Al-Mahalli
Egyptian scholar and jurist (c. 1389–1460 CE)
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Abū ‘Abd Allāh Muḥammad ibn Shihāb ad-Dīn Jalāl ad-Dīn al-Maḥallī (Arabic: جلال الدين أبو عبد الله محمد بن شهاب الدين أحمد بن كمال الدين محمد بن إبراهيم بن أحمد بن هاشم العباسي الأنصاري المحلّي; c. 1389–1459 CE); aka was an Egyptian renowned mufassir and a leading specialist in the principles of the law in Shafi'i jurisprudence.[1] He authored numerous and lengthy works on various branches of Islamic Studies, among which the most important two are Tafsir al-Jalalayn[2] and Kanz al-Raghibin, an explanation of Al-Nawawi's Minhaj al-Talibin, a classical manual on Islamic Law according to Shafi'i fiqh.[3]
Jalāl al-Dīn al-Maḥallī | |
|---|---|
| Personal life | |
| Born | September 1389 CE / Shawwal 791 AH |
| Died | 28 October 1459 CE / 1 Muharram 864 AH |
| Region | Egypt |
| Main interest(s) | Fiqh, Tafsir, Sharia, Aqidah |
| Notable work(s) | Tafsir al-Jalalayn, Sharh al-Minhaj |
| Religious life | |
| Religion | Islam |
| Denomination | Sunni |
| Jurisprudence | Shafi'i |
| Creed | Ash'ari |
| Muslim leader | |
Influenced by
| |
Influenced | |
| Arabic name | |
| Personal (Ism) | Muhammad |
| Patronymic (Nasab) | ibn Shihab al-Din |
| Teknonymic (Kunya) | Abu Abd Allah |
| Epithet (Laqab) | Jalāl al-Dīn |
| Toponymic (Nisba) | al-Mahalli, al-Shāfi‘ī |
His Tafsir Tafsir al-Jalalayn is considered one of the most famous and popular interpretations of the Qur'an. The mission of preparing the Tafsir was initiated by Jalal ad-Din al-Maḥalli in 1459 and completed after his death by his pupil Jalal ad-Din as-Suyuti in 1505, thus its name, which means "Tafsir of the two Jalals". It is recognised as one of the most popular exegeses of the Qur'an today,[4] due to its simple style[4] and its conciseness, as it is only one volume in length. The work has been translated into many languages including English, French, Bengali, Urdu, Persian, Malay/Indonesian,[5] Turkish, and Japanese. There are two English translations.[6][7]
Biography
Al-Maḥallī was born in Cairo, 791AH (1389 CE)[8][9][10][11][12], in the month Shawwal according to his own notes[9]. His attribution “al-Maḥallī” refers to al-Maḥallah al-Kubrá in the province of al-Gharbiyyah, Egypt. He was also named the Al-Taftazani of the Arabs according to Ibn al-Imad al-Hanbali[8][10], most likely due to Al-Maḥallī's mastery of many different sciences, concise scholarly works, and exceptional intelligence. He grew up in Cairo and excelled in the different Islamic sciences, learning from scholars. While teaching at al-Barqūqiyyah and al-Muʾayyadiyyah, he was offered a position as Chief Judge, but he declined it to continue teaching.[8][12][11]
More specifically, he studied fiqh, uṣūl, and naḥw with al-Shams al-Barmawī. He also studied fiqh under al-Bayjūrī, al-Jalāl al-Bulqīnī, and al-Walī al-ʿIrāqī.[9]
He learned uṣūl with al-ʿIzz b. Jamāʿah, and further studied arabic grammar with his teachers al-Shihāb al-ʿajīmī and al-Shams al-Shaṭnūfī.[9]
He studied inheritence law and arithmetic with Nāṣir al-Dīn b. Anas al-Miṣrī al-Ḥanafī.[9]
He closely accompanied al-Basāṭī and studied Quranic exegesis (tafsīr) and Islamic theology (uṣūl al-dīn), and greatly benefited from his company.[9]
He studied with many numerous other scholars at the time, in the fields of ḥadīth, logic, dialectics, rhetoric, prose, among other things. He also attended the lessons of Niẓam al-Ṣayramī, al-Majd al-Barmawī, Aḥmad al-Maghrāwī, al-Walī al-ʿIrāqī, and took aḥadīth from al-Sharaf b. al-Kuwayk, Ibn al-Jazari, and more.[9]
It was commonly said about him that his intellect could pierce rock from how sharp it was, to the point he himself would say "my understanding can accept no fallacies" [8][9][10][11]. In the same vein, he was unable to memorize large amounts of texts. He had once tried to memorize a few excerpts from a few books, and then he was over taken by an intense fever.[8][10][11]
Al-Maḥallī passed away on the 1st of Muharram 864AH (28 October 1459 CE)[11], reaching the age of 70.
