al-Maraghi, Ahmad ibn Mustafa
- Died
- 1371 AH
- Born in
- -
Ahmad ibn Mustafa al-Maraghi (1300–1371 AH / 1883–1952 CE) was an Egyptian scholar of Quranic exegesis, Arabic rhetoric, and Islamic jurisprudence, best known for his multi-volume Quranic commentary Tafsir al-Maraghi.
Early Life and Education
Ahmad ibn Mustafa ibn Muhammad ibn Abd al-Mun'im al-Qadi al-Maraghi was born in 1300 AH (1883 CE) in the town of al-Maragha, located in the Girga district of Upper Egypt. He came from a family long associated with religious scholarship and judicial appointments, known as the al-Qadi family because judicial posts had been passed down across generations. He belonged to the Hanafi school of law, though he was noted for not being partisan in his adherence to it.
Al-Maraghi studied under prominent Egyptian scholars of his era, including Muhammad Abduh and Muhammad Bakhit al-Muti'i. He pursued higher education in Cairo and graduated from Dar al-Ulum in 1909.
Career and Scholarly Contribution
Al-Maraghi began his professional career teaching in government schools and subsequently served as head of the Teachers' School in Fayyum. In 1917, he traveled to Sudan, where he taught Islamic law and Arabic language at Gordon College in Khartoum for four years until 1921. Following his return to Egypt, he was appointed professor of Arabic and Islamic law at Dar al-Ulum and was seconded to lecture on rhetoric at the Faculty of Arabic Language at al-Azhar.
Al-Maraghi was characterized by humility, affability, and a calm disposition. While he did not take part in political organizations, his scholarship engaged with contemporary social issues, and his commentary included explicit warnings against the cultural, political, and social dangers of Western colonialism. His major work, Tafsir al-Maraghi, was designed to provide an accessible exposition of the Quran for modern readers by clarifying vocabulary and general meanings while largely avoiding specialized scholastic jargon and unverified biblical lore (isra'iliyyat). In linguistic studies, he authored Ulum al-Balagha (The Sciences of Rhetoric), synthesizing the approaches of Abd al-Qahir al-Jurjani and Abu Ya'qub al-Sakkaki, as well as a treatise titled al-Hisba fi al-Islam (Public Oversight in Islam).
Death
Al-Maraghi died in Cairo on July 9, 1952 (1371 AH).
Answer updated
List of Works
Ulum al-Balagha (The Sciences of Rhetoric) is a treatise on Arabic rhetoric that combines the analytical approach of Abd al-Qahir al-Jurjani with the systematic, rule-based method of Abu Ya'qub al-Sakkaki. It examines foundational concepts of eloquence and rhetoric, explores the history and development of rhetorical inquiry, and details core areas of the discipline, such as the science of meanings.
Tafsir al-Maraghi is a twentieth-century Quranic commentary designed to convey the meanings of the Quran in an accessible, modern style for contemporary audiences. Grounded in sound proofs and reasoned inquiry, it presents systematic passage-by-passage explanations of vocabulary, overall thematic meanings, and verified occasions of revelation while avoiding burdensome technical terminology.
al-Hisba fi al-Islam (Hisba in Islam) is a legal and historical treatise on public moral oversight, municipal administration, and market regulation in Islamic law. It examines the nature, objectives, and legislative wisdom of the institution of hisba, addressing its linguistic and jurisprudential foundations, historical evolution, and institutional applications across various eras.