Abū Muḥammad Maḥmūd ibn Aḥmad ibn Mūsā Badr al-Dīn al-ʿAynī, often quoted simply as al-'Ayni ( ar, بدر الدين العيني, Badr al-ʿAynī; born 762
AH/1360 CE, died 855 AH/1453 CE)
[Abdal-Hakim Murad – Contentions 8](_blank)
/ref> was a Sunni
Sunni Islam () is the largest branch of Islam, followed by 85–90% of the world's Muslims. Its name comes from the word '' Sunnah'', referring to the tradition of Muhammad. The differences between Sunni and Shia Muslims arose from a disagr ...
Islamic scholar
In Islam, the ''ulama'' (; ar, علماء ', singular ', "scholar", literally "the learned ones", also spelled ''ulema''; feminine: ''alimah'' ingularand ''aalimath'' lural are the guardians, transmitters, and interpreters of reli ...
of the Hanafi
The Hanafi school ( ar, حَنَفِية, translit=Ḥanafiyah; also called Hanafite in English), Hanafism, or the Hanafi fiqh, is the oldest and one of the four traditional major Sunni schools ( maddhab) of Islamic Law (Fiqh). It is named aft ...
madh'hab
A ( ar, مذهب ', , "way to act". pl. مَذَاهِب , ) is a school of thought within ''fiqh'' (Islamic jurisprudence).
The major Sunni Mathhab are Hanafi, Maliki, Shafi'i and Hanbali.
They emerged in the ninth and tenth centuries CE a ...
and the Shadhili
The Shadhili Order ( ar, الطريقة الشاذلية) is a tariqah or Sufi order of Sunni Islam founded by al-Shadhili in the 13th century and is followed by millions of people around the world. Many followers (Arabic ''murids'', "seekers") ...
tariqa
A tariqa (or ''tariqah''; ar, طريقة ') is a school or order of Sufism, or specifically a concept for the mystical teaching and spiritual practices of such an order with the aim of seeking ''haqiqa'', which translates as "ultimate truth".
...
. ''Al-'Ayni'' is an abbreviation for ''al-'Ayntābi'', referring to his native city.
Biography
He was born into a scholarly family in 762 AH (1360 CE) in the city of 'Ayntāb (now Gaziantep in modern Turkey
Turkey ( tr, Türkiye ), officially the Republic of Türkiye ( tr, Türkiye Cumhuriyeti, links=no ), is a list of transcontinental countries, transcontinental country located mainly on the Anatolia, Anatolian Peninsula in Western Asia, with ...
). He studied history, '' adab'', and Islamic religious sciences, and was fluent in Turkish. There is some evidence that he also knew at least some Persian
Persian may refer to:
* People and things from Iran, historically called ''Persia'' in the English language
** Persians, the majority ethnic group in Iran, not to be conflated with the Iranic peoples
** Persian language, an Iranian language of the ...
. In 788 AH (1386 CE) he travelled to Jerusalem
Jerusalem (; he, יְרוּשָׁלַיִם ; ar, القُدس ) (combining the Biblical and common usage Arabic names); grc, Ἱερουσαλήμ/Ἰεροσόλυμα, Hierousalḗm/Hierosóluma; hy, Երուսաղեմ, Erusałēm. i ...
, where he met the Hanafi shaykh
Sheikh (pronounced or ; ar, شيخ ' , mostly pronounced , plural ' )—also transliteration of Arabic, transliterated sheekh, sheyikh, shaykh, shayk, shekh, shaik and Shaikh, shak—is an honorific title in the Arabic language. It commonl ...
al-Sayrāmī, who was the head of the newly established Zāhiriyah ''madrasah
Madrasa (, also , ; Arabic: مدرسة , pl. , ) is the Arabic word for any type of educational institution, secular or religious (of any religion), whether for elementary instruction or higher learning. The word is variously transliterated '' ...
'' (school) and '' khānqah'' (Sufi
Sufism ( ar, ''aṣ-ṣūfiyya''), also known as Tasawwuf ( ''at-taṣawwuf''), is a mystic body of religious practice, found mainly within Sunni Islam but also within Shia Islam, which is characterized by a focus on Islamic spirituality, ...
retreat) in Cairo. Al-Sayrami invited al-'Ayni to accompany him home to Cairo
Cairo ( ; ar, القاهرة, al-Qāhirah, ) is the capital of Egypt and its largest city, home to 10 million people. It is also part of the largest urban agglomeration in Africa, the Arab world and the Middle East: The Greater Cairo metro ...
, where he became one of the Sufis of the Zāhiriyah. This was a step upward for the young al-'Ayni, as it represented entry into "an institution with ties to the highest level of the ruling elite."
He established a good reputation and initially met with favor. However, after al-Sayrāmī died in 790 AH (1388 CE), al-'Ayni became involved in a personality conflict with the amir
Emir (; ar, أمير ' ), sometimes transliterated amir, amier, or ameer, is a word of Arabic origin that can refer to a male monarch, aristocrat, holder of high-ranking military or political office, or other person possessing actual or cerem ...
Jārkas al-Khalīlī, who tried to run him out of Cairo. Al-'Ayni later described al-Khalīlī as arrogant and dictatorial – "a man pleased by his own opinion." He was saved from expulsion by one of his teachers, Siraj al-Din al-Bulqini
Abū Hafs Sirāj al-Dīn al-Bulqīnī( ar, ابو حفص سراج الدين البلقيني الشافعي ; 1324–1403 CE); aka Sirajuddin was an Egyptian scholar of Islamic Jurisprudence. Regarded as the leading Shafi'i faqih and mujtahid o ...
, but prudently decided to leave for a time anyway.
From Cairo he went to teach in Damascus
)), is an adjective which means "spacious".
, motto =
, image_flag = Flag of Damascus.svg
, image_seal = Emblem of Damascus.svg
, seal_type = Seal
, map_caption =
, ...
, where he was appointed ''muhtasib
A muḥtasib ( ar, محتسب, from the root ''ḥisbah'', or "accountability"Sami Zubaida (2005), Law and Power in the Islamic World, , pages 58-60) was "a holder of the office of al-hisbah in classical Islamic administrations", according to Ox ...
'' (overseer of sharia
Sharia (; ar, شريعة, sharīʿa ) is a body of religious law that forms a part of the Islamic tradition. It is derived from the religious precepts of Islam and is based on the sacred scriptures of Islam, particularly the Quran and the H ...
in the marketplace) by the amir
Emir (; ar, أمير ' ), sometimes transliterated amir, amier, or ameer, is a word of Arabic origin that can refer to a male monarch, aristocrat, holder of high-ranking military or political office, or other person possessing actual or cerem ...
, and returned to Cairo some time before 800 AH (1398 CE.)
Once back in Cairo, al-'Ayni strengthened his social and political position by associating with several amirs, making the Hajj
The Hajj (; ar, حَجّ '; sometimes also spelled Hadj, Hadji or Haj in English) is an annual Islamic pilgrimage to Mecca, Saudi Arabia, the holiest city for Muslims. Hajj is a mandatory religious duty for Muslims that must be carried ...
with the amir Tamarbughā al-Mashtūb. He also had the patronage of the powerful amir Jakm min 'Awd, who was ''dawadār'' (literally "inkstand-holder": a secretary or confidential advisor) to the Sultan
Sultan (; ar, سلطان ', ) is a position with several historical meanings. Originally, it was an Arabic abstract noun meaning "strength", "authority", "rulership", derived from the verbal noun ', meaning "authority" or "power". Later, it ...
Barqūq. After the death of Barqūq, al-'Ayni became the ''muhtasib'' of Cairo, displacing the scholar al-Maqrīzī
Al-Maqrīzī or Maḳrīzī (Arabic: ), whose full name was Taqī al-Dīn Abū al-'Abbās Aḥmad ibn 'Alī ibn 'Abd al-Qādir ibn Muḥammad al-Maqrīzī (Arabic: ) (1364–1442) was a medieval Egyptian Arab historian during the Mamluk era, kn ...
. According to al-Maqrīzī (an interested party) it was Jakm who obtained the post for al-'Ayni; however, the historian Ibn Taghribīrdī states that it was a cooperative effort by Jakm and two other amirs, Qalamtāy al-'Uthmānī and Taghribīrdī al-Qurdamī.[Ibn Taghribīrdī, ''al-Nujūm'', 15:287.] In any case, this was the beginning of a lifelong feud between the two '' 'ulama''' : "From that day on, there was hostility between the two men until they both died."
Al-'Ayni and al-Maqrīzī succeeded each other as ''muhtasib'' of Cairo several times over the next few years, probably a reflection of the power struggle between Jakm min 'Awd and al-Maqrīzī's patron, Yashbak al-Sha'bānī. Neither held the post for very long. In the reign of al-Nasir Faraj
Al-Nasir Faraj or Nasir-ad-Din Faraj ( Circassian: Фэрадж ан-Насир) (Urdu; Arabic; Persian: ; r. 1399–1412 CE) also Faraj ibn Barquq was born in 1386 and succeeded his father Sayf-ad-Din Barquq as the second Sultan of the Burji dy ...
, Barqūq's son and successor, al-'Ayni was appointed to the "lucrative and prestigious" post of ''nāzir al-ahbas'' (overseer of pious endowments.) He would be dismissed from and reappointed to this post several times, finally securing it for good in the reign of Sultan Mu'ayyad Shaykh and keeping it until he was ninety-one.
Al-'Ayni's prestige grew as he aged. Mu'ayyad Shaykh named him ambassador to the Qaramanids in 823 AH (1420 CE.) Later in life he would be called upon to lecture on learned topics before the Sultan, sometimes reading history aloud in Arabic
Arabic (, ' ; , ' or ) is a Semitic languages, Semitic language spoken primarily across the Arab world.Semitic languages: an international handbook / edited by Stefan Weninger; in collaboration with Geoffrey Khan, Michael P. Streck, Janet C ...
and explaining it in Turkish for the Sultan's benefit. Sultan al-Ashraf Barsbāy is reported to have said "Islam is known only through him" and ''law lā al-'ayntābi la-kāna fī islāmina shay','' "If not for al-'Ayntabi there would be something suspect in our Islam." Barsbāy sometimes sent al-'Ayni as his representative to greet foreign dignitaries, apparently because of his fluency in several languages.[Al-'Ayni, '' 'Iqd al-Jumān'', 2:21.]
Barsbāy often turned to al-'Ayni for advice on legal matters, and named him chief Hanafi
The Hanafi school ( ar, حَنَفِية, translit=Ḥanafiyah; also called Hanafite in English), Hanafism, or the Hanafi fiqh, is the oldest and one of the four traditional major Sunni schools ( maddhab) of Islamic Law (Fiqh). It is named aft ...
''qadi
A qāḍī ( ar, قاضي, Qāḍī; otherwise transliterated as qazi, cadi, kadi, or kazi) is the magistrate or judge of a '' sharīʿa'' court, who also exercises extrajudicial functions such as mediation, guardianship over orphans and mino ...
'' (judge) in 829 AH (1426 CE.) He was dismissed from this post after three years; by his own report, both he and the chief Shafi'i
The Shafii ( ar, شَافِعِي, translit=Shāfiʿī, also spelled Shafei) school, also known as Madhhab al-Shāfiʿī, is one of the four major traditional schools of religious law (madhhab) in the Sunnī branch of Islam. It was founded by ...
''qadi'', Ibn Hajar al-Asqalani
Ibn Ḥajar al-ʿAsqalānī or ''Ibn Ḥajar'' ( ar, ابن حجر العسقلاني, full name: ''Shihābud-Dīn Abul-Faḍl Aḥmad ibn Nūrud-Dīn ʿAlī ibn Muḥammad ibn Ḥajar al-ʿAsqalānī al-Kināni'') (18 February 1372 – 2 Febru ...
, were dismissed at the same time because their constant feuding was distracting them from their duties; though he adds that this was a calumny spread by his enemies at court. He was later reappointed.
In the reign of Barsbāy's successor, al-Aziz Jaqmaq, al-'Ayni was dismissed as chief Hanafi ''qadi'' again. He withdrew from court and concentrated on his scholarly writing. In 853 AH (1449 CE) he was dismissed as ''nāzir al-ahbas'', probably because of failing memory.[Ibn Taghribīrdī, ''History of Egypt 1382–1467'', trans. Popper, 19:118.] He died in 855 AH (1451 CE) at the age of ninety-three, having outlived all his children, and was buried in his own ''madrasah'' in Cairo.
Works
*''Umdat al-Qari
Sahih al-Bukhari ( ar, صحيح البخاري, translit=Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī), group=note is a ''hadith'' collection and a book of ''sunnah'' compiled by the Persian scholar Muḥammad ibn Ismā‘īl al-Bukhārī (810–870) around 846. Al ...
''
*''al-Binaya Sharh al-Hidaya''
*''al-Sayf al-Muhammad fī Sīrat al-Malik al-Mu'ayyad'' (a biography of the sultan Mu'ayyad Shaykh)
*'' 'Iqd al-Jūman fī Ta'rikh Ahl al-Zamán'', translated to French as "Le collier des perles" ("The Pearl Necklace")
*''ar-Rad al-Waafir'' ( ar, الرد الوافر)
*''Nukhab al-Afkar fi Tahqiq Mabani al-Akhbar fi Sharh Ma`ani al-Aathar''
*''Sharh Sunan Abu daud'' - published in Pakistan
See also
* List of Islamic scholars
A ''list'' is any set of items in a row. List or lists may also refer to:
People
* List (surname)
Organizations
* List College, an undergraduate division of the Jewish Theological Seminary of America
* SC Germania List, German rugby union ...
* List of Hanafis
The following is the list of notable religious personalities who followed the Hanafi Islamic madhab followed by the section of Contemporary living Hanafi scholars, in chronological order:
*Abu Hanifa (d. 767)
*Ibn al-Mubarak (d. 797)
*Abu Yusuf (d ...
* List of Ash'aris and Maturidis
The list of Ash'aris and Maturidis includes prominent adherents of the Ash'ari and Maturidi schools of thought. The Ash'aris are a doctrinal school of thought named after Imam Abu al-Hasan al-Ash'ari, and the Maturidi school is named for Abu Mansu ...
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Badr Al-Din Al-Ayni
Hanafis
Maturidis
Hadith scholars
Arab historians
Egyptian Sunni Muslim scholars of Islam
Syrian Sunni Muslim scholars of Islam
Sunni Muslim scholars
Sunni imams
1361 births
1451 deaths
14th-century jurists
15th-century jurists