Abd al-Qadir al-Qurashi
- Died
- 775 AH
- Born in
- Cairo
Abd al-Qadir al-Qurashi (696–775 AH / 1297–1373 CE) was a Cairo-based Hanafi jurist, traditionist, and biographer, best known for compiling al-Jawahir al-Mudiya fi Tabaqat al-Hanafiyya (The Luminous Jewels on the Biographical Generations of the Hanafis).
Early life and education
His full name was Muhyi al-Din Abu Muhammad Abd al-Qadir ibn Muhammad ibn Muhammad ibn Nasr Allah ibn Salim ibn Abi al-Wafa al-Qurashi al-Misri. He was born in Cairo in Sha'ban 696 AH (reported specifically on 20 Sha'ban / June 1297 CE), though al-Suyuti noted an alternate birth year of 676 AH.
Al-Qurashi devoted himself to Hanafi jurisprudence until he attained proficiency in it, while also studying hadith transmission extensively. In Mecca, he heard hadith from al-Radi al-Tabari. Among his other teachers were Abu al-Hasan ibn al-Sawwaf, Hasan ibn Umar al-Kurdi, al-Rashid ibn al-Mu'allim, Sharif Ali ibn Abd al-Azim al-Rassi, Sitt al-Ahbas Muwaffaqiyya bint Ahmad, and Abd Allah ibn Ali al-Sanhaji, and he received formal teaching authorization (ijaza) from al-Dimyati.
Scholarly career and reception
Al-Qurashi taught, issued legal opinions, and transmitted hadith in Egypt. He was noted for his dedicated manuscript copying and fine calligraphic hand. He achieved prominence through his biographical compilation al-Jawahir al-Mudiya fi Tabaqat al-Hanafiyya, the earliest specialized biographical dictionary dedicated to the scholars of the Hanafi legal school. In hadith studies, he produced al-Inaya fi Takhrij Ahadith al-Hidaya (The Care in Extracting the Hadiths of al-Hidaya), which traced and evaluated the legal proofs used in the classic legal manual.
Prominent scholars studied and transmitted under him, including Abu al-Fadl al-Iraqi. In his evaluation, Ibn Hajar al-Asqalani acknowledged al-Qurashi's vast copying and compilation efforts, though he remarked that he was not especially skilled in hadith criticism.
Death
Al-Qurashi died in Cairo in Rabi' al-Awwal 775 AH (September 1373 CE) at the age of seventy-nine. Ibn Hajar recorded an alternative report dating his death to Rabi' al-Awwal 765 AH, following a period of physical decline and loss of sight.
Answer updated
List of Works
al-Jawahir al-Mudiya fi Tabaqat al-Hanafiyya (The Luminous Jewels on the Biographical Generations of the Hanafis) is a biographical dictionary of jurists and scholars of the Hanafi legal school. It is considered the earliest dedicated biographical dictionary compiled specifically for the figures of the Hanafi madhhab.
al-Jawahir al-Mudiyya fi Tabaqat al-Hanafiyya (The Radiant Jewels on the Classes of Hanafis) is a biographical dictionary of Hanafi jurists and scholars. It is considered the earliest comprehensive biographical dictionary devoted specifically to the figures of the Hanafi school of law.