Burhan al-Din Ibn Muflih al-Hafid
- Died
- 884 AH
- Born in
- Damascus
Burhan al-Din Ibn Muflih al-Hafid (816–884 AH / 1413–1479 CE) was a Damascene Hanbali jurist, legal theorist, biographer, and chief judge, best known for his extensive legal commentary al-Mubdi fi Sharh al-Muqni .
Lineage and Early Life
He was Abu Ishaq Ibrahim ibn Muhammad ibn Abd Allah ibn Muhammad ibn Muflih ibn Muhammad ibn Mufrij ibn Abd Allah, bearing the nisbas al-Maqdisi, al-Ramini (tracing origin to the village of Ramin near Nablus), al-Dimashqi, and al-Salihi . He hailed from a prominent Hanbali scholarly family in Damascus; his great-grandfather was the jurist Shams al-Din Muhammad ibn Muflih (d. 763 AH), author of Kitab al-Furu', and his grandfather was Sharaf al-Din Abd Allah ibn Muflih (d. 834 AH) . He is distinguished by the epithet al-Hafid (the grandson/descendant) from his great-uncle, the elder Burhan al-Din Ibrahim ibn Muhammad ibn Muflih (d. 803 AH) .
He was born in Damascus on Monday, 25 Jumada al-Ula 816 AH ; other reports record his birth in 815 AH, or in 810 AH at Dar al-Hadith al-'Alimah opposite al-Jami' al-Afram . Raised in Damascus, he memorized the Quran and studied key foundational texts, including Ibn Qudamah's al-Muqni, Ibn al-Hajib's Mukhtasar in legal theory, al-Shatibiyyah, al-Ra'iyyah, Ibn Malik's Alfiyyah, al-'Iraqi's Alfiyyah, and al-Intisar, and recited the Quran in the seven canonical readings .
Education and Career
He received his early training in jurisprudence and hadith from his grandfather Sharaf al-Din Abd Allah . Among his other principal teachers were Ala al-Din al-Bukhari, Ibn Hajar al-Asqalani, Muhibb al-Din Ahmad ibn Nasr Allah al-Baghdadi, Ibn Nasir al-Din, Ibn al-Muhibb al-A'raj, and the Shafi'i jurist Taqi al-Din Ibn Qadi Shuhbah, who granted him an authorization (idhn) .
He taught, delivered legal verdicts, and entered the judiciary, serving initially as a deputy judge in Damascus . In Rajab 851 AH, Sultan Jaqmaq appointed him chief Hanbali judge of Damascus following the dismissal of his cousin Nizam al-Din Umar ibn Muflih . He presided over the judiciary repeatedly, with his overall judicial service exceeding forty years, and earned praise for his conduct in office . Following the tenure of Qadi 'Izz al-Din, he was invited to assume the chief judgeship of Egypt, but he declined and offered an excuse .
Numerous scholars studied under him, including Ala al-Din al-Mardawi (who also served as his judicial deputy), Taqi al-Din Abu Bakr ibn Zayd al-Jura'i, Ala al-Din Ali ibn Muhammad al-Baghdadi, Jamal al-Din Yusuf ibn Hasan Ibn Abd al-Hadi (Ibn al-Mibrad), the Shafi'i historian Abd al-Qadir ibn Muhammad al-Nu'aymi, and his son Najm al-Din Umar ibn Muflih .
Scholarly Standing
He was regarded as the foremost authority of the Hanbali school in Damascus during his later years, with scholars across legal schools deferring to his learning and judgment . Biographers praised him as an eloquent and articulate jurist and legal theorist who commanded broad prestige and leadership . His scholarly contributions include al-Mubdi' fi Sharh al-Muqni', a four-volume analytical commentary on Ibn Qudamah's intermediate text that later informed commentaries such as al-Buhuti's Kashshaf al-Qina'; al-Maqsad al-Arshad fi Dhikr Ashab al-Imam Ahmad, an alphabetical biographical dictionary of Hanbali scholars; and Mirqat al-Wusul ila 'Ilm al-Usul on legal theory .
Death
He died on 5 Sha'ban 884 AH at his home in al-Salihiyya in Damascus; another report places his death on 4 Sha'ban . The funeral prayer was held for him at al-Jami' al-Muzaffari, and he was buried at al-Rawdah beside his ancestors at the foot of Mount Qasiyun .
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List of Works
al-Mubdi Sharh al-Muqni is an extensive commentary on Ibn Qudamah's authoritative legal text al-Muqni. Serving as a reference in Hanbali jurisprudence, the work provides textual evidence, legal rationales, and determinations of preferred positions within the school.
al-Maqsad al-Arshad fi Dhikr Ashab al-Imam Ahmad is a biographical dictionary of the Hanbali school. The work records biographical entries for the companions, jurists, and prominent scholars of Ahmad ibn Hanbal from the school's early period up through the ninth century AH.
al-Mubdi fi Sharh al-Muqni is an extensive Hanbali legal commentary that serves as an analytical exposition of al-Muqni, the foundational intermediate jurisprudence text by Muwaffaq al-Din Ibn Qudama.