Al-Suyuti
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Imam Al-Suyuti (849-911 ah) is a respected early scholar of Ahl Al-Sunna Wal-Jamaa.
His Name, Lineage and Birth
He was Abd Al-Rahmaan Ibn Abu Bakr Ibn Muhammad Ibn Saabiq Al-Khudairee, Al-Suyuti (Ash-Shafi). His nickname was Jalaal-ud-Deen Abul-Fadl.
[Al-Suyuti is an ascription to a town in Upper Egypt called Asuyoot. One of his grandfathers built a school there and donated money for it. His father, Al-Kamaal was born there in Asuyoot, so that is why Jalaal-ud-Deen ascribes himself to that town. As for his other ascription Al-Khudairee, then it is in reference to a place in Baghdad, from which one of his grandfathers came from. Both his grandfathers were men of leadership and prestige and his father was from the Jurist of the Shafi Manhaj, as Al-Suyuti stated in Husn-ul-Muhaadarah. When his father passed away, Al-Kamaal Ibn Al-Hamaam, a Hanafi jurist, was one of the people that his father left Al-Suyuti entrusted to.]
He was born in the month of Rajab 849H [1445 AD] in Cairo (Egypt), and was raised as an orphan after his father passed away while he was only 5 years old. He memorized the entire Quran when he was barely eight. Then he went on to memorize "Al-Umdah" and "Minhaaj Al-Fiqh wal-Usool" and "Alfiyyah Ibn Malik." He began to engross himself with knowledge starting from 864H (i.e. when he was 15).
His Teachers and His travels
He took knowledge of Fiqh and Nahu (Arabic grammar) from a large group of Shaykh's. So he studied the laws of inheritance at the hands of the great scholar, who was the most knowledge on this subject during his time, Shaikh Shihaab-ud-Deen Ash-Shaar Masaahee, who lived to a very old age. He studied his explanation of "Al-Majmoo" under him.
He accompanied Shaikh Al-Islam Siraaj-ud-Deen Al-Balqeenee, studying Fiqh under him until he died. Then he accompanied his son (Ilm-ud-Deen Al-Balqeenee), studying under him until he authorized ijaazah (religious authorization) him to teach and give fatwa in 876H. Likewise, he accompanied Shaikh Sharaf-ud-Deen Al-Manaawee and benefited from him in the fields of Fiqh and Tafseer.
[Al-Suyuti moved on to study under Al-Manawee after the death of Ilm-ud-Deen Al-Balqeenee in 878H. Ironically, Sharaf Al-Deen Al-Manaawee was the grandfather of Abdur-Ra'oof Al-Manaawee, the scholar that wrote the work Faid-ul-Qadeer, which was an explanation of As-Suyuti's Al-Jaami'-us-Sagheer.]
He studied the sciences of Hadith and the Arabic language under the Imam, Taqee-ud-Deen Ash-Shublee Al-Hanafi, who wrote some eulogies for him. He also attended the gatherings of the great scholar, Al-Kaafeejee, for the length of fourteen years and learned from him the subjects of Tafseer, Usool, and Ma'aanee. And he received ijaazah (religious authorization) by him. He also benefited from the classes of Saif-ud-Deen Al-Hanafi on Tafseer and Balaagha (eloquence).
The number of teachers whom he received ijaazah (religious authorization) from, studied under and heard from reaches one hundred and fifty shaykhs, as has been compiled by Al-religious authorization himself and his student after him, Al-Dawoodee, who arranged them in alphabetical order.
[In his book Husn-ul-Muhaadarah, Al-Suyuti gives the number of teachers who narrated to him from those he heard from and those who gave him the ijaazah, saying: "As for my teachers who narrated to me, whom I heard from and who gave me the religious approval (ijaazah) then they are many. I have mentioned them in the lexicon I have compiled about them, and I counted them to number about 150."]
Imam As-Suyuti traveled to Sham, Hijaz, Yemen, India and Morocco, and settled down towards the end of his life in his homeland of Egypt.
His Character, Self-confidence and Disposition
He was modest, kind, righteous, fearful of Allah, satisfied with what sustenance he received from his scholastic life. And he would not extend his eyes out to anyone. The leaders and rich people would go to visit him and would present him with valuable wealth, but he would return it to them.
[Al-Suyuti held various positions in his lifetime such as that of teacher of the Arabic language in 866H, he was authorized to give fatwa in 876H and he taught and dictated hadith at the University of Ibn Tuloon in 1367 CE].
His Written Works
Imam Al-Suyuti, is known through his vast amount of books and writings on all of the subjects of Islamic Knowledge, especially those related to Hadith, Tafseer, Fiqh and Usool. However, from these writings, there are those which have their sizes range between a page and numerous volumes. The first book he wrote was "Sharh Al-Isti'aadha wal-Basmalah" in 866H, when he was seventeen years old. For the most part, these books (he wrote) were compilations of numerous other books (written by other authors) or good abridgements for books he had read or books that he added chapter headings to, all of which show his great understanding. It is possible that Al-Suyuti relied on some means that facilitated for him his work on the compilations, such as what resembles small paper notes. In spite of this, I believe that his reliance on his memory was very strong. And we mist also confirm something, which we often find in his writings, and it is that many of his books are void of clearness and purity. So the scholastic personality of the author remains hidden behind the vast amount of statements of the scholars he quotes from. However, what minimizes the gravity of this observation is that this characteristic was almost like the typical quality of his time, so it is not limited to just the author (Al-Suyuti).
And there are a number of small books that Al-Suyuti wrote that comply with some of the Sufi ideologies that spread during his time, which are not correct. Without a doubt, these books agree with the common people's beliefs and they try to find religious justifications for them for what they wrote and heard, such as the belief that Al-Khidr was still alive or that of supporting the use of the prayer beads, and confirming the existence of abdaal and aqtaab and so on. And in many of these books, there can be found contradictions, delusions, mistakes and errors in aspects of knowledge, which at times came as a result of hastiness in authoring, little revision and proofreading, and a lack of proper verification (of the hadith found in them). This is the observation that has been made by everyone that deals with the books of Al-Suyuti, as has been recorded by the uhaqqiqoon(those who verified and checked his books).
From the best books he wrote was: Husn-ul-Muhaadarah, Tadreeb Ar-Raawee, Al-Itqaan fee 'Uloom-il-Qur'aan, Al-Muzhir fee 'Uloom-il-Lughah, Bughyat-ul-Wi'aat, Hama'-ul-Hawaami and others. The number of books he has in print has reached 250 works.
His students
The most famous of Imam Al-Suyuti's students and it is possible to say the most outstanding student to graduate from the school (madrasah) of As-Suyuti was the Imam, the historian, Al-Dawoodi (died 945H) - author of the book Tabaqaat Al-Mufassireen and other works. Then there was his other student, the famous historian, Ibn Iyaas, author of the book Badaa'i-uz-Zuhoor (died 930H).
Some other of his students were the Imam, the Haafidh Ibn Tuloon Al-Hanafi (died 935H), author of the three "Fahaaris" (indexes) as well as many other works and the Imam Ash-Shi'raanee, author of the book At-Tabaqaat (died 973H).
His Sickness and Death
Al-Suyuti withdrew from the people and remained in his house, busying himself with knowledge, research and writing until he caught a sickness that lasted for seven days, ending in his death. This happened in the month of Jumadaa Al-Oolaa, 911H.
Works
His books and treatises have been counted to number almost 500 works altogether. Some other famous works he produced were:
- Al-Jaami'-ul-Kabeer
- Al-Jaami'-us-Sagheer
- Ad-Durr Al-Manthoor
- Sharh Al-Alfiyyah
- History of the Caliphs (Arabic:Tarikh al-khulafa)
- The Khalifas who took the right way (Arabic Al-Khulafah Ar-Rashidun)