Faisal Al Mubarak

Faisal ibn Abdulaziz Al Mubarak (1313–1376 AH / 1895–1957 CE) was a Saudi Hanbali jurist, Quranic exegete, and judge from Huraymla in Najd Maqam al-Rashad bayn al-T…+1. He served in various judicial posts across Saudi Arabia and wrote several scholarly works, including the four-volume Quranic commentary Tawfiq al-Rahman fi Durus al-Quran al-Alam lil-Zirikli.

Early life and education

Faisal ibn Abdulaziz ibn Faisal ibn Hamad ibn Mubarak Al Hamad traced his lineage through the Al Bu Ruba' branch of the Anazah tribe Maqam al-Rashad bayn al-T…+1. He was born in 1313 AH (1895 CE) in Huraymla, located north of Riyadh Maqam al-Rashad bayn al-T…+1. At the age of seven—or in 1320 AH—he moved with members of his family to Riyadh Maqam al-Rashad bayn al-T…+1. In 1322 AH, his father was killed fighting alongside the army of King Abdulaziz Al Saud against the forces of Ibn Rashid at the Battle of al-Bukayriyyah, leaving Faisal an orphan under the guardianship of his paternal uncle, Muhammad ibn Faisal Al Mubarak Maqam al-Rashad bayn al-T…+1.

He began his education by memorizing the Quran under Abdulaziz al-Khayyal in Riyadh, where he stayed for four years before returning to Huraymla in 1324 AH (or 1331 AH) to continue his studies Maqam al-Rashad bayn al-T…+1. He later frequently traveled to Riyadh and other regional centers to study under leading scholars Maqam al-Rashad bayn al-T…+1. His primary teachers included his maternal grandfather Nasir ibn Muhammad al-Rashid, his uncle Muhammad ibn Faisal, Abdullah ibn Abd al-Latif Al al-Shaykh, Muhammad ibn Ibrahim Al al-Shaykh, Hamad ibn Faris in Arabic grammar, Abdullah ibn Rashid al-Jul'ud in inheritance law, and Sa'd ibn Hamad ibn Atiq in hadith al-Hujaj al-Qatia fi al-M…. When intending to travel to India to study hadith, he reached Qatar and chose to study under Muhammad ibn Abd al-Aziz ibn Mani' instead Maqam al-Rashad bayn al-T…. He received scholarly licenses (ijazat) from Sa'd ibn Atiq in hadith and tafsir, from Abdullah ibn Abd al-Aziz al-Anqari, and from Abdulaziz al-Nimr to issue legal opinions (fatwa) in 1333 AH at the age of twenty al-Ghurar al-Naqiyya ala ….

Judicial career, teaching, and students

King Abdulaziz dispatched Al Mubarak as a religious counselor and guide to several regions in the Hejaz and Tihamah Mawsuat Mawaqif al-Salaf …. He went on to hold judicial positions in multiple localities, culminating in his appointment as the judge of al-Jawf al-Alam lil-Zirikli+1. While in al-Jawf, he taught students in local mosques; due to the high enrollment of learners, he petitioned the government, which subsequently established several formal schools there on his behalf al-Alam lil-Zirikli. During his career, he authored concise commentaries and legal treatises, including his legal manual gloss Kalimat al-Sidad ala Matn al-Zad and his hadith abridgment Bustan al-Akhbar al-Alam lil-Zirikli+1.

A significant cohort of students trained under him, many of whom later served in the judiciary and public administration al-Hujaj al-Qatia fi al-M…. Notable among them were Ibrahim ibn Sulayman al-Rashid (judge of Riyadh and Wadi al-Dawasir), Abd al-Rahman ibn Sa'd ibn Yahya (judge of Riyadh and Huraymla), Muhammad al-Muhayzi' (judge of Riyadh), Nasir ibn Hamad al-Rashid (head of the Board of Grievances), and his cousins Faisal ibn Muhammad and Sa'd ibn Muhammad Al Mubarak al-Hujaj al-Qatia fi al-M…. Other prominent students included Abdullah ibn Abd al-Wahhab, Abd al-Aziz al-Aql, and Hammud ibn Matruk al-Bulayhid Mawsuat Mawaqif al-Salaf ….

Death

Al Mubarak died in Sakaka, the administrative center of al-Jawf, on 16 Dhu al-Qi'dah 1376 AH (June 1957 CE) at the age of sixty-three al-Alam lil-Zirikli+1. A variant biographical report places his death in 1373 AH Mawsuat Mawaqif al-Salaf ….