Taqi al-Din al-Hisni

Taqi al-Din al-Hisni (752–829 AH / 1351–1426 CE) was a Shafi'i jurist, hadith scholar, and ascetic based in Damascus, best known for his legal commentary Kifayat al-Akhyar fi Hall Ghayat al-Ikhtisar al-Alam lil-Zirikli+1.

Early Life and Education

His full name was Abu Bakr ibn Muhammad ibn Abd al-Mu'min ibn Hariz ibn Mu'alla al-Husayni al-Hisni al-Alam lil-Zirikli+1. His genealogical lineage traced back to al-Husayn ibn Ali al-Budur al-Mudiya fi Tar…+1. The nisba al-Hisni refers to al-Hisn, a village in the Hauran region, where he was born toward the close of 752 AH (1351 CE) al-Alam lil-Zirikli+1.

He grew up and pursued his education in Damascus, studying jurisprudence and related disciplines alongside contemporaries such as Abd al-Salam al-Qudsi Mujam al-Mufassirin "min …+1. His prominent teachers included Sharaf al-Din al-Sharishi, Shihab al-Din al-Zuhri, Najm al-Din ibn al-Jabi, Shams al-Din al-Sarkhadi, al-Ghazzi, and Ibn Ghannum al-Budur al-Mudiya fi Tar…+1. He also studied under Sadr al-Din al-Yasufi before later departing from his method al-Budur al-Mudiya fi Tar….

Ascetic Life and Public Activity

In his earlier years, al-Hisni was sociable, humorous, married multiple times, and took his students on recreational outings while maintaining strict religious observance al-Mawsua al-Muyassara fi…. He later underwent a shift toward austere asceticism, seclusion, and detachment from worldly pursuits al-Mawsua al-Muyassara fi…+1. This isolation intensified following the period of turmoil associated with Timur's invasion of Damascus, after which he largely withdrew from ordinary conversation with the public al-Qawaid lil-Hisni+1.

Despite his seclusion, he actively commanded right and forbade wrong, openly rebuking judges and officials al-Mawsua al-Muyassara fi…+1. He engaged in public building projects with widespread communal support, constructing a hospice (ribat) inside Bab al-Saghir, erecting a public waystation (Khan al-Sabil) in the Maydan al-Hasa area, and establishing a retreat in the al-Shaghur quarter of Damascus known as Zawiyat al-Hisni al-Alam lil-Zirikli+1. He also held regular teaching and exhortation sessions at the Umayyad Mosque Unwan al-Zaman bi-Tarajim….

Theological Stances and Scholarly Contributions

Al-Hisni was an adherent of the Ash'ari school of theology Kashf al-Zunun an Asami a…+1. He engaged in intense theological polemics against the teachings of Ibn Taymiyyah, which stirred recurrent controversies among students and scholars in Damascus Kashf al-Zunun an Asami a…+1. His critical theological arguments were laid out in works such as Daf' Shubah Man Shabbaha wa-Tamarrad ("Repelling the Doubts of the Anthropomorphist and Rebel") al-Alam lil-Zirikli+1.

In legal literature, al-Hisni authored al-Qawaid lil-Hisni, an abridgment synthesizing legal maxims and theoretical principles from Salah al-Din al-Ala'i's legal manual Mawsuat al-Qawaid al-Fiqh…. His commentary Kifayat al-Akhyar provided an exposition of Abu Shuja al-Isfahani's Shafi'i legal primer, elucidating its rulings with hadith evidences and comparative school positions al-Alam lil-Zirikli+1.

Death

Al-Hisni died in Damascus in Jumada al-Akhirah 829 AH (1426 CE) al-Alam lil-Zirikli+1. Chroniclers report his death occurring on the night of Wednesday, in the middle of the month (the 15th of Jumada al-Akhirah), with some specifying it before sunset and others shortly after al-Qawaid lil-Hisni. He left behind only daughters; one married his nephew Muhammad ibn Hasan al-Hisni, giving rise to the notable scholarly lineage in Damascus known as the Banu Taqi al-Din al-Hisni al-Qawaid lil-Hisni.