Abu Ayyasha Muhammad al-Bayoumi
- Died
- 1335 AH
- Born in
- -
Abu Ayyasha Muhammad al-Bayoumi (1262–1335 AH / 1847–1917 CE) was an Egyptian Shafi'i jurist and scholar from Damanhur, known for his comparative legal writings and his Hanbali legal summary al-Aqd al-Mufrad fi al-Fiqh 'ala Madhhab al-Imam Ahmad.
Lineage and Early Life
He was Muhammad (al-Bayoumi) ibn Muhammad ibn Ali ibn Hasan (Abu Ayyasha) ibn Basyuni ibn 'Atiyyah al-Najjar ibn Yusuf al-Hasani al-Damanhuri al-Misri, whose lineage traced back to al-Hasan ibn Ali. His earlier ancestors from 'Atiyyah upward were carpenters, his grandfather Basyuni served as a governor of Damanhur, and his father Muhammad Abu Ayyasha (1226–1308 AH / 1811–1890 CE) was an al-Azhar-trained scholar who composed treatises in jurisprudence and astronomy.
Al-Bayoumi was born in Damanhur on the morning of Friday, 4 Dhu al-Hijjah 1262 AH (1847 CE); another report records his birth in 1263 AH. He documented his own autobiography and familial history in his treatise on estate division, Khulasat al-Mukhtasarat fi 'Ilm al-Fara'id wa-al-Munasakhat.
Education and Scholarship
Al-Bayoumi received his foundational education in the transmitted and rational sciences under the tutelage of his father. Although affiliated with the Shafi'i madhhab, he engaged deeply with all four Sunni schools of jurisprudence, as well as inheritance law (fara'id), Quranic recitations (qira'at), astronomy, and surveying.
Observing a scarcity of Hanbali texts in Egypt—especially across the Nile Delta region—he compiled al-Aqd al-Mufrad fi al-Fiqh 'ala Madhhab al-Imam Ahmad, condensing material primarily from Mansur al-Bahuti's al-Rawd al-Murbi' and Abd al-Qadir al-Shaybani's Nayl al-Ma'arib to facilitate access to the rulings of the Hanbali school. In the field of Quranic studies, he composed al-Fath al-Rabbani fi al-Qira'at al-Sab', detailing the seven canonical readings.
Standing and Death
Al-Bayoumi was recognized by contemporaries for his broad erudition across legal and rational disciplines; in 1329 AH, the editor of the Amiriya Press, Nasr al-'Adili, commended his scholarly discernment and literary skill. He was also registered in the Taymuriyya library catalogue as a distinguished scholar of the early fourteenth century AH.
He died in Damanhur in 1335 AH (1917 CE).
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List of Works
al-Aqd al-Mufrad fi al-Fiqh ala Madhhab al-Imam Ahmad (The Unique Necklace in Jurisprudence According to the School of Imam Ahmad) is an abridgment and concise summary of Hanbali jurisprudence. Composed to address the scarcity of Hanbali legal treatises in Egypt, particularly in the northern Delta region, it provides an accessible reference for those seeking practical legal dispensations and solutions offered within the school of Ahmad ibn Hanbal.