Ibn al-Jazari
Ibn al-Jazari ابن الجزري | |
|---|---|
 Manuscript of a religious treatise by al-Jazari (al-Husn al-Hasin), afteral-Bukhari'sSahih.Copy created inOttoman Turkey,dated 1761-2 | |
| Title | Shaykh al-Qurrāʼ[1] Muqriʼ al-Mamālīk[2] Al-Imām al-Aʻẓam[3] Shams al-Din Al-Hafiz |
| Personal | |
| Born | Damascus,Syria[4] 26 November 1350 25 Ramadan 751 AH[4] |
| Died | 2 December 1429 5 Rabi' al-awwal 833 AH[4](aged 79) |
| Religion | Islam |
| Era | Middle ages |
| Region | Middle East |
| Denomination | Sunni |
| Jurisprudence | Shafi'i |
| Creed | Ash'ari[5] |
| Main interest(s) | Qira'at,Tajwid,Hadith,History,Fiqh,Arabic |
| Occupation | Scholar,Reciter,Traditionist,Historian,Jurist,Grammarian,Linguist |
| Muslim leader | |
Abu al-Khayr Shams al-Din Muhammad ibn Muhammad ibn Muhammad ibn Ali ibn Yusuf al-Jazari(Arabic:أبو الخير شمس الدين محمد بن محمد بن محمد بن علي بن يوسف الجزري,26 November 1350– 2 December 1429), also known asIbn al-Jazari(Arabic:ابن الجزري) was one of the prominent scholars of the 15th century, who was considered a leadingreciterof theQur'an.[6][7]He was a distinguished and prolific scholar in the field of the qira'at of the Quran to whomal-Suyutiregarded as the "ultimate authority on these matters".[8]His works ontajwidandqira'atare considered classics.[9]He was a noted authority inhadith science,Islamic jurisprudence,history,andArabic.[7]
Name
[edit]Thenisba(attributive title),Jazari,denotes an origin fromJazirat ibn 'Umar.[10]
Biography
[edit]Al-Jazari was born inDamascuson Friday 26 November 1350 (25Ramadan751 AH).[4]By the time he was fifteen or sixteen years old, he had not only learnt the entire Qur'an by heart, but also the well-known Shafi'ī law bookTanbīhand two works on qirā’ah, theShātibiyyahand al-Taysīr. Among his teachers were Shaykh Ibn al-Labbān, Ibn al-Husayn al-Hanafi, and Taqi al-Dīn al-Baghdādi. He studied Shafi'i jurisprudence underJamal al-Din al-Isnawi,Siraj al-Din al-Bulqini,Ibn Raslan,and Abu al-Baqa al-Subki. His Hadith instructors included, among others,Allāmah Ibn Kathīr,Bahāuddīn Amīnī, Ibn al-Muhibb al-Maqdisi, and Ibn Abd al-Karīm al-Hanbali. The scholar, Tāsh Kubrā Zādah stated, “He learnt Hadith from a cohort of scholars.”[11]
Imam al-Jazari was noted to have memorized over 100,000 Hadiths, along with acquiring mastery in Hadith, law, and qirā'āh.Al-Sakhawimentions, “Many scholars had granted him licenses to issue legal verdicts, lecturing, and teaching the sciences of qirā'ah.”[11]
He travelled toDamascus,Mecca,Medina,Cairo,Alexandria,and studied the sciences ofqira'atfrom about 40 experts. Following that, he was chosen to hold the position of Shaykh al-Qurrā in Damascus. TheLevantwas then a province of the Egyptian monarchy. Imam al-Jazari was appointed as the head of the educational department of al-Jāmi’ah al-Salāhiyyah bySultan Barqūq,the monarch of Egypt.[11]
He was appointedQādī(judge) of Shām in 797 AH by Amīr Altamash, the ruler of the Levant. However, Imam al-Jazari disagreed with the administration on significant issues pertaining to the judicial position. Furthermore, the central authority started to mistreat him as a result of the planning of some people who were jealous of him. He ultimately made the decision to relocate from Damascus toBursain present-day Turkey. Knowing Imam al-Jazari well, the Turkish king,Bayezid I,treated him with immense honour and respect. He asked Imam al-Jazari to settle down in Bursa permanently, and Imam al-Jazari agreed. The results of his publications and talks started to emerge after that. He was a great asset to those who appreciated his knowledge, particularly the qirā'ah students.[11]
Timurhad set out to conquerTurkeyin 805 AH with the intention of toppling the Bāyazīd government.Bayezid Iwas captured and after being detained, Bayezid passed away in custody. In addition to accumulating wealth and treasure, Timur was keen to bring together leading authorities from a range of disciplines and sciences to his realm in Samarqand. Timur dutifully arranged for Imam al-Jazari and a few other chosen scholars to accompany him on his journey. He brought them with him toTransoxiana's major cities of education, right in the middle of the royal army. Once they had read Imam Jazari's published works, they were much more appreciative of his wisdom and saw it as a tremendous blessing. This was at the time when Imam al-Jazari was visiting these cities.Timurheld Imam al-Jazari in high regard and had faith in him. He claimed that Imam al-Jazari was endowed with clairvoyance (kashf), which allowed him to see visions of the Prophet sallallahu 'alayhi wa sallam whenever he had the desire. He believed that Imam al-Jazari "was a person who would experience clairvoyance (kashf) and would be blessed with visions of theProphetsallallahu `alayhi wa sallam whenever he wished. "[11]
FollowingTimur's death in 807 AH, Imam al-Jazari travelled viaKhorasan,Herat,Yazd,andIsfahanon his way to Shiraz. In 808 AH, he arrived inShiraz.Pīr Muhammad,the Shiraz governor and Timur's paternal grandson, was deeply convinced of and respected Imam Jazari. He gave Imam Jazari the mandate to remain in Shiraz and elevated him to the rank of Chief Judge. In 827 AH, Imam al-Jazari left Shiraz for theHajjpilgrimage following a protracted stay there. Following the Hajj, he journeyed toCairo,where he was visited by scholars and pupils from distant locations. In Cairo, hordes of Qurrā and scholars could be seen, all hoping to getIjazahfrom him. A youthfulIbn Hajr al-Asqalani,who would later become the well-known author ofFath al-Bari,was among these groups of experts. Furthermore, Imam al-Jazari gave ijāzāt and gave lessons on theMusnad Ahmad,Musnad al-Shafi'i,and other books.[11]Ibn al-Jazari taught several students includingSidi Boushaki(1394-1453)[12]
Upon his return to Shiraz, Imam al-Jazari established Dār al-Qur'ān, a sizable seminary. He had already founded a seminary with the same name in Damascus. This seminary is sometimes incorrectly called "Dār al-Qurrā". Al-Jazari died at the age of 79 on Friday 2 December 1429 (5Rabi' al-awwal833 AH) inShiraz,Iran.He was buried inside the Dār al-Qur'ān seminary's walls.[11]
Reception
[edit]From his era till now, none has reached the level of Imam al-Jazari in the sciences ofqira'at.Ibn Hajar al-Asqalanisaid, “He held the highest position in the world in the science of qirā'ah.”[11]
Al-Suyutisaid: “When it came to the science of qirā’ah he was unparalleled in the world during his time, and he was a hāfiž of Hadith.”[11]
Al-Shawkanisaid: “He was unmatched in the science of qirā’ah in the entire world.”[11]
Abd al-Hayy al-Lucknawisaid: “Amongst the glorious personalities of Islam in the 8th century wereZain al-Din al-'Iraqi,Shams al-Dīn Jazari, andSiraj al-Din al-Bulqini.”[11]
Selected works
[edit]Al-Jazari compiled more than 90 works onqira'at(readings),ḥadīth(traditions),ta’rīkh(history) and other disciplines. These include:
- Taḥbīr al-taysīr fī qirāʼāt al-ʻashr(تحبير التيسير في قراءات العشر)
- Taqrīb al-Nashr fī al-qirāʼāt al-ʻashr(تقريب النشر في القراءات العشر)
- Al-Tamhīd fī ʻilm al-tajwīd(التمهيد في علم التجويد)
- Ṭayyibat al-nashr fī al-qirāʼāt al-ʻashr(طيبة النشر في القراءات العشر)
- Munjid al-Muqriʼīn wa-murshid al-ṭālibīn(منجد المقرئين ومرشد الطالبين)
- Ghāyat al-Nihāyah fī Ṭabaqāt al-Qurrāʻ(غاية النهاية في طبقات القرآء) Lexicon of the Holy Qur’ān’s Reciters[13]
See also
[edit]Notes
[edit]- ^Arabic:شيخ القراء
- ^Arabic:مقرئ المماليك
- ^Arabic:الإمام الأعظم,a title given to him by the people ofShiraz
- ^abcdeḤāfiẓ, Muḥammad Muṭīʻ (1995).Shaykh al-qurrāʼ al-Imām Ibn al-Jazarī (751–833).Dār al-Fikr al-Muʻāṣir. pp. 7–11.
- ^Shah, Mustafa (2010).The Hạdīth: Codification, authenticity.Routledge. p. 30.ISBN9780415476195.
- ^Ibn Taymiyyah(1984).The Goodly Word.Dar al-Kotob al-'Ilmiyya.p. 20.
- ^abAdem Yerinde, Büşra Özdemir (2020). "'Ibn al-Jazari and His Works on the Arabic Language ".Şarkiyat Mecmuası: Journal of Oriental Studies.Istanbul University.p. 157-187.doi:10.26650/jos.2020.012.
- ^Semaan, Khalil I (1968).Linguistics in the Middle Ages: Phonetic studies in early Islam.Brill.p. 34.
- ^Nelson, Kristina (2001).The art of reciting the Qur'an.American University in Cairo Press.p. 88.
- ^Sarton, George (1962).Introduction to the History of Science (3 Vols. in 5).Krieger Pub Co. p. 1455.
- ^abcdefghijkQāri Izhār Ahmad Thānawi."The Great Imām of Qirā'ah: Muhammad Ibn al-Jazari".ilmgate.org.Archived fromthe originalon 29 September 2023.
- ^الضوء اللامع لأهل القرن التاسع 1-6 ج1.January 2003.ISBN9782745137135.
- ^Ibn al-Jazarī, Shamsuddīn(1971).Bergsträsser, G.(ed.).Ghāyat al-Nihāyah fī Ṭabaqāt al-Qurrā'(in Arabic). Vol. I. Beirut: Dar al-Kotob al-Ilmiyah.
