Biography of Shaykh al-Barzanji

Biography of Shaykh al-Barzanji

By :Sidi Abu Hasan

Released by www.marifah.net 1428 H

Shaykh Muhammad ibn `Abdul Rasul ibn `Abdul Sayyid al-`Alawi al-Husayni al-Musawi
al-Shaharzuri al-Barzanji, and thenceforth al-Madani. He was born in Shahrzur, a Kurdish town in Iraq on Friday, the 12th of Rabi al-Awwal, 1040 AH.

He grew up in Shahrzur and read the holy Qur’an and other Islamic sciences with his father. He also studied under Mulla Zayrak and Mulla Sharif al-Siddiqi al-Kawrani. He traveled to many cities seeking knowledge and thus he studied under Ahmad al-Salahi in Mardayn, Abul Wafa al-`Ardi and Muhammad al-Kawakibi in Aleppo, `Abd al-Baqi al- Hanbali and `Abd al-Qadir al-Saquri in Damascus, Shaykh Mudlij in Baghdad and in Yemen. In Egypt he studied under the Shaykhs Muhammad al-Babili, `Ali al-Shibramilsi, Sultan Mizahi, Muhammad al-`Anani and Ahmed al-`Ajami. Finally, he settled in Madinah where he became a disciple of the great shaykhs: Ibrahim ibn Hasan al-Kawrani and Ahmad al-Qashshashi.

He was the Chief Mufti of the Shafi`is in Madina. The Shaykh passed away in Muharram in Madina in 1103 AH. He was buried in al-Baqi alongside other prominent Barzanjis.

Many of his descendants became prominent scholars and many held the post of the ‘Chief Mufti of Shafi`is’ in Madina. 1

1 hadyat al-`arifin 2:302, silk al-durar 4:65, mujam al-mu’allifin 9:308 (from the preface of the
book ‘shratu’s sa`a’, dar al-minhaj: Jeddah.


His Works:

1. irshad al-awwah ila ma`ana hadith “man qara’a harfan min kitabillah”

2. al-isha`ah li-ashrat al-sa`ah

3. idat al-nibras li-izahat al-waswas al-khannas

4. al-a`ajuba fi a`amal al-maktuba

5. anhar al-salsabil li-riyad anwar al-tanzil

6. al-ihtida’a fil jami bayna ahadith al-ibtida’a

7. iqadh dhaw al-intiba li-fahm al-ishtibah al-waqi li-bni nujaym fil ashbah

8. al-tarjih wal-tashih li-salat al-tasabih

9. tasqili lawh al-iman bi-tanzihi `arsh al-rahman

10. rijal al-tawus fi sharh al-qamus

11. al-sana wal sunut fi ahkam al-qunut

12. raf`a al-isr `an ma`ana kawnihi sallallahu `alayhi wa-sallam ummiyan lam yantiq al-shir

13. al-nawafid lil-rawafid

14. al-qawl al-sadid fi jawabi rasm al-imami wal-tajwid

15. al-qawl al-mukhtasar fi-tarjamat ibn hajar

16. al-targhib wal-tarkhim li-munkar al-ta`azim wal-tafkhim

17. khalis at-talkhis mukhtasar talkhis al-miftah

18. al-sabil fi irabi hasbunallah wa nim al-wakil

19. sadad al-din wa-sidad al-din fi-ithbat al-najati wal darajati lil-walidayn

20. al-safi `an al-kadar fi ahadith al-qasa’a wal-qadar

He writes an endnote in ‘ashrat al-sa`a’, thus:

The author, a supplicant of Allah, Muhammad ibn `Abdul Rasul ibn `Abdul Sayyid al- `Alawi al-Husayni, al-Musawi, al-Shaharzuri, al-Barzanji; and thence, al-Madani, may Allâh forgive him. I have finished this book, on Wednesday, 11th Dhul Qa`ada, 1076 AH, in the city of the Prophet in my place of al-Zaqqaq also known as Suwayqa. I praise Allah, send salawat on Rasulallah along with many prayers; and beseech forgiveness for all Muslim men and women; may Allah make this a means for my salvation on the day of judgment, for the sake of the Prince of the pious. Amen.

In the appendix of ‘kashf al-zunun’, al-Barzanji is mentioned as:

Al-Barzanji: Ja`far ibn al-Sayyid Hasan ibn `Abdul Karim ibn Muhammad ibn `Abdul Rasul al-Husayni al-Barzanji al-Madani; the [chief] Mufti of Shafi`is in Medina. He passed away in 1177 AH. This Barzanji is a great grandson of the notable scholar mentioned above.


His works include:

1. al-birr al-`ajil, bi-ibahat al-shaykh muhammad ghafil.

2. jaliyat al-kadar bi-asma’i ashabi sayyid al-mala’iki wal bashar.

3. jaliyat al-kurab bi-asma’i sayyid al-`ajami wal-`arab.

4. al-janil dani fi manaqib al-shaykh `abd al-qadir al-jaylani.

5. al-rawd al-mitar fima yahiddil sayyid muhammad min al-ash`ar.

6. al-shaqa’iq al-utrujiyya fi manaqib al-ashraf al-barzanjiyya.

7. al-tawalil as`adiyya min al-matal al-mushriqiyya.

8. al-`arin li asma’il sahabat al-badriyyin.

9. fath al-Rahman `ala ajwibat al-sayyid ramadan.

10. al-fayd al-Latif bi ijabati na’ib al-shari al-sharif.

11. al-nafkh al-faraji fi fathi jitta ji 2

12. nuhud al-layth li-jawabi abil ghayth 3

A Moroccan Shaykh by the name of Muhammad ibn Ahmad `Alish, al-Maliki, al-Maghribi, al-Shadhili has written a commentary on the book ‘mawlid al-barzanji’ and named it ‘al-qawl al-munji, `ala mawlid al-barzanji’. The date of his passing away is given as: 1299 AH.

2 a historical work.
3 vol.5, page 211; entry al-Barzanji, under bab al-jim.

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