Ibrahim ibn Umar al-Biqa'i (d. 1480) was a 15th-century Muslim scholar of the

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 ...

school of Islamic thought. He was an exegete as well as a prominent critic of the Andalusian philosopher,

Ibn Arabi Ibn Arabi (July 1165–November 1240) was an Andalusian Sunni Sunni Islam is the largest branch of Islam and the largest religious denomination in the world. It holds that Muhammad did not appoint any successor and that his closest com ...

. He is remembered most for his method to

Tafsir Tafsir ( ; ) refers to an exegesis, or commentary, of the Quran. An author of a ''tafsir'' is a ' (; plural: ). A Quranic ''tafsir'' attempts to provide elucidation, explanation, interpretation, context or commentary for clear understanding ...

(exegesis) involving quoting from biblical sources such as the

Hebrew Bible The Hebrew Bible or Tanakh (;"Tanach"
. '' Beqaa as stated in his epithet al-Biqa'i (from Beqaa). He moved to

Damascus Damascus ( , ; ) is the capital and List of largest cities in the Levant region by population, largest city of Syria. It is the oldest capital in the world and, according to some, the fourth Holiest sites in Islam, holiest city in Islam. Kno ...

and

Cairo Cairo ( ; , ) is the Capital city, capital and largest city of Egypt and the Cairo Governorate, being home to more than 10 million people. It is also part of the List of urban agglomerations in Africa, largest urban agglomeration in Africa, L ...

for his studies. In Cairo, he was a student of

Ibn Hajar al-Asqalani Ibn Ḥajar al-ʿAsqalānī (; 18 February 1372 – 2 February 1449), or simply ibn Ḥajar, was a classic Islamic scholar "whose life work constitutes the final summation of the science of hadith." He authored some 150 works on hadith, history, ...

. Through Ibn Hajar's recommendation, the ruling Burji Mamluk sultan, Sayf al-Din Jaqmaq accepted al-Biqa'i as a personal tutor. He was also promoted to a role as a teacher at the Mosque of al-Zahir Baybars in Cairo. Al-Zahir Baybars Mosque in Cairo DSCF4257

Al-Zahir Baybars Mosque in Cairo DSCF4257

During his time in Cairo, he faced harsh criticism from contemporary scholars for his approach to

Quranic exegesis Tafsir ( ; ) refers to an exegesis, or commentary, of the Quran. An author of a ''tafsir'' is a ' (; plural: ). A Quranic ''tafsir'' attempts to provide elucidation, explanation, interpretation, context or commentary for clear understanding ...

. Some of the scholars ordered violent uprisings against him, so he quickly moved back to Damascus for his safety. One of the

qadi A qadi (; ) is the magistrate or judge of a Sharia court, who also exercises extrajudicial functions such as mediation, guardianship over orphans and minors, and supervision and auditing of public works. History The term '' was in use from ...

(Islamic judges) of the Shari'a courts even ruled that al-Biqa'i was an apostate and heretic, but later retracted the ruling. He died in 1480 and was buried in the cemetery at

Bab al-Saghir Bab al-Saghir () is one of the seven gates in the Old City of Damascus, Syria. It has '' qubūr'' (, graves) on either side of the road, and is located in the Dimashq Neighborhood, southwest of the Umayyad Mosque. History The ''bāb'' (, gate) ...

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Ibn Arabi

He was very critical of

and his ideas. He wrote a treatise titled ''Tanbih al-Ghabi ila Takfir Ibn 'Arabi'' (The Warning To An Ignorant Regarding Ibn Arabi's Apostasy). The book listed down several of Ibn Arabi's sayings which he considered as blasphemous. He also quoted evidences from other scholars contemporary to and before him, like Zain al-Din al-'Iraqi, to support his evidence that Ibn Arabi was a disbeliever. Contemporary Muslim scholar, Jalal al-Din al-Suyuti wrote a booklet, '' Tanbih al-Ghabi bi-Tabri'at Ibn 'Arabi'' as a refutation of the book and a defence of Ibn Arabi in general.

Quranic exegesis

In his tafsir (commentary of the Qur'an) titled ''Nazm al-Durar fi Tanasub al-Ayat wa-al-Suwar'', he drew extensively on the

Hebrew Bible The Hebrew Bible or Tanakh (;"Tanach"
. '' New Testament The New Testament (NT) is the second division of the Christian biblical canon. It discusses the teachings and person of Jesus in Christianity, Jesus, as well as events relating to Christianity in the 1st century, first-century Christianit ...

as sources to elucidate certain Qur'anic verses. Aside from this, al-Biqa'i favoured the use of rhetorical and logical coherence as the primary tool for interpretation of the Qur'an.

Works

*''Nazm al-Durar fi Tanasub al-Ayat wa-al-Suwar'': His commentary on the Qur'an, which displays Ash'arite influence. *''Tanbih al-Ghabi bi-Tabri'at Ibn 'Arabi'': A criticism of

and

Ibn al-Farid Ibn al-Farid or Ibn Farid; (, ''`Umar ibn `Alī ibn al-Fārid'') (22 March 11811234) was an Arab poet as well as a Sufi waliullah. His name is Arabic for "son of the obligator" (the one who divides the inheritance between the inheritors), as hi ...

. This work was heavily criticized by the polymath Jalal al-Din al-Suyuti, who wrote a refutation booklet titled '' Tanbih al-Ghabi bi-Tabri'at Ibn 'Arabi''.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:al-Biqa'i, Ibrahim ibn Umar 15th-century Muslim theologians Asharis Quranic exegesis scholars 1406 births 1480 deaths

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Ibn Arabi

Quranic exegesis

Works

See also

References