He was described as one of the most prolific writers of the Middle Ages and is recognized today as one of the most prolific authors of all Islamic literature. As-Suyuti wrote approximately one thousand works.[15] His biographical dictionaryBughyat al-Wuʻāh fī Ṭabaqāt al-Lughawīyīn wa-n-Nuḥāh contains valuable accounts of prominent figures in the early development of Arabic philology. He was also in his time the leading authority of the Shafi'i school of thought (madhhab).[16]
As-Suyuti grew up in an orphanage in Cairo. He became a Ḥāfiẓ of the Qu'ran at the age of eight years, followed by studying the Shafi'i and Hanafi jurisprudence (fiqh), traditions (hadith), exegesis (tafsir), theology, history, rhetoric, philosophy, philology, arithmetic, timekeeping (miqat) and medicine.[20]
He then dedicated his entire life to master the Sacred Sciences under approximately 150 sheikhs. Among them were renowned scholars who were the leading scholars of each sacred Islamic science of their time.[11]
Taqi ad-Din ash-Shamani, a hadith expert and a leading professor of the Arabic sciences.
Jalal ad-Din Al-Mahalli, a leading mufassir and a leading specialist in the principles of the law of his time who authored along with As-Suyuti, one of the most famous tafsirs entitled Tafsir al-Jalalayn.
He started teaching Shafi'i jurisprudence at the age of 18, at the same mosque as his father did.
As-Suyuti became the head master of Hadith at the Shaykhuniyya school in Cairo, at the suggestion of Imam Kamal ad-Din ibn al-Humam. In 1486, Sultan Qaitbay appointed him shaykh at the Khanqah of Baybars II, a Sufi lodge,[21] but was sacked due to protests from other scholars whom he had replaced. After this incident, he gave up teaching and was fed up of others being jealous of him.[11]
Avoiding Public Life
In his late forties, As-Suyuti began avoiding the public when he argued with the Sufis in the Baybarsiyyah lodge, he disagreed their claim to be Sufis and were not following the path of saints in terms of manners and ethics, he was thus dismissed.[22]
Ibn Iyas, in his book called Tarikh Misr, said that when As-Suyuti became forty years of age, he left the company of men for the solitude of the garden of al-Miqyas, close to the River Nile, where he abandoned his friends and former co-workers as if he had never met them before. It was at this stage of his life where he authored most of his 600 books and treatises.[11]
Rich and Influential Muslims and rulers would visit him with large sums of money and gifts but he rejected their offers and also refused the king many times when he ordered As-Suyuti's to be summoned. He once said to the king's ambassador:[11]
"Do not ever come back to us with a gift, for in truth Allah has put an end to all such needs for us."
Controversy
As-Suyuti had some backlash with some of his contemporaries especially by his own teacher As-Sakhawi and his fellow student Al-Qastallani who were two major renowned muhaddithuns. As-Suyuti was accused for plagiarism which prolific writers were similarly accused of such as Ibn Al-Jawzi and Ibn Taymiyyah but those accusations were later dropped.[23]
His most famous clash was with one of his teachers, Burhan ad-Din al-Biqa'i, who staunchly criticized Ibn Arabi in his book called Tanbih al-Ghabi ila Takfir Ibn 'Arabi translated in English 'Warning to the Dolt That Ibn Arabi is an Apostate', As-Suyuti responded with a book called Tanbih al-Ghabi fi Takhti'at Ibn 'Arabi translated in English 'Warning to the Dolt That Faults Ibn 'Arabi'. Both epistles have been made widely available. In his writing, As-Suyuti presented that he considered Ibn 'Arabi a Wali (Friend of Allah) whose books are prohibited to those who read them without first learning the sophisticated terms used by the Sufis. He quotes from Ibn Hajar's list in his book called Anba' al-Gh which mention the trustworthy and respected scholars who kept a positive opinion of Ibn Arabi or even recognized him to be an Wali.[23]
Creed & Spiritual Lineage
In terms of his theological positions, As-Suyuti had a contempt feeling towards speculative theology (kalam) and pushed for strict submission (tafwid). He opposed the use of logic in the Islamic sciences.[24][25] He does, however, agree with Al-Ghazali's conservative view of kalam, which states that the science should be studied by scholars who meet the necessary requirements to administer the appropriate dosages as bitter medicine to people who are in dire need.[14]
As-Suyuti was Ash'ari in his creed, as presented in many of his works. In Masalik al-Hunafa fi Walidayy al-Mustafa he said:[26]
"The parents of the Prophet died before he attained Prophethood, and there is no punishment for them. The Qur'an says
'We never punish until We send a messenger [whom they reject]' (al-Isra' 17: 15).
Our Ash'arī Imams, among those in kalam, usul, and fiqh, agree on the statement that one who dies while da'wah has not reached him, dies saved. This has been explained by Imam Al-Shafi'i as follows: 'some of the fuqaha' explained that the reason for the above is, such a person follows fitra (primordial disposition), and has not stubbornly refused nor rejected any Messenger."
"I did not mean that I was similar to one of the Four Imams, but only that I was an affiliated mujtahid (mujtahid muntasib). For, when I reached the level of tarjih or distinguishing the best fatwa inside the school, I did not contravene Al-Nawawi's tarjih. And, when I reached the level of ijtihad mutlaq, I did not contravene Al-Shafi'i's school."
As-Suyuti claimed he reached the same level as the major Imams of Hadith and Fiqh.[26]
As-Suyuti also claimed there was no scholar on Earth more knowledgeable than him:
"There is no one in our time, on the face of the earth, from East to West, more knowledgeable than me in Hadith and the Arabic language, save Al-Khidr or the Pole of saints or some other wali - none of whom do I include into my statement - and Allah knows best."
This brought huge attention and heavy criticism by scholars of his contemporaries as he was portrayed by them as an arrogant scholar who viewed himself to be superior and wiser than others. However, As-Suyuti defended himself stating he was only speaking the truth so that people can benefit from his vast knowledge and accept his rulings (fatwas).[22]
As-Suyuti was a Sufi of the Shadhili order.[19] As-Suyuti's chain in Tasawwuf goes way back to Sheikh Abdul Qadir Gilani. As-Suyuti defended Sufis in his book entitled Tashyid al-Haqiqa al-Aliyya:[26]
"I have looked at the matters which the Imams of Shariah have criticized in Sufis, and I did not see a single true Sufi holding such positions. Rather, they are held by the people of innovation and the extremists who have claimed for themselves the title of Sufi while in reality they are not.'"
In his book entitled Tashyid, As-Suyuti demonstrates a narrative chains of transmission by providing evidence that Hasan al-Basri did in indeed receive narrations directly from Ali ibn Abi Talib. This goes against the mainstream view amongst scholars of Hadith, despite also being a respected opinion of Ahmad Bin Hanbal.[26]
Death
Considered the greatest scholar of his century, he continued publishing books of his scholarly writings until he died on 18 October 1505 at the age of sixty two.[21]
In the beginning of his book called 'Al-Riyad al-Aniqa' translated in English 'The names of the Prophet' ﷺ He said:[26]
"It is my hope that Allah accepts this book and that through this book I shall gain the intercession of the Prophet ﷺ. Perhaps it shall be that Allah makes it the seal of all my works, and grants me what I have asked Him with longing, regarding the Honorable One."
Reception
Ibn al-ʿImād writes: "Most of his works become world famous in his lifetime." Renowned as a prolific writer, his student Dawudi said: "I was with the Shaykh Suyuti once, and he wrote three volumes on that day. He could dictate annotations on ĥadīth, and answer my objections at the same time. In his time he was the foremost scholar of the ĥadīth and associated sciences, of the narrators including the uncommon ones, the hadith matn (text), isnad (chain of narrators), the derivation of hadith rulings. He has himself told me, that he had memorized over two hundred thousand (200,000) hadiths." Adding that there was no scholar at his time who memorized this much.[27][28][29]
His admirers stated that As-Suyuti writings reached as far as India during his time on Earth. His learning and more importantly his incredible prolific output were widely seen as miraculous signs from God due to his merit.[22]
Works
The Dalil Makhtutat As-Suyuti ("Directory of As-Suyuti's Manuscripts") states that As-Suyuti wrote works on over 700 subjects,[20] while a 1995 survey put the figure between 500[30] and 981. However, these include short pamphlets, and legal opinions.[19]
He wrote his first book, Sharh Al-Isti'aadha wa-l-Basmalah, in 866 AH, at the age of seventeen.[citation needed]
In Ḥusn al-Muḥaḍarah As-Suyuti lists 283 of his works on subjects from religion to medicine. As with Abu'l-Faraj ibn al-Jawzi in his medicinal works, he writes almost exclusively on prophetic medicine, rather than the Islamic-Greek synthesis of medicinal tradition found in the works of ad-Dhahabi. He focuses on diet and natural remedies for serious ailments such as rabies and smallpox, and for simple conditions such as headaches and nosebleeds, and mentions the cosmology behind the principles of medical ethics.[31]
^(Arabic: جلال الدين عبد الرحمن بن أبي بكر بن محمد الخضيري السيوطي; Abū al-Faḍl 'Abd ar-Raḥmān ibn Abī Bakr ibn Muḥammad Jalāl ad-Dīn al-Khuḍayrī as-Suyūṭī (Brill 2nd)
References
^Sayyid Rami Al Rifai (3 July 2015). The Islamic Journal From Islamic Civilisation To The Heart Of Islam, Ihsan, Human Perfection. Sunnah Muakada. p. 37.
^Spevack, Aaron (2014). The Archetypal Sunni Scholar: Law, Theology, and Mysticism in the Synthesis of Al-Bajuri. State University of New York Press. pp. 99, 179. ISBN978-1-4384-5371-2.
^In Masalik al-Hunafa' fi Walidayy al-Mustafa, he says: "The Prophet's parents died before he was sent as a Prophet and there is no punishment for them, since (We never punish until We send a messenger (whom they reject)( (17:15 ). Our Ash`ari Imams among those in kalam, usul, and fiqh agree on the statement that one who dies while da`wa has not reached him, dies saved. This has been defined by Imam al-Shafi`i.. . . Some of the fuqaha' explained that the reason is, such a person follows fitra or Primordial Disposition, and has not stubbornly refused nor rejected any Messenger"
^Barakat, E. R., & Haneef, M. A. (2006). "Must Money Be Limited to Only Gold and Silver?: A Survey of Fiqhi Opinions and Some Implications". Journal of King Abdulaziz University: Islamic Economics, 19(1).
^Sookhdeo, Patrick. "Issues of interpreting the Koran and Hadith." Connections 5.3 (2006): 57-82.
^Ali, Mufti. "Aristotelianisme Dalam Kacamata Para Tokoh Abad Tengah Penentang Logika." Al Qalam 24.3 (2007): 318-339.
^Anna Kollatz; Miri Shefer-Mossensohn; Yehoshua Frenkel; Bethany J. Walker; Toru Miura; Christian Mauder (11 July 2022). The Mamluk-Ottoman Transition Continuity and Change in Egypt and Bilād Al-Shām in the Sixteenth Century, 2. V&R Unipress. p. 268. ISBN978-3-8470-1152-1.
^Jaleel, Talib (11 July 2015). Notes On Entering Deen Completely Islam as its followers know it. EDC Foundation. p. 1031.
^ abGhersetti, Antonella (18 October 2016). Al-Suyūṭī, a Polymath of the Mamlūk Period Proceedings of the Themed Day of the First Conference of the School of Mamlūk Studies (Ca' Foscari University, Venice, June 23, 2014). Brill. p. 44-259. ISBN978-90-04-33452-6.
^Jere L. Bacharach, Josef W. Meri (31 October 2005). Medieval Islamic Civilization An Encyclopedia. Routledge. p. 784-5. ISBN978-1-135-45596-5.
^Fancy, Nahyan (3 June 2013). Science and Religion in Mamluk Egypt Ibn Al-Nafis, Pulmonary Transit and Bodily Resurrectio. Taylor & Francis. p. 23. ISBN978-1-136-70361-4.
^Meri, Josef W. (January 2006). Medieval Islamic Civilization, Volume 1 An Encyclopedia. Routledge. p. 784. ISBN978-0-415-96691-7. The family of al-Suyuti, of Persian origin, settled during the Mamluk period in Asyut, in Upper Egypt (from where they derive their name).
^Ali, Mufti (2008). "A Statistical Portrait of the Resistance to Logic by Sunni Muslim Scholars Based on the Works of Jalāl al-Dīn al-Suyūtī (849-909/1448-1505)". Islamic Law and Society. 15 (2): 250–267. doi:10.1163/156851908X290600. ISSN0928-9380. JSTOR40377962.
^Emilie Savage-Smith, "Medicine." Taken from Encyclopedia of the History of Arabic Science, Volume 3: Technology, Alchemy and Life Sciences, pg. 928. Ed. Roshdi Rasheed. London: Routledge, 1996. ISBN0-415-12412-3
^Ghersetti, Antonella, ed. (2016). Al-Suyūṭī, a Polymath of the Mamlūk Period: Proceedings of the Themed Day of the First Conference of the School of Mamlūk Studies (Ca' Foscari University, Venice, June 23, 2014). Leiden. ISBN978-90-04-33450-2. OCLC956351174.((cite book)): CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
