Kamal al-Din al-Adfawi
- Died
- 748 AH
- Born in
- -
Kamal al-Din al-Adfawi (685–748 AH / 1286–1347 CE) was an Egyptian Shafi'i jurist, biographer, and historian from Upper Egypt, best known for his regional biographical compendium al-Tali al-Said .
Lineage and Early Life
He was Ja'far ibn Tha'lab ibn Ja'far ibn Ali ibn al-Mutahhar ibn Nawfal, bearing the kunya Abu al-Fadl and the honorific Kamal al-Din . In some sources his father's name is vocalized as Taghlib, and Taqi al-Din al-Subki noted that he was called Wa'd Allah . His nisba derives from his native town of Edfu (Adfu), situated in Upper Egypt between Aswan and Qus .
He was born in Edfu in Sha'ban 685 AH (c. 1286 CE), though alternative reports place his birth in 675 AH, after 680 AH, or generally in the eighties of the seventh century AH .
Education and Career
Al-Adfawi began his studies locally in Upper Egypt before moving to Qus, where he studied jurisprudence and heard hadith . He subsequently relocated to Cairo, making his residence at al-Madrasa al-Salihiyya, while continuing to visit his orchard in Edfu during teaching breaks .
In Qus and Cairo, he studied under leading scholars of his era, including Ibn Daqiq al-Id, Badr al-Din Ibn Jama'a, Ala al-Din al-Qunawi, and Shams al-Din al-Jazari . He developed a particularly close relationship with the grammarian Abu Hayyan al-Andalusi, studying literature under him and accompanying him from 718 AH until Abu Hayyan's death . Abu Hayyan praised al-Adfawi in two odes and heard from him both a hadith selection he had compiled and his biographical work al-Tali al-Said .
Al-Adfawi engaged in teaching, transmitting hadith, and repeating lectures . In the field of history and biography, he authored al-Badr al-Safir an Anas al-Musafir, an alphabetical biographical dictionary modeled on the style of Ibn Khallikan focusing primarily on figures of the seventh century AH . He also had an interest and expertise in music, composing a legal treatise titled al-Imta' fi Ahkam al-Sama' on the rules governing auditory sessions and singing .
Scholarly Standing and Personal Life
Al-Adfawi was recognized as an accomplished jurist, historian, poet, and prose stylist . Jamal al-Din al-Isna'i characterized him as versatile across multiple disciplines, intelligent, generous, unpretentious, and possessing high chivalric virtue . Salah al-Din al-Safadi described him as a sharp-witted jurist and historian of extensive knowledge who was cheerful, smiling, and pleasant in conversation . Al-Adfawi never married or took concubines, which contemporaries attributed to a lack of inclination .
Death
Al-Adfawi died in Cairo on Tuesday, 17 Safar 748 AH (c. May 1347 CE), shortly after returning from the pilgrimage to Mecca and shortly before the onset of the Black Death; another report dates his death to 749 AH . He was between sixty and seventy years of age at his death and was buried in the Sufi cemetery in Cairo .
Answer updated
List of Works
Al-Badr al-Safir ‘an Anas al-Musafir (The Unveiled Full Moon: Companion of the Traveler) is a major biographical dictionary arranged in alphabetical order. Comprising 596 entries, the work focuses primarily on notable figures of the 7th century AH while also covering individuals from the 5th, 6th, and 8th centuries AH. Its scope encompasses scholars, jurists, judges, physicians, viziers, administrators, poets, and literati across the Islamic East, North Africa, and al-Andalus who distinguished themselves in specific disciplines or literary composition.
al-Tali al-Said al-Jami Asma Nujaba al-Said (The Auspicious Ascendant: Compendium of the Names of the Notables of Upper Egypt) is a regional biographical dictionary dedicated to the scholars, transmitters, and prominent cultural figures of Upper Egypt. Focusing on notable figures connected with the province of Qus and its surrounding towns, the work is organized into a geographical survey of the region's topography and administrative divisions followed by an alphabetically arranged biographical dictionary.
al-Mufi bi-Marifat al-Tasawwuf wa al-Sufi (The Sufficient Guide to Understanding Sufism and the Sufi) is a short treatise on the definitions, principles, and critique of Sufism. Composed during the Mamluk period, the work aims to recall the foundational standards of genuine Sufism and evaluate contemporary institutional practices. It draws upon classical authorities to contrast the spiritual and moral virtues prescribed by Islamic law with later conventional affiliations and formal habits.