Abū Isḥāq Ibrāhīm ibn ʿAlī al-Shīrāzī () was a prominent

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 ...

jurisconsult A jurist is a person with expert knowledge of law; someone who analyzes and comments on law. This person is usually a specialist legal scholar, mostly (but not always) with a formal education in law (a law degree) and often a legal practitione ...

, legal theoretician,

theologian Theology is the study of religious belief from a religious perspective, with a focus on the nature of divinity. It is taught as an academic discipline, typically in universities and seminaries. It occupies itself with the unique content of ...

, debater and muhaqqiq (

researcher Research is creative and systematic work undertaken to increase the stock of knowledge. It involves the collection, organization, and analysis of evidence to increase understanding of a topic, characterized by a particular attentiveness to ...

). He was one of the leading scholars of Shafiʿi jurisprudence in the eleventh century and arguably the most prolific writer of Islamic legal literature. He became the second teacher after succeeding Ibn al-Sabbagh at the Nizamiyya school in

Baghdad Baghdad ( or ; , ) is the capital and List of largest cities of Iraq, largest city of Iraq, located along the Tigris in the central part of the country. With a population exceeding 7 million, it ranks among the List of largest cities in the A ...

, which was built in his honour by the

vizier A vizier (; ; ) is a high-ranking political advisor or Minister (government), minister in the Near East. The Abbasids, Abbasid caliphs gave the title ''wazir'' to a minister formerly called ''katib'' (secretary), who was at first merely a help ...

(minister) of the Seljuk Empire

Nizam al-Mulk Abū ʿAlī Ḥasan ibn ʿAlī Ṭūsī () (1018 – 1092), better known by his honorific title of Niẓām al-Mulk (), was a Persian Sunni scholar, jurist, political philosopher and vizier of the Seljuk Empire. Rising from a low position w ...

. He acquired the status of a

mujtahid ''Ijtihad'' ( ; ' , ) is an Islamic legal term referring to independent reasoning by an expert in Islamic law, or the thorough exertion of a jurist's mental faculty in finding a solution to a legal question. It is contrasted with '' taqlid'' (i ...

in the field of

fiqh ''Fiqh'' (; ) is the term for Islamic jurisprudence.Fiqh
Encyclopædia Britannica ''Fiqh'' is of ...

and

usul al-fiqh Principles of Islamic jurisprudence () are traditional methodological principles used in Islamic jurisprudence (''fiqh'') for deriving the rulings of Islamic law (''sharia''). Traditional theory of Islamic jurisprudence elaborates how the scri ...

. The contemporary

muhaddithun Hadith studies is the academic study of hadith, a literature typically thought in Islamic religion to be a record of the words, actions, and the silent approval of the Muhammad as transmitted through chains of narrators. A major area of intere ...

(

hadith Hadith is the Arabic word for a 'report' or an 'account f an event and refers to the Islamic oral tradition of anecdotes containing the purported words, actions, and the silent approvals of the Islamic prophet Muhammad or his immediate circle ...

specialists) also considered him as their

Imam Imam (; , '; : , ') is an Islamic leadership position. For Sunni Islam, Sunni Muslims, Imam is most commonly used as the title of a prayer leader of a mosque. In this context, imams may lead Salah, Islamic prayers, serve as community leaders, ...

. Likewise, he was respected and enjoyed a high status among the mutakallimun (practitioners of

kalam ''Ilm al-kalam'' or ''ilm al-lahut'', often shortened to ''kalam'', is the scholastic, speculative, or rational study of Islamic theology ('' aqida''). It can also be defined as the science that studies the fundamental doctrines of Islamic fai ...

) and

Sufis Sufism ( or ) is a mystic body of religious practice found within Islam which is characterized by a focus on Islamic purification, spirituality, ritualism, and asceticism. Practitioners of Sufism are referred to as "Sufis" (from , ), and ...

. He was closely associated with the eminent Sufis of his time like Abu Nasr ibn al-Qushayri (d. 514/1120), the son of

al-Qushayri 'Abd al-Karīm ibn Hawazin Abū al-Qāsim al-Qushayrī al-Naysābūrī (, ; 986 – 30 December 1072) was an Arab Muslim scholar, theologian, jurist, legal theoretician, commentator of the Qur’an, muhaddith, grammarian, spiritual master, ...

(d. 465/1072). Abu Bakr al-Shashi said: "Abu Ishaq is Allah's proof on the leading scholars of the time." Al-Muwaffaq al-Hanafi said: "Abu Ishaq is the

Amir al-Mu'minin () or Commander of the Faithful is a Muslims, Muslim title designating the supreme leader of an Ummah, Islamic community. Name Although etymology, etymologically () is equivalent to English "commander", the wide variety of its historical an ...

(Prince of the Believers) from among the fuqaha' (jurists)." The Azhari scholar 'Ali Jum'a, an inheritor of al-Bajuri's teachings, calls him the "

shaykh Sheikh ( , , , , ''shuyūkh'' ) is an honorific title in the Arabic language, literally meaning "elder (administrative title), elder". It commonly designates a tribal chief or a Muslim ulama, scholar. Though this title generally refers to me ...

of the fuqaha' of his era."

Name

He is

Shaykh al-Islam Sheikh ( , , , , ''shuyūkh'' ) is an honorific title in the Arabic language, literally meaning " elder". It commonly designates a tribal chief or a Muslim scholar. Though this title generally refers to men, there are also a small number of ...

, Abu Ishaq Ibrahim b. 'Ali b. Yusuf al-Fayruzabadi al-Shirazi.

Early life

Birth

He was born in 393 A.H/1003 A.D in Firuzabad in

Persia Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran (IRI) and also known as Persia, is a country in West Asia. It borders Iraq to the west, Turkey, Azerbaijan, and Armenia to the northwest, the Caspian Sea to the north, Turkmenistan to the nort ...

, a town at a distance of about 35 miles from

Shiraz Shiraz (; ) is the List of largest cities of Iran, fifth-most-populous city of Iran and the capital of Fars province, which has been historically known as Pars (Sasanian province), Pars () and Persis. As of the 2016 national census, the popu ...

Teachers

He studied under various Shafi'i masters in

and

Basra Basra () is a port city in Iraq, southern Iraq. It is the capital of the eponymous Basra Governorate, as well as the List of largest cities of Iraq, third largest city in Iraq overall, behind Baghdad and Mosul. Located near the Iran–Iraq bor ...

before coming to

. In Shiraz, he studied under Abu 'Abd Allah al-Baydawi and 'Abd al-Wahhab ibn Ramin. In Basrah, he had al-Kharzi for master. In 415 AH (1024–1025 AD), he entered Baghdad to study under

Abu al-Tayyib al-Tabari Abu’l-Ṭayyib Ṭāher Bin ʿAbdallāh Bin Ṭāher al-Ṭabarī al-Āmolī al-S̲h̲āfiʿī commonly known as Abū al-Ṭayyib al-Ṭabarī () was an Iranian jurisconsult, professor of legal sciences and was the chief judge in Baghdad. He i ...

the foremost Shafi'i jurist of his time. Abu Ishaq became one of his closest companions. He would repeat his lessons and succeed him in his council. He studied hadith from Abu Bakr al-Barqani, Abu Ali bin Shazan and others, and he studied

under Abu Hatim al-Qazwini, a student of

al-Baqillani Abū Bakr Muḥammad ibn al-Ṭayyib al-Bāqillānī (; 950 – 5 June 1013), was a Sunni Muslim scholar and polymath who specialized in speculative Islamic theology, jurisprudence, logic, and hadith. He spent much of his life defending and str ...

. He continued his diligence, toil, and effort until his fame spread throughout the countries and he became the most admired people of his time.

Scholarly life

Position

Upon his graduation from his illustrious mentors. He remained most of his lifetime in

and showcased his profound skills and intelligence in sacred law replacing himself as the

mufti A mufti (; , ) is an Islamic jurist qualified to issue a nonbinding opinion ('' fatwa'') on a point of Islamic law (''sharia''). The act of issuing fatwas is called ''iftāʾ''. Muftis and their ''fatāwa'' have played an important role thro ...

of the Muslim Ummah (Islamic community) in his time. This where Abu Ishaq was appointed to become the professor of

Al-Nizamiyya of Baghdad Al-Nizamiyya of Baghdad (), one of the first nizamiyehs, was established in 1065 in Baghdad. The Nizamiyya School was considered among the most important and prestigious educational institutions of the Abbasid era, alongside the Mustansiriya Sc ...

at the order of vizier

to accommodate many of Abu Ishaq's students. He was known as the mentor of

Shafi'is The Shafi'i school or Shafi'i Madhhab () or Shafi'i is one of the four major schools of fiqh (Islamic jurisprudence), belonging to the Ahl al-Hadith tradition within Sunni Islam. It was founded by the Muslim scholar, jurist, and traditionist ...

Iraq Iraq, officially the Republic of Iraq, is a country in West Asia. It is bordered by Saudi Arabia to Iraq–Saudi Arabia border, the south, Turkey to Iraq–Turkey border, the north, Iran to Iran–Iraq border, the east, the Persian Gulf and ...

at his time. Once, after travelling from Baghdad to

Nishapur Nishapur or Neyshabur (, also ) is a city in the Central District (Nishapur County), Central District of Nishapur County, Razavi Khorasan province, Razavi Khorasan province, Iran, serving as capital of both the county and the district. Ni ...

, Abu Ishaq recounted that he had so many students that he could not pass through any town or village without discovering that one of his students was performing the duties of a

judge A judge is a person who wiktionary:preside, presides over court proceedings, either alone or as a part of a judicial panel. In an adversarial system, the judge hears all the witnesses and any other Evidence (law), evidence presented by the barris ...

secretary A secretary, administrative assistant, executive assistant, personal secretary, or other similar titles is an individual whose work consists of supporting management, including executives, using a variety of project management, program evalu ...

, or

preacher A preacher is a person who delivers sermons or homilies on religious topics to an assembly of people. Less common are preachers who Open-air preaching, preach on the street, or those whose message is not necessarily religious, but who preach com ...

Fighting against immorality

The chief of the

Hanbali The Hanbali school or Hanbalism is one of the four major schools of Islamic jurisprudence, belonging to the Ahl al-Hadith tradition within Sunni Islam. It is named after and based on the teachings of the 9th-century scholar, jurist and tradit ...

faction, Abu Ja'far, and the chief of the Shafi'i faction, Abu Ishaq, joined forces for a common cause and battled against the rise of immorality, which was thought to be the cause of the great flood in 467/1071. Energised by their shaykhs, the Hanbalis assembled in the al-Qasr mosque and invited Abu Ishaq and his followers to fight alongside them against prostitution, interest charges, and wine-drinking. The two Shaykhs demanded al-Qa'im, the caliph, to demolish the brothels and eradicate the other customs practiced by the locals. A letter advising the Seljuk Sultan of this demand was also dispatched at the same time.

Students

He had many students, the most famous of whom are:

Al-Khatib al-Baghdadi Abū Bakr Aḥmad ibn ʿAlī ibn Thābit ibn Aḥmad ibn Māhdī al-Shāfiʿī, commonly known as al-Khaṭīb al-Baghdādī () or "the lecturer from Baghdad" (10 May 1002 – 5 September 1071; 392 AH-463 AH), was a Sunni Muslim scholar known ...

al-Hariri of Basra Al-Hariri of Basra (; c. 1054 – 10 September 1122) was a poet belonging to the Beni Harram tribe of Bedouin Arabs, who lived and died in the city of Basra, modern Iraq. He was a scholar of the Arabic language and a dignitary of the Seljuk Emp ...

, Ibn 'Aqil,

Abu al-Walid al-Baji Abu al-Walid al-Baji, full name Sulayman ibn Khalaf ibn Saʿd (or Saʿdun) ibn Ayyub al-Qadi Abu al-Walid al-Tujaybi al-Andalusi al-Qurtubi al-Baji al-Tamimi al-Dhahabi al-Maliki (28 May 1013 – 21 December 1081), was a Sunni scholar from Beja ...

, Fakhr al-Islam Abu Bakr al-Shashi al-Qaffal (d. 507/1113), and Abu al-Qasim ibn al-Samarqandi al-Dimashqi (d. 536/1142).

Death

He died in

in 476 AH (1083–1084 AD), and the 'Abbasid caliph

al-Muqtadi Abū'l-Qasim ʿAbd Allāh ibn Muhammad ibn al-Qa'im (Arabic: أبو القاسم عبد الله بن محمد بن القائم) better known by his regnal name al-Muqtadi (Arabic: المقتدي 'the follower'; 1056 – February 1094) was the ...

(d. 487/1094) attended his funeral. On his death, his pupils sat in solemn mourning in the Nizāmiya college, and after that ceremony, Muwyyad al-Mulk, son of

, appointed Abu Sa'd al-Mutwalli to the vacant place, but when Nizām al-Mulk heard of it, he wrote to disapprove of that nomination, adding that the college should be shut up during a year, on account of Abu Ishaq's death; he then blamed the person who had undertaken to fill his place, and ordered the sheikh Abu Nasr ibn al-Sabbagh to profess in his stead.

Creed

Abu Ishaq was a staunch

Ash'arite Ash'arism (; ) is a school of theology in Sunni Islam named after Abu al-Hasan al-Ash'ari, a Shāfiʿī jurist, reformer (''mujaddid''), and scholastic theologian, in the 9th–10th century. It established an orthodox guideline, based on ...

who defended and propagated the doctrine in his book called '' Al-Ishara ila Madhhab Ahl al-Haqq''. Ibn al-Subki quotes Abu Ishaq in his

Tabaqat al-Shafi'iyya al-Kubra Tabaqat al-Shāfi'iyya al-Kubra () is a voluminous encyclopedic biographical dictionary written by the Shafi'i-Ash'ari scholar Taj al-Din al-Subki (d. 771/1370), in which he presents biographies of scholars of the Shafi'i legal school in Sunni I ...

stating: : “Indeed, the Ashʿarīs are the people of the Sunnah and the defenders of the

Sharia Sharia, Sharī'ah, Shari'a, or Shariah () is a body of religious law that forms a part of the Islamic tradition based on Islamic holy books, scriptures of Islam, particularly the Quran, Qur'an and hadith. In Islamic terminology ''sharīʿah'' ...

, who rose up to respond to the innovators from the

Qadariyah Qadariyyah (), also Qadarites or Kadarites, from (), meaning "power", was originally a derogatory term designating early Islamic theologians who rejected the concept of predestination in Islam, ''qadr'', and asserted that humans possess absolut ...

, the

Rafida () refers to those Shia Muslims who reject the legitimacy of the caliphates of Abu Bakr (), Umar (), and Uthman (), in favor of Ali ibn Abi Talib (), the cousin and son-in-law of the Islamic prophet Muhammad. In particular, the term appears ...

and others so whoever attacks them has attacked the

Sunnis Sunni Islam is the largest Islamic schools and branches, branch of Islam and the largest religious denomination in the world. It holds that Muhammad did not appoint any Succession to Muhammad, successor and that his closest companion Abu Bakr ...

and when a matter involving criticism of Ashʿarīs is brought to the attention of those responsible for Muslim affairs, it is obligatory for them to discipline the individual in a manner that deters everyone.”

Dispute

Following the arrival of Ibn al-Qushayri (son of

) in 469/1076 to teach at Nizamiyya madrassa, there had been a series of religious riots in Baghdad in 469–70/1076–77 between

Hanbalis The Hanbali school or Hanbalism is one of the four major schools of Islamic jurisprudence, belonging to the Ahl al-Hadith tradition within Sunni Islam. It is named after and based on the teachings of the 9th-century scholar, jurist and tradi ...

and Shafi'is. Ibn al-Qushayri denigrated the Hanbalis when he was there, accusing them of anthropromorphism in their discourse with Allah. Leading Nizamiyya scholar Abu Ishaq al-Shirazi backed Ibn al-Qushayri. He wrote to

, complaining about the Hanbalis and requesting assistance. Eventually, Abu Ishaq al-Shirazi succeeded in getting Abu Ja'far Ibn Abi Musa arrested.

Reception

Al-Mawardi Ali ibn Muhammad ibn Habib (; –1058), commonly known by the '' nisba'' al-Mawardi (), was a Sunni polymath and a Shafi'i jurist, legal theoretician, muhaddith, theologian, sociologist and an expert in political science. He is considered to b ...

said: “I have never seen anyone like Abu Ishaq! If

al-Shafi'i Al-Shafi'i (; ;767–820 CE) was a Muslim scholar, jurist, muhaddith, traditionist, theologian, ascetic, and eponym of the Shafi'i school of Sunni Islamic jurisprudence. He is known to be the first to write a book upon the principles ...

had seen him, he would have been proud of him.” *

Ibn al-Sam'ani Ibn al-Samʿānī (, 1113–1166), full name Abū Saʿd ʿAbd al-Karīm ibn Abī Bakr Muḥammad ibn Abi ʾl-Muẓaffar Manṣūr al-Tamīmī al-Marwazī al-Shafiʿī al-Samʿānī, nicknamed ''Tāj al-Islām'' (Crown of Islam) and ''Qiwām al-D ...

said: “Sheikh Abu Ishaq was the Imam of the Shafi’i school of thought (of his time) and the teacher in Baghdad in the Nizamiya school of thought, the sheikh of the age, and the Imam of the era. People travelled to him from all countries and came to him from all regions, and he used to follow the path of Abu al-Abbas Ibn Surayj.” *

Ibn Aqil Ibn Aqil (1040–1119) was an Islamic scholar and theologian from Baghdad, Iraq. He was trained in the tenets of the Hanbali school for eleven years under scholars such as the Qadi Abu Ya'la ibn al-Farra'. Despite this, Ibn Aqil was forced in ...

said: “I saw our Sheikh Abu Ishaq not giving anything to a poor person without bringing the intention, and he would not speak about an issue without seeking refuge with God Almighty, and sincerely intending to support the truth, and he did not write anything except after he had prayed rak’ahs, so there is no crime whose name became widespread and whose writings became famous in the East and the West with the blessing of his sincerity.”

Works

He authored many works, among the most famous of them are: * '' Al-Tanbih fi al-Fiqh al-Shafi'i'' (), one of the five most important books in

Shafi'i The Shafi'i school or Shafi'i Madhhab () or Shafi'i is one of the four major schools of fiqh (Islamic jurisprudence), belonging to the Ahl al-Hadith tradition within Sunni Islam. It was founded by the Muslim scholar, jurist, and traditionis ...

jurisprudence, played a prominent role in the development of the Shafi'i school.

Al-Nawawi Yahya ibn Sharaf al-Nawawi (;‎ (631A.H-676A.H) (October 1230–21 December 1277) was a Sunni Shafi'ite jurist and hadith scholar. Ludwig W. Adamec (2009), ''Historical Dictionary of Islam'', pp.238-239. Scarecrow Press. . Al-Nawawi died at ...

wrote a commentary on it called ''Tashih al-Tanbih'', as well as two other commentaries by

Ibn al-Rif'ah Najm al-Dīn Abū l-ʿAbbās Aḥmad ibn Muḥammad ibn al-Rifʿa (), commonly known as Ibn al-Rif'ah was regarded as the leading Shafi'i jurist in Mamluk Egypt. He was praised by a number of people for his unparalleled expertise in Fiqh and Hadi ...

(d. 710/1310) and

al-Zarkashi Abū Abdullāh Badr ad-Dīn Mohammed bin Abdullah bin Bahādir az-Zarkashī (1344–1392/ 745–794 AH), better known as Az-Zarkashī, was a fourteenth century Islamic scholar. He primarily resided in Mamluk-era Cairo. He specialized in the fields ...

(d. 794/1392). * (), a comprehensive manual of Islamic law according to the Shafi'i school, which took him fourteen years to produce, and which was later on explained by the Shafi'i hadith scholar

al-Nawawi Yahya ibn Sharaf al-Nawawi (;‎ (631A.H-676A.H) (October 1230–21 December 1277) was a Sunni Shafi'ite jurist and hadith scholar. Ludwig W. Adamec (2009), ''Historical Dictionary of Islam'', pp.238-239. Scarecrow Press. . Al-Nawawi died at ...

naming it ''al-Majmū' Sharh al-Muhadhdhab'' (), was a recension and compilation of all the strands of Shafi'i jurisprudence. These two works are counted among the five key reference texts for the Shafi'i school, and the Muhadhdhab was considered by al-Nawawi to be one of the two most important works of this school ever produced. * (),Arabic edition and index by Eric Chaumont, ''Mélanges de l'Université Saint-Joseph'', LIII 993–1994/ref> one of the earliest works in relation to

Usul al-Fiqh Principles of Islamic jurisprudence () are traditional methodological principles used in Islamic jurisprudence (''fiqh'') for deriving the rulings of Islamic law (''sharia''). Traditional theory of Islamic jurisprudence elaborates how the scri ...

specifically in the Shafi'i school of jurisprudence. This work was contemporaneous to major developments in post-Shafi'i usul, such as the writings of

al-Juwayni Dhia' ul-Dīn 'Abd al-Malik ibn Yūsuf al-Juwaynī al-Shafi'ī (, 17 February 102820 August 1085; 419–478 AH) was a Persian Sunni scholar famous for being the foremost leading jurisconsult, legal theoretician and Islamic theologian of his ...

, with whom he apparently differed on a number of points. * (), a summary of

Ash'ari Ash'arism (; ) is a school of theology in Sunni Islam named after Abu al-Hasan al-Ash'ari, a Shāfiʿī jurist, reformer (''mujaddid''), and scholastic theologian, in the 9th–10th century. It established an orthodox guideline, based on ...

creed with a combination of textual and

i proofs. * (), gives the lives of the jurists among the

Sahaba The Companions of the Prophet () were the Muslim disciples and followers of the Islamic prophet Muhammad who saw or met him during his lifetime. The companions played a major role in Muslim battles, society, hadith narration, and governance ...

(companions of the Prophet), and the

Tabi'in The tābiʿūn (, also accusative or genitive tābiʿīn , singular ''tābiʿ'' ), "followers" or "successors", are the generation of Muslims who followed the companions (''ṣaḥāba'') of the Islamic prophet Muhammad, and thus received their ...

(followers of the companions of the Prophet) and those of the founders of schools and their disciples. * (), a book in 'ilm al-khilāf (the science of juridical disagreement). * ''Al-Ma'una fi al-Jadal'' ().

Notes

References

External links

Abu Ishaq al-Shirazi: No need to discuss the reliability of Imams like Abu Hanifa
{{Authority control Asharis Shafi'i fiqh scholars 11th-century Muslim theologians Muslim ascetics Shaykh al-Islāms Sunni imams Muslim scholars persecuted by Hanbalis Persian Sunni Muslim scholars of Islam People from Firuzabad, Fars 1003 births 1083 deaths History of education in Baghdad