al-Khatib al-Shirbini
- Died
- 977 AH
- Born in
- -
al-Khatib al-Shirbini (d. 977 AH / 1570 CE) was an Egyptian Shafi'i jurist, Quranic exegete, and grammarian based in Cairo, best known for his legal commentary Mughni al-muhtaj .
Origin and Education
He was Shams al-Din Muhammad ibn Muhammad—and according to other biographical records, Muhammad ibn Ahmad—al-Shirbini al-Khatib . His birth year is not recorded in the sources . He was born in Shirbin, a town in the region of al-Mansurah in Lower Egypt, and subsequently moved to Cairo to pursue his studies .
In Cairo, he studied under leading scholars of his era, including Ahmad al-Barlusi (known as 'Amirah), Nur al-Din al-Mahalli, Nur al-Din al-Tahwani, Shams al-Din Muhammad ibn Abd al-Rahman al-Nashli al-Kurdi, Badr al-Din al-Mashhadi, Shihab al-Din al-Ramli, Nasir al-Din al-Tablawi, and Zakariyya al-Ansari . His teachers granted him authorization (ijazah) to teach and issue legal opinions (ifta'), and he engaged in both during their lifetimes . His students included his son, Zayn al-Din Abd al-Rahman, who transmitted knowledge from him .
Scholarly Standing and Devotional Life
Contemporary scholars in Egypt held a consensus on his righteousness, describing him as a model of erudition, asceticism (zuhd), scrupulous piety (wara'), and dedication to worship . The Sufi scholar Abd al-Wahhab al-Sha'rani, who accompanied him for roughly forty years, praised him extensively, observing that he avoided worldly positions, harbored no jealousy toward his peers, and spent his days reading, praying, fasting, and teaching . During Ramadan, al-Shirbini was known to enter the al-Azhar Mosque on the first night of the month and remain in continuous spiritual retreat (i'tikaf) until the Eid prayer . On his pilgrimages to Mecca, he walked alongside his mount for long distances, taught fellow travelers the rites of Hajj and the rulings on travel prayers, and engaged heavily in circumambulation and Quranic recitation .
In Shafi'i jurisprudence, al-Shirbini attained significant authority through works such as Mughni al-muhtaj, an intermediate commentary on al-Nawawi's Minhaj al-talibin, and al-Iqna' fi hall alfaz Abi Shuja', both of which incorporated the legal verifications (tahrirat) of late Egyptian masters and were transcribed and taught during his lifetime . He also authored a four-volume Quranic exegesis titled al-Siraj al-munir .
Death
Al-Shirbini died in Cairo after the afternoon prayer on Thursday, 8 Sha'ban 977 AH (1570 CE) .
Answer updated
List of Works
al-Khisal al-Mukaffira lil-Dhunub (The Qualities that Expiate Sins) is a concise legal treatise examining whether the pilgrimage of Hajj expiates both major and minor sins and relieves the obligation of making up unperformed religious duties.
Mughni al-Muhtaj ila Ma'rifat Ma'ani Alfaz al-Minhaj (Enriching the Needy for Knowing the Meanings of the Words of al-Minhaj) is a comprehensive commentary on al-Nawawi's Shafi'i legal manual Minhaj al-Talibin. Composed as an intermediate-length work, it clarifies obscure textual points, details legal proofs and rationales, and identifies the authoritative legal positions relied upon within the Shafi'i tradition.
al-Siraj al-Munir fi al-I'ana 'ala Ma'rifat Ba'd Ma'ani Kalam Rabbina al-Hakim al-Khabir (The Illuminating Lamp to Aid in Knowing Some Meanings of the Speech of Our Lord, the All-Wise, All-Aware) is a four-volume Quranic commentary. Covering the entire Quranic text, it integrates traditional exegesis, grammatical analysis, legal deductions, and theological insights, focusing on the most sound interpretations and the seven canonical readings.
Al-Iqna fi Hall Alfaz Abi Shuja (Persuasion in Resolving the Expressions of Abu Shuja) is a Shafi'i legal commentary on Abu Shuja al-Asfahani's concise jurisprudential primer Ghayat al-ikhtisar (also known as al-Taqrib or Mukhtasar Abi Shuja). It was written to unravel obscure phrasing and clarify difficult points in the primer, adopting an intermediate style suitable for both beginning students and intermediate scholars.