Ibn al-Qasih
- Died
- 801 AH
- Born in
- -
Ibn al-Qasih (716–801 AH / 1316–1399 CE) was a Shafi'i scholar of Quranic readings (qira'at) of Baghdad origin who settled in Cairo, best known for his commentary Siraj al-Qari al-Mubtadi wa Tadhkar al-Muqri al-Muntahi.
Name and Lineage
His full name was 'Ali ibn 'Uthman ibn Muhammad ibn Ahmad ibn al-Hasan, bearing the honorific Nur al-Din (also recorded as 'Ala' al-Din) and the kunya Abu al-Baqa'. He held the nisbas al-'Udhri, al-Baghdadi, and al-Misri, and adhered to the Shafi'i school of jurisprudence. Some biographers listed his lineage as 'Ali ibn 'Uthman ibn Muhammad ibn Hasan, omitting Ahmad.
Education and Teachers
Ibn al-Qasih was born on 3 Rajab 716 AH (September 1316 CE). He studied Quranic recitation and presented al-Shatibiyya (Hirz al-Amani) to Isma'il al-Kifti, who had received it through Taqi al-Din Ibn al-Sa'igh. He recited the ten readings and other transmissions under both al-Kifti and Abu Bakr ibn al-Jundi. He also received formal teaching authorizations (ijazah) from several scholars, including al-Maydumi, Ibn Abi al-Hawafir, al-Rahbi, and al-Maqdisi.
Career, Teaching, and Scholarly Contribution
After settling in Cairo, Ibn al-Qasih taught Quranic recitation at the al-Maridani Mosque. His students included al-Zaratiti and Burhan al-Din al-Salihi, and al-Zayn Ridwan attended his sessions to hear portions of the Quran recited with variant readings. Ibn al-Jazari noted him as an authorized teacher who presided over instruction in the ten readings and compiled specialized works.
His scholarly work focused on Quranic recitation, orthography (rasm al-mushaf), and variant transmissions. His commentary Siraj al-Qari al-Mubtadi wa Tadhkar al-Muqri al-Muntahi ("The Lantern of the Beginning Reader and the Reminder for the Advanced Reciter") provided an accessible exposition of al-Shatibi's didactic poem on the seven readings, abridging and synthesizing earlier commentaries by scholars such as Alam al-Din al-Sakhawi, Abu al-Hasan al-Fasi, Abu Shal'ah, Ibn Jabbarah, and Ibrahim ibn Umar al-Ja'bari, while incorporating his own analytical additions. He also authored Talkhis al-Fawa'id wa Taqrib al-Mutaba'id, an unlengthened commentary on al-Shatibi's poem 'Aqilat Atrab al-Qasa'id on Uthmanic orthography that he completed on Friday, 9 Muharram 791 AH, and Mustalah al-Isharat, which documents sound variant readings beyond the seven.
Death
Ibn al-Qasih died in Dhu al-Hijjah 801 AH (August–September 1399 CE).
Answer updated
List of Works
Sharh al-Shatibiyya: Siraj al-Qari al-Mubtadi wa Tadhkar al-Muqri al-Muntahi is a commentary on the didactic poem Hirz al-Amani wa Wajh al-Tahani, widely known as al-Shatibiyya, which covers the seven canonical Quranic readings (qira'at). Designed to offer a balanced exposition, the work aims to unravel the poem's verses and deduce variant readings using straightforward language accessible to beginning students, while avoiding overly lengthy grammatical and rational justifications.