Jump to content

Ibn Abi Zayd al-Qayrawani

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

This is an old revision of this page, as edited by Boredom889 (talk | contribs) at 16:23, 11 January 2024 (Removed some bias towards Atharis). The present address (URL) is a permanent link to this revision, which may differ significantly from the current revision.

Ibn Abī Zayd al-Qayrawanī
Personal
Born922 CE /310 of the Hijri year)
Kairouan, Tunisia
Died996 CE /386 of the Hijri year (76 years old)
ReligionIslam
EraIslamic golden age
DenominationSunni
JurisprudenceMaliki[1]
CreedDisputed (see below)
Main interest(s)Fiqh (based on Maliki theology) and Hadith
Notable work(s)Al-Risalah al-Fiqhiyyah
Muslim leader
Influenced by
Influenced

Ibn Abī Zayd al-Qayrawanī (Arabic: ابن أبي زيد القيرواني), full name Abū Muḥammad ʿAbd Allāh ibn Abī Zayd ʿAbd al-Raḥmān al-Nafzawī ibn Abī Zayd al-Qayrawanī, was a Muslim scholar and jurist who specialized in the Maliki madhab.[3][4][1][5] His best known work is the Al-Risalah al-Fiqhiyyah, which is meant as an educational book for beginners to learn religion in the Maliki way.[4]

Biography

Ibn Abi Zayd was a member of the Nafzawah tribe of Berbers.[3] He was born in Kairouan in the year 922 (310 AH) and lived there the whole of his life.[4] He was known for his asceticism and piousness. Ibn Abi Zayd's education involved being under the tutelage of prominent Maliki jurists.[1] These included Muhammad ibn Masrur al-Assal, Abdullah al-Masur ibn al-Hijam, Ibn al-Qattan and Abu Ahmad ibn Abu Sa'eed.[1][4] When he went on the Hajj pilgrimage, he listened to the Ash'ari scholar Abu Bakr ibn al-Arabi.[6] During his lifetime, Ibn Abi Zayd was regarded as a supreme authority of Maliki thought[1][4][3] in the continent of North Africa, and he also received the nickname "Little Malik" (Arabic: مالك الأصغر, transliterated: Malik al-Asghar) because of his prominence which was almost comparable to Malik ibn Anas, the founder of the Maliki school of thought.[3]

Ultimately, he met his demise in 996 (386 AH).[1][4][5] The writers and poets who adhered to the Maliki system of belief all composed their own elegies and tributes dedicated to him.[3]

Creed

Historically, Ibn Abi Zayd has been claimed by both the Ash'aris and Atharis.[7][8] Ibn al-Ahdal, in his book "Kashf al-Ghata' 'an Haqa'iq al-Tawhid" mentioned Ibn Abi Zayd as being one of the Ash'ari scholars.[8] It is also known that Ibn Abi Zayd sympathized with the Ash'aris, as seen in his own work "Al-Radd `ala al-Qadariyya wa Munaqada Risala al-Baghdadi al-Mu`tazili" which was a refutation of the Mu'tazilite sect and their beliefs. [9] However, some of Ibn Abi Zayd's views went against the Ash'ari creed, and he was criticized for it by later Ash'ari scholars such as Ahmad Zarruq.[7]

Athari claim

The Atharis lay claims to Ibn Abi Zayd al-Qayrawani based on the words that he himself spoke at the introduction of his Risalah:[7][6][1]

It is obligatory in the affairs of the religion, including belief in the heart and speech with the tongue, that Allah is one God, there is no god other than Him, there is no similarity to Him, there is no counterpart to Him, there is no son of Him, there is no father of Him, there is no companion of Him, and there is no partner with Him. And to those people who think about His verses and do not think about the essence of His essence: “Who is there that can intercede with Him except by His leave? He knows what is before them and what is behind them, but they do not comprehend any of His knowledge except what He wills. His throne extends over the heavens and the earth; it does not weary Him to preserve them both. He is the Most High, the Tremendous.” (Qur'an, Al-Baqarah, 2:255)

Based on this quote, Ibn Abi Zayd al-Qayrawani is affirming aboveness for Allah, as well as aboveness above the Throne, which is a common belief in the Athari creed. [10] The Muslim historian and scholar, Al-Dhahabi, also mentions in his "Siyar A'lam al-Nubala" that Ibn Abi Zayd was upon the Athari creed and refused to participate or indulge in the sciences of Kalam.[6][1]The Hanbali jurist Ibn al-Qayyim, in his book "Al-Adab al-Mufrad" would also affirm that Ibn Abi Zayd had said several words that were in line with the Athari way of belief.

Ash'ari claim

The Ash'aris believe that Ibn Abi Zayd al-Qayrawani was an Ash'ari, mainly based on the fact that he defended the Ash'ari creed several times and also affirmed that Ibn Kullab, the one who laid the groundwork for the Ash'ari creed, was a true follower of the Islamic religion, something which Atharis often disagree with.[11][12] The Ash'ari scholar Taj al-Din al-Subki, an important authority in both the Ash'ari creed and the Shafi'i school of thought, considered Ibn Abi Zayd to have been an Ash'ari in his "Tabaqat" work.[5] The famous historian Ibn Asakir also counts Ibn Abi Zayd al-Qayrawani as being an Ash'ari scholar and a devout follower of Abu Hasan al-Ash'ari, the founder of the Ash'ari creed.[11][12] The modern scholar, Abdullah Ghani, in 1991, wrote that Ibn Abi Zayd held many viewpoints which agreed with the Ash'ari creed.[12]

Works

  • Al-Risalah al-Fiqhiyyah: A book for learning religion, specially targeted at beginners and younger children. It is based on the teachings of the Maliki school of thought, and was written on recommendation by the Sufi mystic, Sidi Mahrez ibn Khalaf al-Tunisi.[4]
  • Al-Radd `ala al-Qadariyya wa Munaqada Risala al-Baghdadi al-Mu`tazili: A book refuting the accusations of Mu'tazilite scholars, with a focus on the attacks from the Mu'tazilite scholar, Ali ibn Ismail al-Baghdadi.

See also

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h "Siyar A'lam al-Nubala - part 17 - Biography of Ibn Abi Zayd al-Qayrawani". web.archive.org. 2017-10-08. Retrieved 2024-01-06.
  2. ^ Richard C. Martín, Encyclopedia of Islam & the Muslim World, Volume 1, p 105. ISBN 0028656032
  3. ^ a b c d e Tartīb al-Madārik by Qādi ʿIyād
  4. ^ a b c d e f g "Ibn Abi Zayd al-Qayrawani - SunnahOnline.com". sunnahonline.com. Retrieved 2024-01-06.
  5. ^ a b c Tabaqat al-Shafi'iyyah al-Kubra, page 368-372
  6. ^ a b c Siyar A'lam al-Nubala, volume 17, page 10
  7. ^ a b c "Study of Ibn Abi Zayd's Creed". en.rattibha.com. Retrieved 2024-01-06.
  8. ^ a b Cite error: The named reference Ibn al-Ahdal was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  9. ^ Aaron Spevack, The Archetypal Sunni Scholar: Law, Theology, and Mysticism in the Synthesis of Al-Bajuri, p 55. State University of New York Press, 1 Oct 2014. ISBN 143845371X
  10. ^ Ali Shah, Zulfiqar (2012). Anthropomorphic Depictions of God: The Concept of God in Judaic, Christian, and Islamic Traditions: Representing the Unrepresentable. International Institute of Islamic Thought (IIIT). ISBN 978-1565645752. Parameter error in {{ISBN}}: invalid character
  11. ^ a b "ذِكْرُ مَنْ قَالَ ذَلِكَ". web.archive.org. 2016-12-20. Retrieved 2024-01-06.
  12. ^ a b c "مركز أبي الحسن الأشعري للدراسات و البحوث العقدية". web.archive.org. 2017-05-09. Retrieved 2024-01-06.
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Ibn_Abi_Zayd_al-Qayrawani&oldid=1194952977"