Ibrahim ibn Ali al-Numani
- Died
- 898 AH
- Born in
- Egypt
Ibrahim ibn Ali al-Numani (828–898 AH / 1425–1492 CE) was an Egyptian Shafi'i jurist and hadith scholar known for his commentary on Sahih al-Bukhari.
Name and Background
His full lineage is Ibrahim ibn Ali ibn Ahmad ibn Barakah ibn Ali ibn Abi Bakr ibn al-Mukram al-Misri al-Shafi'i, titled Burhan al-Din. He was born and died in Egypt. He was known by the nisba al-Nu'mani after a shaykh known as Abu Abd Allah ibn al-Nu'man, and was also occasionally referred to as Ibn Barakah.
Education and Career
Al-Numani studied legal theory (usul al-fiqh) and hadith under prominent scholars of his era. He attended the circles of Ibn Hajar al-Asqalani, writing down from his dictation sessions (amali) and hearing various works directly from him. Among his transmissions with Ibn Hajar were the concluding parts of Sahih Muslim, Sunan al-Tirmidhi, and Sunan al-Nasa'i at the Mosque of Amr ibn al-As, as well as reading portions of Sahih al-Bukhari to him.
He maintained a close relationship with the Abbasid caliph al-Mutawakkil (Abd al-Aziz) prior to his accession, and subsequently served as his appointed hadith reader during the month of Ramadan. On the bank of the Nile opposite the Nilometer (al-Miqyas), he constructed the Nu'maniyya Lodge (al-Zawiya al-Nu'maniyya), which served as a meeting place for scholars and notable figures.
Scholarly Contribution and Death
Al-Numani engaged in jurisprudence, hadith, and Arabic poetry. His most notable scholarly undertaking was an extensive commentary on Sahih al-Bukhari designed as a synthesis of the commentaries of Ibn Hajar (Fath al-Bari) and Badr al-Din al-Ayni (Umdat al-Qari), incorporating the arguments of Ibn Hajar's rebuttal Intiqad al-I'tirad. According to Haji Khalifa, he did not complete this synthesis, reaching only up to the section on prayer. He also composed al-Siraj al-Wahhaj fi Haqa'iq al-Mi'raj on the Prophet's nocturnal journey and ascension.
Al-Numani died in Egypt in 898 AH (1492 CE).
Answer updated
List of Works
Mazid Fath al-Bari bi Sharh al-Bukhari, also referred to as Sharh al-Nu'mani, is an incomplete commentary on Sahih al-Bukhari. Conceived as a synthesis combining the material of two major commentaries—Fath al-Bari by Ibn Hajar al-Asqalani and Umdat al-Qari by Badr al-Din al-Ayni—it also incorporates the substance of Ibn Hajar's rebuttal Intiqad al-I'tirad.