Muhammad al-Bashar
- Died
- 1161 AH
- Born in
- -
Muhammad al-Bashar (d. after 1161 AH / 1748 CE) was an Egyptian Maliki jurist from Rashid, known for his legal versification Ashal al-Masalik fi Madhhab al-Imam Malik (The Easiest of Paths in the School of Imam Malik) .
Lineage and Background
His full name was Muhammad ibn Hasan ibn Ali ibn Salim al-Bashar al-Rashidi . His nisba links him to Rashid (Rosetta), a coastal town in northern Egypt located at the western mouth of the Nile . He was raised in an educated household, as his father was also counted among the scholars .
Legal Versification and Reception
Al-Bashar was a jurist of the Maliki school . His primary work is Ashal al-Masalik fi Madhhab al-Imam Malik, a didactic poem based on the prose manual Targhib al-Murid al-Salik ila Madhhab al-Imam Malik (Encouraging the Aspiring Wayfarer to the School of Imam Malik) by the Azhari scholar Ibrahim al-Suha'i (d. 1080 AH) . Al-Bashar composed the versification to facilitate study and memorization for beginners, following the prevalent (mashhur) rulings of the Maliki school while occasionally rearranging passages or adding rulings to complete the legal coverage . The text was later commented upon by Uthman ibn Hasanayn Barri al-Ju'ali in his commentary titled Siraj al-Salik (The Lantern of the Wayfarer) .
Death
The precise year of al-Bashar's death is not preserved in the biographical records, but he is documented to have been alive in 1161 AH (1748 CE) .
Answer updated
List of Works
Ashal al-Masalik fi Madhhab al-Imam Malik (The Easiest of Paths in the School of Imam Malik) is a didactic versification of Maliki jurisprudence. Designed to facilitate memorization and study for beginners, the work is a poetic rendition of the prose legal primer Targhib al-Murid al-Salik ila Madhhab al-Imam Malik. It adheres throughout to the prevalent positions of the Maliki school, incorporating theological foundations before moving into chapters on positive law.