Al-Qurtubi

Biography

He was born in Qurtubah (modern-day Córdoba), Al-Andalus, in the 13th century. His father was a farmer and died during a Spanish attack in 1230. During his youth, he contributed to his family by carrying clay for use in potteries. He finished his education in Qurtubah (Córdoba), studying from renowned scholars Ibn Abu Hujja and Abdurrahman ibn Ahmed Al-Ashari. After the fall of Cordoba in 1236, he left for Alexandria, where he studied hadith and tafsir. He then passed to Cairo and settled in Munya Abi'l-Khusavb, where he spent the rest of his life. Known for his modesty and humble lifestyle, he was buried in Munya Abi'l-Khusavb, Egypt, in 1273. His grave was carried to a mosque where a mausoleum was built under his name in 1971, still open for visiting today.

Views

He was very skilled in commentary, narrative, recitation and law, which is evident in his writings, and the depth of his scholarship has been recognized by many scholars. In his works, Qurtubi defended the Sunni point of view and criticised the Mu'tazilah.

Reception

The hadith scholar Dhahabi said of him, "...he was an imam versed in numerous branches of scholarship, an ocean of learning whose works testify to the wealth of his knowledge, the width of his intelligence and his superior worth."

Islamic scholar Nuh Ha Mim Keller said of him:

Works

1. Tafsīr al-Qurṭubī: The most important and famous of his works, this 20-volume commentary has raised great interest and has had many editions. It is often referred to as al-Jamī' li-'Aḥkām, meaning "All the Judgements." Contrary to what this name implies, the commentary is not limited to verses dealing with legal issues, but is a general interpretation of the Quran with a Maliki point of view. Any claims made about a verse are stated and thoroughly investigated.
2. al-Tadhkirah fī Aḥwāl al-Mawtà wa-Umūr al-Ākhirah (Reminder of the Conditions of the Dead and the Matters of the Hereafter): a book dealing with the topics of death, the punishments of the grave, the end times and the day of resurrection
3. Al-Asnà fi Sharḥ al-Asmā' al-Ḥusnà
4. Kitāb ut-Tadhkār fi Afḍal il-Adhkār
5. Kitab Sharḥ it-Taqaṣṣi
6. Kitab Qam' il-Ḥirṣ biz-Zuhd wal-Qanā'ah
7. At-Takrāb li-Kitāb it-Tamhīd
8. al-Mufhim lima Ushkila min Talkhis Sahih Muslim

References

References

1. "al-Ḳurṭubī".
2. [[Namira Nahouza]]. (2018). "Wahhabism and the Rise of the New Salafists: Theology, Power and Sunni Islam". [[I.B. Tauris]].
3. (15 January 2015). "The Bloomsbury Companion to Islamic Studies". [[Bloomsbury Academic]].
4. Aaminah-Kulsum Patel. (1 July 2022). "The Ascent of Adam: Re-Evaluating the First Prophet in Quranic Exegesis". [[King's College London]].
5. (April 2015). ""Commentator key [[The Study Quran]]". [[HarperOne]].
6. Status and Preservation of Hadith: Answering the contentions of orientalists, Christian missionaries and modernists on Hadith pg 49 by Syed Nooruzuha Barmave
7. 26, el-Kasabî Mahmûd Zelat. p. 30
8. [http://www.bysiness.co.uk/quran/qurtubi.htm Al-Qurtubi's depth of scholarship]
9. "al-Ḳurṭubī".
10. Reliance of the Traveller (Revised Edition), p. 1090, by Sh. Nuh Keller
11. • MV, Kahire 1950; 1353-1369/1935-1950; 1380; I-XX, 1386-1387/1966-1967; nşr. Muhammed İbrahim el-Hifnâvî ve Mahmûd Hâmid Osman, l-XXll, Kahire 1414/1994, 1416/1996
12. Altıkulaç, Tayyar. "KURTUBÎ, Muhammed b. Ahmed".