Ahmad al-Shafii
- Died
- 1179 AH
- Born in
- -
Ahmad al-Shafii (d. 1179 AH / 1765–1766 CE) was an Ottoman scholar and the chief of hadith scholars (ra'is al-muhaddithin) at the Hagia Sophia mosque, known for his treatise al-I'lam al-Multazim bi-Fadilat Zamzam (The Indispensable Notice on the Virtue of Zamzam).
Life and Career
Ahmad ibn Ali al-Shafii is recorded in the Ottoman biographical register Sicill-i Osmani under the name Ahmad al-Izz. As a scholar of the Ottoman state, he held the post of chief of hadith scholars at the Hagia Sophia mosque in Istanbul. He died in 1179 AH (1765–1766 CE).
Scholarly Contribution
Al-Shafii authored al-I'lam al-Multazim bi-Fadilat Zamzam, a concise treatise that he organized into an introduction, three main chapters, and an epilogue. The work discusses the figures who revealed the well of Zamzam, details its virtues, establishes the comparative ranking of Zamzam water alongside other kinds of water, and addresses whether descending water has color and taste. The treatise was published in Mecca in 1331 AH at the al-Taraqqi al-Majdiyyah al-Uthmaniyyah press at the expense of Muhammad Majid al-Kurdi al-Makki, and was later re-edited for inclusion in the Liqa al-Ashr al-Awakhir bi-l-Masjid al-Haram series.
Answer updated
List of Works
al-I'lam al-Multazim bi-Fadilat Zamzam (The Indispensable Notice on the Virtue of Zamzam) is a concise treatise on the history, names, and virtues of the well of Zamzam. Composed as a short, accessible work that could be read in one or two study circles, it examines the properties and history of Zamzam, its physical description, the blessings associated with its water, and its comparative ranking with other waters.