Ibn al-Rifa

Ibn al-Rifa (645–710 AH / 1247–1310 CE), fully Najm al-Din Abu al-Abbas Ahmad ibn Muhammad ibn Ali al-Ansari, was an Egyptian Shafi'i jurist and legal scholar best known for his extensive commentary Kifayat al-nabih fi sharh al-Tanbih Tabaqat al-Shafiiyya li-I…+1.

Lineage and Early Life

His full lineage is traced as Ahmad ibn Muhammad ibn Ali ibn Murtafi ibn Hazim ibn Ibrahim ibn al-Abbas al-Ansari al-Bukhari al-Misri Tabaqat al-Shafiiyyin+1. He was born in Egypt in 645 AH (1247 CE) al-Manhal al-Safi wa al-M…+1. He was widely known among contemporary scholars simply as "al-Faqih" (the Jurist), to the extent that when the title was used without qualification in Egypt, it designated him alone Tabaqat al-Shafiiyya li-I…+1.

Education and Career

Ibn al-Rifa studied Shafi'i jurisprudence under prominent authorities of his era, including Ibn Daqiq al-'Id, al-Sadid al-Tizminti, al-Zahir al-Tizminti, Diya al-Din Ja'far ibn Abd al-Rahim al-Qina'i, al-Sharif al-Abbasi, Ibn Razin, and Ibn Bint al-A'azz Tabaqat al-Shafiiyya li-I…+1. He heard hadith from Abd al-Rahim ibn Abd al-Mun'im al-Dumayri, Ali ibn Nasr Allah ibn al-Sawwaf, and al-Hafiz al-Dimyati Tabaqat al-Shafiiyyin+1. In addition to jurisprudence, he participated extensively in Arabic grammar and legal theory (usul al-fiqh) al-Manhal al-Safi wa al-M…+1.

He taught at al-Madrasa al-Mu'izziyya in Egypt and issued fatwas for several decades, establishing himself as the leading Shafi'i jurist of his generation in the region Tabaqat al-Shafiiyyin+1. He was appointed to the office of market inspector (hisba) in Egypt and Upper Egypt, and also served as a deputy judge (na'ib fi al-hukm), though he later stepped down from judicial office due to the difficulties he encountered in it Ayan al-Asr wa Awan al-Na…+1. In 707 AH, he performed the pilgrimage to Mecca alongside the Rahbiyya caravan al-Durar al-Kamina fi Aya…+1. He possessed considerable wealth and established a public water station (sabil) at the pilgrim station of Suez, setting up an endowment (waqf) to ensure a continuous water supply there al-Durar al-Kamina fi Aya…+1.

He was known for his handsome appearance, eloquence, and generosity toward students, frequently assisting them with both financial support and personal influence Ayan al-Asr wa Awan al-Na…+1. Among his prominent students was Taqi al-Din al-Subki, who studied fiqh under his guidance Tabaqat al-Shafiiyya li-I…+1.

Scholarly Standing

Ibn al-Rifa was widely recognized by contemporaries and subsequent biographers for his command of Shafi'i legal branches (furu'), their foundational reasoning, and the authoritative textual pronouncements of the school Ayan al-Asr wa Awan al-Na…+1. Taqi al-Din al-Subki praised him extensively, stating that he was more knowledgeable in legal branches than al-Ruyani, the author of Bahr al-madhhab Tabaqat al-Shafiiyya li-I…+1. Jamal al-Din al-Isnawi remarked that Egypt had produced no greater jurist after Ibn al-Haddad al-Durar al-Kamina fi Aya…+1.

He produced Kifayat al-nabih fi sharh al-Tanbih, a comprehensive commentary on Abu Ishaq al-Shirazi's al-Tanbih spanning fifteen volumes, as well as an extensive commentary titled al-Matlab on Abu Hamid al-Ghazali's legal work al-Wasit, which reached forty volumes but remained incomplete at his death Tabaqat al-Shafiiyya li-I…+1. When delegated to debate Ibn Taymiyya, the latter was subsequently asked about him and remarked: "I saw an elder from whose beard Shafi'i jurisprudence was dripping" al-Alam lil-Zirikli+1.

Death

Ibn al-Rifa died on the night of Friday, 18 Rajab 710 AH (December 1310 CE), at the age of sixty-five, and was buried in the al-Qarafa cemetery in Cairo al-Manhal al-Safi wa al-M…+1. Another report gives his death date as 12 Rajab 710 AH Tabaqat al-Shafiiyyin.