Bà «luá¹£ ibn RajÃÂþ (born 950s, died after 1009), nicknamed al-WÃÂá¸Âiḥ ('the Exposer' or 'Clarifier'), was a Coptic Christian monk, priest and apologist under the FÃÂá¹Âimid Caliphate. He was a convert from Islam who wrote in Arabic.
Ibn RajÃÂþ was born probably in the 950s. His given name at birth was Yà «suf. His full name appears in the sources as al-WÃÂá¸Âiḥ Yà «suf ibn RajÃÂþ, al-WÃÂá¸Âiḥ ibn RajÃÂþ or Bà «luá¹£ ibn RajÃÂþ. He was born in Cairo, where his father, RajÃÂþ al-Shahëd, was a Sunnë jurist at the Shia FÃÂá¹Âimid court. The name of his mother is unknown. She may have been a Christian, but she was probably not a Copt, since her son grew up ignorant of the Coptic language.
Ibn RajÃÂþ studied the QurþÃÂn, tafsër (QurþÃÂnic interpretation), ḥadëth (tradition) and Islamic law. During the reign of the Caliph al-Muÿizz (973âÂÂ975), he witnessed the execution of a Muslim convert to Christianity in Old Cairo and was moved by his prophetic final words. Later, probably in the 980s, he undertook a pilgrimage to Mecca, but became lost during the return journey. He wound up in the church of Abà « Sayfayn, where he converted and was baptised as Bà «luá¹£ (Paul).
When his family, who believed him to be lost in the desert, found him in Abà « Sayfayn, they brought him home and tried to convince him to return to Islam. Failing in this, his father sent him away. He travelled to the monasteries of the WÃÂdë al-Naá¹Ârà «n, where he took vows as a monk. A fellow monk convinced him to publicly declare his conversion in Cairo. This provoked his father to extreme measures to bring him back to Islam. When these failed, he denounced his son to the Caliph al-ÿAzëz Bi'llÃÂh, who appointed the chief judge of Egypt to investigate the case. He received support from notable figures such as the caliph's Christian wife, al-Sayyida al-ÿAzëziyya, and was eventually let go.
Ibn RajÃÂþ returned to the WÃÂdë al-Naá¹Ârà «n and was ordained a priest. He built a church dedicated to Saint Michael in Raþs al-Khalëj. His father sent some Bedouin to kill him, but he escaped into the Nile Delta. There he served as steward of the church of Saint Theodore in SandafÃÂ. There he also met Theodore ibn MënÃÂ, secretary of the Holy Synod. He gave an oral account his life to Theodore, who later passed it on to Michael of Damrà «, who in 1051 incorporated Ibn RajÃÂþ's biography into his continuation of the History of the Patriarchs of Alexandria under the patriachate of Philotheos (979âÂÂ1003). Ibn RajÃÂþ was still alive in August 1009, since he wrote that 400 years had passed in the Islamic calendar. He was buried in the church in SandafÃÂ.
The Coptic Orthodox Church recognises Ibn RajÃÂþas a "holy exemplar". Michael's hagiographical biography, however, refers to him as a "saint" (al-qiddës). Other medieval sources on Ibn RajÃÂþ include Ibn al-RÃÂhib, Ibn Kabar and Yà «sÃÂb of Fuwa. Ibn Kabar claims that he wrote an autobiography, but this may be a mistaken reference to the History of the Patriarchs.
According to the biography in the History of the Patriarchs, Ibn RajÃÂþ wrote three works. The last of these is preserved and in it he cites his two earlier works. These two works are not known for certain to be extant, although copies may exist in a private collection in Aleppo.
The NawÃÂdir and the KitÃÂb al-ibÃÂna were reported by in manuscripts now inaccessible to scholars. He describes the former as a refutation of Islam. Its title implies that it cites tafsër to this end. The title of the second work implies that it points out the contradictions in the ḥadëth corpus. The title Hatk al-maḥjà «b is reported by Ibn Kabar.
The KitÃÂb al-wÃÂá¸Âiḥ was translated into Latin in the 13th century under the title Liber denudationis sive ostensionis aut patefaciens ('Book of Denuding or Exposing, or the Discloser'). It is preserved in whole or in part in four Arabic manuscripts and in one Latin manuscript.
According to both the History of the Patriarchs and his own KitÃÂb al-wÃÂá¸Âiḥ, Ibn RajÃÂþ was a close friend and collaborator of SÃÂwërus ibn al-Muqaffaÿ. The two spent much time in discussions on biblical interpretation. They were among the pioneers of Copto-Arabic literature.