Muhammad ibn Abd al-Aziz al-Mani

Muhammad ibn Abd al-Aziz al-Mani (1300–1385 AH / 1883–1965 CE) was a Hanbali jurist, scholar of Arabic, and educator from Najd who served as a judge in Qatar and as the Director General of Education in Saudi Arabia Mawsuat al-Qabail al-Arab…+1.

Lineage and Early Life

He was Muhammad ibn Abd al-Aziz ibn Muhammad ibn Abd Allah ibn Muhammad ibn Ibrahim ibn Mani ibn Ibrahim ibn Hamdan ibn Muhammad ibn Mani ibn Shubruma al-Wuhaybi al-Hanzali al-Tamimi, tracing his descent to the tribe of Banu Tamim Mawsuat al-Qabail al-Arab…+1. He was born in Unaizah in al-Qasim in 1300 AH, though another account notes an estimate placing his birth toward the close of the thirteenth century AH Mawsuat al-Qabail al-Arab…+1. When he reached the age of seven, his father—who served as the judge of Unaizah—enrolled him in a primary school (kuttab) before passing away shortly thereafter in Jumada al-Ula 1307 AH Mawsuat al-Qabail al-Arab…+1. Orphaned at a young age, he completed the memorization of the Quran and studied introductory religious and Arabic texts under his uncle Abd Allah and Salih al-Uthman al-Qadi, before traveling to Buraidah to study under Muhammad ibn Abd Allah ibn Salim Idafat lil-Nat al-Akmal l…+1.

Travels and Education

At around the age of eighteen, al-Mani set out to further his education, traveling first to Basra and then to Baghdad, where he studied under Mahmud Shukri al-Alusi, Ali ibn Nu'man al-Alusi, Abd al-Razzaq al-A'zami, and Yahya ibn Qasim al-Witri Mawsuat Mawaqif al-Salaf …+1. He subsequently traveled to Cairo to study at al-Azhar, learning Hanbali jurisprudence and Arabic under Muhammad al-Dhahabi and attending lectures by Muhammad Abduh Idafat lil-Nat al-Akmal l…+1.

He later traveled to Damascus, where he studied under Jamal al-Din al-Qasimi—auditing Sahih al-Bukhari with him—and attended the lessons of Badr al-Din al-Hasani and Abd al-Razzaq al-Baytar Idafat lil-Nat al-Akmal l…+1. Following his time in Syria, he returned to Baghdad to resume his studies with Mahmud Shukri al-Alusi, focusing on grammar, rhetoric, and theological treatises by Ibn Taymiyya, before returning to his hometown of Unaizah in 1329 AH Idafat lil-Nat al-Akmal l…+1.

Teaching, Public Offices, and Students

In 1331 AH, al-Mani was invited to teach in Bahrain Mawsuat Mawaqif al-Salaf …+1. Around 1334 AH, the ruler of Qatar, Sheikh Abdullah ibn Jassim Al Thani, summoned him to oversee the judiciary, issuing fatwas, and preaching, a post he held for approximately twenty-three years Mawsuat al-Qabail al-Arab…+1. In 1358 AH, King Ibn Saud invited him to Saudi Arabia, appointing him as a teacher in the Grand Mosque in Mecca Mawsuat al-Qabail al-Arab…+1. In 1365 AH, he was appointed Director General of Education for Saudi Arabia, a role in which he supervised schooling and curricula across the country until 1373 AH Majallat al-Buhuth al-Isl…+1. He returned to Qatar in 1374 AH upon the request of its ruler Mawsuat Mawaqif al-Salaf ….

Al-Mani taught numerous prominent students, including Abd al-Rahman ibn Nasir al-Sa'di, Abdullah ibn Zaid Al Mahmoud, Uthman ibn Salih al-Qadi, and his son Abd al-Aziz ibn Muhammad al-Mani Mawsuat Mawaqif al-Salaf …+1.

Scholarly Standing and Death

Al-Mani was noted for his command of Hanbali jurisprudence, legal disagreement among scholars, and Arabic grammar, with al-Sa'di reportedly preferring his proficiency in grammar over that of other contemporary scholars Mawsuat Mawaqif al-Salaf …+1. His scholarly contributions include al-Qawl al-Sadid fi ma Yajib lillah 'ala al-'Abid ("The Sound Word on What is Due to God from His Servants"), Tahqiq al-Nazar fi Akhbar al-Mahdi al-Muntazar ("Critical Examination of Reports Regarding the Awaited Mahdi"), and glosses on classical theological texts such as al-Aqida al-Tahawiyya Mawsuat Mawaqif al-Salaf ….

In his later years, al-Mani suffered from a prostate illness and traveled to Beirut for medical treatment at the American University Hospital Majallat al-Buhuth al-Isl…. He died following surgery on 17 Rajab 1385 AH Majallat al-Buhuth al-Isl…. His body was transported to Qatar, where he was buried in Doha, and absentee funeral prayers were held for him at both the Grand Mosque in Mecca and the Prophet's Mosque in Medina Majallat al-Buhuth al-Isl….