Biography of Al-Marghinaani

بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم الحمد لله رب العالمين الصلاة والسلام على نبيه الكريم وعلى آله وأصحابه أجمعين

In the name of Allaah, the Most Beneficent, the Most Merciful. All praise is due to Allaah, Lord of the worlds. Peace and blessings upon His noble Prophet, upon his family and all of his companions.

Name and Lineage

His name is Burhaan ad-Deen Abu al-Hasan 'Ali ibn Abi Bakr ibn 'Abd al-Jaleel ibn al-Khaleel ibn Abi Bakr as-Siddeeqi, with the lineage going back to Abu Bakr as-Siddeeq (may Allaah be pleased with him). And he is famous with the attributions al-Farghaani, al-Marghinaani, ar-Rishdaani.

These are all attributed to Farghanah, a large district and extensive province in Transoxiana, in what is now the Republic of Uzbekistan. Marghinaan was one of the most prominent cities of Farghanah. It is now known as Margilan, bordering Turkestan. Al-Rishdaani is a nisbah to Rishdaan, a village among the villages of Marghinaan.

Imam Al-Marghinaani was born shortly after the 'Asr prayer on Monday, the 8th of Rajab, 511 AH. Az-Zarkali in al-'Alaam placed his birth in 530 AH, however this is a clear error. And Allaah knows best.

His Teachers and Students

Teachers

Imam al-Marghinaani studied the various sciences, especially Fiqh, under a number of the leading scholars of his time. He traveled to learn from them, received knowledge from many of them directly, heard hadith from them, and was granted authorization by them. Allaah also granted him the opportunity to perform the Hajj in 544 AH and to visit the mosque of the Prophet (peace be upon him) During that journey, he met a number of the leading scholars in the Two Holy Sanctuaries. Az-Zarnuji, one of the students of al-Marghinaani, transmitted from his shaykh that he said:

"How many great shaykhs I met, yet I never questioned them."

[ تعليم المتعلم فى طريق التعلم ]

Imam al-Marghinaani compiled for himself a register in which he recorded his teachers, their names and biographies according to the method of the scholars of Hadeeth. From among these eminent scholars are:

1- His father, Abu Bakr ibn 'Abd al-Jaleel al-Marghinaani

2- His maternal grandfather, al-Qaadhi 'Umar ibn Habeeb az-Zarandramashi

3- 'Ali ibn Muhammad al-Isbijaabi (d. 535 AH), author of Sharh Mukhtasar at-Tahaawi

4- As-Sadr ash-Shaheed 'Umar ibn 'Abd al-'Azeez ibn Mazah (d. 536 AH).

5- Najm ad-Deen 'Umar ibn Muhammad an-Nasafi (d. 537 AH)

6- Qaadhi Khan Al-Hasan ibn Mansoor al-Uzjandi (d. 592 AH), as mentioned by al-Halabi. He said, "He studied Fiqh under him."

7- 'Uthman ibn 'Ali al-Baykandi.

As for his studies in Hadeeth, he studied under the Hadeeth scholar Shaykh al-Islam Dhiya' ad-Deen Abu Muhammad Sa'eed ibn As'ad al-Marghinaani, and Dhaahir ad-Deen Abu al-Mahasin al-Hasan ibn 'Ali al-Marghinaani.

Students

As for his students and those who studied under him and gained expertise in Fiqh through him, they were exceedingly numerous, making it difficult to enumerate them all.

Among those who benefited greatly from him, completed their legal training under him, and transmitted al-Hidayah from him to later generations was Imam Shams al-Aimmah Muhammad ibn Abd as-Sattar al-Kardari, known as Khawaharzadah (d. 642 AH). Other well known students are:

1- Dhaheer ad-Deen Abu Bakr ibn Ahmad as-Samarqandi (d. 553 AH)

2- His first son, Muhammad ibn 'Ali ibn Abi Bakr al-Marghinaani.

3- His second son, 'Umar ibn 'Ali ibn Abi Bakr al-Marghinaani.

4- His third son, 'Imaad ad-Deen ibn 'Ali al-Marghinaani

These sons are all mentioned as having studied under their father, and gained mastery in Fiqh through him. All three are renowned scholars in their own regard.

5- Burhaan al-Islam az-Zarnuji, the author of 'Ta'leem al-Mut'allim'.

6- Majd ad-Deen Muhammad ibn Mahmood al-Ustrushani (d. 632 AH)

7- Mahmood ibn al-Husayn al-Ustrushani, the father of the aforementioned Majd ad-Deen.

And others.

His Works

01- Bidayah al-Mubtadi

Bidayah al-Mubtadi is a collection of Mukhtasar al-Qudoori and al-Jaami' as-Sagheer of imam Muhammad. This text better organized and clearer to understand, easier for the reader. Al-Marghinaani also corrected some of the errors that exist in al-Qooduri, while also adding several rules that were omitted in the Mukhtasar.

02- Al-Tajnees wa'l Mazeed wa Huwa li-Ahl al-Fatwa Ghayr 'Aneed

It is a collection of verdicts of the Hanafi madhhab on issues where the later Hanafi jurists expressed their opinions and derived rulings, matters that had not been explicitly addressed by the earlier scholars of the madhhab. The author states in the introduction:

"This book was written to present the rulings derived by the later scholars which were not explicitly mentioned by the earlier scholars, except for those few cases that had been transmitted from them."

03- Az-Ziyadaat

Although the biographers did not explicitly mention this among the books of al-Marghinaani, al-Marghinaani himself has mentioned this in multiple places and refers to it in al-Hidayah. From what he said about this topic, it appears this book contained the legal issues with their evidences, and went into depth of the various legal matters.

04- Sharh al-Jaami' al-Kabeer

An explanation of the book of imam Muhammad ibn al-Hasan.

05- 'Uddah an-Naasik Fi 'Iddah al-Manaasik

Not much is known about it, except the name of the book likely gives us an idea that it was related to the rites of Hajj.

06- Faraa'id al-'Uthmaani

Al-Marghinaani had an old teacher who was a scholar in the Shaafi'i madhhab who was called 'Uthmaan. He wrote a book on the rulings related to inheritance, however he was unable to finish it as he passed away. Al-Marghinaani then took it upon himself, and completed the book for his shaykh.

07- Kifayah al-Muntaha' Fi Sharh Bidayah al-Mubtadi'

This is a monumental work and an extensive commentary on Bidayat al-Mubtadi. It contains numerous legal issues, rare evidences, and detailed discussions. Al-Marghinaani in the introduction of al-Hidayah said:

"I had promised in the introduction to Bidayat al-Mubtadi that, with Allaah's help, I would write a commentary entitled Kifayah al-Muntaha. I began composing it, and a promise deserves to be fulfilled as much as possible. However, whenever I was about to complete it, I realized that it had become somewhat lengthy. I feared that its excessive length would cause people to abandon the book. Therefore, I redirected my efforts toward another commentary, which I named al-Hidayah..."

In al-Hidayah, al-Marghinaani refers readers to Kifayah al-Muntaha in more than twenty places. He does so whenever he wishes to direct the reader to a fuller or more comprehensive discussion, a longer and complete explanation of an issue, additional rulings and uncommon cases, rare evidences, or a broader reference to the opinion of the Hanafi jurists and the leading scholars. Al-Lucknawi copied that it was in approximately 80 volumes.

Unfortunately, this book is now considered lost, as authorities such as Badr ad-Deen al-'Ayni, Haaji Khaleefah, and others have mentioned that this book is nowhere to be found in Ar-Rum (Anatolia), Syria, Egypt, or Iraq. It was said it may be found in India, however no copy of it exists there either.

08- Mu'jam Shuyookh al-Marghinaani

Al-Qurashi refers to this work by the title "Mu'jam Shuyookh al-Marghinaani", while Az-Zarnuji refers to it as "Mashaykhah". In this work, al-Marghinaani compiled the names of the scholars from whom he studied, whom he met, and from whom he transmitted knowledge. He assembled it for his own use, recording their names and narrating ahadeeth through their chains of transmission. He also documented the ijazahs (authorizations) granted to him by his teachers, what he narrated from them, and even preserved elegant and refined poetry transmitted through them.

All of this is evident from the passages al-Qurashi quotes from the work in al-Jawahir al-Mudhiyyah, material that is not found elsewhere.

09- Muntaqa' al-Marfoo'

Not much is known about it, and some doubted whether it was truly his work or not.

10- Nashr al-Madhhab

Not much is known about this work either, however the scholars have mentioned it.

11- Al-Hidayah Sharh Bidayah al-Mubtadi

This is the most famous of the books of Al-Marghinaani. It is one of the most relied upon, widely circulated, read, and cared for books of the Hanafis by those who came after him.

It is said:

كتاب الهداية يهدي إلى الهدى ... إلى طالبيه ويجلو العمى

فلازمه واحفظه يا ذا الحجا ... فمن ناله نال أقصى المنى

Kitab al-Hidayah guides to guidance ... to those who seek it, and removes blindness.

So cling to it and memorize it, O man of understanding ... for whoever attains it has attained the ultimate desire.

As-Sighnaaqi said about al-Hidayah in his own Sharh 'al-Nihayah':

"Among the books of the earlier and later scholars, and among the works of the insightful and discerning, the star of al-Hidayah shines forth, guiding to the foundational transmissions and the authoritative texts. Despite the brevity of its wording, it conveys profound meanings, combines the branches of jurisprudence, and exhibits sound composition."

"It rose radiant and preeminent, yet it speaks with an eloquent conciseness that is almost miraculous. Its principles unfold into various subsidiary rulings, and its jurisprudential maxims yield an abundance of meanings. The pens of authors fall short on counting its merits, and volumes of manuscripts cannot fully describe its treasures."

Al-Lucknawi said:

"All of his works are accepted and relied upon, especially al-Hidayah, for it has always remained a point of reference for the learned and an object of study for the scholars."

Even today, the end of a Hanafi students' journey will be at the stop of al-Hidayah. The author of Kashf adh-Dhunoon mentioned a large number of commentaries on al-Hidayah, annotations on it, and hadeeth compilations, exceeding sixty commentaries. The most famous commentary is of Ibn al-Hummam titled, "Fath al-Qadeer". The hadeeth compilations "Nasb ar-Rayah" of Az-Zayla'i and "Ad-Dirayah" of Ibn Hajar al-'Asqalaani are also well known. You may refer to:

• شروح الهداية فقهًا وحديثًا

His Scholarly Standing

Imam al-Marghinaani's superiority and distinction in the shar'i sciences were acknowledged by his teachers, his contemporaries, the leading scholars of his age, and the generations that followed. They recognized that he surpassed both his teachers and his peers, and they unanimously testified to his knowledge and scholarly excellence. Al-Marghinaani himself said:

"I only surpassed my peers because I never experienced any interruption in seeking knowledge."

The eminent hadeeth scholar Ibn al-Mustawfi al-Mubarak ibn Ahmad al-Lakhmi al-Irbili (d. 637 AH), said describing Imam al-Marghinaani:

"He was among the foremost Hanafi scholars, a master of hadeeth, an exegete of the Quraan, a meticulous verifier, a man of several works, and a mujtahid. He authored several works, the most famous of which are Bidayat al-Mubtadi and its commentary, al-Hidayah."

[تاريخ اربل]

'Abd al-Qaadir al-Qurashi said:

"'Ali ibn Abi Bakr ibn 'Abd al-Jaleel al-Farghaani, Shaykh al-Islam, Burhan ad-Deen al-Marghiyani (the correct attribution is al-Marghinaani). He was the eminent scholar and meticulous jurist, the author of al-Hidayah. The people of Egypt acknowledged his excellence and precedence in knowledge, as did scholars such as Imam Fakhr ad-Deen Qaadhi Khan and Imam Zayn ad-Deen al-Attabi... He surpassed his teachers and contemporaries, and they all submitted to his scholarly excellence, especially after he authored al-Hidayah, Kifayah al-Muntaha and Nashr al-Madhhab, and he taught a large numbers of students."

He copied from Jamal ad-Deen ibn Maalik, who was a renowned grammarian and linguist:

"The author of al-Hidayah, Imam al-Marghinaani, possessed knowledge of the eight sciences."

[الجواهر المضية في طبقات الحنفية]

By the eight sciences, he meant the disciplines through which one attains the rank of ijtihad. These are:

1. Knowledge of the Quraan.
2. Knowledge of the Sunnah.
3. Knowledge of Consensus (ijma).
4. Knowledge of Analogical Reasoning (Qiyaas).
5. Knowledge of definitions and proofs.
6. Knowledge of Arabic grammar, language, and morphology.
7. Knowledge of abrogating and abrogated texts, and the causes of revelation.
8. Knowledge of hadeeth criticism, including the science of praise and dispraise, and the conditions of the hadeeth transmitters.

Al-Lucknawi said about him:

"He was an Imam, a jurist, a memorizer, a hadeeth scholar, an exegete, and a compiler of the various sciences. He was precise in the different fields of knowledge, accomplished, a meticulous researcher, an expert of deep investigation, ascetic and devout, outstanding, virtuous, skilled, a scholar of principles, a man of several works, and a poet. The eyes have not seen anyone like him in knowledge and excellence. He possessed a vast mastery in matters of disagreement, a deep expertise in the Hanafi madhhab, and he studied jurisprudence under the renowned leading Imams."

[الفوائد البهية في تراجم الحنفية]

Imam adh-Dhahabi said about Al-Marghinaani:

"The eminent scholar, and the scholar of Transoxiana ... And he was a vessel of knowledge, may Allaah have mercy on him."

[سير أعلام النبلاء ]

Ibn al-Hummam al-Hanafi in his [فتح القدير] said about him:

"The shaykh of the shuyookh of Islam."

Ibn 'Aabideen said in his [شرح عقود رسم المفتي]

"The author of al-Hidayah is a distinguished Imam and one of the greatest scholars of the madhhab. He belonged to the rank of the scholars of Takhreej (to extract not explicitly addressed before) and Tarjeeh (Preferring an opinion).

And plenty more can be said, but this is sufficient, all praise is due to Allaah.

His Death

After a lifetime filled with knowledge and righteous deeds, he passed away, may Allaah have mercy on him, on the night of Tuesday, the 14th of Dhu al-Hijjah, 593 AH. May Allaah grant him an enduring legacy of truth among later generations. He was buried in Samarqand, in what is today the Republic of Uzbekistan. His grave remains visible and well known there.

'Abd al-Qaadir al-Qurashi said:

"A trustworthy companion of ours who traveled throughout the lands informed me that in Jakardizah, a large quarter of Samarqand known as Turbat al-Muhammadiyyeen, nearly four hundred people named Muhammad were buried. Each of them was a scholar who authored works, issued verdicts, and from whom large numbers of people acquired knowledge. Another person added that each of them was named Muhammad ibn Muhammad. The people of Samarqand gathered them together in this cemetery. When the eminent Imam, the author of al-Hidayah, passed away, they carried him to this cemetery intending to bury him there, but they were prevented from doing so. He was therefore buried nearby."

[الجواهر المضية فى طبقات الحنفية]