Ala al-Din Abd al-Aziz al-Bukhari
- Died
- 730 AH
- Born in
- Bukhara
Ala al-Din Abd al-Aziz al-Bukhari (d. 730 AH / 1330 CE) was a Transoxanian jurist and legal theorist of the Hanafi school, renowned for his extensive commentaries on Hanafi jurisprudence and legal theory.
Life and Education
Ala al-Din Abd al-Aziz ibn Ahmad ibn Muhammad al-Bukhari was born and based in Bukhara. He received his legal education under his paternal uncle, Fakhr al-Din Muhammad ibn Muhammad al-Maymarghi al-Nasafi, through whom he acquired the Hanafi legal tradition, and he also studied under Hafiz al-Din al-Kabir Muhammad al-Bukhari.
A prominent master in Transoxiana, al-Bukhari instructed several influential scholars. Among his most notable students were Qiwam al-Din Muhammad ibn Muhammad al-Kaki, who met him and studied under him in Termez, Jalal al-Din Umar ibn Muhammad al-Khabbazi, and Ala al-Din Abu Nasr Muhammad ibn Mahmud al-Sharghi al-Hafizi.
Scholarly Contribution and Standing
Al-Bukhari attained distinction for his mastery in both foundational legal theory (usul al-fiqh) and substantive law (furu'). His most celebrated contribution is Kashf al-Asrar, an exhaustive commentary on Fakhr al-Islam al-Bazdawi's Kanz al-Wusul ila Ma'rifat al-Usul (Usul al-Bazdawi), widely regarded by later scholars as the most authoritative and clarifying exposition of the work. Following the completion of Kashf al-Asrar, he composed Ghayat al-Tahqiq, a commentary on Husam al-Din al-Akhsikathi's al-Muntakhab; both texts became foundational reference points relied upon heavily by later legal theorists for their detailed conceptual investigations and substantive legal branchings. At the request of his student Qiwam al-Din al-Kaki, he also began a commentary on Burhan al-Din al-Marghinani's al-Hidayah, though death prevented its completion beyond the chapter of marriage.
Death
Al-Bukhari died in 730 AH (1330 CE). Another report recorded by Katip Celebi states that he died in Bukhara in Muharram 729 AH (November 1328 CE).
Answer updated
List of Works
Kashf al-Asrar ‘an Usul Fakhr al-Islam al-Bazdawi is a comprehensive line-by-line commentary on Hanafi legal theory (usul al-fiqh), expounding upon Fakhr al-Islam Ali ibn Muhammad al-Bazdawi's treatise Kanz al-Wusul ila Ma‘rifat al-Usul (Usul al-Bazdawi). The work unpacks the compressed language of the base text, clarifies textual obscurities, details its evidential foundations, and elucidates linguistic terminology, semantic designations, and foundational legal sources.