al-Mawsili, Abu Bakr
- Died
- 797 AH
- Born in
- Mosul
Abu Bakr al-Mawsili (d. 797 AH / 1395 CE) was a Shafiʿi jurist, Sufi scholar, and philologist originally from Mosul who lived in Damascus and Jerusalem, known for his linguistic treatise al-Farq bayn al-Dad wa al-Za .
Biography and Career
Abu Bakr al-Mawsili was Abu Bakr ibn ʿAbd Allah al-Shaybani al-Mawsili, also identified in biographical and bibliographical records as Abu Bakr ʿAbd Allah ibn ʿAli al-Shaybani or Taqi al-Din Abu Bakr . Born in Mosul, he moved to Damascus during his youth . In his early years there, he earned his livelihood through weaving while dedicating his time to pursuing religious sciences and keeping company with Sufis .
He studied under Shaykh Qutb al-Din, whom he accompanied for an extended period, and immersed himself extensively in hadith study until he retained a vast amount of it in memory . He also engaged with jurisprudence and Sufi literature, instructing students in works such as al-Tanbih in Shafiʿi jurisprudence and Manazil al-Sa'irin in Sufism . Over the course of his life, he performed the pilgrimage to Mecca multiple times .
Standing and Scholarship
Al-Mawsili gained widespread prominence and attracted numerous disciples and followers . Notable scholars regularly attended his teaching assemblies and held him in high regard, including al-Shihab al-Zuhri and Shams al-Din al-Sarkhadi . When addressing people, he was known for presenting remarkable insights and subtle points of knowledge . He maintained a strict spiritual practice with his companions, which included not transacting commercially with one another or eating from each other's property .
His reputation reached the ruling sultan, who revered him and visited him in person at his residence in Jerusalem . When the sultan ordered a monetary grant for him, al-Mawsili refused to accept it; he nonetheless regularly wrote letters of intercession to the sultan on behalf of others, which were granted . Beyond his spiritual teaching, he composed poetry and prose, and authored writings including the lexical work al-Farq bayn al-Dad wa al-Za (The Difference Between the Dad and the Za) and al-Anisah al-Muntakhabah .
Death
Al-Mawsili died in Jerusalem in the month of Shawwal, 797 AH (1395 CE), having lived past sixty years of age .
Answer updated
List of Works
al-Farq bayn al-Dad wa al-Za (The Difference Between the Dad and the Za) is an Arabic linguistic and lexicographical treatise dedicated to distinguishing vocabulary containing the letters dad (ض) and za (ظ) in spelling and meaning.