heavy criticism by scholars of his contemporaries as he was portrayed by them as an arrogant scholar who viewed himself to be superior and wiser than others. However, Al-Suyuti defended himself stating he was only speaking the truth so that people can benefit from his vast knowledge and accept his rulings (fatwas).[22]
Al-Suyuti was a
"I have looked at the matters which the Imams of Shariah have criticized in Sufis, and I did not see a single true Sufi holding such positions. Rather, they are held by the people of innovation and the extremists who have claimed for themselves the title of Sufi while in reality they are not.'"
In his book entitled Tashyid, Al-Suyuti demonstrates a narrative chains of transmission by providing evidence that
Death
Considered the greatest scholar of his century, he continued publishing books of his scholarly writings until he died on 18 October 1505 at the age of sixty two.[21]
Reception
His admirers stated that Al-Suyuti writings reached as far as India during his time on Earth. His learning and more importantly his incredible prolific output were widely seen as miraculous signs from God due to his merit.[22]
Works
The Dalil Makhtutat al-Suyuti ("Directory of al-Suyuti's Manuscripts") states that al-Suyuti wrote works on over 700 subjects,[20] while a 1995 survey put the figure between 500[30] and 981. However, these include short pamphlets, and legal opinions.[19]
He wrote his first book, Sharh Al-Isti'aadha wal-Basmalah, in 866 AH, at the age of seventeen.[citation needed]
In Ḥusn al-Muḥaḍarah al-Suyuti lists 283 of his works on subjects from religion to medicine. As with
Al-Suyuti also wrote a number of Islamic sexual education manuscripts that represent major works in the genre, which began in the 10th-century in Baghdad. The most significant of these works is
Major works
- Arabic: تفسير الجلالين, lit. 'Commentary of the two Jalals'); a Qur'anic exegesis written by Al-Suyuti and his teacher Jalal al-Din al-Mahalli[20]
- Arabic: درالمنثور) a famous and authoritative narration based tafsir.
- Al-Itqān fi 'Ulum al-Qur'an (translated into English as The Perfect Guide to the Sciences of the Qur'an, ISBN 978-1-85964-241-2)
- Al-Tibb al-Nabawi (')
- Arabic: الجامع الكبير, lit.'Large collection')
- Arabic: الجامع الصغير, lit.'Little collection' )
- Sharh Sunan al-Nasaai, a famous commentary of Sunan al-Nasa'i[33]
- Annotations Sunan Abi Dawood, a complete annotations of Sunan Abu Dawood written by the Hadith scientist Al-Suyuti[34]
- Alfiyyah al-Hadith [35]
- Tadrib al-Rawi (Arabic: تدريب الراوي) both in hadith terminology
- Al-Ashbaahu Wan-Nadhaair, a famous authoritative book of the Shafi'i madhab[36]
- History of the Caliphs (Tarikh al-Khulafa)
- The Khalifas who Took the Right Way, a partial translation of the History of the Caliphs, covering the first four Rashidun caliphs and Hasan ibn Ali
- Tabaqat al-Huffaz, an appendix to Tadhkirat al-Huffaz
- Nuzhat al-Julasāʼ fī Ashʻār al-Nisāʼ (Arabic: نزهة الجلساء في أشعار النساء), "An Anthology of Women's Verse'[37]
- Al-Khasais-ul-Kubra, which discusses the miracles of Islamic prophet Muhammad
- Al-Muzhir (Arabic Linguistics)[38]
- Uqud Al Juman (Arabic Rhetoric)
- Al-Faridah (Arabic Grammar)
- The Book of Exposition (credited)
See also
Notes
- Brill2nd)
References
- ^ Sayyid Rami Al Rifai (3 July 2015). The Islamic Journal From Islamic Civilisation To The Heart Of Islam, Ihsan, Human Perfection. Sunnah Muakada. p. 37.
- ^ "Ahl al-Sunna: The Ash'aris - The Testimony and Proofs of the Scholars". almostaneer.com (in Arabic). Archived from the original on 28 January 2021.
- ISBN 978-1-4384-5371-2.
- ^ In Masalik al-Hunafa' fi Walidayy al-Mustafa, he says: "The Prophet's parents died before he was sent as a Prophet and there is no punishment for them, since (We never punish until We send a messenger (whom they reject)( (17:15 ). Our Ash`ari Imams among those in kalam, usul, and fiqh agree on the statement that one who dies while da`wa has not reached him, dies saved. This has been defined by Imam al-Shafi`i.. . . Some of the fuqaha' explained that the reason is, such a person follows fitra or Primordial Disposition, and has not stubbornly refused nor rejected any Messenger"
- ^ Barakat, E. R., & Haneef, M. A. (2006). "Must Money Be Limited to Only Gold and Silver?: A Survey of Fiqhi Opinions and Some Implications". Journal of King Abdulaziz University: Islamic Economics, 19(1).
- ^ Sookhdeo, Patrick. "Issues of interpreting the Koran and Hadith." Connections 5.3 (2006): 57-82.
- ^ Ali, Mufti. "Aristotelianisme Dalam Kacamata Para Tokoh Abad Tengah Penentang Logika." Al Qalam 24.3 (2007): 318-339.
- ^ ISSN 1947-2404.
- ISBN 978-3-8470-1152-1.
- ^ ISBN 978-0-415-96691-7.
The family of al-Suyuti, of Persian origin, settled during the Mamluk period in Asyut, in Upper Egypt (from where they derive their name).
- ^ Jaleel, Talib (11 July 2015). Notes On Entering Deen Completely Islam as its followers know it. EDC Foundation. p. 1031.
- ^ a b c d e f Zulfiqar Ayub 2015, p. 281
- ISBN 978-0-19-975726-8.
- ISBN 978-1-905837-53-3.
- ^ ISBN 978-90-04-33452-6.
- ISBN 978-1-135-45596-5.
- ISBN 978-1-136-70361-4.
- ISBN 978-90-04-16121-4.
- ^ ISBN 978-1-135-45603-0.
- ^ ISBN 978-0-415-32639-1.
- ^ ISBN 978-0-387-31022-0.
- ^ a b c Mahdi Tourage, Ovamir Anjum 2017, p. 15
- ^ a b Zulfiqar Ayub 2015, p. 283
- ^ Mahdi Tourage, Ovamir Anjum 2017, p. 13
- JSTOR 40377962.
- ^ a b c d Zulfiqar Ayub 2015, p. 284
- ^ Al-Kawākib as-Sāyirah 1/228[verification needed]
- ^ Hasan, Abu, Imām Jalāluddin Suyūţi - Biography and Works (PDF), www.sunniport.com, pp. 6–7, archived from the original (PDF) on 2016-03-04, retrieved 2016-01-04
- ^ Mahdi Tourage, Ovamir Anjum 2017, p. 14
- ISBN 978-0-415-18572-1.
- ISBN 0-415-12412-3
- )
- ^ "SHARH SUNAN AN-NASAAI (AS-SUYUTI ET AS-SINDI)". sifatusafwa.com.
- ^ "ANNOTATIONS SUNAN ABI DAWOOD - IMAM AS-SUYUTI". sifatusafwa.com.
- ^ "USC-MSA Compendium of Muslim Texts". Web Archive. 2 January 2008. Archived from the original on 2 January 2008. Retrieved 18 March 2010.
- ^ "AL-ASHBAAHU WAN-NADHAAIR - AS-SUYUTI (FIQH & USUL SHAFI'I)". sifatusafwa.com.
- ^ James Mansfield Nichols, 'The Arabic Verses of Qasmūna bint Ismāʿil ibn Bagdālah', International Journal of Middle East Studies, 13 (1981), 155-58.
- ^ Ghaffari, Talib (7 January 2011). "Writings of Imam Jalaluddin al-Suyuti". Maktabah Mujaddidiyah. Retrieved 23 November 2013.
Sources
- Zulfiqar Ayub (2 May 2015). THE BIOGRAPHIES OF THE ELITE LIVES OF THE SCHOLARS, IMAMS & HADITH MASTERS Biographies of The Imams & Scholars. pp. 81–84.
- Mahdi Tourage, Ovamir Anjum, ed. (2017). American Journal of Islamic Social Sciences. Vol. 34. International Institute of Islamic Thought (IIIT). pp. 13–15.
External links
- Tafsir al-Jalalayn Commentary on the Quran (in English).
- Radiant Cosmography (al Haya al-saniya fi al-haya al-sunniya) in English at archive.org.
- The Dead become Alive by the Grace of the Holy Five (Ihyya al-mayyit) in English at archive.org.