al-Nuwayri, Muhibb al-Din
- Died
- 857 AH
- Born in
- -
Muhibb al-Din al-Nuwayri (801–857 AH / 1399–1453 CE) was an Egyptian Maliki jurist, grammarian, and scholar of Quranic readings, known for his commentary on Ibn al-Jazari's didactic poem, Sharh Tayyibat al-Nashr ("Commentary on the Fragrance of Publication") .
Lineage and Early Life
He was Muhammad ibn Muhammad ibn Muhammad ibn Ali ibn Muhammad ibn Ibrahim ibn Abd al-Khaliq, bearing the kunya Abu al-Qasim and the honorific Muhibb al-Din . His nisba al-Nuwayri traces to Nuwayrah, a village in Lower Upper Egypt in the province of Beni Suef . According to a note written by his father, he was born in Rajab 801 AH in the village of al-Maymun .
Moving to Cairo, he memorized the Quran, the legal compendium of Ibn al-Hajib, the grammatical Alfiyyah of Ibn Malik, and the Shatibiyyah on recitation . He presented these texts to leading scholars of Cairo who granted him licenses, including Hafid Ibn Marzuq al-Tilimsani, Muhammad ibn Muhammad ibn Yaftah-Allah, al-Wali al-'Iraqi, and Izz al-Din ibn Jama'ah .
Education and Teachers
Al-Nuwayri studied the ten canonical Quranic readings under multiple authorities, most prominently Ibn al-Jazari, whom he met during their mutual stay in Mecca in Rajab 828 AH and who licensed him alongside al-Zayn ibn 'Ayyash and al-Zaratiti . In Maliki jurisprudence and the rational sciences, he closely studied under Shams al-Din al-Bisati, who authorized him to deliver legal verdicts and teach .
He studied Arabic and jurisprudence with Shihab al-Din al-Sanhaji, fiqh with Jamal al-Din al-Aqfahasi, and language with Shams al-Din al-Shatnufi . In Hadith, he studied under al-Zayn al-Zarkashi, reciting Sahih Muslim to him, and received instruction from Ibn Hajar al-'Asqalani and al-Harawi . Among those who transmitted knowledge from him was his son Ahmad .
Travels, Career, and Independence
Al-Nuwayri traveled extensively, performing the pilgrimage multiple times and residing for periods in Mecca, Gaza, Jerusalem, and Damascus, where students and scholars gathered around him . He also served as a preacher at the Sacred Mosque in Mecca .
To maintain his scholarly independence, al-Nuwayri supported himself through commerce, engaging in trade both directly and through partners, and refused salaried appointments for jurists . When the Mamluk sultan al-Zahir Jaqmaq offered him formal teaching appointments and a judicial post along with a daily stipend of one gold dinar, he rejected the offer, stating: "Jaqmaq wants to enslave me!" .
Scholarly Standing and Works
Al-Nuwayri was regarded as a versatile scholar of jurisprudence, legal theory, recitation, grammar, morphology, prosody, logic, and astronomy . Al-Sakhawi characterized him as an articulate, highly discerning authority who enjoined good and forbade evil, stood haughty and stern before worldly rulers, but showed deep humility and generosity toward students and the poor .
His writings in Quranic readings include a two-volume commentary on Ibn al-Jazari's didactic poem, Sharh Tayyibat al-Nashr fi al-Qira'at al-'Ashr, and al-Ghiyath ("The Succor"), a versification with commentary on the three readings beyond the seven . In Arabic language sciences, he composed Sharh al-Muqaddimat al-Kafiyah ("Commentary on the Sufficient Introductions"), explaining his own 545-line didactic poem on grammar, morphology, and prosody .
Death
Al-Nuwayri died in Mecca in Jumada al-Ula 857 AH (May 1453 CE) . Another report gives his death on Monday, 4 Jumada al-Ula 897 AH, though 857 AH is the widely accepted date .
Answer updated
List of Works
Sharh Tayyibat al-Nashr is a two-volume commentary on Quranic readings that elucidates Ibn al-Jazari's didactic thousand-verse poem, Tayyibat al-Nashr fi al-Qira'at al-Ashr. It explains the ten canonical readings by decoding the poem's symbolic codes, clarifying phonetic and grammatical principles, and detailing transmission paths and variations.