Ibn as-Sa'ati

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 Mudhaffar ad-Deen Ahmad ibn 'Ali ibn Tha'lab (or Thaglib) ibn Abi adh-Dhiyaa' al-Hanafi al-Baghdadi. He is more famously well known as Ibn as-Sa'ati, meaning "The son of the clockmaker". His father was the one who made the famous clocks at the gate of the Mustansiriyyah in Baghdad.

His origin is from Ba'labak, Abu Sa'd as-Sama'ni said in [الأنساب]:

"Al-Ba'labaki: ... This attribution is to Baʿlabak, a city among the cities of Syria, twelve leagues from Damascus, built of stones. I have not had the opportunity to enter it."

Despite that, Ibn as-Sa'ati grew up in Baghdad as mentioned by the scholars in his biograpghy. He was likely born in the start or very early into the seventh century.

His Teachers and Students

Teachers

It is mentioned that he started seeking knowledge at a young age, until he perfected himself. He learned under Taaj ad-Deen 'Ali ibn Sanjar, known as Ibn as-Sabaak al-Baghdadi (d. 661), who was a virtous jurist, and Ibn as-Sa'ati learned jurisprudence from him. In [الفوائد البهية في تراجم الحنفية], the chain of knowledge goes:

"Taaj ad-Deen 'Ali ibn Sanjar, from Dhaheer ad-Deen Muhammad al-Bukhaari, author of al-Fataawa adh-Dhaheeriyyah, from al-Hasan Qadhi Khan, from al-Hasan ibn 'Ali al-Marghinaani, from al-Burhaan 'Abd al-'Azeez ibn 'Umar ibn Mazah, from As-Sarakhsi, from al-Halwani."

Students

A group of the scholars acquired knowledge from Ibn as-Sa'ati, they are:

1- Rukn ad-Deen as-Samarqandi

2- Naasir ad-Deen Muhammad

3- Muhammad ibn 'Ayl Talugh. He combined knowledge of the branches and principles, and was also an expert in the rational sciences.

4- His daughter Faatimah bint Ahmad ibn as-Sa'ati. She learned under her father, and wrote a commentary on his work 'Majma al-Bahrayn'.

His Works

01- Majma al-Bahrayn wa Multaqa an-Nahrayn Fi al-Fiqh al-Hanafi

In it, Ibn as-Sa'ati combined the various renowned and famous works, namely al-Mukhtasar of al-Qudoori, al-Mandhoomah, the poem on jurisprudence by Abu Hafs an-Nasafi, along with its additions. He did well and excelled in its arrangement and abridgement. It is one of the relied-upon texts of the madhhab, and some of the scholars prefer it instead of al-Mukhtaar alongside al-Wiqayah, al-Kanz, and al-Mukhtasar of al-Qudoori. He said: They are two overflowing seas, and this is the meeting place of the two seas [Majma al-Bahrayn]. They are the two bright, shining ones, and this is the meeting place of the two bright ones [Multaqa an-Nahrayn].

Al-Kirmani said in "Sharh al-Kanz": Mudhaffar ad-Deen ibn as-Sa'ati read to the author of "al-Kanz," Haafidh ad-Deen an-Nasafi, in the year 683 AH, and it was found in the author's handwriting that he had finished writing "Majma' al-Bahrayn" on the eighth of Rajab in the year 690 AH. Al-Kafawi recorded this in [كتائب أعلام الأخيار].

Al-Lucknawi in [الفوائد البهية في تراجم الحنفية] said:

"I have read Al-Badee' and Al-Majma', and they are two books of utmost elegance and refinement."

02- Sharh Majma al-Bahrayn

Ibn as-Sa'ati wrote a commentary on his book in two volumes. It is a manuscript, like its main text. It has other commentaries, the most famous of which is the commentary of Ibn Malik, which has the most copies.

03- Nihayah al-Wusool Ila 'Ilm al-Usool

It is also known as "Badee' an-Nidham al-Jami Bayna Kitab al-Bazdawi wa al-Ihkaam". It is a book on the principles of jurisprudence in which Ibn as-Sa'ati combined the book of principles by Fakhr al-Islam al-Bazdawi and al-Ihkaam of the Shaafi'i scholar al-Aamidi.

Al-Lucknawi in [الفوائد البهية في تراجم الحنفية] said:

"I have read Al-Badee' and Al-Majma', and they are two books of utmost elegance and refinement."

04- Ad-Durar al-Mandhood Fi Radd 'Ala Faylasoof al-Yahood

During the time Ibn as-Sa'ati, there was a Jewish philosopher who was known as Ibn Kammunah, his name was Sa'd ibn Mansoor. He had made disparaging remarks against the Prophet (peace and blessings upon him). In one of his works, he tried to argue against Islam. The people of Baghdad rioted, and marched to his house, however Ibn Kammunah had went into hiding. He would die in hiding. Thus, Ibn as-Sa'ati wrote this in refutation of Ibn Kammunah's various claims.

His Scholarly Standing

He, may Allaah have mercy on him, was the leading scholar of his time in the sciences of the sharee'ah, trustworthy, a memorizer, and proficient in the principles and branches, to the point that the scholars of his time acknowledged him as the only knight in his field.

Haaji Khaleefah in [سلم الوصول إلى طبقات الفحول] said about him:

"He was the leading imam of his age in jurisprudence, trustworthy and a master of memorization, and foremost in principles. The scholars of his era acknowledged him as a brilliant and accomplished figure in his field, and superior to his peers. Shaykh Shams ad-Deen al-Asbahaani preferred him over Ibn al-Haajib."

Al-Yafa'i stated as in [مرآة الجنان وعبرة اليقظان], describing him:

"The shaykh of the Hanafis...He was an example of intelligence, eloquence, and beautiful handwriting, and he authored works on jurisprudence and its principles, as well as useful works in literature. He was a teacher of a group of Hanafis at al-Mustansiriyyah in Baghdad."

Al-Kafawi said in [كتائب أعلام الأخيار]:

"The Shaykh, the Imam, the eminent scholar, the precise researcher, the scholar of the branches and principles, the one who combined the transmitted and rational knowledge, the revealer of realities, the knower of subtleties, the Sun of Islam and the Muslims."

"He devoted himself to learning and attained the rank of excellence and perfection. He was the imam of his age in the sciences of the sharee'ah and the foremost scholar of his time in the rational sciences. He was trustworthy, a master of memorization, precise, and foremost in the branches of jurisprudence and its principles. He was recognized for deriving and establishing the sciences. The scholars of his time acknowledged that he was a skilled and accomplished horseman in his field, and superior to his peers in his time."

"Indeed, Shaykh Shams ad-Deen al-Asbahani ash-Shaafiʿi, the commentator on al-Mahsool, acknowledged his excellence and praised him greatly. He preferred him over the Shaykh, Imam Jamal ad-Deen ibn al-Haajib al-Maaliki and said: 'He is more intelligent than him.'"

His Death

He passed away in Baghdad, in the year 694 AH. Al-Yafa'i said concerning the events of the year 694 AH:

"In it, Imam Mudhaffar ad-Deen Ahmad ibn 'Ali, known as Ibn as-Sa'ati, died."

Al-Kafawi said in [كتائب أعلام الأخيار]:

"He died in Baghdad, may Allaah Most High have mercy upon him, on the night of Wednesday, the fourth of Jumada al-Awwal, in the year 694 AH. He was buried in ash-Shuniziyyah, near the grave of al-Junayd."