Mujir al-Din
Mujīr al-Dīn al-ʿUlaymī (
Name and background
Commonly known simply as Mujir al-Din or the Ibn Quttainah, he was born 'Abd al-Rahman ibn Muhammad al-'Ulaymi (Arabic: مجير الدين عبدالرحمن الحنبلي العليمي الشهير بأبن قطينه) during the period of
Education
Mujir al-Din's father, Muhammad ibn 'Adb al-Rahman, was a scholar, and he instructed his son in the religious sciences. His formal education began early, and by the age of six, Mujir al-Din was successfully tested on his knowledge of Arabic grammar by another of his instructors, Taqi al-Din al-Qarqashandi, a
He attended Islamic jurisprudence classes given by Kamal al-Din al-Maqdisi, a prominent Shafi'i scholar and qadi, at
Career
Public servant
Extensive knowledge of
Writings
Mujir al-Din's writings included two volumes of Quranic exegesis, a biographical dictionary of Hanbali scholars, a general history from the time of Adam through to the Middle Ages, and a work on "The glorious history of Jerusalem and Hebron".[5] The central focus of the latter book, despite its title, is the history of Jerusalem. Though many books had been written by other Arab and Muslim authors on the virtues of Jerusalem, including about 30 composed during the Mamluk period alone, none of these set out to provide a comprehensive history of the city, making Mujir al-Din's work unique in both scope and design.[5]
The book is divided into four parts. The first outlines the history of Jerusalem, and to a lesser degree Hebron, from the time of Adam to the end of the 13th century, incorporating both political developments and events of importance to Islamic and pre-Islamic monotheistic traditions. The second part provides a physical description of shrines and landmarks in Hebron and Jerusalem, with a focus on Muslim sites. Biographies of the various governors of Jerusalem and Hebron in the
Influence
Mujir al-Din's writings are quoted extensively in the works of 19th century Orientalists and 20th and 21st century scholars alike.[8] It is particularly valuable for what it reveals about the topography and social life of 15th century Jerusalem.[8] A number of copies of manuscripts of al-Uns al-Jalil are kept in libraries in Paris, London and Vienna. El Wahby, a Cairo-based publishing house printed his work in full. A French translation of excerpts of his work with a foreword by Henry Sauvaire was published under the title, Histoire de Jérusalem et d'Hébron depuis Abraham jusqu'à la fin du XVe siècle de J.-C. : fragments de la Chronique de Moudjir-ed-dyn (1876). This compilation was made up of excerpts of his work translated from a manuscript procured in Jerusalem and from the Egyptian edition.[9]
Translated excerpts of al-Uns al Jalil can be found in the work of Joseph Toussaint Reinaud and Joseph von Hammer-Purgstall.[10] Guy Le Strange references the work of Mujir al-Din throughout his book Palestine Under the Moslems: A Description of Syria and the Holy Land from A.D. 650 to 1500 (1890), drawing upon his descriptions of various monuments to determine their state, appearance, and measurements at his time of writing.[11]
Death and tomb in Jerusalem
Mujir al-Din died in 1522.
Memorial shrine in Nablus
There is also a shrine in Nablus dedicated to the memory of Mujir Al-Din.[14]
Descendants
It is documented that members of the Jerusalemite family of Quttainah are the descendants of Mujir al-Din al-Hanbali. On a Palestinian genealogy website, they explain that the nickname Quttainah (meaning "dried fig") was given to al-Hanbali family some 300 years ago due to their use of dried figs to cover gold they were trading in within Palestine from road robbers. The Quttainah family continues to own numerous properties in and around the Old City, including waqf properties. Since the 1948 Palestinian expulsion and flight, some members of the family live in the Palestinian diaspora, in other Middle Eastern countries and the Persian Gulf region.[15]
Footnotes
- Al-Aqsa Mosque, is called in Mujir al-Din's writings Al-Jami' Al-Kabir Al-Qibliyy ("The Grand Southern Friday-Mosque").[16]
References
- ^ a b Little, 1995, p. 237.
- ^ a b van Donzel, 1994, p. 291.
- ^ a b Khalidi, 1998, p. 216, footnote 25.
- ^ a b Murphy-O'Connor, 2008, p. 148.
- ^ a b c d e f g Little, 1995, p. 238.
- ^ Little, 1995, p. 239.
- ^ Gerber, 2003, pp. 23-41.
- ^ a b See Elad, 1995, p. 3. See footnote #5 for the names of some the 20th century scholars who relied extensively upon Mujir al-Din's work.
- ^ Sauvaire, 1849.
- ^ Edbury and Philips, 2003, p. 222-223.
- ^ Le Strange, 1890.
- ^ Ring et al., 1996, p. 377.
- ^ "Mujir al-Din al-Ulaymi". Mt. of Olives Hotel. Retrieved 2010-02-24.
- Islamic Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ISESCO). Archived from the originalon 2010-12-13. Retrieved 2010-02-24.
- ^ Majdi and Mona Anwar Quttainah, edited by Anwar Mohammed Quttainah, Naela Awni Quttainah, and Mohammed Anwar Quttainah, and compiled by Husam Abdul Hafith Quttainah (September 13, 2006). "The Jerusalemite family of Quttainah". Palestine-family.net. Archived from the original on February 22, 2013. Retrieved 2010-02-25.
{{cite web}}
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has generic name (help)CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) CS1 maint: unfit URL (link) - ^ Dr. Mustafa Abu Sway, Al-Quds University. "The Holy Land, Jerusalem and Al-Aqsa Mosque in the Qur'an, Sunnah and other Islamic Literary Sources" (PDF). Harvard University's Weatherhead Center for International Affairs. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2011-07-28. Retrieved 2010-02-24.
Bibliography
- Donzel, va, E. J. (1994). ISBN 978-90-04-09738-4.
mujir al-din ulaymi arab historian.
- Edbury, Peter W.; Phillips, Jonathan P. (2003). Peter W. Edbury; Jonathan P. Phillips (eds.). The experience of crusading, Volume 1. Cambridge University Press. ISBN 978-0-521-78151-0.
- Elad, Amikam (1995). Medieval Jerusalem and Islamic worship: holy places, ceremonies, pilgrimage (2nd, illustrated ed.). Brill. ISBN 978-90-04-10010-7.
- ISBN 978-0-231-10515-6.
mujir al-din ulaymi.
- Le Strange, G. (1890). Palestine Under the Moslems: A Description of Syria and the Holy Land from A.D. 650 to 1500. Committee of the Palestine Exploration Fund., London, (p.12)
- Little, Donald P. (April–June 1995). "Mujīr al-Dīn al-'Ulaymī's Vision of Jerusalem in the Ninth/Fifteenth Century". Journal of the American Oriental Society. 115 (2). American Oriental Society: 237–247. JSTOR 604667.
- Gerber, Haim (Fall 2003). "Zionism, Orientalism, and the Palestinians". Journal of Palestine Studies. 33 (1): 23–41. doi:10.1525/jps.2003.33.1.23. Archived from the originalon 2012-02-26. Retrieved 2010-02-23.
- ISBN 978-0-19-923666-4.
- Moudjir ed-dyn (1876). Sauvaire (ed.). Histoire de Jérusalem et d'Hébron depuis Abraham jusqu'à la fin du XVe siècle de J.-C. : fragments de la Chronique de Moudjir-ed-dyn.
- Al-Hanbali, Mujir al-Din (1973). Al-Uns al-Jalil fi Tarikh al-Quds wa al-Khalil [The Significant Ambiance in the History of Jerusalem and Hebron]. Amman.
- Ring, Trudy; Salkin, Robert M.; La Boda, Sharon (1996). Trudy Ring; Robert M. Salkin; Sharon La Boda (eds.). International Dictionary of Historic Places: Middle East and Africa (Illustrated, annotated ed.). Taylor & Francis. ISBN 978-1-884964-03-9.