Ibn Hajar al-Haytami al-Makki was a Sunni Muslim

Muslim

A Muslim, also spelled Moslem, is an adherent of Islam, a monotheistic, Abrahamic religion based on the Quran, which Muslims consider the verbatim word of God as revealed to prophet Muhammad. "Muslim" is the Arabic term for "submitter" .Muslims believe that God is one and incomparable...

 Shafi`i scholar, born in 909 AH (1503CE).

Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Hajar al-Haytami was a student of Zakariyya al-Ansari. He represents the foremost resource for legal opinion (fatwa) in the entire late Shafi`i school. He died in 974 AH (CE 1566).

Biography

Ibn Hajar al-Haytamī was born in 1504 in the small village Abū Haytam in western Egypt. He followed the Shafi'i School and was the Imam during his time period. He was recognized for his depth of application of Sacred Law, and with al-Imām Aḥmad al-Ramlī, represents the foremost resource for fatwa (legal opinion) for the entire late Shāfiʿī School. His name in its entirety is Shibab al-Dīn Abū al-ʿAbbās Aḥmad ibn Muḥammad ibn ʿAlī ibn Hajar al-Haytamī al-Makkī al-Ansārī. When he was a small child Ibn Hajar al-Haytamī’s father died and his upbringing was left to the charge of his grandfather. His grandfather was known to the locals as the “stone” because of his piteous nature. The nickname came from people saying he was “silent as a stone”. This was due to the fact that he seldom spoke and when he did it was greatly revered for his religious knowledge. His grandfather died, however, shortly after his father and his father’s teachers Shams Dīn b. Abi’l-Hamā’il and Shams al-Dīn Muhammad al-Shanāwī became his caretakers.

It was al- Shanāwī who decided that al-Haytamī should receive his elementary education at the sanctuary of Sayyid Ahmadal-Badawī in Tanta. After completing his education here, Ibn Hajar al- Haytamī continued his schooling at the Azhar mosque. At the Azhar mosque al-Haytamī studied under many noteworthy scholars, the most predominant one being Zakariyyā’ al- Ansārī. During this time the Ottoman Turks had taken over Egypt and the economy suffered greatly. The Azhar mosque no longer received royal patronage from the sultan, so Ibn Hajar al-Haytamī studied in a time where extreme poverty was a prominent issue for the locals (“Ottoman Empire”).

Another issue that al-Haytamī faced was that of performing the Hajj, which is one of the five pillars of Islam that states that devote Muslims travel to the city of Mecca at least once in their lifetime. Al-Haytamī accomplished this task in the year 1527 with his shayk, Shayk al-Bakri. It was during this trip that al-Haytamī decided to begin writing fiqh. He returned to Mecca in 1531 and stayed there a year before returning home again. During this visit al-Haytamī worked on a compilation of notes which he would later use in his authorship to write commentaries. The last time he traveled to Mecca was in 1533, this time he brought his family and decided to permanently reside there.

His life dedication in Mecca began to be writing, teaching, and issuing fatwa. He authored major works in Shāfiʿī jurisprudence, hadīth, tenets of faith, education, hadīth commentary, and formal legal opinion. It was at this time he wrote his most notable work, which was called “Tuhfat al-muhtaj bi Sharh al-Minhadj”. This work was a commentary on Imam Nawawi’s writing “Minhadj al-talibin”. Ibn Hajar al-Haytamī’s commentary became one of the two authoritative textbooks of the Shafi’i school. He wrote many other works, some of which are listed in the “works” section of this page.

Ibn Hajar al-Haytamī died in 1567 in Mecca. He was buried in the cemetery of Ma’lat.

Views

• Regarding singing, the Shafi'ite scholar, Ibn Hajar Al-Haytami Al-Makki mentioned that some went so far as to claim the supposed consensus of ahlul Madinah on this question.

• He was once asked about the legal status of those who criticizes Sufis: Is there an excuse for such critics? He replies in his Fatawa hadithiyya:It is incumbent upon every person endowed with mind and religion not to fall into the trap of criticizing these folk (Sufis), for it is a mortal poison, as has been witnessed of old and recently.

• Regarding logical reasoning: "Consider these words without partisanship and you will find that he…has clarified the way and established the proof to the effect that there is nothing in [logic] which is reprehensible or leads to what is reprehensible, and that it is of use in the religious sciences such as the science of the principles of religion and of jurisprudence (fiqh). The jurist have established the general principle that what is of use for the religious sciences should be respected and may not be derided, and it should be studied and taught as a fard kifaya" (El-Rouayheb, 2004)

Works

• al-Sawa'iq al-Muhriqah
  Al-Sawa'iq al-Muhriqah
  Al-Sawa'iq al-Muhriqah is an Islamic book written by the Muslim scholar Ibn Hajar Al-Haytami, it covers many areas such as how to send greetings upon the Prophet Muhammad and the role of Shia'ism in Islam.-Shi'te Views:...
  
  
• Asma al-Matalib
• Tahrir al-Maqal fi Adab wa Ahkam fi ma yahtaj ilay-ha Mu'addibu al-Atfal
• Mablaghu'l Arab fi Fadayil al-Arab
• Al-Jawhar al-Munazzam fi Ziyarati'l Qabr
• As-Sawayiq al-Muhriqah ala Ahl al-Bidayi wa'd Dalali wa'z Zandaqah
• Tuhfatu'l Muhtaj li Sharh Al-Minhaj (in four volumes)
• Al-Khayrat al-Hisan fi Manaqib Abi Hanifah an-Numan
• Al-Fatawa al-Haytamiyyah
• Al-Fatawa al-Hadithiyyah
• Fat'h Al-Ilah Sharh Mishkah
• Al-Eeaab fi Sharh al-Ubab
• Al-Imdad fi Sharh al-Irshad
• Fat'h al-Jawwad bi Sharh al-Irshad
• Al-Fat'h al-Mubin Sharh al-Arbayin an-Nawawiyyah
• Nasihatu'l Muluk
• Asraf al-Wasayil ila Fahmi'sh Shamayil
• Madan al-Yawaqit al-Multamiah fi Manaqib Al-Ayimmah al-Arba'ah
• Al-Minah al-Makkiyyah fi Sharfi Hamziyyah al-Busiriyyah
• Al-Manhaj al-Qawim fi Masayil at-Talim. Sharh Muqadammati'l Hadramiyyah
• Ad-Durar az-Zahirah fi Kashfi Bayani'l Akhirah
• Az-Zawajir an Iqtirafal-Kabayir
• Tahdhir ath-Thiqat min Akli'l Kaftati wa'l Qat
• Al-Iylam bi Qawatiy al-Islam
• Kaffar-Raa'a min Muharramati'l Lahwi wa's Sama'a
• Itmam an Niymatu'l Kubra ala al-Aalam fi Mawlidi Sayyidi Waladi Adam