Abd al-Wahhab al-Burayhi
- Died
- 904 AH
- Born in
- -
Abd al-Wahhab al-Burayhi (d. 904 AH / 1498–1499 CE) was a Yemeni Shafi'i scholar, biographer, and historian, best known for his biographical dictionary Tabaqat Sulaha al-Yaman, also widely referred to as Tarikh al-Burayhi.
Lineage and Education
His full name was Abd al-Wahhab ibn Abd al-Rahman al-Burayhi al-Saksaki al-Yamani. He hailed from the prominent scholarly family of Banu al-Burayhi in Yemen. He studied under notable jurists and scholars within his lineage, whom he designated as his teachers. Among them was the judge Jamal al-Din Muhammad ibn Abi Bakr al-Burayhi, whose judicial hearings in Ibb he attended. His teachers also included Safi al-Din Ahmad ibn Muhammad ibn Abi Bakr al-Burayhi and the ascetic scholar Safi al-Din Abu al-Abbas Ahmad ibn Abi Bakr al-Burayhi.
Biographical and Historical Documentation
Al-Burayhi composed Tabaqat Sulaha al-Yaman (The Biographical Layers of the Righteous of Yemen) as a concise abridgment of his extensive work al-Tarikh al-Kabir (The Major History). The compilation focused primarily on the scholars, jurists, ascetics, and notables of Yemen during the 9th Hijri century, while also recording figures who died in the late 8th Hijri century and foreign scholars from various lands who visited or settled in Yemen. In abridging the larger work, he omitted long repetitious poems to make the text a handy record of firsthand observations and attested reports.
Al-Burayhi organized his biographical material geographically: he began with the Shafi'i scholars of Sanaa and surrounding regions—such as Haraz, Milhan, Bura', Raymah, and Wusab—followed by the scholars of Mikhlaf Ja'far (including Ba'dan, al-Suhul, Ibb, Jiblah, and al-Ta'kar), and concluded with those of Ta'izz, Zabid, Mawza', and Aden.
Death
Al-Burayhi died in 904 AH (1498–1499 CE).
Answer updated
List of Works
Tabaqat Sulaha al-Yaman (The biographical layers of the righteous of Yemen), also widely known as Tarikh al-Burayhi (The history of al-Burayhi), is a biographical dictionary documenting the scholars, jurists, ascetics, and righteous notables of Yemen. It serves as an abridgment of the larger work al-Tarikh al-Kabir, focusing primarily on figures of the 9th Hijri century, while also covering individuals from the late 8th Hijri century and foreign scholars who traveled to or settled in Yemen.