Abu Ishaq al-Isfara'ini was a medieval
Sunni
Sunni Islam () is the largest branch of Islam, followed by 85–90% of the world's Muslims. Its name comes from the word '' Sunnah'', referring to the tradition of Muhammad. The differences between Sunni and Shia Muslims arose from a disagr ...
Islamic theologian, Shafi'i jurist, legal theoretician
and commentator on the Qur'an. al-Isfara'ini's scholarship was focused on the sciences of
Aqidah,
Hadith and
Fiqh. He was along with
Ibn Furak the chief propagator of Sunni
Ash'ari theology in
Nishapur
Nishapur or officially Romanized as Neyshabur ( fa, ;Or also "نیشاپور" which is closer to its original and historic meaning though it is less commonly used by modern native Persian speakers. In Persian poetry, the name of this city is wr ...
at the turn of the 5th Islamic century.
Biography
Al-Isfara'ini was born in the town of
Isfarayin in northwestern
Khurasan
Greater Khorāsān,Dabeersiaghi, Commentary on Safarnâma-e Nâsir Khusraw, 6th Ed. Tehran, Zavvâr: 1375 (Solar Hijri Calendar) 235–236 or Khorāsān ( pal, Xwarāsān; fa, خراسان ), is a historical eastern region in the Iranian Plate ...
. There is little known of his childhood except that he received a comprehensive Islamic education centered on Islamic jurisprudence, Islamic theology, and Aqidah (creed). In his youth, al-Isfara'ini traveled to
Baghdad to further his studies and attended the lectures of some of the most famous Sunni scholars of his time including Bahili,
Baqillani and
Ibn Furak.
Al-Isfara'ini then chose to leave Baghdad and return to his native town of Isfarayin despite the esteem and favour shown to him by the scholars of Iraq.
Later he accepted an invitation to
Nishapur
Nishapur or officially Romanized as Neyshabur ( fa, ;Or also "نیشاپور" which is closer to its original and historic meaning though it is less commonly used by modern native Persian speakers. In Persian poetry, the name of this city is wr ...
, where a school was built for him.
From 411 AH he held sessions teaching hadith in the congregational mosque of Nishapur.
Views
Al-Isfara'ini adhered to the Sunni Ash'ari school of theology and spent much of his time refuting the views of the
Karramiyya sect who held anthropomorphic views of God.
Death
Al-Isfara'ini died in the Islamic month of
Muharram in 418 AH (February 1027 CE), and was buried in Isfarayin. His tomb continued to attract pious visitors in the 6th/12th century.
See also
*
List of Ash'aris and Maturidis
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:al-Isfara'ini, Abu Ishaq
Asharis
Shafi'is
Sunni Muslim scholars of Islam
Year of birth missing
418 deaths