Nasir al-Din al-Baydawi

Nasir al-Din al-Baydawi (d. 685 AH / 1286 CE) was a Persian Shafi'i jurist, Ash'ari theologian, and Quranic exegete who served as chief judge of Shiraz, best known for his condensed commentary on the Quran, Anwar al-Tanzil wa-Asrar al-Ta'wil Fi Ulum al-Quran Dirasat …+1.

Lineage and Early Life

His full name was Abu al-Khayr—also recorded as Abu Sa'id—'Abd Allah ibn 'Umar ibn Muhammad ibn 'Ali al-Shirazi al-Baydawi al-Alam lil-Zirikli+1. He was born in al-Bayda', a town in the region of Fars near Shiraz, from which his family originated and derived their nisba al-Alam lil-Zirikli+1. His father, Imam al-Din 'Umar, held the office of chief judge of Fars during the reign of the Atabeg Abu Bakr ibn Sa'd Mujaz Dairat al-Maarif al…+1. Al-Baydawi received his training in the transmitted sciences from his father and studied the rational disciplines under Sharaf al-Din Sa'id in Shiraz al-Suluk fi Tabaqat al-Ul….

Career and Travels

Al-Baydawi followed his father into the judiciary and was appointed chief judge of Shiraz Fi Ulum al-Quran Dirasat …+1. After being dismissed from his post, he traveled to Tabriz Mujam al-Matbuat al-Arabi…+1. According to Taj al-Din al-Subki, upon his arrival in Tabriz he attended a gathering where a resident scholar challenged the assembly with a difficult intellectual problem; al-Baydawi not only solved it and critiqued its formulation but posed an immediate counterpart that the scholar could not resolve, leading the presiding vizier to honor him and reinstate him to the judiciary of Shiraz Mujam al-Matbuat al-Arabi…+1. Another report states that he renounced public office under the spiritual influence of Shaykh Muhammad ibn Muhammad al-Kahta'i and dedicated his remaining years to scholarly writing Kashf al-Zunun an Asami a…+1. Among those who transmitted from him were 'Abd al-Hamid ibn 'Abd al-Rahman al-Haylawni, Zayn al-Din al-Tabrizi, and 'Umar ibn Ilyas al-Maraghi al-Jawahir al-Ghawali fi …+1.

Scholarly Standing and Contributions

Al-Baydawi was recognized across disciplines as an accomplished jurist, dialectician, and theologian Tabaqat al-Shafiiyya li-I…+1. Ibn Qadi Shuhbah described him as the preeminent scholar of Azerbaijan and the master of that region, while al-Subki praised him as a devout, discerning investigator Fi Ulum al-Quran Dirasat …+1.

His most celebrated contribution is his exegesis, Anwar al-Tanzil wa-Asrar al-Ta'wil (The Lights of Revelation and the Secrets of Interpretation), widely known as Tafsir al-Baydawi, in which he synthesized the rhetorical and grammatical analysis of al-Zamakhshari's al-Kashshaf while excising its Mu'tazili theological arguments, incorporating philosophical theology from Fakhr al-Din al-Razi's commentary and lexicographical nuances from al-Raghib al-Isfahani Mujam al-Matbuat al-Arabi…+1. In legal theory, his manual Minhaj al-Wusul ila 'Ilm al-Usul (The Pathway of Attainment to the Science of Legal Theory) became a standard textbook that attracted numerous commentaries al-Alam lil-Zirikli+1. In systematic theology, his treatise Tawali' al-Anwar (The Dawning of the Lights) was commended by al-Subki as among the finest concise expositions of Ash'ari kalam Tabaqat al-Shafiiyya li-I…+1.

Death

Al-Baydawi died in Tabriz Fi Ulum al-Quran Dirasat …+1. The death year preferred by Ibn Kathir, al-Safadi, al-Kutubi, and Ibn Habib is 685 AH (1286 CE) Mujam al-Matbuat al-Arabi…+1. Other authorities, including al-Subki and Jamal al-Din al-Isnawi, placed his death in 691 AH, while al-Yafi'i recorded 692 AH Mujam al-Matbuat al-Arabi…+1. Later dates such as 716 AH and 719 AH are also transmitted in certain historical notes Hashiyat al-Shihab ala Ta…+1. According to Ibn Kathir, al-Baydawi bequeathed that he be buried beside Qutb al-Din al-Shirazi in Tabriz al-Bidaya wa al-Nihaya.