Mohammed bin Ali bin Ibrahim Al-Shaybani Al-Bakri Al-AhsaâÂÂi (, commonly known as Ibn Abë Jumhà «r al-AḥsÃÂ'ë ; 1435âÂÂ1505) was an influential Shia Muslim scholar who adhered to the Ja'fari school of Islamic jurisprudence.
He was born in the village of Taymiyyah in Eastern Arabia (specifically what is now Al-Ahsa Governorate) during the reign of the first Jabrid Emir, and was raised in prosperity by his father Zain al-Din Ali and grandfather Ibrahim, both ShiâÂÂite scholars. Ibn Abi Jumhur studied first with them before traveling on to Najaf in what is now Iraq to study with Sharaf al-Din Hassan bin Abdulkarim Fattal, who gave him permission to transmit hadith. In 1472, the young postulant went on Hajj and met Ali bin Hilal al-Jazaery in Jabal Amel, giving the latter the same permission. Returning for a while to Eastern Arabia, Ibn Abi Jumhur left for Iraq once more before moving on to Mashhad in Greater Khorasan, where he continued to write and teach. He gained renown for his debates with Ahmad bin Yahya al-Taftazani, a Sunni jurist of the Shafiýi school. Ibn Abi Jumhur traveled extensively throughout the rest of his life between Persia and Iraq (both governed then by the Timurid Empire as well as his native land, mostly staying in Mashhad, Najaf, and Al-Ahsa respectively. All the while he extensively taught and wrote treatises and critiques on fiqh (jurisprudence), rhetoric, philosophy, ethics, theology, and hadith. He is best-known for his theory of ShiâÂÂite hadith, essentially summed up as endorsing âÂÂadding, whenever possible, over subtractionâ in interpretation. It is not clear when or where he died.
His full name is Shams al-Din Abu Jaafar Muhammad bin Zain al-Din Abi al-Hasan Ali bin Husam al-Din Ibrahim bin Hassan bin Ibrahim bin Abi Jamhur al-Shaybani al-Bakri al-HasaâÂÂi. His father, Zain al-Din Ali, and his grandfather, Husam al-Din, were both scholars and belonged to the prominent Abi Jumhur family. This clan was a branch in Al-Ahsa of the Banu Shayban, itself a scion of the Banu Bakr; the Abi Jumhur are considered ancestors of the Al-Aithan family by scholar Jawad al-Ramadan. In his time, Ibn Abi Jumhur was also known as Al-Hasawi.
Ibn Abi Jumhur was born in the village of Taymiyyah in what is now the Al-Ahsa Governorate during the reign of the first Jabrid Emir, probably around 1434 to 1435. He grew up during the regionâÂÂs golden age under the auspices of his jurist father.
He studied in Al-Ahsa with his father and a number of scholars, including Muhammad bin Musa al-Musawi al-AhsaâÂÂi (his fiqh teacher), Ali bin Muhammad bin Mani, and others. He then went on to finish his studies in Najaf, where he studied with teachers including most notably Hassan bin Abdulkarim al-Fattal al-Najafi. Among the scholars who gave him permission to transmit hadiths were Hazr al-Din al-Awali al-Bahrani, Muhammad ibn Ahmad al-Musawi al-AhsaâÂÂi, and Abdullah bin Fathallah al-Qummi.
After nearly twenty years in Najaf, he left on Hajj to the Hejaz in 1472, following the Shami pilgrimage route. During that time, he stayed in the town of Karak Nuh in Jabal Amel, then under the rule of Mamluk Sultan Qaitbay, where he stayed for a month to study under Bahraini Sheikh Ali bin Hilal al-Jazaery.
After finishing his Hajj, Ibn Abi Jumhur returned to his native Al-Ahsa and stayed there awhile until he traveled to Iraq and Khorasan in 1473, along the way writing the letters òçï çÃÂàóçÃÂñÃÂà(âÂÂGreater JourneysâÂÂ) and ãõÃÂàçÃÂïÃÂà(âÂÂBasics of FaithâÂÂ). When he reached Mashhad, he began training with Muhsin bin Muhammad Al-Radawi Al-Qummi, who commissioned from his student a treatise known as çÃÂèñçÃÂÃÂàÃÂàôñàòçï çÃÂàóçÃÂñÃÂà(âÂÂProofs for Explaining Ibn al-JazzarâÂÂs ZÃÂd al-MusÃÂfirâÂÂ, a medical work known by medieval Latins as Viaticum).
In 1473, during the reign of Timurid Emperor Husayn Bayqara, a famous Sunni-ShiâÂÂite debate was held featuring Ibn Abi Jumhur as defender of the ShiâÂÂite position and a Sunni scholar from the capital of Herat. The three-round debate was held in Tus, near Mashhad, where he Ibn Abi Jumhur was labeled the âÂÂArab speakerâ given the lack of Persian ShiâÂÂites to hold that side of the debate at the time. The first and last rounds were held in the house of Mohsen al-Razawi, while the second was held at the Balasar School, a part of the Imam Reza Holy Shrine built on April 27, 1474 during the reign of Sultan Ahmed Mirza that has been used as City Hall since 1989. The first debate centered on AliâÂÂs legitimacy as caliph, the second on âÂÂthe issue of children of adulterers,â and the third on âÂÂdeception and defamation with regards to the succession.âÂÂ
The debates were attended by a number of ShiâÂÂite and Sunni scholars, the former holding Ibn Ani Jumhur to be the victor. Some sources believe the other debater, labeled al-Fadhel al-Harawi, was in fact the ShafiâÂÂi jurist Ahmad bin Yahya al-Taftazani, the chief ulema of Herat for 30 years who would be killed along with a number of other Sunni clerics by the founding Safavid Emperor Ismail I in 1510. Pressed to record his arguments, Ibn Abi Jumhur published a book of them, most recently reissued in 2015 as çÃÂàìçïÃÂçê ÃÂàçÃÂàðÃÂè (âÂÂDebates in DoctrineâÂÂ). Several Persian translations exist, including ones by Nawruz Ali ibn Bastami (in his ÃÂñïÃÂó çÃÂêÃÂçñÃÂî or âÂÂParadise of DatesâÂÂ), Jalaluddin Muhammad al-Kashani, and Shah Muhammad Al-Hamdani (written in Nastaliq). Muhammad Ashraf bin Ali al-Sharif al-Husseini published a translation in 1679 during the reign of Suleiman of Persia, as did Ibn Zain Al-Din Al-Alam Al-Asfahani in his book çÃÂòÃÂñçê çÃÂòÃÂÃÂé ÃÂàçÃÂñÃÂöé çÃÂèÃÂÃÂé (âÂÂzawiya in the Basalar SchoolâÂÂ) during Ramadan on July 14, 1687.
Ibn Abi Jumhur continued living in Mashhad near the Imaa Reza Shrine as he studied, taught, and wrote for several years, then returned to Hillah, Iraq, where he wrote an exegesis of ShiâÂÂite advocacy tradition of Zainabia, entitled àÃÂÃÂé çÃÂÃÂèÃÂè ÃÂàôñàçÃÂêÃÂðÃÂè (âÂÂIntellectual Endeavour to Explain RefinementâÂÂ), which he finished in May 1478. In 1481, he returned to Al-Ahsa, finishing his book ÃÂèó çÃÂçÃÂêïçá ÃÂàôñçæ÷ çÃÂÃÂ¥ÃÂêçá ÃÂçÃÂçóêÃÂêçá (âÂÂA Model for Implementing Fatwas and ReferendaâÂÂ) there and soon moving to Qatif to finish àóÃÂàçÃÂÃÂ¥ÃÂÃÂçàÃÂàùÃÂàçÃÂÃÂÃÂçà(âÂÂGuide to RhetoricâÂÂ). Afterward, he moved to Bahrain (then called Awal), where he dictated his book çÃÂèÃÂçñàçÃÂàÃÂóÃÂÃÂé ÃÂêìÃÂàçÃÂïñé çÃÂìàÃÂÃÂñÃÂé (âÂÂImproved Insights into the Principles of FiqhâÂÂ) over four majlis (seminars) ending on March 2, 1483.
After a brief return to Al-Ahsa, he traveled to Mashhad once more, where he completed ÃÂçôÃÂé çÃÂÃÂçàùàãÃÂÃÂçàçÃÂçóêïÃÂçà(âÂÂRevealing the Case for Conditions of InferenceâÂÂ) on December 2, 1483. He stayed there until early 1484, when he wrote the letter ãÃÂààç ÃÂìè ùÃÂàçÃÂàÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂàààçÃÂùÃÂàèãõÃÂàçÃÂïÃÂà(âÂÂThe Least Muslims Should Know about the Fundamentals of ReligionâÂÂ).
Among the towns he visited during his travels from 1485 to 1490 was Diriyah in Najd. In 1487, on a brief return to Taymiyyah, he completed his book, çÃÂÃÂÃÂñ çÃÂàÃÂìàààçÃÂøÃÂçàÃÂàÃÂçôÃÂé àóÃÂàçÃÂãÃÂÃÂçàÃÂàùÃÂàçÃÂÃÂÃÂçà(âÂÂEnlightening Footnotes on [Al-Sayyid Hasan al-Husayni al-LawasaniâÂÂs] Guide to TheologyâÂÂ). That same year, he once again went on Hajj, returning a third time through Iraq and arriving in Najaf in early 1488. After a brief return to Mashhad where he wrote a critique of ÃÂêçè èÃÂñ çÃÂãÃÂóçè (âÂÂOn the Sea of GenealogyâÂÂ), but it was on a prolonged stay in Najaf that he wrote several books, including çÃÂàóçÃÂàçÃÂìàçùÃÂé ÃÂàôñàçÃÂãÃÂÃÂÃÂé çÃÂôÃÂÃÂïÃÂé (âÂÂCollected Tracts on Explaining the Millennial MessageâÂÂ) and àìÃÂààñâé çÃÂàÃÂìà(âÂÂThe Majestic Mirror of MangrovesâÂÂ).
In 1489, he left for Mashhad once more, where he finished the books êèÃÂÃÂö (âÂÂAbsolutionâÂÂ) and a commentary on the local monuments. Then he traveled to Gorgan (then called Astarabad) to authorize his student Muhammad bin Saleh al-Gharawi al-Hilli in the nearby village of Qalqan, along with another named Jalaluddin Bahram. Ibn Abi Jumhur stayed in Astarabad for two or three years and seemed to have divided his time between there and Mashhad until 1497. That year, he traveled to Medina to complete his work àùÃÂàçÃÂÃÂÃÂñ ÃÂàôñàçÃÂèçè çÃÂÃÂçïàùôñ (âÂÂSome Thoughts on Explaining the Eleventh SurahâÂÂ). Afterwards, he returned to Iraq and lived in Hillah, where he authorized Ali bin Qasim bin Athaqa Al-Hilli on January 28, 1501, the last date clearly mentioned in the sources as connected to Ibn Abi Jumhur.
Sources differ as to the time of his death, but according to scholar Hashim Muhammad al-Shakhs, he likely died around 1505 in his native Al-Ahsa, possibly at the age of 72. Some Persian sources differ and claim that he died in Mashhad and was buried in the Imam Reza Shrine.
Ibn Abi Jumhur was considered a leading ShiâÂÂite Muslim scholar of his time and was well-versed in fiqh, philosophy, logic, rhetoric, and hadith interpretation. According to Kamil Mustafa Shaybi, Ibn Abi Jumhur al-AhsaâÂÂi was the next iteration of the thought of Maitham Al Bahrani and Haydar Amuli and a model for that of Shaykh Ahmad. He was a writer and poet as well as a judge, and a few verses remain in his book, àìàÃÂùé çÃÂàÃÂçùø ÃÂçÃÂÃÂõçæàÃÂçÃÂÃÂÃÂà(âÂÂA Collection of Sermons, Advice, and JudgmentsâÂÂ). He interpreted many Sunni hadiths that conformed to ShiâÂÂite tradition.
Ibn Abi Jumhur is perhaps best remembered for promulgating a key doctrine of ShiâÂÂite scholarship, the maxim that âÂÂsynthesis, however possible, is more appropriate than removal from canon.â This theory holds that wherever multiple narratives on the word of the Twelve Imams conflict but are clearly transmitted and can be reconciled, they should be combined rather than favoring one tradition over another so as not to give undue weight to fame, friendsâ work, contravention, or personal preference. If this process is not followed and a scholar chooses a favorite interpretation, important truths may be overlooked or indecision may block them from acting on it. As he put it in his book, ùÃÂçÃÂàçÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂæçÃÂà(âÂÂAwali al-AllaliâÂÂ):
<blockquote>For every two events that appear to be contradictory, you must first search for their meaning and the qualities of the connotations of their terms.</blockquote>
Then he adds a point from the hadith of the Maqbula of Umar ibn Hanzala (from a disciple of JaâÂÂfar al-Sadiq):
<blockquote>If you are not able to do [that reconciliation] or if neither stands out to you, then return to the hadith so you work with the renowned if opposed by the obscure. If the figures are equal in renown, work from them both as narrators and follow your own judgment. If they are equal in that, then see what common doctrine would hold and put that first.</blockquote>
Farhad Daftary wrote that Ibn Abi Jumhur tried to integrate Sufism into ShiâÂÂite thought, especially in his book çÃÂàÃÂìÃÂà(âÂÂThe ExileâÂÂ), which merges Twelver ShiâÂÂa theology, AvicennaâÂÂs philosophy, Yahya ibn Habash SuhrawardiâÂÂs Illuminationism, and Ibn ArabiâÂÂs Sufi school. Ibn Abi Jumhur wrote books on rhetoric, including òçï çÃÂàóçÃÂñÃÂà(âÂÂZad Al-MusafirâÂÂ), but çÃÂàÃÂìÃÂàtook him a long time. He started it as òçï çÃÂàóçÃÂñÃÂà(âÂÂUnderstanding the WayâÂÂ), a theological guide he wrote in his youth in Najaf, to which his students lobbied him to write a footnote in 1488 called çÃÂÃÂÃÂñ çÃÂàÃÂìàààçÃÂøÃÂçàÃÂçôÃÂé àóÃÂàçÃÂãÃÂÃÂçà(âÂÂEnlightenment Lining the Path of UnderstandingâÂÂ). On his return to Najaf in 1489, he revised it and re-published it in 1490 as àìÃÂààñâé çÃÂàÃÂìÃÂ, including âÂÂthe divine wisdom, precious secrets of secular sciences, the essence of annunciation, and the end of levels of hoped-for perfection.â Considered a theological treatise that was his lifeâÂÂs work, çÃÂàÃÂìÃÂàis considered an encyclopedia of most well-known topics of the age that primarily focuses on philosophy in Al-BahraniâÂÂs image with AmuliâÂÂs style. The book is in two volumes, the first expounding on the Tawhid and the second on studies of verbs on the grounds that theology is âÂÂin fact divided into them.âÂÂ
Ibn Abi Jumhur revered al-Bahrani as âÂÂthe greatest scholar and the deepest intellect,â though he relied on Allamah Al-Hilli for insights on etiology and epistemology. âÂÂHowever, he did not rely on ShiâÂÂite jurists and their official representatives to the same degree, though he once mentioned Al-Shaykh Al-Mufid.
Ibn Abi JumhurâÂÂs goal was to integrate Sufi and ShiâÂÂite thought, and he cited the arguments and research of Amuli. He considered âÂÂSharia, the method, and the truth, [to be] synonymous names true to the one truth of the Muslim law.â He cited to this end AmuliâÂÂs çÃÂèÃÂñ çÃÂîöà(âÂÂThe Great OceanâÂÂ), hoping to combine the AshâÂÂari and the MuâÂÂtazila theological schools with philosophy and mysticism to create a single monotheistic belief framework based on Sufi and ascetic precepts.
For Ibn Abi Jumhur, monotheism was first and foremost about the unity that is:
<blockquote>Proof that this world has but one makerâ¦and the theologiansâ terminology for singling out the Almighty Truth from the entire multitude of attributes and actions within it and the Sufi insistence on the pure singularity both prove the principles and organization embedded in His all-encompassing greatness.</blockquote>
Ibn Abi JumhurâÂÂs theological intention was to form a new sect or at least to reform Shia Islam to become an all-inclusive ecumenical doctrine. The ShiâÂÂa sect alone was not a large enough platform for his opinions, and he pointed out areas where ShiâÂÂites lacked curiosity and educated ulama, so he wanted to bring it up to date with the spirit of the time without disturbing its key principles.
Ibn Abi Jumhur was a very influential teacher and authorized several students to narrate hadith, including Jamal al-Din Hassan bin Ibrahim Ibn Abi Shabana al-Bahrani and Muhsin bin Muhammad al-Razawi al-Qummi, the latter his closest student and an associate from his last years at Imam Reza Shrine. Other notable disciples include Sharaf al-Din Mahmoud bin Alaa al-Din al-Talqani, who studied fiqh, hadith, biographical evaluation, and rhetoric for many years. Among other graduates were Rabi` bin Juma al-Ghazi al-Huwaizi, Jalal al-Din Bahram al-Astarabadi, Ata Allah bin Mu`in al-Din al-Sarw al-Asturabadi, Ali bin Qasim (known as Ibn Azaqa al-Hilli), Hussein al-Tuni, and Abdul Wahhab ibn Ali al-Husayni Alastabadi.
Ibn Abi Jumhur was criticized for his ShiâÂÂite sympathies and accused of exaggeration by such scholars as Yedikuleli Seyyid 'Abdullah Efendi in his ñÃÂçö çÃÂùÃÂàçá (âÂÂScholars of RiyadhâÂÂ). Other scholars defended him, including Nematollah Jazayeri, Mirza Husain Noori Tabarsi, and Shahab ud-Din MarâÂÂashi Najafi. His textual magnanimity in ùÃÂçÃÂàçÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂæçÃÂàwas also said by some sources to âÂÂmix the wheat with the chaff.â Al-MarâÂÂashi wrote a letter on September 19, 1982, which he included in a forward to his edition of ùÃÂçÃÂàçÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂæçÃÂÃÂ, therein rebutting these criticisms.
A mosque in Taymiyyah is attributed to Ibn Abi JumhurâÂÂs time and includes an engraving in the mihrab dated to 1407, when his father Ali and grandfather Ibrahim would have prayed there. The text on the engraving is preserved and was inlaid up top, stating the shahada (the credo that âÂÂthere is no God but Allah and Muhammad is his ProphetâÂÂ).
In 2013, the Ibn Abi Jumhur Heritage Society was founded in Qom as a non-profit dedicated to historic preservation.
Ibn Abi Jumhur left a large body of work in many fields, most of which are in Iranian libraries and many of which were printed or at least survive in manuscripts. A bibliography was published in 2013 by Abdullah Ghafrani. Among the most important works are: