al-Ruhaybani
- Died
- 1243 AH
- Born in
- -
Mustafa al-Ruhaybani (1164–1243 AH / 1751–1827 CE) was a Syrian Hanbali jurist, legal inheritance specialist, and mufti of Damascus, best known for his comprehensive Hanbali legal commentary Matalib Uli al-Nuha fi Sharh Ghayat al-Muntaha ("Demands of the Possessors of Intellect in Explaining the Utmost Goal") .
Lineage and early life
His full name was Mustafa ibn Sa'd ibn 'Abduh (also recorded as Ibn 'Abdullah) al-Ruhaybani al-Dimashqi al-Hanbali, and he was commonly known by the surname al-Suyuṭi . He was born in the village of al-Ruhaybah in the rural environs of Damascus, situated roughly forty-five kilometers north of the city, with his birth reported in 1164 AH, 1165 AH, or 1160 AH; an alternative account states that he was born and raised in Asyut, Egypt, before moving to Damascus .
Education and scholarly career
After relocating to Damascus, al-Ruhaybani studied Hanbali jurisprudence primarily under Ahmad al-Ba'li, through whom he graduated, and Muhammad ibn Mustafa al-Labadi al-Nabulusi . He also read under 'Ali Afandi al-Daghistani, the lecturer at the Eagle Dome of the Umayyad Mosque, as well as Muhammad ibn 'Ali al-Sulaymi and Muhammad al-Kamili .
Al-Ruhaybani attained preeminence in jurisprudence and was appointed mufti of the Hanbalis in Damascus following the death of Isma'il al-Jara'i, assuming the post in 1212 AH . Alongside issuing fatwas, he held the trusteeship (nazarah) of the Umayyad Mosque in Damascus and the al-Muzaffari Mosque (known as Jami' al-Hanabila) in al-Salihiyyah for an extended period, earning praise for his integrity in administration .
Standing and students
Al-Ruhaybani was regarded as the foremost Hanbali authority of his time in Damascus, celebrated for his mastery of inheritance law (fara'id) and his extraordinary memory in recalling the transmitted rulings and texts of earlier Hanbali scholars . Biographers describe him as affable, gentle-tempered, and guarded in speech . In scholarly writing, his reputation was established above all by Matalib Uli al-Nuha, a three-volume legal commentary on Mar'i al-Karmi's Ghayat al-Muntaha, alongside devotional compilations such as Tuhfat al-'Ibad fima fi al-Yawm wa-al-Laylah min al-Awrad .
Numerous students from Damascus, Nablus, and Najd traveled to study under him . Among his prominent disciples were Hasan ibn 'Umar al-Shatti, Ibrahim al-Kufayri, 'Abd al-Jabbar ibn 'Ali al-Basri, and Sa'id al-Saffarini . His sons Muhammad Sa'di and Sa'id al-Suyuṭi both trained in law under him and successively succeeded him in the Hanbali muftiship of Damascus .
Death
Al-Ruhaybani died in Damascus on the night of Friday, 12 Rabi' al-Thani 1243 AH (with another report citing 13 Rabi' al-Thani) . His funeral prayer was performed at the Umayyad Mosque before a large congregation, and he was buried in the al-Dhahabiyyah enclosure within the Marj al-Dahdah cemetery, adjacent to the burial plot of the Abu al-Mawahib family . His student Sa'id al-Saffarini commemorated him in an elegy upon his passing .
Answer updated
List of Works
Matalib Uli al-Nuha fi Sharh Ghayat al-Muntaha is an extensive legal commentary in Hanbali jurisprudence. It serves as the sole complete commentary on Ghayat al-Muntaha fi al-Jam' bayna al-Iqna' wa-al-Muntaha, a late reference manual that synthesizes two major works of late Hanbali law.