al-Maqdisi, Izz al-Din
- Died
- 678 AH
- Born in
- -
Izz al-Din al-Maqdisi (d. 678 AH / 1280 CE), also known as Ibn Ghanim, was a Palestinian preacher, poet, and Sufi author known for his allegorical and homiletic writings .
Lineage and Preaching Career
He was Abd al-Salam ibn Ahmad ibn Ghanim ibn Ali ibn Ibrahim ibn Asakir ibn Husayn al-Ansari al-Maqdisi al-Nabulusi, carrying the honorific Izz al-Din . His ancestor Ghanim ibn Ali was recognized as a prominent ascetic, and the scribal family of Banu Ghanim traced their maternal lineage to him .
Al-Maqdisi gained widespread fame for his homilies, preaching in Damascus to broad popular acclaim . His preaching style and literary composition in both prose and verse were noted as following the model of Ibn al-Jawzi . In 675 AH, he delivered an assembly facing the Kaaba in Mecca before an audience of scholars and ascetics that included Taj al-Din al-Fazari, Ibn Daqiq al-Id, and Ibn al-Ujayl of Yemen, an event documented with high praise for his eloquence by al-Fazari .
Scholarly Output and Standing
Al-Maqdisi was praised as an articulate preacher and poet who enjoyed broad acceptance across intellectual and popular circles . His literary output focused on mystical, moral, and allegorical treatises, most notably Kashf al-Asrar fi Hukm al-Tuyur wa-l-Azhar (Unveiling the Secrets Concerning the Wisdom of Birds and Flowers), which conveyed spiritual instruction through nature allegories . He also authored the mystical treatise Hall al-Rumuz (Unraveling the Symbols) and the dialogue work Taflis Iblis (The Bankruptcy of Iblis) .
Death
Al-Maqdisi died at middle age in Cairo in Shawwal 678 AH (February 1280 CE) . Another report places his death in 672 AH .
Answer updated
List of Works
Kashf al-Asrar fi Hukm al-Tuyur wa al-Azhar (Unveiling the Secrets Concerning the Wisdom of Birds and Flowers) is an allegorical didactic work. The text conveys spiritual reminders and moral exhortations through symbolic discourses framed around the silent language of nature.
Talkhis al-Ibara fi Nahw Ahl al-Ishara (Abridging Expression on the Grammar of the People of Allusion) is a mystical grammatical treatise in which the technical terms and rules of Arabic grammar are allegorically interpreted into spiritual, ethical, and Sufi concepts.