Adud al-Din al-Iji
Islamic judge and theologian
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AbÅ« al-Faá¸l Aá¸ud al-Din 'Abd al-Raḥman b. Aḥmad b. Abd al-Ghaffar al-ĪjÄ« (1281â1356), better known as Aá¸ud al-Din al-ĪjÄ« (Arabic: عضد اÙدÙ٠اÙØ¥ÙجÙ) was an Islamic scholar from the Ilkhanate period. He was an influential judge, Shafi'i jurist, legal theoretician, linguist, rhetorician and is considered the leading Ash'arite theologian of his time.[2][3]
Aá¸ud al-Din al-ĪjÄ« عضد اÙدÙ٠اÙØ¥Ùج٠| |
|---|---|
| Title | Aá¸ud al-Din |
| Personal life | |
| Born | 1281 |
| Died | 1356 (aged 74â75) Somewhere near Ij |
| Era | Medieval era |
| Region | Persia |
| Notable work(s) | Al-MawÄqif fÄ« 'ilm al-kalÄm Al-Akhlaq al-Adudiyya Aqaid al-Adudiyya |
| Occupation | Scholar, Theologian, Judge, Jurist, Legal theoretician, Linguist, Rhetorician |
| Religious life | |
| Religion | Islam |
| Denomination | Sunni |
| Jurisprudence | Shafi'i[1] |
| Creed | Ash'ari[1] |
| Muslim leader | |
Lineage
Early life
Birth
He was born in a town called Īj near Shiraz, located in the Fars province in the year of 680 AH/1281 AD.[5]
Education
During his early years, al-Ījī moved to Tabriz and studied grammar and the rational sciences under Fakr al-Din al-Jarbadadi, a pupil of the distinguished scholar, al-Baydawi. Additionally, al-Ījī studied under Qutb al-Din al-Shirazi, who was a prominent pupil of Nasir al-Din al-Tusi. It is also documented that, as a young man, he studied philosophy at Sultaniyya, the Ikhanid capital, with the vizier Rashid al-Din Hamadani as his sponsor.[5]
Scholarly life
Scholastic specialization
Aá¸ud al-Din al-ĪjÄ« was primarily known for his contributions to theology despite this, he was noted to be well-versed in several academic fields. He specialized in Islamic jurisprudence and given his title, Shaykh al-Shafi'iyya of Persia, it was evident that he was the foremost Shafi'i jurist of the Ilkhanate realm during that period. Al-Suyuti in his famous biographical dictionary Bughyat al-WuÊ»Äh fÄ« ṬabaqÄt al-LughawÄ«yÄ«n wa-al-NuḥÄh counted al-ĪjÄ« as among the scholars of Arabic science and recognized his eminence in having extensive knowledge on the principles and meanings in the Arabic language. He was proficient in Quranic exegesis and excelled in the rational sciences, such as legal theory, kalam, logic and Islamic philosophy. He was a highly skilled debater and dialectician who mastered the arts of disputation. He was known for his scrutinization, research skills and meticulousness.[6][7][8]
Career
When he was younger, he attempted to pursue a career at the court of the Il-khanids, the Mongol dynasty that ruled Iran in Tabriz. He was successful in gaining the respect of the influential vizier, Rashid al-Din Hamadani, who was a Jew who had converted to Islam when the Mongols themselves eventually abandoned their inherited beliefs in Shamanism or Buddhism. Al-ĪjÄ« was a Sunni, therefore his status may have been in jeopardy when Ãljaitü converted to Shiism in 1310. Nevertheless, it has been reported al-ĪjÄ« served as the judge in Sultaniyya and RashÄ«d al-DÄ«n offered him a teaching position at a mobile "university" that accompanied the Il-khanid monarch Ãljaitü throughout his expeditions. Eventually, he appears to have settled back in ShÄbankÄrah, where he was left to manage substantial lands that protected his family's riches in the form of a charitable trust (waqf) following the death of his father in 1317. Al-ĪjÄ« broke off his ties to the court after RashÄ«d al-DÄ«n was put to death in 1318 and didn't re-establish them until GhiyÄth al-DÄ«n, his son, succeeded his father as vizierate in 1327 and rose to the position of chief judge of the empire. But when the Ilkhanate dynasty came to an end in 1335, he relocated to Shiraz, where he was given protection by the provincial ruler AbÅ« IsḥÄq Injü and rose to the position of chief judge in the town. Despite his reduced salary, he relished the ambiance of an art-loving court and the companionship of poets like Hafez.[4][9]
Students
He produced great students who became horizons as described by biographers:[6]
- Sa'ad al-Din al-Taftazani
- Al-Sharif al-Jurjani
- Shams al-Din al-Kirmani
- Diya' al-Din al-Afifi
Death
After nearly two decades of this peaceful period, al-ĪjÄ«'s patron was ousted from Shiraz in 1354 by MubÄriz al-DÄ«n, a rival monarch whose domain also included ShÄbankÄrah. Consequently, al-ĪjÄ« wisely established secret ties with a new ally and made his way back to his hometown just before Shiraz was apprehended. But no one overlooked his betrayal. He was imprisoned in a fortress near Īj and died there in 1356, presumably at the instigation of a former follower of AbÅ« IsḥÄq Injü.[4][9]
Legacy
After al-Ghazali, Aá¸ud al-Din al-ĪjÄ« finally rose to prominence as one of the key thinkers of what might be referred to as the post-classical (Muta'akhirin) era of Islamic thinking. One of the key features of al-ĪjÄ«'s work is his verification ability, or "Tahqiq." Verification was an academic discipline in which previous Islamic literature was re-examined and commentaries were composed to determine whether the theological content of those earlier works could withstand the critical examination of logical arguments made in the subject of Islamic philosophy.Al-Mawaqif fi 'ilm al-Kalam, the text on Islamic theology that al-ĪjÄ« wrote, is his most enduring contribution. Although he wrote several texts in a variety of fields such as legal hermeneutics, grammar (usul al-Din, Usul al-Fiqh, and Usul al-Lugha), and trivium philosophical theology, his two most renowned students, Sayyid Sharif al-Jurjani and Sa'ad al-Din al-Taftazani, wrote insightful commentary on this work, ensuring that the framework established by kitab al-Mawaqif would become fundamental to Sunni theology for centuries to come.[5] Al-ĪjÄ«'s theological views are considered the final image of the Ash`ari thought, which did not receive any renewal or addition after him.[6]
al-Akhlaq al-Adudiyya is one of Al-Ījī's other works that, although not considered theological classics, had a major influence on the study of moral philosophy in the Islamic world.[5]
Works
Al-ĪjÄ« was a prolific writer who covered several fields including scholastic theology, jurisprudence (according to the ShÄfiÊ¿Ä« school), Qurʾanic exegesis, rhetoric and dialectics, ethics, and, to some extent, historiography. Their widespread appeal is demonstrated by the abundance of commentary on them. Some of the works are still used today in religious universities such as al-Azhar in Cairo.[9]
- Al-Mawaqif fi 'ilm al-Kalam ("Stations of the Discipline of KalÄm"), is a multivolume work on the discipline of theology (kalam).[10] The book sets out in the style of a summa theologica, in concise language, the traditional ideas of late Asḥʿarite theology; it is based mainly on the Moḥaṣṣal of Fakhr al-Din al-Razi and the AbkÄr al-AfkÄr of Sayf al-Din al-Amidi.[4]
- Al-Akhlaq al-Adudiyya, a book on moral philosophy.
- Aqaid al-Adudiyya ("Creed of al-Adudiyya"), a famous treatise on the Ash'ari creed according to the author.
- Jawahir al-Kalam ("Jewels of Kalam")
- Sharh Mukhtasar al-Muntaha, a book on jurisprudential principles and it is considered one of the best commentaries of Mukhtaṣar al-Muntahá al-uṣūlī by Ibn al-Hajib
- Taḥqīq al-tafsīr fī takṯīr al-tanwīr, it's a commentary on Anwar al-Tanzil wa-Asrar al-Ta'wil by al-Baydawi.
- Al- FawÄʾed al-ḡīÄṯīya, a book on rhetoric.
- ÄdÄb al-baḥṯ ("Ethics of discussion")
- EÅ¡rÄq al-tawÄrīḵ, a treatise on the history of religion.
