al-Ashkhar al-Yamani
- Died
- 991 AH
- Born in
- -
Muhammad ibn Abi Bakr al-Ashkhar (945–991 AH / 1538–1583 CE) was a Yemeni Shafi'i jurist, legal theorist, and grammarian best known for his commentary on the Prophetic biography, Sharh Bahjat al-Mahafil wa-Bughyat al-Amathil.
Life and education
Jamal al-Din Muhammad ibn Abi Bakr al-Ashkhar al-Zabidi was born in 945 AH (1538/1539 CE) in the village of Bayt al-Shaykh, near al-Duha in Yemen, into a family renowned for religious learning and righteousness. He received his foundational education under his father before continuing his legal studies in Zabid. He studied jurisprudence under 'Abd al-Rahman ibn Ziyad and Ibrahim ibn Mutayr (also cited as 'Abd Allah ibn Ibrahim ibn Mutayr), and traveled to Mecca, where he studied under Ibn Hajar al-Haytami. He received teaching licenses (ijazat) from his prominent instructors and memorized al-Muzajjad's legal compendium al-'Ubab.
Scholarly career and standing
Al-Ashkhar gained recognition among his contemporaries for his expertise in Shafi'i jurisprudence, the principles of law (usul al-fiqh), Arabic grammar, and genealogy. A circle of students from his home region and elsewhere studied under him, among whom was his brother, the scholar Ahmad al-Ashkhar, whom he favored over other students and consulted by reviewing his writings. His scholarship encompassed versifications and commentaries across multiple disciplines, notably his two-volume commentary Sharh Bahjat al-Mahafil wa-Bughyat al-Amathil on Yahya ibn Abi Bakr al-'Amiri's summary of Prophetic biography and virtues, as well as a versification of substantive Shafi'i law titled Nazm al-Irshad.
Later life and death
In his later years, al-Ashkhar suffered from melancholia (al-sawda'), which prompted him to withdraw into isolation and avoid interacting with most people. He died in 991 AH (1583 CE)—though another report places his death in 989 AH—in his native village of Bayt al-Shaykh near al-Duha, where his tomb is situated.
Answer updated
List of Works
Sharh Bahjat al-Mahafil wa Bughyat al-Amathil is a two-volume commentary on the Prophetic biography (al-Sirah al-Nabawiyyah). Serving as an extensive commentary on Yahya ibn Abi Bakr al-'Amiri's compendium covering the Prophet Muhammad's life, miracles, military expeditions, and traits, the work expounds on the base text by clarifying vocabulary, examining historical narratives, elaborating on derived legal rulings, citing relevant Quranic verses and variant readings, and tracing hadith narrations to their primary collections.