Shawkani biography of mahatma

Yemeni theologian (1759–1834)

Muhammad ibn Prizefighter ibn Abdullah al-Shawkani
Title	Shaykh al-Islam, Minister, Qadi[1]
Born	1759 CE /1173 AH
Died	1834 Gasp /1250 AH Sana'a, Yemen
Nationality	Yemeni
Region	South Arabia
Main interest(s)	Fiqh, Hadith, Aqeedah
Notable work(s)	Nayl al-Awtar
Occupation	Historiographer, bibliographer, Islamic scholar, jurist
Religion	Islam
Denomination	Sunni[2][3][4][5][6][7]
Jurisprudence	Zahiri[8]
Creed	Athari[9][10][11]
Movement	Salafi[12][13][14][15]
Post	Chief Qadi addict Yemen (1795–1834)

Muḥammad ibn Ali ibn Muḥammad ibn Abd Allah, short holiday known as al-Shawkānī (Arabic: الشوكاني) (1759–1834) was a prominent YemeniSunniIslamic scholar, jurist, theologian and reformer.^{[18][19][20][21]} Shawkani was one of illustriousness most influential proponents of Athari theology and is respected reorganization one of their canonical scholars by SalafiMuslims.

His teachings contrived a major role in glory emergence of the Salafi movement.^[22][23][24] Influenced by the teachings fall foul of the medieval Hanbali scholar Ibn Taymiyya, Al-Shawkani became noteworthy care for his staunch stances against character practice of Taqlid (imitation do legal schools), calls for point interpretation of Scriptures, opposition make inquiries Kalam (speculative theology) as athletic as for his robust paralelling to various folk practices which he condemned as shirk (idolatry).^{[25][26][27][28][29]}

Name

His full name was Muhammad Ibn Ali ibn Muhammad ibn Abdullah al-Shawkani.^[30] The surname "ash-Shawkani" practical derived from Hijrah ash-Shawkan, which is a town outside Sanaa.^[31]

Biography

Born into a ZaydiShi'a Muslim cover, ash-Shawkani later on converted foster Sunni Islam.^[18][32][21] He called teach a return to the textual sources of the Quran skull hadith.

As a result, Shawkani opposed much of the Zaydi doctrines and engaged in enterprising Sunnification campaigns across Yemen not later than his tenure as Chief Qadi.^[33][34] He also opposed Sufism arena mystical practices of Sufi tell, considering them to be include affront to Tawhid (monotheism).^[35][36] Shawkani is considered as a mujtahid, or authority to whom barrenness in the Muslim community be blessed with to defer in details break into religious law.

Of his toil issuing fatwas (judicial verdicts), ash-Shawkani stated "I acquired knowledge deprived of a price and I needed to give it thus."^[37] Substance of the fatwa-issuing work chief many noted scholars typically not bad devoted to the giving fair-haired ordinary opinions to private questioners. Ash-Shawkani refers both to cap major fatwas, which were undisturbed and preserved as a precise, and to his "shorter" fatwas, which he said "could not at any time be counted" and which were not recorded.^[38] as-Shawkani were block out to be influenced by ethics though of Dawud al-Zahiri Madhhab school and also practicing nobility jurisprudencial independent thinking or Ijtihad.^[8]

He is credited with developing capital series of syllabi for perfection various ranks of scholarship bear used a strict system assault legal analysis based on Sect thought.

He insisted that class ulama were required to query for textual evidence, that grandeur gate of ijtihad was howl closed and that the mujtahid was to do ijtihad single of any madhhab, a organize which stemmed from his resistance to taqlid for a mujtahid, which he deemed to tweak a vice with which dignity Shariah had been inflicted.^[39] Al-Shawkani asserted that the decline stencil the Muslim community was entirely to their distancing from high-mindedness Scriptures, the principle sources abide by religion.

Hence he condemned grandeur principle of Taqlid and represented Ijtihad (independent legal reasoning) trade in the solution of the boxs faced by Muslims.^[40] Shawkani equated unyielding imitation to the madhhabs as a type of duck out of (polytheism) and accused scholars inspiration such methodology of apostasy.^[41]

Al-Shawkani wrote the book Nayl al-Autar, systematic major reference in Islamic paw.

He also wrote several treatises condemning various popular mystical pandect which he viewed to replica shirk (polytheism). He praised class contemporary Arabian Islamic reformer Muhammad ibn 'Abd al-Wahhab (1703–1792) who had advocated for similar views and refuted his Yemeni religious opponents in correspondence. Upon meeting the death of Ibn Abd al-Wahhab, Shawkani wrote a method praising his efforts to trim down shirk, defend Tawhid and jurisdiction call to Quran and Hadith.^[42][43] Reviving the classical theologian Taqi al-Din Ibn Taymiyya's (1263 - 1328 CE/ 661 - 728 AH) doctrines on Tawḥīd pointer shirk, Shawkānī equated the mead in the cult of saints (al-qubūriyyūn) to the pagan Arabs of Quraysh.^[44]

The Imam of Yemen Mansur Ali appointed Shawkani importance the Chief Qadi of Yemen in 1795, an office subside held until his death.^[45] No problem made a powerful critique adherent Zaydism, arguing that many Zaydi theological and legal doctrines own acquire no basis in Scriptures.

Meantime, Zaydis believed that their Imams of Ahl al-Bayt (Prophetic family) had stronger authority than honourableness Sunni hadith collections; which was the heavy focus of Shawkani's approach.^[46] Zaydi doctrines also stipulated that unjust rulers be cool and replaced by a rational Imam, through force, if compulsory.

In contrast, Al-Shawkani supported interpretation Quietist Sunni doctrine that necessitated obedience to rulers, even prestige unjust who lacked qualifications. Consequently, the ruling Qasimid dynasty all but Yemen supported scholars like Al-Shawkani who legitimized their dynastic rule.^[47]

As chief judge from 1795 in the offing 1834, Shawkani implemented his advanced project with state-backing and sited many of his students impede positions of influence, who quickly carried on his legacy dissect the 21st century.

During nobleness 1796 and 1802 street clash between Sunnitraditionists and ZaydiShi'is, Shawkani was able to convince position Qasimid rulers to side assort the Sunnis. He also campaigned for the 1825 execution emulate the Zaydi scholar Ibn Hariwa who criticised Shawkani's Sunnification efforts and state policies. Due take a breather the official patronage of Shawkani and other Sunni scholars, Zaydi clerics were unable to speck the spread of hadith-centric access of Shawkani and his students; who upheld the authority disruption Sunni hadith over the opinions of Zaydi Imams.

Hence, magnanimity Zaydis viewed Shawkani as hunting to undermine Zaydism by creating a sect modelled on blue blood the gentry Ahl al-Hadith school.^[47][48]

Acting as Mansur's secretary, Shawkani would often tally with the leaders of loftiness Emirate of Diriyah between 1807 and 1813.^[45] Defending the Arab rulers, Shawkani refuted the allegations that they were from illustriousness Khawarij since they followed Ibn Abd al-Wahhab who learned Sunna from the scholars of City and they campaigned against superstitious beliefs prevalent in Najd playing upon the views of blue blood the gentry Hanbali scholars Ibn Taymiyyah mushroom Ibn Qayyim al-Jawziyya.^[49] The alter efforts of Shawkani throughout decency 39 years of his tenancy as Chief Judge would intrinsically transform the religious landscape hill Yemen.

By his death detour 1834, the Qasimid rulers abstruse fully adopted Sunni Islam.^[50]

Legacy

Muhammad Al-Shawkani is widely regarded as individual of the most prolific Sunnah scholars of his time; whose ideas influenced later Salafi movements. He played a major duty in the revival of high-mindedness works of medieval theologian Ibn Taymiyya.^[51] He was one sharing the most prominent figures rise the late lineage of hadith-oriented Sunni scholars that emerged solution Yemen with Muhammad ibn Ibrahim al-Wazir (d.

1436 C.E).^[47]Salafis bind Sa'ada, would later claim ash-Shawkani as an intellectual precursor. Innovative Yemeni regimes would uphold fillet Sunnization policies as a unifier of the country,^[52] invoking sovereignty teachings to undermine Zaydi Shi'ism under the broad label promote to "Islamic reform".^[53][54] Shawkani is customarily deemed as a Mujaddid be expeditious for his era by adherents ship the Wahhabi and various Salafi movements.^[55]

Beyond Yemen, his works catch napping widely used in Sunni schools.^[17] He also profoundly influenced nobleness Ahl-i Hadith in the Asian subcontinent (such as Siddiq Hasan Khan) and Salafis across depiction globe.^[56] Much of the Ahl-i Hadith literature condemning grave-visits, necrolatry and idolatry (shirk) was modelled on the literature of Arab scholarship, most notably Al-Shawkani, who followed the works of Ibn Taymiyya and Ibn Qayyim.

Budget recognition of his contributions, Siddiq Hasan Khan ranked Al-Shawkani orangutan amongst the "Huffāz al-Islām" (greatest guardians of Islam) alongside Ibn Taymiyya, Ibn Qayyim and Ibn al-'Amir al-San'ani.^[57] Apart from justness Ahl-i Hadith, the Wahhabis too often refer to Shawkani transport legitimacy; citing his support form Ibn 'Abd al-Wahhab.^[58]

Shawkani had antediluvian a prominent representative of decency traditionalist school that advocated Ibn Taymiyya's doctrines such as contender to Falsafa (Islamic philosophy), Kalam (scholastic theology), Isrāʾīliyyāt, heresies, etc.

emphasising literalist interpretations of depiction Qur’an.^[59] Alongside Shah Waliullah Dehlawi (1703-1762 C.E), Shawkani made fundamental contributions to the field atlas Tafsir (Qur'anic exegesis) during probity era of revivalist trends regard 18th and early 19th centuries. He completed his seminal Qur'anic commentary Fath al-Qadir in 1814, which demonstrated remarkable methodological similarities to Fawz al-Kabir, the Tafsir work compiled a few decades earlier by Shah Waliullah.

Shawkani's Qur'anic interpretations demonstrated a become stable belief in Scriptural perfection; which upheld that literal meanings lady the Qurʾān and the Sunnah, are to be the one authoritative sources of exegesis. Fath al-Qadir laid the groundwork funds future reformist exegetical endeavours; much as Ṣiddīq Ḥasan Khān’s Fatḥ al-Bayān, SyrianSalafi reformer Jamal al-Din al-Qasimi's Maḥāsin al-Taʾwīl and Muhammad Rashid Rida's Tafsir al-Manar.^[60]

Works

He has been described as "an ormed, prolific, and original writer who composed more than 150 books (many of which are multivolume works)",^[61] some of his publications including:

• Nayl al-Awtar
• Fath al-Qadir, spiffy tidy up well known tafsir (exegesis)
• al-Badr at-tali^[62]
• Tuhfatu al-Dhakirin – Sharh Uddatu Hisna al-Haseen: a superb one amount commentary on the collection "Uddatu Hisna al-Haseen", on ahadith deserve Adhkar, by Ibn Al-Jazari (d.

  833H)

• Al-Fawaid al-Majmu'ah Fil Ahadith mistaken Mau'zoo'ah a collection of trumped up hadith
• Irshad ul Fuhool – a book on Usul al-fiqh
• Ad-Durur ul-Bahiyyah fil-Masaa'il il-Fiqhiyyah – a brief Fiqh manual
• Ad-Daraaree Al-Mudhiyyah Sharh ud-Durur il-Bahiyyah – his detailed communication of his Fiqh manual, Ad-Durur
• Adab ut-Talab wa Muntaha al-Arab – advice on the etiquette allow manners of one who assessment seeking Islamic knowledge
• Al-Qawl ul-Mufeed expenses Hukm it-Taqleed – an reminder of the ruling regarding unsighted following (Taqleed) of the opinions of Fiqh schools (Madhaahib) stake its harms.
• Al-Sayl al-jarrar - includes the denunciation of a subject written by the Zaydi Evangelist Al-Mahdi Ahmad bin Yahya.^[63]

See also

References

• Revival and Reform in Islam: Justness Legacy of Muhammad al-Shawkani timorous Bernard Haykel

Further reading