al-Shibli
- Died
- 769 AH
- Born in
- Damascus
Badr al-Din al-Shibli (712–769 AH / 1312–1367 CE; born 710 AH according to another report) was a Damascus-born Hanafi jurist, traditionist, and judge of Tripoli, best known for his treatise on the unseen world, Akam al-marjan fi ahkam al-jann (Hills of Coral on the Rulings Concerning the Jinn) .
Lineage and Early Life
He was Abu Abd Allah (and also styled Abu al-Baqa') Muhammad ibn Taqi al-Din Abd Allah al-Dimashqi al-Shibli . He was born in Damascus, where his father served as the custodian (qayyim) of the Shibliyya Madrasa, from which his family derived the nisba al-Shibli .
Education and Career
Al-Shibli was raised in Damascus and pursued studies in hadith and jurisprudence under leading Syrian scholars, studying hadith under al-Mizzi and al-Dhahabi . He subsequently traveled to Cairo, where he took knowledge from the grammarian Abu Hayyan and the encyclopedist Ibn Fadl Allah al-Umari .
In 755 AH, al-Shibli was appointed as the chief Hanafi judge (qadi) of Tripoli in the Levant, an office he held continuously for the remainder of his life . Alongside his judicial administration, he took part in coastal frontier defense (ribat), taking up arms and participating in military engagements .
Scholarly Standing
Al-Shibli was widely recognized for his versatility across jurisprudence, hadith, history, and belles-lettres . His teacher al-Dhahabi profiled him in his biographical dictionary al-Mu'jam al-mukhtass, describing him as a jurist, scholar, and traditionist from among the foremost students and distinguished youth of his era who heard extensively from him . The historian Ibn Habib praised his judicial integrity, noting that he was exceptionally deliberate and thorough in his verdicts, rigorous in his writings, and gifted in conversation, prose, and poetry . Later Hanafi scholars, including Ibn Amir Hajj, cited his historical and legal treatise Mahasin al-wasa'il ila ma'rifat al-awa'il (The Beauties of Means for Knowing the Firsts) when establishing specific legal rulings . His juridical and traditional compendium Akam al-marjan fi ahkam al-jann was later abridged and expanded by Jalal al-Din al-Suyuti under the title Laqt al-marjan fi akhbar al-jann .
Death
Al-Shibli died in Tripoli in 769 AH (1367 CE) while still presiding over its judiciary .
Answer updated
List of Works
Akam al-Marjan fi Ahkam al-Jann (Hills of Coral on the Rulings Concerning the Jinn) is a legal and traditional treatise on the nature, lore, and legal rulings pertaining to the jinn. Comprising a single volume arranged into 140 chapters, the work brings together Quranic verses, prophetic traditions, historical narratives, and juridical rulings concerning the unseen world.