Muhammad bin Hamoud al-Waeli
- Died
- 1431 AH
- Born in
- Buraydah
Muhammad bin Hamoud al-Waeli (1359–1431 AH / 1940–2010 CE) was a Saudi jurist, academic, and professor who served as the secretary-general of the Islamic University of Madinah and taught at the Prophet's Mosque. He is known for his commentary on comparative jurisprudence, Bughyat al-Muqtasid Sharh Bidayat al-Mujtahid.
Lineage and early life
He was Abu Khalid Muhammad bin Hamoud bin Abd al-Rahman bin Mani' bin Hamad al-Waeli, tracing his lineage through Al Midlij to the tribe of Anazah. His family originally migrated from al-Hariq to Buraidah, where he was born in 1359 AH (1940 CE). He began his Quranic memorization at local mosque circles in Buraidah before moving with his family at the age of six to Riyadh, where his father worked as a merchant.
Education and teachers
In Riyadh, al-Waeli completed primary school and subsequently attended the Riyadh Scientific Institute (al-Ma'had al-Ilmi) for his intermediate schooling, completing the memorization of the Quran during this period. There, he studied under Muhammad al-Amin al-Shanqiti, who praised his academic aptitude and recitations.
He then moved to Medina to complete his secondary education at the institute of the Islamic University of Madinah, graduating in 1383 AH at the top of his class. He studied under Muhammad Nasir al-Din al-Albani and attended circles of scholars including Abd al-Aziz bin Baz and Abd al-Muhsin al-Abbad. In the 1387–1388 AH academic year, he earned his bachelor's degree from the Faculty of Sharia at the Islamic University. In 1390 AH, while teaching at the university's secondary institute, he accompanied Muhammad bin Nasir al-Aboudi on an official academic tour across Pakistan, Afghanistan, and Iran. He later pursued doctoral studies at the Faculty of Sharia and Law at Al-Azhar University, earning his doctorate with first-class honors for his dissertation titled Ibn Rajab al-Hanbali wa-Atharuhu fi al-Fiqh ("Ibn Rajab al-Hanbali and His Impact on Jurisprudence").
Academic posts and teaching
Al-Waeli held multiple academic and administrative leadership roles at the Islamic University of Madinah. He served as dean of the Faculty of Sharia, head of the Department of Jurisprudence (Fiqh), head of the Department of Graduate Studies, and vice president for graduate studies. In 1403 AH (1983 CE), he was appointed secretary-general of the university by a Saudi Council of Ministers decision.
In 1416 AH, al-Waeli began holding regular teaching sessions at the Prophet's Mosque. Over eight years, he delivered a comprehensive commentary on Ibn Rushd's Bidayat al-Mujtahid, which was later transcribed and published as Bughyat al-Muqtasid Sharh Bidayat al-Mujtahid. Following this, he spent approximately six and a half years teaching Ibn Qudama's Hanbali legal work al-Kafi.
Standing and students
Al-Waeli was recognized among his peers and students for his deep command of Islamic jurisprudence and legal principles (qawa'id fiqhiyya). His scholarly circles at the university and the Prophet's Mosque attracted numerous students of Islamic law, including Sulayman al-Ruhayli and Hamed al-Ali.
Death
Al-Waeli died in 1431 AH (2010 CE).
Answer updated
List of Works
Bughyat al-Muqtasid Sharh Bidayat al-Mujtahid is an extensive commentary on Ibn Rushd al-Hafid's comparative jurisprudence manual, Bidayat al-Mujtahid wa-Nihayat al-Muqtasid.