al-Shurunbulali
- Died
- 1069 AH
- Born in
- -
Hasan ibn Ammar al-Shurunbulali (994–1069 AH / 1585–1659 CE) was an Egyptian Hanafi jurist and legal scholar at al-Azhar, recognized as the primary legal authority for fatwas in his era and best known for his ritual law manual Nur al-Idah (The Light of Clarification) .
Lineage and Early Life
His full name was Hasan ibn Ammar ibn Ali, given the kunyas Abu al-Ikhlas and Abu al-Barakat, and he was affiliated with the Wafa'i Sufi order . One genealogical report records his grandfather's name as Yusuf instead of Ali . His nisba al-Shurunbulali derives irregularly from Shubra Bilula (originally Shubra Biluli), a village opposite Upper Manuf in the Monufia region of Lower Egypt .
He was born in 994 AH (1585 CE), and his father brought him from his native village to Cairo when he was approximately six years old . He was raised in Cairo, where he memorized the Quran and began his religious education .
Education and Teachers
In his youth, al-Shurunbulali studied under Muhammad al-Hamawi and Abd al-Rahman al-Musayri . He received his specialized training in Hanafi jurisprudence (tafaqqaha) under Abd Allah al-Nahriri (also recorded as al-Tahriri) and Shams al-Din Muhammad al-Muhibbi . His formal transmission chain in jurisprudence through these two masters and through Ali ibn Ghanim al-Maqdisi was widely recognized and disseminated .
Career, Travels, and Students
Al-Shurunbulali took up teaching at the al-Azhar Mosque, gained preeminence in Cairo, and attained high standing among state authorities . He became the foremost authority consulted for legal verdicts in Egypt during his lifetime . Alongside jurisprudence, he was deeply engaged in Sufism, held a strong devotion to righteous figures and mystics, and was a close associate of Abu al-Is'ad Yusuf ibn Wafa, whom he accompanied on a journey to al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem in 1035 AH (1626 CE) .
A large number of students from Egypt and the Levant studied under him . Among his most prominent Egyptian students were Ahmad al-Ajmi, Ahmad al-Hamawi, and Shahin al-Urmunawi, while his Levantine students included the jurist Isma'il al-Nabulsi .
Scholarly Standing
Biographical authorities commended al-Shurunbulali as possessing the finest legal aptitude (malaka) among late Hanafi jurists and the deepest familiarity with the school's texts and principles . The biographer al-Muhibbi described him as the most eloquent and prolific legal writer of his time, noting that his extensive marginal gloss Ghunyat Dhawi al-Ahkam on Mulla Khusraw's Durar al-Hukkam gained widespread circulation during his lifetime as a primary testament to his erudition . He also authored Nur al-Idah wa-Najat al-Arwah and expanded it in his commentary Maraqi al-Falah (Ascents to Success), both of which became foundational teaching texts on Hanafi ritual worship .
Death
Al-Shurunbulali died in Cairo on Friday after the Asr prayer on 21 Ramadan 1069 AH (11 June 1659 CE)—with another report specifying 11 Ramadan—at the age of about seventy-five . He was buried in the cemetery of Turbat al-Mujawirin in Cairo's Greater Qarafa .
Answer updated
List of Works
Ithaf Dhawi al-Itqan bi-Hukm al-Rihan is a legal treatise on Hanafi jurisprudence. It addresses the legal status of purchasing and endowing property held under a pledge (rihan or rahn).
Tajaddud al-Masarrat bil-Qasm bayn al-Zawjat is a short legal treatise on Hanafi jurisprudence. The work examines the legal requirements of marital rotation and equal overnight division (al-qasm) among wives and concubines.
Nur al-Idah wa Najat al-Arwah fi al-Fiqh al-Hanafi is a concise foundational manual (matn) of Hanafi jurisprudence dedicated to acts of worship. It covers the legal rulings for purification, prayer, fasting, alms, and pilgrimage.
Saadat al-Majid bi Imarat al-Masajid is a legal treatise in Hanafi jurisprudence addressing the rules governing the endowments of ruined mosques and schools, as well as the disbursement of student stipends.
Maraqi al-Falah Sharh Nur al-Idah is a concise commentary on Hanafi jurisprudence covering ritual worship (ibadat). Abridged from an earlier, larger commentary, it expounds the legal rulings pertaining to purification, prayer, fasting, zakat, and hajj.