Falih bin Mahdi Al Mahdi
- Died
- 1392 AH
- Born in
- -
Falih bin Mahdi Al Mahdi (1352–1392 AH / 1933–1973 CE) was a Saudi Hanbali jurist and scholar of creed from Najd, best known for his theological commentary al-Tuhfa al-Mahdiyya on Ibn Taymiyyah's al-Risala al-Tadmuriyya.
Early life and education
He was Falih bin Mahdi bin Sa'd bin Mahdi bin Mubarak Al Mahdi, of the Dawasir tribe from southern Saudi Arabia. His grandfather Sa'd had relocated his family from the village of al-Haddar to Layla, the capital of the al-Aflaj region, where Falih was born in 1352 AH (1933 CE). In his early childhood, he began learning the Quran under Abd al-Aziz bin Yahya bin Sulayman al-Bawardi. In 1362 AH, at the age of ten, he suffered from an eye condition that caused him to lose his eyesight; he persevered in his memorization and completed the entire Quran by heart in 1365 AH at the age of thirteen.
He subsequently traveled to Riyadh to pursue formal religious studies under its senior scholars. His teachers included Muhammad bin Ibrahim, Abd al-Latif bin Ibrahim, Saud bin Rashud, and Ibrahim bin Salman. He studied at the Riyadh Scientific Institute (al-Ma'had al-'Ilmi) and the College of Sharia in Riyadh, graduating from the college in 1377 AH (1957/1958 CE).
Career and scholarly standing
Al Mahdi was appointed to teach at the Riyadh Scientific Institute and later became a faculty member at the College of Sharia in Riyadh, where he taught for the remainder of his life. He maintained an active schedule of research, study, and teaching at the college, at home, and in the mosque, earning broad recognition; Abdullah al-Bassam described him as having attained the status of a major scholar through his persistence and diligence. As a scholar of Hanbali doctrine and theology, he dictated his commentary al-Tuhfa al-Mahdiyya to clarify the condensed formulations and theological disputes addressed in Ibn Taymiyyah's al-Risala al-Tadmuriyya, drawing primarily on Ibn Taymiyyah's own corpus to explain the text.
Death
Al Mahdi fell severely ill during the first ten days of Dhu al-Hijjah during the Hajj season and died on 23 Dhu al-Hijjah 1392 AH (January 1973 CE).
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List of Works
al-Tuhfa al-Mahdiyya Sharh al-Aqida al-Tadmuriyya is a theological commentary on Ibn Taymiyyah's treatise al-Risala al-Tadmuriyya. It serves as an explanatory gloss designed to unpack the treatise's abridged phrasing, clarify its subtle arguments, and elaborate on its summary points regarding the divine names and attributes and the relationship between divine decree and religious obligation.