al-Samhudi
- Died
- 911 AH
- Born in
- -
Nur al-Din al-Samhudi (844–911 AH / 1440–1506 CE; another report gives 912 AH) was an Egyptian-born Shafi'i jurist, hadith scholar, and historian who settled in Medina, widely recognized for his authoritative topographical and historical chronicle of the Prophet's city, Wafa al-Wafa bi-Akhbar Dar al-Mustafa .
Lineage and early life
He was Abu al-Hasan Ali ibn Abd Allah ibn Ahmad ibn Ali ibn Isa, an acknowledged descendant of al-Hasan ibn Ali . Known by the honorific Nur al-Din and often referred to as al-Sharif al-Samhudi, he was born in Safar 844 AH in Samhud, Upper Egypt, where he was raised . In his youth, he memorized the Quran and al-Nawawi's legal compendium al-Minhaj, studying extensively under his father, Jamal al-Din Abd Allah (d. 866 AH), from whom he read legal commentaries, works on jurisprudence, grammar, and transmissions of the Sahih collections .
Education and career in Cairo
Al-Samhudi made multiple journeys to Cairo, beginning in 858 AH, before taking up residence there . In Cairo, he studied jurisprudence, legal theory, and Arabic grammar under Shams al-Din al-Jawjari, and attended the circles of Sharaf al-Din al-Munawi, Najm al-Din Ibn Qadi Ajlun, Shams al-Din al-Sharwani, and Ahmad ibn Yunus al-Qusantini . He received teaching authorizations (ijazas) from several prominent scholars, including Zakariyya al-Ansari, al-Jawjari, and al-Munawi .
He was appointed as a teaching assistant (mu'id) in hadith at the Walawiyya mosque and in fiqh at al-Madrasa al-Salihiyya . Although al-Munawi accommodated him in the judges' quarters and offered him a judicial deputy position, al-Samhudi declined it; however, on a subsequent return to his home region, he was granted judicial oversight over deputies in Upper Egypt with authority to remove unqualified appointees .
Settlement in Medina and scholarship
In 870 AH, al-Samhudi departed Egypt by sea for the pilgrimage, and after residing in Mecca in 871 AH, he completed his Hajj rites and subsequently moved to Medina (one account places his arrival in 880 AH) . He settled permanently in Medina, where he taught, issued legal rulings as the city's Shafi'i mufti, and acquired significant properties, including a large residence near Bab al-Rahma .
Al-Samhudi became celebrated as the premier chronicler and hadith scholar of Medina . His primary historical work, Wafa al-Wafa bi-Akhbar Dar al-Mustafa, provided an exhaustive geographical, architectural, and historical record of the city, its sacred monuments, and the Prophet's Mosque . He also authored an abridgment of this historical survey entitled Khulasat al-Wafa, as well as a treatise on religious knowledge and Prophetic lineage, Jawahir al-Iqdayn fi Fadl al-Sharafayn .
Death
Al-Samhudi died in Medina in 911 AH (1506 CE; with another source dating his death to 912 AH) .
Answer updated
List of Works
al-Maqalat al-Musfira an Dalail al-Maghfira (The Elucidating Treatises on the Proofs of Forgiveness) is a theological and legal treatise examining the expiation of sins and the proofs of divine pardon. The work is structured into three chapters establishing fundamental rules and principles regarding divine forgiveness, engaging with Prophetic traditions, theological distinctions regarding unconditional pardon and righteous deeds, and an enumeration of specific acts that expiate past and future misdeeds.
Khulasat al-Wafa bi Akhbar Dar al-Mustafa (The Quintessence of Fulfillment Regarding the History of the Abode of the Chosen One) is a history and topographical compendium of Medina. Serving as a concise abridgment of broader works on the city's sacred sites, geography, and history, the text is arranged into eight chapters covering Medina's names, virtues, inhabitants, the Prophet's Mosque, prayer locations, historical wells, surrounding valleys, and the etiquette of visiting the Prophet.
Wafa al-Wafa bi Akhbar Dar al-Mustafa (Fulfillment of Faith Regarding the Reports of the Abode of the Chosen One) is an extensive historical and topographical work on the city of Medina and the Prophet's Mosque. Synthesizing earlier regional chronicles with empirical architectural measurements and direct observations, the text covers Medina's history, sacred boundaries, urban settlements, historic mosques, wells, cemeteries, and topography across eight thematic parts.