Taḳī al-Dīn Abū ’l-Fatḥ Muḥammad b. ʿAlī b. Wahb b. Muṭīʿ b. Abi ’l-Ṭāʿa, commonly known as Ibn Daqiq al-'Id (Arabic: ابن دقيق العيد; 1228–1302), was a Sunni Egyptian scholar.[4] He is widely accounted as one of Islam's great scholars in the fundamentals of Islamic law and belief, and was the leading authority in the Shafi'i legal school.[5][6] He was a prominent jurist with several major works of law to his credit.[7] He was also equally proficient in hadith. He was a highly acclaimed muhaddith and a prolific writer on hadith and ilm al-rijal.[5] He was known as the leading traditionist in his time and it is professed he was "the most respected scholar of hadith in the thirteenth century."[8][9] Although Ibn Daqiq al-'Id mastered Shafi'i jurisprudence under Ibn 'Abd al-Salam, he was also well-versed in Maliki fiqh. He served as chief judge of the Shafi'i school in Egypt.[5] He was regarded as a highly esteemed and pious judge in his own day.[7] He excelled in numerous Islamic sciences and was an authority in Arabic language and scholastic theology. He was also noted for his great skills in poetry, oratory, and literature.[10] According to Taqi al-Din al-Subki, there was an consensus among Muslims that Ibn Daqiq al-'Id "was a mujtahid mutlaq (absolute/autonomous mujtahid) with complete knowledge of legal sciences" as well as the mujaddid in the 8th Islamic century.[11]
He inherited the name "Ibn Daqiq al-'Id" from his grandfather, who was said to have enjoyed wearing a bright white turban—one that was as white as the flour used to bake pastries—during the Eid holiday. Subsequently, the name was transferred to his son and then to Imam Taqi al-Din Muhammad ibn 'Ali ibn Wahb, who was frequently referred to as Ibn Daqiq al-‘Id.[10]
Ibn Daqiq birth was in Yanbu in the Ḥidjaz (not in Lower Egypt as indicated by Brockelmann) in Shaʿban 625 AH/July 1228 AD and was born into the Arab tribe of Banu Qushayr.[4][12]
He attended several halaqahs in the city of Qus after learning the Quran by heart as a young kid, and his father led him into the Maliki school of jurisprudence. Eventually on, nevertheless, his pursuit of knowledge led him to Sheikh Al-Baha 'Al-Qifti, a father's pupil. Alongside Sheikh Mohammad Abu Al-Fadl Al-Mursi, he also studied Arabic. In order to further pursue his education, he later moved to Cairo and studied under Imam Izz al-Din ibn 'Abd al-Salam, who was known as the "Sultanul Ulama." From the latter, he studied the laws and foundations of Shafi'i jurisprudence, and Imam Izz al-Din 'Ibn 'Abd al-Salam mentored him till the day of his death in AH 660 (1262 AD).[13] In addition to this, he studied hadith extensively under the luminary hadith scholar, al-Mundhiri and mastered the science under him. After that, he travelled to Damascus to further study Hadith from experts there before eventually making his way back to Egypt and relocating to Qus, the city of his youth.
According to the Maliki school, he was appointed as a judge upon his 37-year-old return to Qus. But his position was only temporary since he didn't feel comfortable with the fame that came with his newfound position. Soon after, he found himself returning to Cairo and teaching Prophetic traditions at Darul Hadith Al-Kamiliyyah, a school established in A.H. 621 (1224 AD) by Sultan Al-Kamil.[13]
His proficiency in Hadith was quickly acknowledged, and he was given the title of "Shaykh of Darul Hadith," which is the highest honour in this special institution. He was renowned for his meticulousness and rigour, continuously investigating on the chains between hadiths.[13]
Later on, he became a law teacher at Salahuddin al-Ayubi's Nasiriyyah School, which was constructed near Imam al-Shafi'i's grave and mostly served the Shafi'i school. Owing to his proficiency in both Shafi'i and Maliki law schools, he was invited to teach at Madrasah Fadiliyyah, a distinguished establishment that was also housing al-Qurtubi.[13]
Keeping this posture in mind, he did not give in to pressure to show favouritism. In one occasion, he disregarded the testimony of the Sultanate's Secretary, Monkutmar, stating that he was an untrustworthy man in an inheritance lawsuit. In response, Montkumar despatched a number of emissaries to persuade Ibn Daqiq to believe his account. Ibn Daqiq eventually resigned at Monkutmar's urging, unfazed by the move.[13]
Additionally, he established a centre that would oversee the administration and care of orphans' belongings until they were adults. In Egypt, this was an unusual step and thus was considered a pioneer. He established a mechanism to monitor the welfare and general well-being of orphans.[13]
Following the death of Judge Ibn Bint al-'Aziz, Imam Ibn Daqiq was approached to assume the post of Chief Justice in 695 A. H. (1296 CE). Though he was initially hesitant, he finally relented to the request, exposing himself to influential individuals within Egypt. Under his leadership, he maintained the need for Islamic law to be applied scrupulously and fairly.[13]
In 695 A.H. (1296 CE), Imam Ibn Daqiq was asked to take over as Chief Justice after Judge Ibn Bint al-'Aziz passed away. He was reluctant at first, but in the end he complied with the request, putting himself in front of powerful people in Egypt. He upheld the necessity of applying Islamic law with precision and fairness while serving as leader.[13]
Ibn Daqiq al-'Id taught hadith and fiqh to the next leading generation of scholars:[5][14][15][16]
Ibn Daqiq died on Friday, the eleventh of Safar, in the year 702 AH, and was buried on Saturday at the foot of Mokattam, east of Cairo. It was considered a tragic day, and prayers were performed over him. His funeral was attended by the royal members of the Sultanate, and a large gathering of the nation (Egypt). Ibn Daqiq left many works on hadith and the sciences of jurisprudence, which the Arab Library still cherishes to this day.[10]
The reputable Zahiri hadith scholar, Ibn Sayyid al-Nas said: “I have not seen someone like him in anyone I have seen, nor have I heard anyone more senior than him in what I have seen and narrated. He was a collector of sciences, and skilled in their arts. He was superior to his peers in knowing the reasons for hadith, and was alone in this precious art in his time."[10]
The great hadith master of the 18th century, Shah Waliullah Dehlawi, stated that no one since the time of the Sahabah had such deep, profound and amazing discussions in their commentary of Hadith as Imam Ibn Daqiq al-'Id.[17]
In his lifetime, Ibn Daqiq wrote many books on various religious sciences, and among the most famous of these books are:[10]
Ibn Daqiq al-'Id, a Shafi'i
