Ibn Abi al-Izz
- Died
- 792 AH
- Born in
- Damascus
Ibn Abi al-Izz (731–792 AH / 1331–1390 CE) was a Syrian Hanafi jurist, judge, and theologian based in Damascus, best known for his theological commentary Sharh al-Aqida al-Tahawiyya .
Origin and Upbringing
He was Sadr al-Din Abu al-Hasan Ali ibn Ala' al-Din Ali ibn Muhammad ibn Abi al-Izz al-Adhru'i al-Dimashqi al-Salihi al-Hanafi . Some historical accounts intermittently recorded his given name as Muhammad, though biographical consensus and manuscript evidence establish his name as Ali . He was born on 22 Dhu al-Hijjah 731 AH in al-Salihiyya in Damascus into a prominent family of Hanafi scholars and judges . His father, Ala' al-Din Ali (d. 746 AH), was a judge and preacher at Jami' al-Afram, and his grandfather Shams al-Din Muhammad was a long-serving deputy judge and teacher in several Damascene madrasas .
Education and Career
Ibn Abi al-Izz was trained within the Hanafi legal tradition and studied under scholars including Ibrahim ibn Ali al-Tarsusi (d. 758 AH) . In theology and hadith methodology, he was deeply influenced by the writings of Ibn Taymiyya and Ibn Qayyim al-Jawziyya, and he explicitly referred to the historian and exegete Ibn Kathir as his teacher .
He taught at several institutions in Damascus, including the Qaymaziyya madrasa in 748 AH, the Rukniyya in 777 AH, the Izziyya al-Barraniyya in 784 AH, and the Jawhariyya . He delivered Friday sermons at Jami' al-Afram in Damascus and served as a preacher in Hisban, the principal town of the Balqa region . In late 777 AH, he assumed the Hanafi judgeship of Damascus on behalf of his cousin Najm al-Din, and later briefly held the Hanafi chief judgeship in Egypt before stepping down after about two months to return to his teaching and preaching posts in Damascus .
Trial and Later Life
In 784 AH, the poet Ali ibn Aybak al-Safadi circulated an ode praising the Prophet ﷺ for scholarly endorsements . Ibn Abi al-Izz wrote a written critique objecting to specific theological expressions regarding supplication and intercession (tawassul) . Ibn Aybak rallied opposing scholars in Damascus and Cairo, bringing the issue to Sultan Barquq, who issued an imperial decree demanding Ibn Abi al-Izz's trial .
Multiple disciplinary councils were convened involving prominent jurists across the legal schools, including Ibn Rajab and Taqi al-Din Ibn Muflih . When questioned, Ibn Abi al-Izz maintained that his sole intent had been veneration of the Prophet ﷺ and obedience to his commands . He was stripped of his offices and imprisoned, and subsequently remained confined to his home for several years . In 791 AH, the military governor Sayf al-Din al-Nasiri restored his official posts, allowing him to resume preaching at Jami' al-Afram and teaching at the Jawhariyya .
Scholarly Contribution
Ibn Abi al-Izz articulated an approach that combined Hanafi jurisprudence with early traditionist theology . His commentary Sharh al-Aqida al-Tahawiyya expounded Sunni creed using scriptural texts and the methodology of early traditionists rather than speculative theology . In legal critique, he authored al-Tanbih ala Mushkilat al-Hidaya, examining difficult points and proofs in Hanafi substantive law, as well as al-Ittiba, a treatise censuring partisan conformism and asserting the primacy of sound textual evidence over uncritical imitation .
Death
Ibn Abi al-Izz died in Dhu al-Qa'da 792 AH (1390 CE) in Damascus and was buried at the foot of Mount Qasiyun .
Answer updated
List of Works
This work is a scholarly compilation and study of scattered Quranic commentary gathered from various legal and theological writings. Arranged sequentially by the surahs and verses of the Quran, it brings together these dispersed exegetical interpretations into an organized reference accompanied by explanatory annotations, source documentation, and hadith verification.
This classical theological commentary expounds upon Abu Ja'far al-Tahawi's renowned creedal treatise, al-Aqida al-Tahawiya. It provides an extensive exposition of Sunni theology framed according to the methodology of the early generations and traditionists, analyzing major doctrines of Islamic belief with direct scriptural evidence from the Quran and prophetic hadiths.
This critical treatise on Hanafi jurisprudence analyzes problematic questions, evaluates jurisprudential reasoning, and scrutinizes textual proofs in al-Hidaya, Burhan al-Din al-Marghinani's foundational manual of substantive law. It examines complex legal issues through the methods of comparative jurisprudence, legal theory, and hadith criticism.
This legal and methodological treatise addresses the obligation of adhering to revealed proofs and censures partisan legal conformism. Written as a refutation of an essay advocating the preferential obligation of blindly following a single legal school, it distinguishes between blind imitation and following sound textual evidence.