Al-Mawsili

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

He is Majd ad-Deen Abu al-Fadhl 'Abdullah ibn Mahmood ibn Mawdood ibn Mahmood ibn Baldiji at-Turki al-Mawsili. He was born on Friday in the last part of Shawwal in 599 AH in Mosul. Abu Sa'd as-Sama'ni in [الأنساب] said:

"This attribution is to al-Mawsil (Mosul), which is among the lands of al-Jazeerah. It was called al-Jazeerah because it lies between the Tigris and the Euphrates...It was called Mosul because it connects the Euphrates and the Tigris rivers. The city of Mosul is called al-Hadeethah, and there are several leagues between it and the old city."

Ibn Katheer stated in [البداية والنهاية] about his father, Mahmood ibn Mawdood:

"And he was from the sons of the Turks."

His Teachers and Students

Teachers

Al-Mawsili, may Allaah have mercy on him, was raised in the care of a family, most of whose members were people of knowledge and virtue. He received the foundations of the sciences and Fiqh from his father, the distinguished scholar Abu ath-Thana' Mahmood ibn Mawdood al-Mawsili, who was one of the Hanafis renowned for his knowledge, insight, and expertise. He remained constantly in his company until he completed his studies under him, became deeply knowledgeable in the madhhab, and memorized most of its issues, such that he would dictate them from memory. His brothers 'Abd ad-Da'im, 'Abd al-'Azeez and 'Abd al-Kareem were also scholars, jurists and held teaching circles of their own in Mosul.

Al-Mawsili also learned under a number of scholars and were authorized by them. Some of them are:

1- His father, Imam Abu ath-Thana' Mahmood ibn Mawdood al-Mawsili at-Turki al-Hanafi (d. 623 AH). He was a scholar and jurist of the Hanafi madhhab. He taught at the school in Mosul, his sons and others learned under him.

2- Abu Hafs Muwaffaq ad-Deen 'Umar ibn Muhammad al-Baghdadi (d. 607 AH), known as Ibn Tabarzadh. He heard from him when the latter came to Mosul.

3- Jamaal ad-Deen Abu al-Mahamid Mahmood ibn Ahmad al-Haseeri al-Hanafi (d. 636 AH). He studied, debated, and issued fatwas, and the scholars of the madhhab graduated under him. He lived in Damascus, and he possessed religion, worship, and piety, and he had a majesty, a firm position, and abundant sanctity.

4- Shihaab ad-Deen Abu Hafs 'Umar ibn Muhammad ibn 'Abdullah al-Qurashi al-Bakri at-Taymi as-Suhrawardi (d. 632 AH). The shaykh of Iraaq of his time. He was an ascetic, was selfless, and chivalrous.

5- Abu Muhammad 'Abd al-Qaadir ibn 'Abdullah ar-Ruwahi al-Hanbali (d. 622 AH). A scholar of Hadeeth, who wrote much and people came to listen to him. He was a righteous and ascetic Imam and scholar.

6- Abu al-Hasan 'Ali ibn Abi Bakr ibn Roozbah al-Baghdadi (d. 633 AH).

7- Abu al-Mudhaffar 'Abd ar-Raheem ibn Abi Sa'd 'Abd al-Kareem ibn as-Sama'ni al-Marwazi ash-Shaafi'i. The son of the author of al-Insaab and other works.

8- Abu al-Hasan al-Mu'ayyid ibn Muhammad at-Toosi (d. 627 AH). He was the Musnad of Khurasan, and one of the great scholars of Hadeeth and one of the reciters.

And plenty of others from whom he narrated, heard, and studied with.

Students

1- 'Abd al-Mu'min ibn Khalaf ad-Dimyaati ash-Shaafi'i (d. 705 AH). The shaykh of the scholars of Hadeeth.

2- Ibraheem ibn Ahmad ibn Barakah al-Mawsili al-Faqeeh. He explained al-Mukhtaar belonging to al-Mawsili, as will come.

3- Qutb ad-Deen Abu Muhammad 'Abd al-Kareem ibn 'Abd an-Noor al-Halabi. He heard Hadeeth from the imam.

4- Abu Hayyan al-Andalusi, the author of the tafseer 'Al-Bahr al-Muheet'. It is mentioned that Abu al-Fadhl gave him authorization, and he was among the greats he received it from.

His Works

01- Sharh al-Jaami' al-Kabeer

It is an explanation on the book Al-Jaami' al-Kabeer by imam Muhammad ibn al-Hasan ash-Shaybani.

02- Al-Fawaaid al-Mushtamilah 'Ala Masaail al-Mukhtasar wa at-Takmilah

The book deals with the issues of Fiqh by combining two books. The first is al-Mukhtasar of Al-Qudoori, and the second being at-Takmilah, by the jurist and scholar Hussam ad-Deen Abu al-Hasan 'Ali ibn Ahmad ibn Makki ar-Razi. He undertook to complete al-Mukhtaṣar with issues that al-Qudoori had not mentioned in his Mukhtasar. This prompted al-Mawsili to bring together the issues of the two books into a remarkable, unique, concise work that does not exceed the size of either of the two books, yet is filled with issues and scholarly benefits.

03- Al-Mukhtaar Li al-Fatwa

Al-Mawsili composed this book, al-Mukhtaar, in the prime of his youth. He himself mentioned in the introduction to his book that someone whose request he was obliged to answer approached him and asked him to compile for him a concise work on Fiqh according to the school of the great Imam, Abu Haneefah, restricting it to his school and relying upon his legal opinions. He said:

"Someone whose request I was obliged to answer asked me to compile for him a concise work on Fiqh according to the school of the great Imam Abu Haneefah an-Nu'maan, may Allaah be pleased with him and grant him contentment, limiting it to his madhhab and relying upon his legal verdicts. So I compiled this abridgment for him, just as he requested and desired, and I named it al-Mukhtaar li al-Fatwa, because most of the jurists selected it and approved of it."

Al-Mukhtaar is considered one of the relied-upon works of the madhhab. The later scholars relied upon these 'relied upon' texts, devoting themselves to reading and explaining them, supporting its legal issues with evidences, as well as the principles derived from them. These texts are preferred due to the status of their authors, their mentioning issues of Dhaahir ar-Riwayah, and issues upon which the jurists relied upon before them.

04- Al-Ikhtiyaar Li-Ta'leel al-Mukhtaar

This book is an explanation of al-Mawsili's own work 'Al-Mukhtaar' which he wrote later in his time. He stated in the introduction on why he wrote it:

"... In the prime of my youth, I compiled a concise work on Fiqh for some of my companions who were beginners, and I named it al-Mukhtaar li al-Fatwa. In it, I selected the opinion of Imam Abu Haneefah may Allah have mercy on him, since it was the first and the most deserving [of being followed]. When it circulated among the hands of the scholars and some jurists occupied themselves with it, they asked me to write a commentary on it in which I would point out the underlying causes and meanings of its issues, explain their various forms, bring attention to their foundations, mention secondary issues that are needed and upon which reliance can be placed in transmission, and mention therein the disagreements among our scholars, explaining them briefly while maintaining fairness."

"I therefore sought guidance from Allaah, Glorified and Exalted is He, entrusted my affair to Him, and began writing it, seeking His assistance and relying upon Him. I named it: Al-Ikhtiyaar Li-Ta'leel al-Mukhtaar. I added to it issues with which people commonly encounter difficulties and narrations needed for issuing legal verdicts, matters of which the beginner is in need and from which the advanced scholar cannot do without it..."

His Scholarly Standing

Imam al-Mawsili may Allah have mercy on him, ascended to the throne of scholarly leadership and attained his share of the lofty rank, until this became firmly established among the leading figures of the Hanafi madhhab. From a young age, may Allaah have mercy on him, he distinguished himself by his eagerness to seek knowledge, his seriousness in acquiring it, and his perseverance in receiving it, until signs of his scholarly stature appeared at an early age. He received transmission and authorization from some of his shaykhs when he was approximately between five and thirteen years of age.

Due to this, Imam adh-Dhahabi quoted from Ibn al-Fuwati who said:

"He heard a great deal in his youth, and joined the grandchildren with the grandfathers, and he was patient in listening."

[تاريخ الإسلام]

With his thirst and aspiration for knowledge, sound judgement, and praiseworthy aspirations, he attained a great rank among the scholars. He became an Imam in Fiqh and had leadership in knowledge. Allaah raised his rank until he became one of the leading scholars of the Hanafis, and people from all over came to learn under him. He was appointed judge of Kufa, and later he taught at the shrine of imam Abu Haneefah and continued doing so until he passed away.

His student, Abu al-'Ala ibn al-Faradhi said about him:

"He was a shaykh, a jurist, an imam, a scholar, and virtuous."

Recorded by Abu al-Ma'ali as-Salaami in [منتخب المختار].

Adh-Dhahabi said about him:

"An imam, a scholar, an author."

[تاريخ الإسلام]

Al-Haafidh ad-Dimyaati said about him:

"A jurist, an eminent scholar and Mufti."

Reported by Ibn Taghri Bardi in [المنهل الصافي والمستوفى بعد الوافي].

Ibn Taghri Bardi himself said in [المنهل الصافي والمستوفى بعد الوافي] about al-Mawsili:

"A great number of people praised his knowledge, virtue, insight, and sound thinking. He was the imam of his age and the unique scholar of his time. He was the last person to whom people would travel from distant lands [in pursuit of knowledge]. A group of the leading Hanafi scholars studied Fiqh under him."

And he said:

"He was an imam, pious, religious and good, he held himself above kings and dignitaries, was humble toward the poor and students, and had chivalry and a strong sense of loyalty to the poor, may Allaah the Exalted have mercy on him.

Al-Qaasim ibn Qutluboogha said:

"He was a jurist who was knowledgeable in the madhhab [i.e. Hanafi madhhab]. He was appointed judge in Kufa and then dismissed. He returned to Baghdad and taught at the shrine of Imam Abu Haneefah. He issued fatwas until he died..."

[تاج التراجم في طبقات الحنفية]

His Death

He died in Baghdad on Saturday morning, the nineteenth of Muharram, in 683 AH. Ibn al-Fuwati said: on Saturday, the twentieth of it, in the year 683 AH, meaning after Maghrib.

Funeral prayers were performed for him that same day at the Jami' al-Qasr, at al-Mustansiriyyah, outside the gate of the Sultaan’s Market, and at the shrine of Imam Abu Haneefah. He was buried at the aforementioned shrine beside the grave. It was a memorable day. May Allaah have abundant mercy on him.