al-Basrawi
- Died
- 905 AH
- Born in
- Damascus
Ali ibn Yusuf al-Basrawi (842/843–905 AH / 1438/1439–1500 CE) was a Damascene Shafi'i jurist, legal theorist, grammarian, and historian, best known for his late Mamluk-era chronicle Tarikh al-Basrawi.
Name and Early Life
His full name was Ala al-Din (also recorded as Ali al-Din) Ali ibn Yusuf ibn Ahmad (and in some records ibn Ali ibn Ahmad) al-Dimashqi al-Ataki al-Shafi'i, widely known by the nisba al-Basrawi. According to the historian Abd al-Qadir al-Nu'aymi, al-Basrawi initially stated that he was born in 842 AH (c. 1438 CE), though al-Nu'aymi later found in al-Basrawi's own handwriting that his birth occurred in 843 AH (c. 1439 CE).
Education and Scholarly Career
Al-Basrawi pursued classical Islamic scholarship in Damascus, excelling in Shafi'i jurisprudence, Arabic grammar, legal theory, and history. He attached himself closely to the Damascene scholar Radi al-Din al-Ghazzi as well as his son, the judge Shihab al-Din al-Ghazzi, and accompanied them in attending sessions with various scholars. He also engaged in copying and transcribing works of scholarship. His son, Jalal al-Din al-Basrawi, went on to become a notable preacher (khatib).
In legal theory, al-Basrawi authored a commentary on Taj al-Din al-Subki's Jam' al-jawami' (The Gathering of Gatherings). In Arabic grammar, he composed al-Nafhah al-zakiyyah (The Pure Fragrance), an explanatory commentary on al-Muqaddimah al-ajrumiyyah. His historical chronicle, Tarikh al-Basrawi, serves as a contemporary record of political, administrative, judicial, and urban developments in the late Mamluk period, focusing on Damascus and Cairo.
Death
Al-Basrawi died in Damascus in the middle of the day on Wednesday, 16 Ramadan 905 AH (April 1500 CE).
Answer updated
List of Works
Tarikh al-Basrawi (The Chronicle of al-Basrawi) is an Arabic late Mamluk-era historical chronicle. It documents political, judicial, administrative, and local urban events with an emphasis on Damascus and Cairo.