al-Qalyubi
- Died
- 1069 AH
- Born in
- -
Shihab al-Din al-Qalyubi (d. 1069 AH / 1659 CE) was an Egyptian Shafi'i jurist, grammarian, and polymath, best known for his legal supercommentary on Jalal al-Din al-Mahalli's commentary on al-Nawawi's Minhaj al-talibin.
Biography and Education
Ahmad ibn Ahmad ibn Salama, bearing the honorific Shihab al-Din and the kunya Abu al-Abbas, took his nisba from the town of Qalyub in Egypt. He pursued his studies in Cairo, where he attached himself to notable masters, including Salim al-Shibshiri and Ali al-Halabi. Among those who transmitted knowledge from him or attended his lessons were Ibrahim al-Barmawi, Mansur al-Tukhi, Sha'ban al-Fayyumi, and the visiting Syrian scholar Ibn al-Imad al-Hanbali.
Scholarship and Character
Al-Qalyubi attained prominence across both the transmitted and rational disciplines, demonstrating wide expertise in jurisprudence, grammar, arithmetic (hisab), astronomical timekeeping (miqat), medicine, and occult arts such as magic squares (awfaq) and letter divination. His legal scholarship is represented by his supercommentary (hashiyah) on al-Mahalli's Kanz al-raghibin, which became a standard Shafi'i reference and was frequently published alongside the gloss of Shihab al-Din 'Umayra. Beyond legal studies, he wrote al-Tadhkirah fi al-tibb (The Memoir on Medicine) and Tuhfat al-raghib, a biographical work dedicated to members of the Prophet's household (Ahl al-Bayt).
Biographical notices record that he commanded deep awe, such that contemporaries lowered their heads in his presence. He maintained an austere life devoted to worship, avoided visiting governors and dignitaries, and held no salaried public appointments or stipends. While refusing to accept charity from others, he showed special care for the poor and was known for giving regular personal alms.
Death
Al-Qalyubi died in Egypt toward the end of Shawwal 1069 AH (1659 CE), though another report places his death in 1070 AH.
Answer updated
List of Works
Hashiyata Qalyubi wa Umayra is a composite work of Shafi'i jurisprudence comprising two separate supercommentaries on Jalal al-Din al-Mahalli's commentary, Kanz al-raghibin ("Treasure of the Eager"), on al-Nawawi's legal manual Minhaj al-talibin ("The Path of the Seekers").