Hafiz bin Ahmad Hakami
- Died
- 1377 AH
- Born in
- -
Hafiz bin Ahmad Hakami (1342–1377 AH / 1924–1958 CE) was a Saudi scholar, teacher, and poet from Jazan, best known for his didactic poem on Islamic theology, Sullam al-wusul (The Ladder of Access), and its commentary, Ma'arij al-qabul (The Ascents of Acceptance).
Early life and education
Hafiz bin Ahmad bin Ali al-Hakami was born on 24 Ramadan 1342 AH (1924 CE) in the village of al-Salam near al-Madaya, southeast of Jazan, belonging to the tribe of al-Hakam ibn Sa'd al-'Ashirah from Madhhij. During his early childhood, he relocated with his father to the village of al-Jadi' near Samtah, where he tended sheep and memorized the Quran alongside his elder brother Muhammad.
In 1358 AH, the scholar Abdullah al-Qar'awi arrived in the Tihamah region to propagate Islamic education. Hakami began attending his circles around 1359 AH, though family responsibilities initially limited his full-time attendance. Following the death of his mother in Rajab 1360 AH and his father later that year upon returning from Hajj, Hakami devoted himself completely to studying under al-Qar'awi in Samtah. Recognizing his student's quick memorization and analytical ability, al-Qar'awi requested that Hakami compose a didactic versification of Sunni theology as an evaluation of his progress; Hakami completed Sullam al-wusul ila 'ilm al-usul in 1362 AH at the age of nineteen, followed later by his detailed explanatory commentary Ma'arij al-qabul.
Career and teaching
Al-Qar'awi appointed Hakami as an instructor and review tutor for newer students, and in 1363 AH placed him as director of the Salafi school in Samtah. As the regional network of schools expanded, Hakami was tasked with supervising centers across surrounding localities, including al-Salamah al-'Ulya and Baysh. In 1373 AH, he was selected as the first director of the secondary school established by the Ministry of Knowledge in Jazan, and in 1374 AH he became the founding director of the Scientific Institute (al-Ma'had al-'Ilmi) in Samtah, where he taught classes and drafted pedagogical study notes.
Among his prominent students who helped transmit and publish his writings were Zayd bin Muhammad al-Madkhali and Ali bin Qasim al-Fayfi.
Standing and death
Hakami was recognized by contemporaries for his rapid composition in both prose and verse across diverse disciplines of Islamic learning. His doctrinal treatises, including the widely used primer A'lam al-sunnah al-manshurah (The Unfurled Banners of the Sunnah), were reviewed and praised by the Grand Mufti of Saudi Arabia, Muhammad ibn Ibrahim Al al-Shaykh, who recommended them to the government for publication and broad distribution, leading many of them to be printed at the expense of King Saud bin Abdulaziz.
Hakami died in Mecca on Saturday, 18 Dhu al-Hijjah 1377 AH (1958 CE), shortly after completing the rites of Hajj, at the age of thirty-five, and was buried there.
Answer updated
List of Works
Also widely known as 200 Su’al wa Jawab fi al-‘Aqidah al-Islamiyyah, this concise pedagogical treatise on Sunni theology provides an accessible primer summarizing the foundational principles of Islamic monotheism and faith. Organized across approximately two hundred questions and answers, each accompanied by textual proofs from the Quran and Prophetic Sunnah, the work is designed to engage students and facilitate memorization while outlining the creed of Ahl al-Sunnah.
Maarij al-Qabul bi Sharh Sullam al-Wusul is an extensive theological work on Islamic creed written as an explanatory commentary on the author's own didactic poem, Sullam al-Wusul ila Ilm al-Usul. Completed in 1366 AH, the commentary clarifies concise verses and establishes core doctrinal topics, relying extensively on textual evidence from the Quran, Prophetic hadiths, and early authorities rather than speculative theological dialectic.