Muhammad Najib al-Mutii
- Died
- 1407 AH
- Born in
- -
Muhammad Najib al-Mutii (d. 1407 AH / 1986–1987 CE) was an Egyptian Shafi'i jurist and hadith scholar, best known for composing the modern continuation of al-Nawawi's legal compendium al-Majmu' Sharh al-Muhadhdhab.
Background and Early Life
Muhammad Najib ibn Ibrahim al-Mutii was born into a wealthy Coptic family from Upper Egypt (al-Sa'id). He embraced Islam after studying Islamic literature found in his father's extensive private library. Following his conversion, he faced intense family opposition and was expelled from his home. In jurisprudence, he adhered to the Shafi'i madhhab, while adhering to the Salafi method in matters of creed. He is distinct from the earlier Hanafi scholar and Grand Mufti of Egypt, Muhammad Bakhit al-Mutii.
Teaching and Academic Career
In Cairo, al-Mutii taught extensively at several locations, including the al-Zawiya al-Hamra neighborhood, the Malaysian Students' Hostel (Bayt Talabat Maliziya) near Abduh Pasha Square in al-Abbasiyya, and al-Fath Mosque in Maadi. In his circles, he taught classical texts such as Sahih al-Bukhari, al-Nawawi's al-Majmu', al-Suyuti's al-Ashbah wa-l-naza'ir, and Abu Hamid al-Ghazali's Ihya' 'ulum al-din. A number of Egyptian students of hadith attended his circles during the 1970s, including Abu Ishaq al-Huwayni, who studied with him for four years, and Muhammad 'Amr ibn 'Abd al-Latif.
His Cairo lessons came to an end following the mass political arrests ordered by President Anwar al-Sadat in September 1981. Al-Mutii subsequently relocated to Sudan, where he was appointed head of the Sunnah Department at Omdurman Islamic University around 1983.
Scholarly Contributions
Al-Mutii's most significant contribution was completing the monumental Shafi'i legal text al-Majmu' Sharh al-Muhadhdhab (Takmilat al-Majmu'), taking up the commentary from where Taqi al-Din al-Subki's earlier medieval continuation ended at volume twelve, and carrying it forward across seven volumes to the end of the text. He also published works in hadith studies, including Tabsit 'ulum al-hadith wa-adab al-riwaya ("Simplifying Hadith Sciences and the Etiquette of Transmission") and a defense of canonical hadith literature titled al-Bukhari al-muftara 'alayh ("Al-Bukhari Slandered").
Later Life and Death
After his stay in Sudan, al-Mutii traveled to Saudi Arabia and settled in Medina. He died there in 1407 AH (1986–1987 CE) and was buried in the al-Baqi cemetery.
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List of Works
Takmilat al-Mutii ala al-Majmu Sharh al-Muhadhdhab is a multi-volume Shafi'i jurisprudential work written to complete the unfinished commentary al-Majmu Sharh al-Muhadhdhab. Composed in seven volumes, it resumes from the point where the Cairo edition of the previous continuation ended, bringing the overall legal commentary toward completion.