Muhammad ibn Ahmad al-Maliki
- Died
- 465 AH
- Born in
- -
Muhammad ibn Ahmad al-Maliki (d. 479 AH / 1086 CE) was an Andalusian Maliki scholar and Quran reader (muqri') who settled in Damascus and authored a bibliographic catalog of the transmissions and writings of al-Khatib al-Baghdadi.
Origin and Education
His full lineage is Abu Abd Allah Muhammad ibn Ahmad ibn Muhammad ibn Abd Allah ibn Yunus ibn Habib ibn Isma'il al-Ansari al-Andalusi al-Saraqusti al-Muqri'. Originating from Saragossa (Saraqusta) in al-Andalus, he studied under prominent Andalusian scholars, including Ibn Abd al-Barr, Abu al-Walid al-Baji, Abu Hafs 'Umar ibn Abi al-Qasim ibn Abi Zayd al-Qafasi, Abu 'Amr 'Uthman ibn Sa'id al-Umawi, al-Qadi Abu Abd Allah Muhammad ibn Yahya ibn Muras, Abu Abd Allah Muhammad ibn Sama'ah al-Saraqusti, and Hisham ibn al-Waqqashi.
Career and Scholarly Contribution
He traveled to the East, settled in Damascus, and transmitted hadith and related disciplines there. Among those who heard from him and narrated on his authority in Damascus was the traditionist Abu Muhammad Hibat Allah ibn al-Akfani.
During his time in Damascus, he compiled Tasmiyat ma warada bihi al-Shaykh Abu Bakr al-Khatib al-Baghdadi Dimashq min al-kutub ("Listing of the Books and Compositions Brought to Damascus by al-Khatib al-Baghdadi"), a short bibliographical tract that cataloged both the major transmitted works al-Khatib brought with him to the city and the corpus of al-Khatib's own authored writings.
Controversy and Assessment
A notable controversy arose regarding an authorization (ijaza) originally issued by Muhsin ibn Tahir ibn al-Hasan al-Maliki to Abu Muhammad Ahmad ibn Muhammad al-Ansari in Rabi' al-Akhir 457 AH. According to an account preserved by Abu al-Faraj Ghayth ibn 'Ali from a scholar known as al-Amin, Muhammad ibn Ahmad altered the name on the document to "Abu Abd Allah" and altered the date from 457 AH to 470 AH. When al-Amin discovered the tampering—knowing that the granter of the license had died in 460 AH—he expressed shock at how such an act could have been permitted, while nevertheless maintaining praise for his general piety and personal religious conduct.
Death
According to his student Abu Muhammad ibn al-Akfani, he died in the year 479 AH (1086 CE).
Answer updated
List of Works
Tasmiyat ma warada bihi al-Khatib Dimashq min al-kutub - wa musannafatih is a short bibliographical tract that details the books transmitted by al-Khatib al-Baghdadi upon his arrival in Damascus, alongside a catalog of al-Khatib's own authored writings up to the year 453 AH.