al-Sharwani, Ahmad
- Died
- 1253 AH
- Born in
- Al-Hodeidah
Ahmad al-Sharwani (d. 1253 AH / 1837 CE) was a Yemeni man of letters and scholar who settled in India, best known for his literary anthology Nafhat al-Yaman fima yazul bi-dhikrihi al-shajan .
Lineage and early life
He was Ahmad ibn Muhammad ibn Ali ibn Ibrahim al-Ansari al-Hamadhani al-Sharwani . He was born in al-Hudaydah in Yemen on 21 Ramadan 1200 AH . His family tracing to Hamadan had earlier moved to Shirvan, and his father later traveled to India before settling and marrying in Yemen . Al-Sharwani resided in al-Hudaydah, Zabid, and across the Tihamah region .
During his education in Yemen, he studied belles-lettres under Muhsin ibn Isa al-Najafi and Baha' al-Din ibn Muhsin al-Jabal al-'Amili . He learned Shafi'i jurisprudence from Ali ibn Yahya al-'Afif al-Yamani and Zayn al-'Abidin ibn al-'Alawi al-Madani, and studied Shi'i jurisprudence under his father .
Travels and career in India
Al-Sharwani traveled to India and took up residence in Calcutta (Kolkata), where he studied logic through Sharh al-Shamsiyyah and hadith principles through Sharh Nukhbat al-Fikr under Haydar Ali al-Tawki . In Calcutta, he prepared the anthology Hadiqat al-afrah li-izahat al-atrah for the instruction of students at Fort William College . He also collaborated with Awhad al-Din al-Bilgrami in editing the first printed edition of al-Fayruzabadi's al-Qamus al-Muhit, published in four volumes in Calcutta in 1232 AH . Among his students in literary arts was the Chishti shaykh Panah 'Ata al-Saluni .
He journeyed extensively throughout India, visiting cities such as Benares, Bombay, and Bhopal . In 1233 AH, he visited Lucknow during the reign of Ghazi al-Din Haydar, praised the ruler, and authored al-Manaqib al-Haydariyyah in his honor .
Death
Al-Sharwani died in the city of Pune (Poona) in 1253 AH (1837 CE) . Other biographical accounts place his death in 1256 AH (1840 CE) or 1250 AH .
Answer updated
List of Works
Nafhat al-Yaman fima yazul bi-dhikrihi al-shajan (The Breeze of Yemen Concerning What Dispels Grief upon Mention) is an Arabic literary anthology. It gathers curated selections of prose, poetry, and moral and entertaining anecdotes designed to instruct and entertain.