Ibn al-Mawsili
- Died
- 774 AH
- Born in
- Baalbek
Ibn al-Mawsili (699–774 AH / 1300–1372 CE) was a Shafi'i jurist, hadith scholar, and author based in Damascus, best known for his theological abridgment Mukhtasar al-Sawa'iq al-Mursala and his treatise on statecraft Husn al-Suluk fi Siyasat al-Muluk.
Early life and education
Muhammad ibn Muhammad ibn Abd al-Karim ibn Ridwan ibn Abd al-Aziz, titled Shams al-Din and known as Ibn al-Mawsili, was born in Baalbek in 699 AH. He studied the Quran under Shuja' Abd al-Rahman ibn Ali and Muhammad al-A'raj in Baalbek. He studied Shafi'i jurisprudence in Hama under Sharaf al-Din Ibn al-Barizi and in Baalbek under Badr al-Din Muhammad al-Tabrizi. He learned Arabic grammar from Shams al-Din Ibn al-Majd al-Ba'li and Badr ibn Makki.
For hadith, he attended the circles of numerous scholars, including al-Qutb al-Yunini, Muhammad ibn Abi al-Fath al-Hanbali, Afif al-Din Ishaq ibn Yahya al-Amidi, Yusuf ibn al-Zaki al-Mizzi, al-Dhahabi, Muhyi al-Din ibn Jahbal, and Yusuf al-Izzazi.
Career and scholarly standing
Ibn al-Mawsili lived for a considerable period in Tripoli, where he established himself among the prominent scholars of the city. In 751 AH, he traveled to Damascus in the company of the historian al-Uthmani. In Damascus, he was initially appointed as the preacher (khatib) of the newly founded Yalbugha Mosque during its construction, but after the patron's death, administrative disputes led to the post being reassigned to the Hanafi school. He subsequently established a teaching post (tasdir) at the Umayyad Mosque near the Minaret of the Bride (Manarat al-Arus). Following the death of Ibn Rafi', he assumed the directorship (mishyakha) of the Fadiliyyah institution in Damascus. He was also an active participant in the Damascus book market, working as a copyist and book merchant, through which he amassed a sizeable personal estate.
Biographers praised his broad erudition across jurisprudence, hadith, and Arabic literature. Ibn Hijji recorded that he possessed extensive knowledge of prophetic traditions, Arabic lexicography, and the divergent legal opinions of scholars, and that he issued fatwas according to the Shafi'i school. He was also noted for his mastery of calligraphy and verse, including a poetic versification of al-Nawawi's legal manual Minhaj al-Talibin. In theology, he composed Mukhtasar al-Sawa'iq al-Mursala, an abridgment preserving the arguments and structure of Ibn Qayyim al-Jawziyya's refutation of speculative theology regarding the divine attributes.
Death
Ibn al-Mawsili died in Damascus in Jumada al-Akhira 774 AH and was buried at the Bab al-Saghir cemetery. A variant report by al-Uthmani placing his death in 773 AH was identified as an error by later biographers.
Answer updated
List of Works
Husn al-Suluk al-Hafiz Dawlat al-Muluk (Good Conduct Preserving the State of Kings) is a treatise on Islamic statecraft and governance (siyasah shar'iyyah). Also known under the variant title Husn al-Suluk fi Siyasat al-Muluk, the work belongs to the genre of Islamic political administration and advice for rulers, addressing the duties of leaders, righteous administration, and principles of state maintenance.
Mukhtasar al-Sawaiq al-Mursala ala al-Jahmiyya wal-Muattila (The Summary of the Sent Thunderbolts against the Jahmites and Nullifiers) is a Sunni theological work abridged from the extensive refutation al-Sawaiq al-Mursala by Ibn Qayyim al-Jawziyya. The book focuses on establishing the affirmation of the divine names and attributes while dismantling the theological arguments of the Jahmiyya and the Mu'attila through both textual and rational proofs.