Dhia' ul-Dīn 'Abd al-Malik ibn Yūsuf al-Juwaynī al-Shafi'ī (, 17 February 102820 August 1085; 419–478
AH) was a
Persian
Persian may refer to:
* People and things from Iran, historically called ''Persia'' in the English language
** Persians, the majority ethnic group in Iran, not to be conflated with the Iranic peoples
** Persian language, an Iranian language of the ...
Sunni
Sunni Islam is the largest branch of Islam and the largest religious denomination in the world. It holds that Muhammad did not appoint any successor and that his closest companion Abu Bakr () rightfully succeeded him as the caliph of the Mu ...
scholar famous for being the foremost leading
jurisconsult
A jurist is a person with expert knowledge of law; someone who analyzes and comments on law. This person is usually a specialist legal scholar, mostly (but not always) with a formal education in law (a law degree) and often a legal practitione ...
,
legal theoretician and
Islamic theologian of his time. His name is commonly abbreviated as al-Juwayni; he is also commonly referred to as ''Imam al-Haramayn'' meaning "leading master of the
two holy cities", that is,
Mecca
Mecca, officially Makkah al-Mukarramah, is the capital of Mecca Province in the Hejaz region of western Saudi Arabia; it is the Holiest sites in Islam, holiest city in Islam. It is inland from Jeddah on the Red Sea, in a narrow valley above ...
and
Medina
Medina, officially al-Madinah al-Munawwarah (, ), also known as Taybah () and known in pre-Islamic times as Yathrib (), is the capital of Medina Province (Saudi Arabia), Medina Province in the Hejaz region of western Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, ...
.
[M. M. Sharif, A History of Muslim Philosophy, 1.242. ] He acquired the status of a
mujtahid
''Ijtihad'' ( ; ' , ) is an Islamic legal term referring to independent reasoning by an expert in Islamic law, or the thorough exertion of a jurist's mental faculty in finding a solution to a legal question. It is contrasted with '' taqlid'' (i ...
in the field of
fiqh
''Fiqh'' (; ) is the term for Islamic jurisprudence.[Fiqh](_blank)
Encyclopædia Britannica ''Fiqh'' is of ...
and
usul al-fiqh
Principles of Islamic jurisprudence () are traditional methodological principles used in Islamic jurisprudence (''fiqh'') for deriving the rulings of Islamic law (''sharia'').
Traditional theory of Islamic jurisprudence elaborates how the scri ...
. Highly celebrated as one of the most important and influential thinkers in the
Shafi'i school
The Shafi'i school or Shafi'i Madhhab () or Shafi'i is one of the four major schools of fiqh (Islamic jurisprudence), belonging to the Ahl al-Hadith tradition within Sunni Islam. It was founded by the Muslim scholar, jurist, and traditionis ...
of
orthodox Sunni jurisprudence, he was considered as the virtual second founder of the Shafi'i school, after its first founder
Imam al-Shafi'i. He was also considered a major figurehead within the
Ash'ari
Ash'arism (; ) is a school of theology in Sunni Islam named after Abu al-Hasan al-Ash'ari, a Shāfiʿī jurist, reformer (''mujaddid''), and scholastic theologian, in the 9th–10th century. It established an orthodox guideline, based on ...
school of theology where he was ranked equal to the founder, Imam al-Ash'ari. He was given the honorific titles of ''
Shaykh of Islam'', ''The Glory of Islam'', ''The Absolute Imam of all Imams.''
Early life
Al-Juwayni was born on 17 February 1028 in a village on the outskirts of
Naysabur called Bushtaniqan in Iran,
[Al-Juwayni, Yusef. A Guide to the Conclusive Proofs for the Principles of Belief. 1 ed. Eissa S. Muhammad. The Center for Muslim Contribution to Civilization, 2000] Al-Juwayni was a prominent
Muslim
Muslims () are people who adhere to Islam, a Monotheism, monotheistic religion belonging to the Abrahamic religions, Abrahamic tradition. They consider the Quran, the foundational religious text of Islam, to be the verbatim word of the God ...
scholar known for his gifted intellect in Islamic legal matters. Al-Juwayni was born into a family of legal study. His father,
Abu Muhammad al-Juwayni
Al-Juwayni, `Abd Allah ibn Yusuf ibn `Abd Allah ibn Yusuf ibn Muhammad ibn Hayyuya, Rukn al-Din Abu Muhammad al-Ta'i al-Sinbisi al-Naysaburi al-Shafi`i al-Ash`ari, also known as Abu Muhammad al-Juwayni (), was a Sunni scholar based in Khorasan. ...
, was a well-known master of law in the Shafi′i community as well as a Shafi'i teacher and his older brother, Abu'l-Hasan 'Ali al-Juwayni, was a Sufi teacher of Hadith.
Education
Al-Juwayni grew up in Naysabur,
[ an intellectually thriving area drawing scholars to it. Early on, al-Haramayn studied a variety of fundamental religious subjects under his father, ]Abu Muhammad al-Juwayni
Al-Juwayni, `Abd Allah ibn Yusuf ibn `Abd Allah ibn Yusuf ibn Muhammad ibn Hayyuya, Rukn al-Din Abu Muhammad al-Ta'i al-Sinbisi al-Naysaburi al-Shafi`i al-Ash`ari, also known as Abu Muhammad al-Juwayni (), was a Sunni scholar based in Khorasan. ...
. These subjects included the Arabic grammar
Arabic grammar () is the grammar of the Arabic language. Arabic is a Semitic languages, Semitic language and its grammar has many similarities with the Semitic languages#Grammar, grammar of other Semitic languages. Classical Arabic and Modern St ...
and its eloquence (balagha), the Quran
The Quran, also Romanization, romanized Qur'an or Koran, is the central religious text of Islam, believed by Muslims to be a Waḥy, revelation directly from God in Islam, God (''Allah, Allāh''). It is organized in 114 chapters (, ) which ...
, the hadith
Hadith is the Arabic word for a 'report' or an 'account f an event and refers to the Islamic oral tradition of anecdotes containing the purported words, actions, and the silent approvals of the Islamic prophet Muhammad or his immediate circle ...
, the ''fiqh
''Fiqh'' (; ) is the term for Islamic jurisprudence.[Fiqh](_blank)
Encyclopædia Britannica ''Fiqh'' is of ...
'' (Islamic law), khilaf (the art of disagreements), and principles of Islamic jurisprudence
Principles of Islamic jurisprudence () are traditional methodological principles used in Islamic jurisprudence (''fiqh'') for deriving the rulings of Islamic law (''sharia'').
Traditional theory of Islamic jurisprudence elaborates how the scri ...
. He even read and studied all of his father's books, including Sharh al-Muzani, Sharh usul al-Shafi'i, Mukhtasar al-Mukhtasar, al-Tafsir al-Kabir, and al-Tabsirah. He had a solid foundation in Shafi'i law. His father was a well-known Shafi'i scholar, so al-Haramayn had a strong intellectual lineage, and he was well-established in Shafi'i circles in Nishapur because of two factors: his thorough understanding of the Shafi'i legal tradition, to the point where he could offer his ijtihad
''Ijtihad'' ( ; ' , ) is an Islamic legal term referring to independent reasoning by an expert in Islamic law, or the thorough exertion of a jurist's mental faculty in finding a solution to a legal question. It is contrasted with '' taqlid'' ( ...
, and his assumption of his father's role as a house tutor following his death in 439/1047.
Teachers
In addition to his father's studies, under Abu al-Qasim al-Isfarayini, the son of Abu Ishaq al-Isfarayini, he studied Islamic theology
Schools of Islamic theology are various Islamic schools and branches in different schools of thought regarding creed. The main schools of Islamic theology include the extant Mu'tazili, Ash'ari, Maturidi, and Athari schools; the extinct ones ...
and legal theory. Under al-Bayhaqi
Abū Bakr Aḥmad ibn Ḥusayn ibn ʿAlī ibn Mūsā al-Khusrawjirdī al-Bayhaqī (, 994–1066), also known as Imām al-Bayhaqī, was a Sunni scholar widely known for being the foremost leading hadith master in his age, leading authority in th ...
, he studied hadith. Further Arabic grammatical instruction was received by Imam al-Haraym from Abu al-Hassan 'Ali b. Fadl b. 'Ali al-Majashi, while Abu 'Abdullah al-Khabbazi provided Quranic exegesis
Tafsir ( ; ) refers to an exegesis, or commentary, of the Quran. An author of a ''tafsir'' is a ' (; plural: ). A Quranic ''tafsir'' attempts to provide elucidation, explanation, interpretation, context or commentary for clear understanding ...
. Regarding the study of hadith and its dissemination, Imam al-Haramayn acquired knowledge from various sources. He received hadith transmission from scholars like Abu Bakr Ahmad b. Muhammad al-Tamimi, Abu Sa'd 'Abd al-Rahman b. Hamdan al-Nadrawi, Abu Hassan Muhammad b. Ahmad al-Muzakki, Abu Abdullah Muhammad b. Ibrahim al-Tarrazi, and Abu Muhammad al-Jawharri in addition to learning from his father and al-Bayhaqi. Following his acquisition of a firm foundation in the fundamental disciplines of Islamic studies, Imam al-Haramayn began to broaden his horizons intellectually in order to forge greater religious credentials within the Ash'ari theological school and Shafi'i legal school. In addition to learning fiqh and usul al-fiqh from his father, Imam al-Haramayn received some legal instruction from the leaders of the Shafi'is in Marw, al-Qadi Abu ali Husayn b. Muhammad b. Ahmad al-Marw al-Rudhi, and al-Qasim al-Furani. After that, he visited Isfahan
Isfahan or Esfahan ( ) is a city in the Central District (Isfahan County), Central District of Isfahan County, Isfahan province, Iran. It is the capital of the province, the county, and the district. It is located south of Tehran. The city ...
, Baghdad
Baghdad ( or ; , ) is the capital and List of largest cities of Iraq, largest city of Iraq, located along the Tigris in the central part of the country. With a population exceeding 7 million, it ranks among the List of largest cities in the A ...
, and Hejaz
Hejaz is a Historical region, historical region of the Arabian Peninsula that includes the majority of the western region of Saudi Arabia, covering the cities of Mecca, Medina, Jeddah, Tabuk, Saudi Arabia, Tabuk, Yanbu, Taif and Al Bahah, Al-B ...
, where he met academics. He made use of the chance to learn both fiqh and usul al-fiqh. In addition to acquiring expertise in the legal sciences, Imam al-Haramayn founded a robust intellectual and pedagogical legacy within the Shafi'i legal tradition.
Fleeing and coming back
Al-Juwayni was left to flee Nishapur
Nishapur or Neyshabur (, also ) is a city in the Central District (Nishapur County), Central District of Nishapur County, Razavi Khorasan province, Razavi Khorasan province, Iran, serving as capital of both the county and the district.
Ni ...
by force when the Karramite governor Al-Kundduri passed a verdict to curse Abu Hassan al-Ashari during the weekly Friday prayer gatherings and to imprison any of his adherents. Among those that were forced to secretly flee were Abu Sahl al-Bastami, Al-Furati, Al-Qushayri
'Abd al-Karīm ibn Hawazin Abū al-Qāsim al-Qushayrī al-Naysābūrī (, ; 986 – 30 December 1072) was an Arab Muslim scholar, theologian, jurist, legal theoretician, commentator of the Qur’an, muhaddith, grammarian, spiritual master, ...
, and Al-Bayhaqi
Abū Bakr Aḥmad ibn Ḥusayn ibn ʿAlī ibn Mūsā al-Khusrawjirdī al-Bayhaqī (, 994–1066), also known as Imām al-Bayhaqī, was a Sunni scholar widely known for being the foremost leading hadith master in his age, leading authority in th ...
and many other scholars of the Shafi'is.
As a result, Al-Juwayni fled to Mecca
Mecca, officially Makkah al-Mukarramah, is the capital of Mecca Province in the Hejaz region of western Saudi Arabia; it is the Holiest sites in Islam, holiest city in Islam. It is inland from Jeddah on the Red Sea, in a narrow valley above ...
and Medina
Medina, officially al-Madinah al-Munawwarah (, ), also known as Taybah () and known in pre-Islamic times as Yathrib (), is the capital of Medina Province (Saudi Arabia), Medina Province in the Hejaz region of western Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, ...
in search of a new home. He taught knowledge and wrote books in Hijaz
Hejaz is a historical region of the Arabian Peninsula that includes the majority of the western region of Saudi Arabia, covering the cities of Mecca, Medina, Jeddah, Tabuk, Yanbu, Taif and Al-Bahah. It is thus known as the "Western Province ...
for four years.[Messick, Brinkley. "Kissing Hands and Knees: Hegemony and Hierarchy in Shari'a Discourse." Law & Society Review 22, no. 4 (1988): 637-660.] His scholarship was so widely acclaimed amongst the scholars of the Hejaz that he acquired the title of ''Imam al Haramayn'' meaning "leading master of the two holy cities". He gained a large following and was invited back to Nishapur
Nishapur or Neyshabur (, also ) is a city in the Central District (Nishapur County), Central District of Nishapur County, Razavi Khorasan province, Razavi Khorasan province, Iran, serving as capital of both the county and the district.
Ni ...
as an undisputed grand mufti
A mufti (; , ) is an Islamic jurist qualified to issue a nonbinding opinion ('' fatwa'') on a point of Islamic law (''sharia''). The act of issuing fatwas is called ''iftāʾ''. Muftis and their ''fatāwa'' have played an important role thro ...
once Nizam Al Mulk took power, and was appointed the headmaster of newly built prestigious Nizamiyya school where he stayed for the next 30 years, training and preparing for the next generation of Shafi'i jurists and Ash'ari theologians. Al-Juwayni spent his life studying and producing influential treatises in Muslim government; it is suspected that most of his works (below) came out of this period after his return from Mecca and Medina.[
]
Students
Al-Juwayni had over 400 students; his most famous students became world famous scholars of their time and they include:
* Abu Hamid al-Ghazali
Al-Ghazali ( – 19 December 1111), archaically Latinized as Algazelus, was a Shafi'i Sunni Muslim scholar and polymath. He is known as one of the most prominent and influential jurisconsults, legal theoreticians, muftis, philosophers, the ...
* Al-Kiya al-Harrasi
* Abu al-Qasim al-Ansari
* Abd al-Ghafir al-Farsi
* Abu al-Hasan al-Tabari
* Abu al-Hasan al-Bakhirzi
* Ibn al-Qushayri (son of Al-Qushayri
'Abd al-Karīm ibn Hawazin Abū al-Qāsim al-Qushayrī al-Naysābūrī (, ; 986 – 30 December 1072) was an Arab Muslim scholar, theologian, jurist, legal theoretician, commentator of the Qur’an, muhaddith, grammarian, spiritual master, ...
)
Al-Ghazali
Al-Ghazali ( – 19 December 1111), archaically Latinized as Algazelus, was a Shafi'i Sunni Muslim scholar and polymath. He is known as one of the most prominent and influential jurisconsults, legal theoreticians, muftis, philosophers, the ...
was the foremost pupil of Al-Juwayni and who became one of the most influential scholars in the Islamic history.[ Following are some of the famous remarks of al-Juwayni towards al-Ghazali:
]
Death
He died of liver disease and was buried at his home after a huge crowd attended his funeral. Unrestrained demonstration of sorrow by four hundred of his over-zealous students lasted for days in Khurasan. Ibn Asakir
Ibn Asakir (; 1105–c. 1176) was a Syrian Sunni Islamic scholar, who was one of the most prominent and renowned experts on Hadith and Islamic history in the medieval era. and a disciple of the Sufi mystic Abu al-Najib Suhrawardi. Ibn Asakir was ...
said: "I believe that the marks of his hard work and striving in Allah's religion shall endure until the rising of the Hour."
Doctrine
Al-Juwayni, a Sunni
Sunni Islam is the largest branch of Islam and the largest religious denomination in the world. It holds that Muhammad did not appoint any successor and that his closest companion Abu Bakr () rightfully succeeded him as the caliph of the Mu ...
jurist
A jurist is a person with expert knowledge of law; someone who analyzes and comments on law. This person is usually a specialist legal scholar, mostly (but not always) with a formal education in law (a law degree) and often a Lawyer, legal prac ...
and Mutakallim
''Ilm al-kalam'' or ''ilm al-lahut'', often shortened to ''kalam'', is the scholastic, speculative, or rational study of Islamic theology ('' aqida''). It can also be defined as the science that studies the fundamental doctrines of Islamic fai ...
, or scholar engaged in the study of theological principles, spent his life deciphering between what a Muslim ought and ought not to do. He was said to be stubborn and unaccepting of any legal speculation whatsoever. His basic principle was that the law should not be left to speculation on any grounds. Rather, texts hold the answers to any possible legal debate in some capacity or another.[
]
Reception
Ibn Asakir said: "the Glory of Islam, absolute Imam of all imams, main authority in the Law, whose leadership is agreed upon East and West, whose immense merit is the consensus of Arabs and non-Arabs, upon the like of whom none set eyes before or after." Al-Kawthari said: "whose work forms the connecting link between the respective methods of the Salaf and Khalaf."
Al-Bakhirzi made a comparison of Al-Juwanyi's to Al-Shafi'i
Al-Shafi'i (; ;767–820 CE) was a Muslim scholar, jurist, muhaddith, traditionist, theologian, ascetic, and eponym of the Shafi'i school of Sunni Islamic jurisprudence. He is known to be the first to write a book upon the principles ...
and Al-Muzani
Abū Ibrāīm Ismā'īl ibn Yahyā Ibn Ismā'īl Ibn 'Amr Ibn Muslim Al-Muzanī Al-Misrī (791–878 AD/ 174-264 Hijri) was an Islamic jurist and theologian and one of leading member of Shafi'i school. A native of Cairo, he was a close disciple a ...
in jurisprudence
Jurisprudence, also known as theory of law or philosophy of law, is the examination in a general perspective of what law is and what it ought to be. It investigates issues such as the definition of law; legal validity; legal norms and values ...
, Al-Asmaʿi in manners, Al-Hasan al-Basri in preaching eloquence, and Al-Ash'ari
Abu al-Hasan al-Ash'ari (; 874–936 CE) was an Arab Islamic theology, Muslim theologian known for being the eponymous founder of the Ash'ari school of kalam in Sunnism.
Al-Ash'ari was notable for taking an intermediary position between the two ...
in speculative theology. Ibn Asakir replied and said: "Truly he is above that by far." Ibn al-Subki said: "Whoever thinks that there is anyone in the Four Schools that comes near his clarity of speech has no knowledge of him."
Works
His well-known works:
Kalam
* '' Al-Irshad'', is a major classic of Islamic theology
Schools of Islamic theology are various Islamic schools and branches in different schools of thought regarding creed. The main schools of Islamic theology include the extant Mu'tazili, Ash'ari, Maturidi, and Athari schools; the extinct ones ...
.
* ' (Summa on the Principles of Religion)
* ' (The Nizami Creed)
* ' (Flashes of Proof Concerning the Principles of the Doctrines of the People of the Sunna)
Fiqh
* '' Nihayat al-Matlab fi Dirayat al-Madhhab'' (, "The End of the Quest in the Knowledge of the hafi'iSchool"), his magnum opus, which Ibn 'Asakir said had no precedent in Islam.
* ''Ghiyath al-Umam'' ()
* ''Mughith al-Khalq'' ()
* ''Mukhtasar al-Nihaya
Usul al-Fiqh
* Al-Burhan, considered as one of the four main books in this science.
* Al-Talkhis
* Al-Waraqat
The book ''Fara'id al-Simtayn
''Fara'id al-Simtayn'' is a hadith
Hadith is the Arabic word for a 'report' or an 'account f an event and refers to the Islamic oral tradition of anecdotes containing the purported words, actions, and the silent approvals of the Islamic pro ...
'' is sometimes mistakenly thought to be authored by the Sunni Abd'al Malik al-Juwayni. It was in fact authored by another Sunni scholar, Ibrahim bin Muhammad bin Himaway al Juwaynim who died in 1322 (722 A.H.)[Mu`ajam al-Mu`alafeen Vol.1 Page 89]
See also
* List of Ash'aris
* List of Muslim theologians
This is a list of notable Muslim theologians.
Traditional theologians and philosophers Ash'aris and Maturidis
* Abu al-Hasan al-Ash'ari
* Abu Mansur al-Maturidi
* Abu al-Yusr al-Bazdawi
* Abu al-Mu'in al-Nasafi
* Ibn Hibban
* Ibn Furak
* Abu M ...
References
* Musharraf, M. N. (2015) "Explanation of Al-Waraqat – A Classical Text on Usul Al Fiqh", Printed by Australian Islamic Library, WA.
* Al-Juwayni, Yusef. A Guide to the Conclusive Proofs for the Principles of Belief. 1 ed. Eissa S. Muhammad. The Center for Muslim Contribution to Civilization, 2000.
* Messick, Brinkley. "Kissing Hands and Knees: Hegemony and Hierarchy in Shari'a Discourse." Law & Society Review 22, no. 4 (1988): 637–660.
* Hallaq, Wael B.. "Caliphs, Jurists and the Saljuqs in the Political Thought of Juwayni." The Muslim World 74, no. 1 (1984): 26–41.
* Fadiman & Frager, James & Robert. Essential Sufism. 1 ed. James Fadiman & Robert Frager. San Francisco : HarperCollins, 1997.
* Johnston, David. "A Turn in the Epistemology and Hermeneutics of Twentieth Century Usul Al-Fiqh." Islamic Law & Society 11, no. 2 (2004): 233–282.
* Sohaira Z.M Siddiqui, ''Law and Politics under the Abbasids. An Intellectual Portrait of al-Juwayni'', Cambridge University Press, avril 2019.
Citations
External links
Imam al-Haramayn al-Juwayni
The Waraqat of Imam al-Haramayn al-Juwayni
Author analysis Faraa'd al Simtayn
{{Authority control
Asharis
Shafi'is
Shaykh al-Islāms
Mujaddid
11th-century Muslim theologians
Sunni fiqh scholars
Persian Sunni Muslim scholars of Islam
Muhaddiths from Nishapur
11th-century Iranian people
1028 births
1085 deaths
Juvayni family
11th-century jurists