Makhluf, Muhammad ibn Muhammad
- Died
- 1360 AH
- Born in
- -
Muhammad ibn Muhammad Makhluf (c. 1280–1360 AH / 1863/1864–1941 CE) was a Tunisian Maliki jurist, mufti, judge, and biographer, best known for his biographical dictionary of Maliki scholars, Shajarat al-Nur al-Zakiyya fi Tabaqat al-Malikiyya (The Pure Tree of Light on the Generations of the Malikis) .
Lineage and Early Life
His full name was Abu al-Fadl Muhammad ibn Muhammad ibn Umar ibn Qasim Makhluf al-Sharif al-Munastiri . He was born in the coastal city of Monastir, Tunisia, in approximately 1280 AH (1863 or 1864 CE) . His father was a prominent olive oil merchant in Monastir who acquired substantial wealth, memorized the Quran, and patronized scholars and the pious .
His father oversaw his upbringing and early education. Makhluf memorized the Quran according to the recitation of Warsh under Umar Khafshah at the zawiya of the ascetic Umar al-Qallal, reviewed his daily recitations at night with Ali al-Khayri, and memorized numerous foundational instructional texts . He also studied arithmetic and inheritance law (fara'id) under the notary Hasan Laz, as well as theology and the use of the astrolabic quadrant (al-rub' al-mujayyab) under Ali Zahrah . His pursuit of learning was halted for roughly four years due to financial complications that befell his father as a result of dealings involving the vizier Mustafa ibn Isma'il . When his family's circumstances stabilized, his father provided him with financial support to resume his education in Tunis .
Higher Education and Teaching
Makhluf arrived in Tunis to study at the Zaytuna Mosque in Jumada al-Ula (1882 CE) . There, he studied under leading contemporary scholars, including Mahmud Bayram, Mahmud ibn al-Khuja, Mahmud ibn Mahmud, Ahmad ibn Murad, Salim Bu Hajib, Husayn ibn Husayn, and Hammuda Taj . In 1306 AH (1889 CE), he received a general license of transmission (ijaza) from Umar ibn al-Shaykh, and in 1307 AH (1890 CE) he earned the tatwi' teaching certification, subsequently teaching foundational courses in creed, Maliki jurisprudence, and Arabic grammar at the Zaytuna Mosque .
Judicial and Muftial Career
In 1313 AH (1895 CE), Makhluf returned to Monastir to teach, and in that same year he was appointed to the post of mufti in Gabès, where he was later made judge (qadi) . In 1319 AH (1901 CE), he was appointed judge of Monastir and served as the imam and preacher (khatib) of its Great Mosque . Later in his career, in 1355 AH (1936 CE), he rose to the position of Chief Mufti (al-Mufti al-Akbar) of the region .
Scholarly Standing and Death
Makhluf was regarded as an accomplished Maliki jurist, man of letters, and historian . His major biographical compendium, Shajarat al-Nur al-Zakiyya fi Tabaqat al-Malikiyya, served as a continuation of earlier Maliki biographical works by authors such as al-Qadi Iyad, Ibn Farhun, and Ahmad Baba al-Timbukti, documenting the scholars and jurists of the Maliki school across generations . He also authored Mawahib al-Rahim fi Manaqib al-Shaykh Sidi Abd al-Salam ibn Salim, an abridgment on the virtues and spiritual transmission of the sixteenth-century scholar Abd al-Salam al-Asmar .
Makhluf remained in his post as Chief Mufti until his death in 1360 AH (1941 CE) .
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List of Works
Shajarat al-Nur al-Zakiyya fi Tabaqat al-Malikiyya (The Pure Tree of Light on the Generations of the Malikis) is a biographical dictionary of Maliki scholars. It serves as an extensive compendium covering the lives and scholarly contributions of Maliki authorities from the inception of the school down to the early twentieth century.