Zakariyyā al-Ansārī زكريا الأنصاري | |
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Title | Shaykh al-Islam[1] |
Personal | |
Born | (823 AH/1420 AD) |
Died | (926 AH/1520 AD) |
Religion | Islam |
Region | Egypt |
Denomination | Sunni |
School | Shafi'i[1] |
Creed | Ash'ari[2] |
Main interest(s) | Aqidah, Kalam (Islamic theology), Fiqh, Usul al-Fiqh, Hadith, Usul al-Hadith, Tafsir, Qira'at, Arabic grammar, Linguistic, Rhetoric, Philology, History, Literature, Genealogy, Seerah, Tasawwuf, Logic, Mathematics, Scientific terminology, Medicine, Astronomy |
Notable work(s) | Fath al-Ilah al-Majid bi-Idhah Sharh al-'Aqa'id |
Alma mater | Al-Azhar University |
Muslim leader | |
Abū Yaḥyā b. Muḥammad b. Zakariyyā, Zayn al-Dīn al-Sunaykī (Arabic: زكريا الأنصاري) also known as Zakariyyā al-Ansārī was an Egyptian Sunni polymath.[3][4] He is considered the leading specialist in fiqh, usul al-fiqh, hadith, usul al-hadith, tafsir, ulum al-Qur'an (Qur'anic sciences), Qu'ranic recitation, grammar, linguistic, rhetoric, philology, history, literature, genealogy, kalam (Islamic theology), logic and Sufism. He also excelled in other sciences such as medicine, engineering, astronomy, and mathematics.[5]
He is described as the most renowned and revered scholar, judge and teacher of his time.[6] He is highly regarded for his profound knowledge in all of the sciences and his books of various subjects became a reference for later scholars.[7] He is deemed to be the mujaddid of the 9th century Hijri.[8] He is regarded as the mujtahid and foremost authority in the Shafi'i school.[9] According to the Shafi'i tradition, the most famous usage for "Shaykh al-Islām" is with Zakariyya al-Ansari.