Yusuf an-Nabhani
Encyclopedia
Imam al-Qadi Yusuf bin Ismail bin Yusuf bin Ismail bin Muhammad Nâsir al-Dîn an-Nabhani (1849–1932) born in Ijzim
in historical Palestine, now north of Haifa
in Israel
, died in Beirut. Yusuf was a Sunni Sufi Ottoman
Palestinian
Islamic Scholar, judge, prolific poet, and defender of the Ottoman
Caliphate
. His teachings have influenced much of Sufism
's development in the 19th and 20th century.
in Cairo like Muhammad Abduh
and al-Afghani who were changing Sunni Islam. Yusuf was a firm believer in the law, or Shariah in restricting all Sufi activity, being of the Shafi madhab or thought of Sunni Islam holding a similar stance to al-Ghazali in his later years on Sufism
.
His father Shaykh Ismail al-Nabhani taught him to memorise the whole Quran at a very young age, taught him the sciences of Islamic jurisprudence and then sent Yusuf to begin study at the university of al-Azhar Cairo on the 16th May 1866 at the age of 17. Yusuf graduated from Al-Azhar in October 1872 at the age of 23 with qualifications from the official cirriculem of al-Azhar and many other qualifications obtained from extra study under multiple Islamic scholars in many of the sciences of the Shariah and its preparatory disciplines.
After he graduated and returned home to Ijzim, he began to hold a number of religious courses in `Akka and his home town of Ijzim
. He travelled frequently to Beirut
, then Damascus
where he met eminent Ulema
or Islamic Scholars. Chief among them was the Chief Jurist of Damascus at the time, Shaykh Mahmud Effendi Hamza with whom he studied the beginning of al-Bukhari, after which he gave Yusuf a general certificate Ijaza comprising the rest of the Hadith
Collections.
Then he headed for Istanbul
the capital of the Ottoman
Caliphate
twice and worked there for several years. He edited the periodical al-Jawâ'ib until it folded. He also proofread the Arabic books that came out of its press. He left the publishers for a new position with the Ottoman Caliphate
's government as a judge or Qadi
.
He left Istanbul
, the first time, for Iraq, to the province of Mosul, then returned to Constantinople. He left a second time in 1300 Hijri
when he was appointed Chief Justice
of the al-Jaza court in Latakia
on the Syro-Palestinian sea-shore. After living there for five years the Ottoman
government transferred him to be the grand Mufti
, or Chief Justice of al-Quds or Jerusalem. Then he moved to be Chief Justice of Beirut in 1888, although some records point to 1887.
The son of his daughter, Taqiuddin al-Nabhani
, was sent by Yusuf to Yusuf's Islamic colleagues & teachers in Cairo at the Al-Azhar university. Taqiuddin later went on to establish the Islamic political group Hizb ut-Tahrir
.
In addition he named a number of other teachers in his books "Hâdî al-Murîd" and "Jâmi` Karâmât al-Awliyâ".
Ijzim
Ijzim was a Palestinian village located in the Haifa district of British Mandate Palestine, 19.5 kilometers south of the city, that was depopulated during the 1948 Arab-Israeli war...
in historical Palestine, now north of Haifa
Haifa
Haifa is the largest city in northern Israel, and the third-largest city in the country, with a population of over 268,000. Another 300,000 people live in towns directly adjacent to the city including the cities of the Krayot, as well as, Tirat Carmel, Daliyat al-Karmel and Nesher...
in Israel
Israel
The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...
, died in Beirut. Yusuf was a Sunni Sufi Ottoman
Ottoman Turks
The Ottoman Turks were the Turkish-speaking population of the Ottoman Empire who formed the base of the state's military and ruling classes. Reliable information about the early history of Ottoman Turks is scarce, but they take their Turkish name, Osmanlı , from the house of Osman I The Ottoman...
Palestinian
Palestinian people
The Palestinian people, also referred to as Palestinians or Palestinian Arabs , are an Arabic-speaking people with origins in Palestine. Despite various wars and exoduses, roughly one third of the world's Palestinian population continues to reside in the area encompassing the West Bank, the Gaza...
Islamic Scholar, judge, prolific poet, and defender of the Ottoman
Ottoman Empire
The Ottoman EmpireIt was usually referred to as the "Ottoman Empire", the "Turkish Empire", the "Ottoman Caliphate" or more commonly "Turkey" by its contemporaries...
Caliphate
Caliphate
The term caliphate, "dominion of a caliph " , refers to the first system of government established in Islam and represented the political unity of the Muslim Ummah...
. His teachings have influenced much of Sufism
Sufism
Sufism or ' is defined by its adherents as the inner, mystical dimension of Islam. A practitioner of this tradition is generally known as a '...
's development in the 19th and 20th century.
Biography
Many of Yusuf's poems, books, and teachings have remained, but very little is printed about his personal life, and activities. What is known is that he worked and campaigned against the Wahhabi movement and the reformersReform movement
A reform movement is a kind of social movement that aims to make gradual change, or change in certain aspects of society, rather than rapid or fundamental changes...
in Cairo like Muhammad Abduh
Muhammad Abduh
Muhammad Abduh was an Egyptian jurist, religious scholar and liberal reformer, regarded as the founder of Islamic Modernism...
and al-Afghani who were changing Sunni Islam. Yusuf was a firm believer in the law, or Shariah in restricting all Sufi activity, being of the Shafi madhab or thought of Sunni Islam holding a similar stance to al-Ghazali in his later years on Sufism
Sufism
Sufism or ' is defined by its adherents as the inner, mystical dimension of Islam. A practitioner of this tradition is generally known as a '...
.
His father Shaykh Ismail al-Nabhani taught him to memorise the whole Quran at a very young age, taught him the sciences of Islamic jurisprudence and then sent Yusuf to begin study at the university of al-Azhar Cairo on the 16th May 1866 at the age of 17. Yusuf graduated from Al-Azhar in October 1872 at the age of 23 with qualifications from the official cirriculem of al-Azhar and many other qualifications obtained from extra study under multiple Islamic scholars in many of the sciences of the Shariah and its preparatory disciplines.
After he graduated and returned home to Ijzim, he began to hold a number of religious courses in `Akka and his home town of Ijzim
Ijzim
Ijzim was a Palestinian village located in the Haifa district of British Mandate Palestine, 19.5 kilometers south of the city, that was depopulated during the 1948 Arab-Israeli war...
. He travelled frequently to Beirut
Beirut
Beirut is the capital and largest city of Lebanon, with a population ranging from 1 million to more than 2 million . Located on a peninsula at the midpoint of Lebanon's Mediterranean coastline, it serves as the country's largest and main seaport, and also forms the Beirut Metropolitan...
, then Damascus
Damascus
Damascus , commonly known in Syria as Al Sham , and as the City of Jasmine , is the capital and the second largest city of Syria after Aleppo, both are part of the country's 14 governorates. In addition to being one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in the world, Damascus is a major...
where he met eminent Ulema
Ulema
Ulama , also spelt ulema, refers to the educated class of Muslim legal scholars engaged in the several fields of Islamic studies. They are best known as the arbiters of shari‘a law...
or Islamic Scholars. Chief among them was the Chief Jurist of Damascus at the time, Shaykh Mahmud Effendi Hamza with whom he studied the beginning of al-Bukhari, after which he gave Yusuf a general certificate Ijaza comprising the rest of the Hadith
Hadith
The term Hadīth is used to denote a saying or an act or tacit approval or criticism ascribed either validly or invalidly to the Islamic prophet Muhammad....
Collections.
Then he headed for Istanbul
Istanbul
Istanbul , historically known as Byzantium and Constantinople , is the largest city of Turkey. Istanbul metropolitan province had 13.26 million people living in it as of December, 2010, which is 18% of Turkey's population and the 3rd largest metropolitan area in Europe after London and...
the capital of the Ottoman
Ottoman Empire
The Ottoman EmpireIt was usually referred to as the "Ottoman Empire", the "Turkish Empire", the "Ottoman Caliphate" or more commonly "Turkey" by its contemporaries...
Caliphate
Caliphate
The term caliphate, "dominion of a caliph " , refers to the first system of government established in Islam and represented the political unity of the Muslim Ummah...
twice and worked there for several years. He edited the periodical al-Jawâ'ib until it folded. He also proofread the Arabic books that came out of its press. He left the publishers for a new position with the Ottoman Caliphate
Ottoman Caliphate
The Ottoman Caliphate, under the Ottoman Dynasty of the Ottoman Empire inherited the responsibility of the Caliphate from the Mamluks of Egypt....
's government as a judge or Qadi
Qadi
Qadi is a judge ruling in accordance with Islamic religious law appointed by the ruler of a Muslim country. Because Islam makes no distinction between religious and secular domains, qadis traditionally have jurisdiction over all legal matters involving Muslims...
.
He left Istanbul
Istanbul
Istanbul , historically known as Byzantium and Constantinople , is the largest city of Turkey. Istanbul metropolitan province had 13.26 million people living in it as of December, 2010, which is 18% of Turkey's population and the 3rd largest metropolitan area in Europe after London and...
, the first time, for Iraq, to the province of Mosul, then returned to Constantinople. He left a second time in 1300 Hijri
Islamic calendar
The Hijri calendar , also known as the Muslim calendar or Islamic calendar , is a lunar calendar consisting of 12 lunar months in a year of 354 or 355 days. It is used to date events in many Muslim countries , and used by Muslims everywhere to determine the proper day on which to celebrate Islamic...
when he was appointed Chief Justice
Chief Justice
The Chief Justice in many countries is the name for the presiding member of a Supreme Court in Commonwealth or other countries with an Anglo-Saxon justice system based on English common law, such as the Supreme Court of Canada, the Constitutional Court of South Africa, the Court of Final Appeal of...
of the al-Jaza court in Latakia
Latakia
Latakia, or Latakiyah , is the principal port city of Syria, as well as the capital of the Latakia Governorate. In addition to serving as a port, the city is a manufacturing center for surrounding agricultural towns and villages...
on the Syro-Palestinian sea-shore. After living there for five years the Ottoman
Ottoman Empire
The Ottoman EmpireIt was usually referred to as the "Ottoman Empire", the "Turkish Empire", the "Ottoman Caliphate" or more commonly "Turkey" by its contemporaries...
government transferred him to be the grand Mufti
Mufti
A mufti is a Sunni Islamic scholar who is an interpreter or expounder of Islamic law . In religious administrative terms, a mufti is roughly equivalent to a deacon to a Sunni population...
, or Chief Justice of al-Quds or Jerusalem. Then he moved to be Chief Justice of Beirut in 1888, although some records point to 1887.
The son of his daughter, Taqiuddin al-Nabhani
Taqiuddin al-Nabhani
Taqiuddin al-Nabhani was the founder of the Islamic political party Hizb ut-Tahrir.He died aged 68 in 1977.- Philosophy and Theology :Nabhani in his books 'Thought' and 'System of Islam' placed...
, was sent by Yusuf to Yusuf's Islamic colleagues & teachers in Cairo at the Al-Azhar university. Taqiuddin later went on to establish the Islamic political group Hizb ut-Tahrir
Hizb ut-Tahrir
Hizb ut-Tahrir is an international Sunni. pan-Islamic political organisation but keeps it open for all including shias,some of its beliefs are against sunni school of thought, whose goal is for all Muslim countries to unify as an Islamic state or caliphate ruled by Islamic law and with a caliph...
.
His Teachers
- Shaykh Shams al-Dîn Muhammad al-Anbabi al-Shafi the grand Professor and Imam (chief) of al-Azhar, who died in 1313 HijraHijri yearThe Hijri year is year numbering system used in the Islamic calendar. It commemorates the Hijra , or emigration of Muhammad and his followers to the city of Medina in 622 CE. In Arabic, AH is symbolized by the letter هـ...
Calendar. - Shaykh `Abd al-Rah.mân al-Sharbînî al-Shafi the Imam of al-Azhar, who died in 1326 HijraHijri yearThe Hijri year is year numbering system used in the Islamic calendar. It commemorates the Hijra , or emigration of Muhammad and his followers to the city of Medina in 622 CE. In Arabic, AH is symbolized by the letter هـ...
Calendar. - Shaykh Ibrâhîm al-Saqqâ al-Shafi who died in 1298 HijraHijri yearThe Hijri year is year numbering system used in the Islamic calendar. It commemorates the Hijra , or emigration of Muhammad and his followers to the city of Medina in 622 CE. In Arabic, AH is symbolized by the letter هـ...
Calendar aged around ninety years. - Shaykh al-Sayyid Muh.ammad al-Damanhûrî al-Shafi
- Shaykh `Abd al-Qâdir al-Râfi`î al-HanafiHanafiThe Hanafi school is one of the four Madhhab in jurisprudence within Sunni Islam. The Hanafi madhhab is named after the Persian scholar Abu Hanifa an-Nu‘man ibn Thābit , a Tabi‘i whose legal views were preserved primarily by his two most important disciples, Abu Yusuf and Muhammad al-Shaybani...
al-Tarabulsî the head professor of the Damascenes' Porch (Ruwâq al-Shawâmm) in al-Azhar, who died in 1323 HijraHijri yearThe Hijri year is year numbering system used in the Islamic calendar. It commemorates the Hijra , or emigration of Muhammad and his followers to the city of Medina in 622 CE. In Arabic, AH is symbolized by the letter هـ...
Calendar. - Shaykh Yûsuf al-Barqâwî al-HanbaliHanbaliThe Hanbali school is one the schools of Fiqh or religious law within Sunni Islam. The jurisprudence school traces back to Imam Ahmad ibn Hanbal but was institutionalized by his students. Hanbali jurisprudence is considered very strict and conservative, especially regarding questions of dogma...
the head Professor of the Hanbalîs' Porch in al-Azhar Mosque - Shaykh Ibrâhîm al-Zurrû al-Khalîlî al-Shafi who died in 1287 HijraHijri yearThe Hijri year is year numbering system used in the Islamic calendar. It commemorates the Hijra , or emigration of Muhammad and his followers to the city of Medina in 622 CE. In Arabic, AH is symbolized by the letter هـ...
Calendar, aged around seventy. - Shaykh Ah.mad al-Ajhûrî al-D.arîr al-Shafi who died in 1293 HijraHijri yearThe Hijri year is year numbering system used in the Islamic calendar. It commemorates the Hijra , or emigration of Muhammad and his followers to the city of Medina in 622 CE. In Arabic, AH is symbolized by the letter هـ...
Calendar, aged around sixty. - Shaykh H.asan al-`Adawî al-MalikiMalikiThe ' madhhab is one of the schools of Fiqh or religious law within Sunni Islam. It is the second-largest of the four schools, followed by approximately 25% of Muslims, mostly in North Africa, West Africa, the United Arab Emirates, Kuwait, and in some parts of Saudi Arabia...
who died in 1298 HijraHijri yearThe Hijri year is year numbering system used in the Islamic calendar. It commemorates the Hijra , or emigration of Muhammad and his followers to the city of Medina in 622 CE. In Arabic, AH is symbolized by the letter هـ...
Calendar aged around eighty. - Shaykh al-Sayyid `Abd al-Hâdî Najâ al-Abyârî who died in 1305 HijraHijri yearThe Hijri year is year numbering system used in the Islamic calendar. It commemorates the Hijra , or emigration of Muhammad and his followers to the city of Medina in 622 CE. In Arabic, AH is symbolized by the letter هـ...
Calendar, aged just over seventy years.
In addition he named a number of other teachers in his books "Hâdî al-Murîd" and "Jâmi` Karâmât al-Awliyâ".
Books & Writings
- Hadi al-Murid
- Jâmi` Karamaat al-Awliya
- Khulasat-al-Kalaam
- Shawahid al-haqq
- Hujjat-Allahi ala al-Alamin
- Jawahir al-bihar
- Sa'adat al-Darayn
- Wasa'il al-Wusul ila Shama'il al-Rasul
- Riyadh al-Jannah
- Anwar al-Muhammadiyah
- Fada'il al-Muhammadiyah
- Afdhal Al-Salawat 'ala Sayyidi As-Saadaat (salallahu 'alaihi wa salaaam)