Abu Turab al-Zahiri
Abū Mūḥāmmād ʿābd al-Jāmīl bīn ʿābd al-Ḥāqq bīn ʿābd al-Wāḥīd bīn Mūḥāmmād bīn al-Hāshīm bīn Bīlāl al-Hāshīmī al-ʿUmarī al-Adawī, better known as Abū Turāb al-Ẓāhirī (Arabic: أبو محمد عبد الجميل بن عبد الحق بن عبد الوحيد بن محمد بن الهاشم بن بلال الهاشمي العمري العدوي; 1 January 1923 – 4 May 2002), was an Indian-born Saudi Arabian linguist, jurist, theologian and journalist.[1][2] he was often referred to as the Sibawayh of his era due to his knowledge of the Arabic language.
Abū Turāb al-Ẓāhirī | |
---|---|
أبو تراب الظاهري | |
Personal | |
Born | January 01, 1923 |
Died | May 4, 2002 |
Resting place | Jannatul Mualla |
Religion | Islam |
Nationality | Saudi Arabian |
Citizenship |
|
Denomination | Sunni |
Jurisprudence | Zahiri |
Creed | Athari |
Movement | Salafi |
Main interest(s) | Jurisprudence, Poetry, Biographical evaluation |
Occupation | Author, journalist |
Muslim leader | |
Influenced by | |
Influenced |
Life
Zahiri was born in 1923 in what was then the British Raj,[3] to a family of Arab descent. Through their family tree, Zahiri's parents could trace their original roots back to Umar, the second caliph of Islam and of the Rashidun Caliphate, and thus the Banu Adi clan of the Quraysh tribe.[4]
Zahiri traveled extensively in pursuit of Islamic manuscripts, which he often copied by hand due to lack of resources. During his younger years, he visited Western Europe, North Africa and the Middle East. He eventually ended up in Egypt, where he earned his master's and doctoral degrees at Al-Azhar University,[3] and was also a student of fellow Hadith specialist Ahmad Muhammad Shakir. Later, Zahiri settled down in Saudi Arabia in 1948 at the behest of first King of Saudi Arabia Ibn Saud, who requested that Zahiri teach Muslim theology in Mecca's Masjid al-Haram, the holiest site in Islam.[3] Zahiri's best known student was Abu Abd al-Rahman Ibn Aqil al-Zahiri, who shared Zahiri's pen name due to their adherence to the Zahirite school of Islamic law.[5] Zahiri also had a friendship with fellow foreigner in Saudi Arabia, Abdallah Bin Bayyah.[6]
Zahiri died on Saturday morning, the 21st of Safar in 1423 Hijri,[3] corresponding to May 4, 2002 Gregorian.[7] While in his private library, Zahiri complained of paralysis in his feet to an aide. Prevented from pronouncing the Muslim testimony of faith due to aphasia, Zahiri died on his bed pointing toward the sky instead. He was buried in Mecca's historic Jannatul Mualla cemetery the next morning.
Works
Zahiri authored roughly fifty published works. Although he was fluent in Persian and Urdu and conversational in multiple Languages of India, most of his written work was in Arabic.
Biographical
- ʻAbd al-Karīm ibn ʻAbd Allāh ʻAbd al-Karīm, Abū Turāb al-Ẓāhirī, 1343-1423 H/1923-2002 M : ṣafaḥāt min ḥayātih-- wa-taʼammulāt fī adabih. Riyadh: Maktabat al-Malik Fahd al-Waṭanīyah, 2008. 603 pgs.; 24 cm.[8][9] ISBN 9789960003023
- ʻAlawī Ṭāhā Ṣāfī, Abū Turāb al-Ẓāhirī-- al-ʻālim al-mawsūʻah-- aw Sībawayh al-aṣr. Riyadh: al-Majallah al-ʻArabīyah, 2003. 32 pgs.; 20 cm.[10][11] OCLC No. 424454353
References
- The Greatest Islamic Scholar of the Century Archived 10 December 2015 at the Wayback Machine at Reocities.
- Abdur-Rahman al-Mu'allimee al-Yamani, Introduction to Ibn Makula's al-Ikmal, vol. 1, pg. 50.
- Departure of the Saudi Journalist and Scholar, Abu Turab al-Zahiri. Asharq Al-Awsat, Iss. #8560, Monday, May 6, 2002.
- Introduction of ʻAbd al-Karīm ibn ʻAbd Allāh ʻAbd al-Karīm to Abū Turāb al-Ẓāhirī, 1343-1423 H/1923-2002 M : ṣafaḥāt min ḥayātih-- wa-taʼammulāt fī adabih. Riyadh: Maktabat al-Malik Fahd al-Waṭanīyah, 2008.
- Abu Abd al-Rahman Ibn Aqil al-Zahiri: The Zahiri school was the fourth school before the Hanbalis existed. Al Madina, Iss. #17340. 14 October 2010.
- About the Sheikh: from Sheikh Abu Turab al-Zahiri at the official website of Abdallah Bin Bayyah.
- Gregorian-Hijri Dates Converter at Islamic Finder.
- WorldCat, Abū Turāb al-Ẓāhirī, 1343-1423 H/1923-2002 M : ṣafaḥāt min ḥayātih-- wa-taʼammulāt fī adabih.
- Arabic Bookshop
- MOBIUS, Ab¯u Tur¯ab al-Z¯ahir¯i-- al-‘¯alim al-maws¯u‘ah-- aw S¯ibawayh al-asr / ‘Alaw¯i T¯ah¯a al-S¯af¯i..
- WorldCat, Abū Turāb al-Ẓāhirī-- al-ʻālim al-mawsūʻah-- aw Sībawayh al-aṣr.
- Pusat Perubatan Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia Library Catalog, Detik-detik kepergian Rasulullah / Abu Turab Azh-Zhahiri; penerjemah Wawan Djunaedi Soffandi.
- VTLS, Detik-detik kepergian Rasulullah / Abu Turab Azh-Zhahiri; .
- لجام الاقلام
External links
- Abu Turab's Obituary from Al Riyadh (Arabic)
- Biography of Abu Turab at the official website of Umm al-Qura University (Arabic)