al-Ghaznawi, Jamal al-Din
- Died
- 593 AH
- Born in
- -
Jamal al-Din al-Ghaznawi (d. after 593 AH / 1197 CE) was a Hanafi jurist, legal theorist, and theologian based in Aleppo, known for his theological treatise Rawdat al-mutakallimin and his legal manual al-Muqaddima al-Ghaznawiyya.
Name and Origin
His full name is Ahmad ibn Muhammad ibn Mahmud ibn Sa'id ibn Nuh, though Ibn al-Adim recorded finding his lineage written in his own hand as Ahmad ibn Mahmud ibn Sa'id. He was known by the honorific title Jamal al-Din and held the judicial title of al-Qadi. His nisba al-Ghaznawi traces his origin to Ghazna, a town at the frontier of India; he was also attributed the nisbas al-Kashani and al-Qabisi.
Education and Career
Al-Ghaznawi studied Islamic jurisprudence under Muhammad ibn Yusuf al-Alawi al-Husayni of Samarkand, and later under Ala' al-Din al-Kasani, under whom he attained leadership in the Hanafi school. He resided in Aleppo, where he served as a tutor and repetition master (mu'id) at al-Madrasa al-Nuriyya (known as al-Halawiyya) during al-Kasani's tenure. He also travelled to Jerusalem, where he authored al-Hawi al-qudsi, a legal work structured into three divisions: theology, legal theory, and positive law.
Numerous students studied jurisprudence under his guidance, among them 'Imad al-Din Ahmad ibn Yusuf al-Hasani and the grammarian Hasan ibn 'Ali al-Nahwi.
Scholarly Standing
Biographers commended al-Ghaznawi for his proficiency in substantive law, legal theory, and creed. Ibn al-Adim related that his father spoke highly of al-Ghaznawi's religious devotion and learning. His concise legal manual on worship, al-Muqaddima al-Ghaznawiyya, was widely circulated among students of Hanafi jurisprudence and was later commented upon by Ibn al-Diya' al-Makki.
Death
Al-Ghaznawi died in Aleppo after 593 AH (1197 CE), though some biographical works record his death in 593 AH or circa 600 AH. Ibn al-Adim established that he survived beyond 593 AH after examining a manuscript featuring al-Ghaznawi's handwriting bearing that date. He was buried in the cemetery of Hanafi jurists situated to the south of the shrine of Abraham (Maqam Ibrahim) in Aleppo.
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List of Works
Usul al-Din (The Principles of Religion), also commonly referred to in biographical and bibliographical literature as Rawdat al-Mutakallimin fi Usul al-Din or Rawdat al-Mutakallimin, is a treatise on Islamic theology and creed.