Mujir al-Din al-Ulaymi
- Died
- 928 AH
- Born in
- Jerusalem
Mujir al-Din al-Ulaymi (860–928 AH / 1456–1522 CE) was a Palestinian Hanbali jurist, judge, and historian based in Jerusalem, best known for his chronicle and topographical history al-Uns al-Jalil bi-Tarikh al-Quds wal-Khalil .
Lineage and Early Life
He was Abu al-Yumn Abd al-Rahman ibn Muhammad ibn Abd al-Rahman ibn Muhammad ibn Yusuf al-Umari al-Ulaymi al-Maqdisi . He also carried the kunya Abu Abd Allah and the honorific titles Mujir al-Din and Zayn al-Din . His nisba al-Umari traced his ancestry back to the second caliph, Umar ibn al-Khattab, through his son Abd Allah ibn Umar, a lineage confirmed in a legal ruling issued in 770 AH by the Hanbali chief judge Ibn Qadi al-Jabal . The nisba al-Ulaymi stems from his ancestor Ali ibn Ulayl (popularly known as Ali ibn Ulaym), who was buried at Arsuf . Although his ancestors had adhered to the Shafi'i school of law, his father adopted the Hanbali madhhab .
Al-Ulaymi was born in Jerusalem on Sunday, 13 Dhu al-Qi'dah 860 AH (1456 CE) . He was raised in a scholarly household under the tutelage of his father, Shams al-Din Muhammad, who served as a judge in Jerusalem and from whom he received his foundational training in Hanbali jurisprudence and various disciplines .
Education and Judicial Career
Al-Ulaymi pursued studies under leading scholars across Jerusalem and Cairo . In Jerusalem, he studied grammar under Taqi al-Din Abu Bakr al-Qalqashandi, reciting Mulhat al-I'rab to him before reaching the age of six, and studied at the Salahiyya Madrasa under Kamal al-Din ibn Abi Sharif, whom he accompanied on a delegation to Sultan Qaytbay in Cairo in Ramadan 875 AH . In Rabi' al-Thani 880 AH, he relocated to Cairo to further his training, studying closely for nearly ten years under the chief Hanbali judge of Egypt, Badr al-Din Muhammad ibn Muhammad al-Sa'di, before returning to Palestine in Shawwal 889 AH . He also studied under teachers including Shihab al-Din Ahmad al-Amiri and Najm al-Din Ibn Jama'a .
Following his return, he was appointed judge of al-Ramla, and in 891 AH his judicial authority was expanded to encompass Jerusalem, Hebron, and Nablus alongside al-Ramla . In 909 AH, he performed the Hajj pilgrimage and resided in Mecca for about a month devoted to worship and Quranic recitation .
Scholarly Standing
Al-Ulaymi made significant contributions to Islamic historiography and Hanbali biographical literature. He compiled al-Uns al-Jalil bi-Tarikh al-Quds wal-Khalil, a detailed topographical, religious, and biographical chronicle of Jerusalem and Hebron down to the end of the ninth century AH, which he began in 900 AH and completed in four months . He also authored al-Manhaj al-Ahmad fi Tarajim Ashab al-Imam Ahmad, an extensive biographical compendium dedicated to the scholars of the Hanbali school .
His contemporary al-Sakhawi described him as the most exemplary of Jerusalem's judges, noting his upright conduct, dedication to history, fine calligraphy, and poetry . Later biographers, including Kamal al-Din al-Ghazzi, praised him as an accomplished Athari jurist, traditionalist, and master of various Islamic sciences .
Death
Al-Ulaymi died in Jerusalem in 928 AH (1522 CE) ; another report places his death in 927 AH .
Answer updated
List of Works
al-Tarikh al-Mutabar fi Anba man Ghabar is a universal history and biographical compendium. The work encompasses prophetic histories, general Islamic annals down to the late ninth and early tenth century AH, and a compendium of prominent Muslim figures.
al-Uns al-Jalil bi-Tarikh al-Quds wal-Khalil is a comprehensive topographical, historical, and biographical work. It serves as a chronicle and architectural record of Jerusalem and Hebron, tracing their sacred traditions, monuments, rulers, and religious scholars down to the end of the ninth Islamic century.
Fath al-Rahman fi Tafsir al-Quran is a comprehensive Quranic commentary structured as an abridged yet refined synthesis drawn from classical works of prominent Islamic scholars. It aims to condense the core elements of Quranic exegesis into an accessible reference, avoiding excessive length while retaining essential linguistic, legal, and theological discussions.