Muhammad ibn Ahmad al-Dasuqi
- Died
- 1230 AH
- Born in
- -
Muhammad ibn Ahmad al-Dasuqi (d. 1230 AH / 1815 CE) was an Egyptian scholar of the Maliki school and a professor at al-Azhar, recognized for his supercommentaries across jurisprudence, rhetoric, and theology.
Early life and education
Muhammad ibn Ahmad ibn ʿArafa al-Dasuqi was born in the town of Desouk in Lower Egypt. He moved to Cairo to pursue his education at al-Azhar, where he memorized the Quran and perfected its recitation under Muhammad al-Munir.
Al-Dasuqi studied Maliki jurisprudence under Ali al-Sa'idi and Ahmad al-Dardir, attending al-Dardir's lectures over several years. He received instruction in the rational sciences from Muhammad al-Khafaji. He also studied extensively under Hasan al-Jabarti at the Jabart residential quarter of al-Azhar, training in geometry, astronomy, timekeeping, philosophy, Hanafi jurisprudence, and rhetoric via al-Mutawwal, partially through the mediation of Muhammad ibn Ismaʿil al-Nafrawi.
Teaching and scholarship
Al-Dasuqi established a prominent teaching circle at al-Azhar and issued legal verdicts. Contemporary accounts praised his pedagogical clarity, noting that he untangled intricate scholastic problems through accessible explanations without affectation or pompous vocabulary. His lectures attracted many notable students, including Ahmad al-Sawi, Abd Allah al-Saʿidi, and Hasan al-Attar.
His scholarly output focused largely on extensive glosses (hawashi). His supercommentary on al-Dardir's al-Sharh al-Kabir became an authoritative reference for teaching and legal verdicts in late Maliki practice, notably at Ez-Zitouna. In Arabic rhetoric, he completed an influential supercommentary on Sa'd al-Din al-Taftazani's Mukhtasar al-Ma'ani in 1210 AH (1795–1796 CE).
Death
Al-Dasuqi fell ill and died in Cairo on Wednesday, 21 Rabiʿ al-Thani 1230 AH (May 1815 CE; one biographical source gives 1814 CE). His funeral procession departed from the Darb al-Dalil neighborhood to al-Azhar, where a large congregation performed the funeral prayer over him, after which he was buried in the cemetery of the Azhar scholars (Turbat al-Mujawirin). His student Hasan al-Attar composed an elegy in his honor.
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List of Works
Hashiyat al-Dasuqi ala Mukhtasar al-Maani is a supercommentary on Arabic rhetoric (ilm al-balaghah). Completed in 1210 AH (1795–1796 CE), it glosses Mukhtasar al-Maani, the abridged commentary composed by Sa'd al-Din al-Taftazani on Jalal al-Din al-Qazwini's rhetorical handbook, Talkhis al-Miftah.
This multi-volume work on Maliki jurisprudence comprises Ahmad al-Dardir's commentary, al-Sharh al-Kabir, on Khalil ibn Ishaq's legal code Mukhtasar Khalil, accompanied by marginal glosses (hashiyah) designed to clarify obscure issues and elaborate on branches of Maliki law.