al-Banna
- Died
- 1117 AH
- Born in
- Damietta
Shihab al-Din al-Banna (d. 1117 AH / 1705 CE) was an Egyptian scholar of Quranic readings, hadith, and jurisprudence, best known for his comprehensive treatise on the fourteen Quranic readings, Ithaf Fudala al-Bashar fi al-Qiraat al-Arbaat Ashar (The Gift to Noble Humankind Regarding the Fourteen Readings) .
Lineage and Early Life
He was Ahmad ibn Muhammad ibn Ahmad ibn Muhammad ibn 'Abd al-Ghani al-Dimyati, bearing the honorific Shihab al-Din and commonly known as al-Banna, Ibn al-Banna, or Ibn 'Abd al-Ghani . He was affiliated with the Shafi'i legal school, though he was also referred to as a Hanafi in some accounts, and he was associated with the Naqshbandi Sufi order . He was born and raised in Damietta, where he memorized the Quran and began his foundational studies under its scholars .
Education and Travels
Al-Banna traveled to Cairo to further his education, closely studying under Sultan ibn Ahmad al-Mazzahi and Nur al-Din al-Shabramallisi, from whom he learned Quranic readings, studied Shafi'i jurisprudence, and heard hadith . He also attended hadith sessions with Nur al-Din al-Ujhuri, Shams al-Din al-Shawbari, Shihab al-Din al-Qalyubi, and Shams al-Din al-Babili .
He subsequently journeyed to the Hijaz to perform the pilgrimage and studied hadith under Burhan al-Din al-Kurani, in addition to transmitting from scholars of Yemen . He returned to Damietta, where he spent periods in scholarly retreat and teaching, before eventually taking up residence in Medina .
Scholarly Standing
Al-Banna was recognized for integrating exoteric religious jurisprudence with spiritual disciplines, with biographers characterizing him as combining the sacred law and spiritual reality . The contemporary scholar Abu al-Nasr al-Manzali commended his critical precision, asserting that he was more exact in his scholarship than Ibn Qasim al-Ibbadi .
His most celebrated contribution was Ithaf Fudala al-Bashar fi al-Qiraat al-Arbaat Ashar, which he also titled Muntaha al-Amani wa-al-Masarrat fi 'Ulum al-Qira'at; the work systematically compiled the ten canonical and four non-canonical Quranic recitations, alongside rules of Uthmanic orthography, Quranic pause markers, and grammatical justifications . He also composed a theological treatise titled Dhakha'ir al-Muhimmat fima Yajib al-Iman bihi min al-Masmu'at and an abridgment of the biographical work al-Sira al-Halabiyya .
Death
Al-Banna died in Medina in 1117 AH (1705 CE), though another report places his death in 1116 AH . He was buried in the cemetery of al-Baqi' .
Answer updated
List of Works
Ithaf Fudala al-Bashar bi al-Qiraat al-Arbaat Ashar is a comprehensive treatise on Quranic readings. It covers the ten widely transmitted (mutawatir) readings alongside the four anomalous (shadhdh) readings, detailing their rules, variant pronunciations, and grammatical justifications.