Shams al-Din al-Kirmani

Abū 'Abd Allāh Shams al-Din Muḥammad b. Yūsuf b. ʿAlī al-Kirmāni, better known as Shams al-Din al-Kirmani (Arabic: شمس الدين الكرماني, romanized: Shams al-Dīn al-Kirmānī; 1317 – 1384) was a Sunni Muslim scholar originally from Kerman. He was a distinguished scholar who specialized in a number of Islamic sciences including Hadith, Islamic jurisprudence, legal theory, Quran exegesis, Arabic, and scholastic theology. He wrote Al-Kawkab al-Darrari, a classical and renowned commentary on Sahih al-Bukhari.^[1]

Imam Shams al-Din al-Kirmani شمس الدين الكرماني
Title	Shaykh al-Islam Shams al-Din Al-Ḥāfiẓ
Personal
Born	Kerman 1317
Died	1384 (aged 66–67) Baghdad
Religion	Islam
Era	Middle Ages
Region	Middle East
Denomination	Sunni
Jurisprudence	Shafi'i
Creed	Ash'ari
Main interest(s)	Hadith, Islamic Jurisprudence, Islamic theology, Legal theory, Tafsir, Grammar, Linguistic, Rhetoric, Logic
Notable idea(s)	Al-Kawkab al-Darrari
Occupation	Scholar, Traditionist, Jurist, Theologian, Legal theory, Mufassir, Grammarian, Linguist, Rhetorician, Logician
Muslim leader
Influenced by Al-Shafi'i Abu Hasan al-Ash'ari Adud al-Din al-Iji

Life

Born around 717 AH/1317 CE in Kerman, he began his education there under the guidance of his father, Baha al-Din. Later, he studied rational and Arabic sciences for twelve years under Adud al-Din al-Iji in Shiraz. After that, al-Kirmani travelled to Egypt and Syria in order to study Hadith. He devoted his time there to learning the science, and as a result, he rose to prominence in his era as a muhaddith. He made his home in Baghdad and spent the final thirty years of his life there spreading knowledge. He lived in a humble, frugal and ascetic lifestyle. The sultans would visit his home seeking prayers and advice from him. Al-Kirmani performed Umrah and died returning from Hajj in the year 786 AH/1384 CE. His body was transported to Baghdad, and was buried in a grave he had prepared for himself, near Abu Ishaq al-Shirazi.^[2][3][4]

Works

Al-Kirmani wrote several commentaries of well-known works written by his master Adud al-Din al-Iji including a commentary on ethics Akhlaq al-Adudiyya. He wrote a commentary on theology, Al-Mawāqif fī 'ilm al-kalām as well as Iji's work on rhetoric al-Fawa'id al-Ghiyathiyya. Al-Kirmani was known for his expertise in the interpretation on the Quran as he wrote a commentary on Anwar al-Tanzil wa-Asrar al-Ta'wil by al-Baydawi as well as a commentary on Al-Kashshaaf by al-Zamakhshari. Al-Kirmani classified Arabic works and composed a book on logic.^[2][3][4]

See also

• List of Ash'aris
• List of Muslim theologians

References

1. Khayr al-Din al-Zirikli (1925). Encyclopedia of notables. al-Maṭbaah al-Arabiyah.
2. Ayman Shihadeh, Jan Thiele (6 May 2020). Philosophical Theology in Islam: Later Ashʿarism East and West. Brill. p. 351. ISBN 9789004426610.
3. Feryal Salem, ed. (2022). "'Adud al-Din al-Iji's Ethics: A Translation of al-Akhlaq al-Adudiyya and Some Notes on Its Commentaries". Mysticism and Ethics in Islam. American University of Beirut Press. p. 249-250. ISBN 9789953586793.
4. "Shams al-Din al-Kirmani's biography in several biographical dictionaries". almadina.org (in Arabic). Archived from the original on 29 January 2023.