al-Sanami

Diya' al-Din al-Sanami (d. c. 734 AH / 1333–1334 CE) was an Indian Hanafi jurist and preacher known for his legal handbook on public inspection, Nisab al-Ihtisab (The Standard of Market Inspection) al-Mawsua al-Fiqhiyya al-…+1.

Life and Career

'Umar ibn Muhammad ibn 'Iwad, titled Diya' al-Din, was born around the middle of the seventh century AH in India, where he grew up and spent his life al-Mawsua al-Fiqhiyya al-…. His father was an erudite scholar Nuzhat al-Khawatir wa Bah…. Al-Sanami acquired his Islamic education from Kamal al-Din al-Sanami al-Mawsua al-Fiqhiyya al-…+1.

He held the public office of moral regulation and market inspection (hisba) for a period of time and dedicated over thirty years to public exhortation and preaching (tadhkir) Nuzhat al-Khawatir wa Bah…. He delivered weekly sermons that drew audiences exceeding three thousand people from both the scholarly elite and the general public, captivating them so profoundly that they remained influenced by his admonitions until the subsequent week Nuzhat al-Khawatir wa Bah…+1.

Legal and Religious Stance

Al-Sanami was noted for strict piety, adherence to the religious law, and rigorous enforcement of moral supervision al-Mawsua al-Fiqhiyya al-…+1. He was vehement in repudiating what he regarded as religious innovations and heterodox practices (ahl al-bida' wa-l-ahwa'), without fearing reprimand from anyone al-Mawsua al-Fiqhiyya al-…+1. In particular, he persistently censured the Sufi shaykh Nizam al-Din al-Badayuni for engaging in musical audition (sama'), while Nizam al-Din treated him with reverence and expressed deference toward his rulings Nuzhat al-Khawatir wa Bah….

As a scholar, al-Sanami contributed to Hanafi jurisprudence and Quranic exegesis; the historian Diya' al-Din Barani praised his mastery in interpreting the Quran and elucidating its meanings al-Mawsua al-Fiqhiyya al-…+1. In jurisprudence, his manual Nisab al-Ihtisab served as a practical guide for market inspectors and judicial fatwas, and he also compiled a legal collection titled al-Fatawa al-Diya'iyya al-Mawsua al-Fiqhiyya al-…+1.

Death

Al-Sanami died in the first quarter of the eighth century AH, around 734 AH (though 696 AH / 1297 CE is also found in some biographical notices) al-Mawsua al-Fiqhiyya al-…+1. According to Abd al-Haqq al-Dihlawi, when al-Sanami was on his deathbed, Nizam al-Din al-Badayuni came to visit him Nuzhat al-Khawatir wa Bah…+1. Al-Sanami asked for his turban to be placed on the ground for Nizam al-Din to step upon, but Nizam al-Din placed it on his own head, kissed it, and entered Nuzhat al-Khawatir wa Bah…. Out of modesty, al-Sanami did not lift his gaze toward him Nuzhat al-Khawatir wa Bah…. Following Nizam al-Din's departure, al-Sanami passed away, prompting Nizam al-Din to weep and eulogize him by saying: "He who stood alone in defending and protecting the Sacred Law has died" Nuzhat al-Khawatir wa Bah….