Muhammad ibn Qasim al-Ghazzi
- Died
- 918 AH
- Born in
- Gaza
Muhammad ibn Qasim al-Ghazzi (c. 859–918 AH / 1455–1512 CE) was a Shafi'i jurist, theologian, and grammarian from Gaza who settled in Cairo, best known for his legal commentary Fath al-Qarib al-Mujib.
Early life and education
He was born in Gaza around Rajab 859 AH (with one reference recording 851 AH), and his full lineage is given as Muhammad ibn Qasim ibn Muhammad ibn Muhammad, while another source lists him as Muhammad ibn Zayn al-Din Qasim ibn 'Ali. He was given the honorific Shams al-Din and the kunya Abu 'Abd Allah, and was widely known both as Ibn Qasim and as Ibn al-Ghurabili.
Raised in Gaza, he memorized the Qur'an, al-Shatibiyyah, al-Minhaj, the didactic poems on hadith and grammar, and most of Jam' al-Jawami', studying jurisprudence and Arabic under Shams al-Din ibn al-Himsi. He arrived in Cairo in Rajab 881 AH to further his education. There he studied jurisprudence and the principles of religion and law under Kamal al-Din ibn Abi Sharif, who praised him as an accomplished, versatile scholar. In Cairo, he also studied jurisprudence under al-'Abbadi, attended the lectures of Shams al-Din al-Jawjari in legal theory and prosody, and learned creed and morphology from 'Ala' al-Din al-Hisni. He also frequented the circle of Shams al-Din al-Sakhawi, copying and reading several of his works back to him.
Career and scholarship
After completing his studies, he took up residence in Cairo and was appointed to educational and administrative posts at al-Azhar Mosque and other institutions. Although one modern biographical entry erroneously described him as a Maliki jurist, he was an adherent of the Shafi'i school.
His most celebrated work is Fath al-Qarib al-Mujib fi Sharh Alfaz al-Taqrib (The Near Answer in Explaining the Phrasing of al-Taqrib), also titled al-Qawl al-Mukhtar fi Sharh Ghayat al-Ikhtisar, a concise and widely studied commentary on the Shafi'i legal primer of Abu Shuja' al-Isfahani. In theology, he composed a supercommentary on Sa'd al-Din al-Taftazani's commentary on 'Aqa'id al-Nasafi, and he also authored a treatise titled Nafa'is al-Fara'id wa-'Ara'is al-Fawa'id.
Death
He died in 918 AH (1512 CE).
Answer updated
List of Works
Fath al-Qarib al-Mujib fi Sharh Alfaz al-Taqrib, also titled al-Qawl al-Mukhtar fi Sharh Ghayat al-Ikhtisar and popularly known as Sharh Ibn Qasim 'ala Matn Abi Shuja', is a concise commentary on Shafi'i jurisprudence. Composed in an abridged manner to instruct beginners in the applied branches of Islamic law, the work serves as an interlinear gloss on Abu Shuja' al-Isfahani's classical legal primer, clarifying terminology, systematizing legal rulings, and noting preferred juristic opinions.