Abd al-Aziz al-Kinani
- Died
- 240 AH
- Born in
- -
Abd al-Aziz al-Kinani (d. c. 240 AH / 854 CE) was a Meccan jurist and theologian associated with the early Shafi'i tradition, known for his disputations on the uncreatedness of the Quran and for the theological debate recorded in Kitab al-Haydah.
Life and Education
His full name was Abd al-Aziz ibn Yahya ibn Abd al-Aziz ibn Muslim ibn Maymun al-Kinani al-Makki, bearing the kunya Abu al-Hasan. He was given the moniker al-Ghawl because of his unsightly physical appearance. Al-Kinani studied under several prominent traditionists, including Sufyan ibn Uyaynah, Marwan ibn Mu'awiya al-Fazari, Abd Allah ibn Mu'adh al-San'ani, Salim ibn Maslama al-Makki, and Hisham ibn Sulayman al-Makhzumi.
He was among the close disciples of al-Shafi'i, studying jurisprudence under him, maintaining his company for an extended period, and accompanying him on his journey to Yemen. Among those who transmitted from him were Abu al-Ayna', al-Husayn ibn al-Fadl al-Bajali, and Ya'qub ibn Ibrahim al-Tamimi.
Disputation in Baghdad and Standing
Al-Kinani traveled to Baghdad during the reign of the Abbasid caliph al-Ma'mun. When he first appeared before the caliph, al-Mu'tasim laughed at his appearance, prompting al-Kinani to remark that God chose Joseph not for his physical beauty but for his piety and eloquence, an answer that pleased al-Ma'mun. While in Baghdad, he engaged in a theological disputation with the prominent theologian Bishr al-Marisi concerning the doctrine of the createdness of the Quran, refuting al-Marisi's position.
The debate was chronicled in Kitab al-Haydah, a work widely attributed to him; however, later scholars such as Shams al-Din al-Dhahabi and Taj al-Din al-Subki noted that the transmission chain of the book is not authentic and suggested it may have been spuriously attributed. Dawud al-Zahiri praised his understanding of the Quran and remarked that the influence of al-Shafi'i's legal theory—particularly regarding general and specific rulings and textual exposition—was clearly evident in al-Kinani's writings.
Later Life and Death
In his later years, al-Kinani visited the chief judge Ahmad ibn Abi Du'ad after the latter was stricken with hemiplegia, telling him that he had not come to nurse him, but to praise God for imprisoning him within his own skin. This encounter led al-Dhahabi and subsequent biographers to place his death around 240 AH (854 CE), though another historical account records his death in 221 AH.
Answer updated
List of Works
al-Hayda wal-I'tidhar fi al-Radd ala man qala bi-khalq al-Quran is a theological treatise that records a disputation held in Baghdad during the reign of the Abbasid caliph al-Ma'mun regarding the doctrine of the createdness of the Quran. The work documents polemical exchanges between scholars on the issue, opening with arguments rooted in Quranic texts and prophetic traditions before moving to rational speculation and analogy to address divine speech and attributes.