Ahmad al-Dardir

Ahmed ibn Ahmed al'Adawi ad-Dardir
TitleAd-Dardir
Personal life
Born1715 CE (1127 AH)
Died27 Dec 1786 CE (1204 AH)
EraOttoman Era
Main interest(s)Fiqh, Aqeedah, Kalam and Sufism
Notable workash-Sharh al-Kabir
Religious life
ReligionIslam
DenominationSunni
JurisprudenceMaliki
TariqaKhalwati
CreedAsh'ari

Ahmed ibn Ahmed ibn abi-Hamid al'Adawi al-Maliki al-Azhari al-Khalwati ad-Dardir (1715 – 1786 CE) (AH 1127 – 1204 AH ) known as Imam ad-Dardir or Dardir was a prominent late jurist in the Maliki school from Egypt.

His Sharh as-Saghir and Sharh al-Kabir are two of the most important books of fatwa (Islamic legal rulings) in the Maliki school. His al-Kharida al-Bahiyya ("The Radiant Pearl") is a widespread primer on Ash'ari aqida.

Biography

Early life and education

Ahmad ibn Muhammad ibn Ahmad ibn Abi Hamid al-Umari al-Adawi al-Maliki al-Azhari al-Khalwati was born in 1715 (1127 AH) in the village of Bani Adi in Asyut, Upper Egypt. He belonged to the al-Umari branch of the Quraysh tribe, tracing his lineage back to the second Caliph, Umar ibn al-Khattab. He was nicknamed "al-Dardir" after a pious Arab scholar who had settled in his village.

He moved to Cairo to study at Al-Azhar University, where he memorized the Quran and excelled in religious sciences. He studied under several renowned scholars, most notably:

Career and character

Al-Dardir eventually became the head of the Maliki scholars at Al-Azhar and the supervisor of the Upper Egyptian students' quarters (Riwat al-Sa'ayida). He was known for his asceticism and his firm stance against injustice.

A famous anecdote regarding his character involves a visit from an Ottoman governor. When the governor entered Al-Azhar, al-Dardir remained seated, continuing his recitations without standing for the official. When the governor later sent him a bag of money as a gift, al-Dardir refused it, famously stating: "Tell your master, he who stretches out his legs [in prayer] does not stretch out his hand [for money]."

Works

Al-Dardir authored numerous influential works in the fields of law, theology, and spirituality:

Death

Al-Dardir died on 27 December 1786 (6 Rabi' al-Awwal 1201 AH). His funeral was held at Al-Azhar Mosque, attended by a vast multitude of students and scholars. He was buried in the mosque complex he established in Cairo, which still bears his name today.

See also

References

  1. ↑ Kemper, Michael; Elger, Ralf, eds. (28 August 2017). The Piety of Learning: Islamic Studies in Honor of Stefan Reichmuth. BRILL. p. 114. ISBN 978-90-04-34984-1.
  2. ↑ Spevack, Aaron (2014). The Archetypal Sunni Scholar: Law, Theology, and Mysticism in the Synthesis of al-Bajuri. State University of New York Press. pp. 74, 82. ISBN 978-1438453712.
  3. ↑ Mosaad, Walead Mohammed (2022). Islam before modernity: Aḥmad al-Dardīr and the preservation of traditional knowledge. Piscataway (N.J.): Gorgias Press. ISBN 1463243804.
  4. ↑ Al-Jawadi, Muhammad (1 February 2022). "The Beloved Imam Ahmad al-Dardir". Al Jazeera Mubasher (in Arabic).
  5. ↑ "أحمد الدردير - المكتبة الشاملة الحديثة". al-maktaba.org (in Arabic). Archived from the original on 2021-02-26. Retrieved 15 April 2026.
  6. 1 2 Yusuf ibn Isma'il al-Nabhani (2022). Mawlid al-Nabhani: The Resplendent Jewels of the Birth of the Prophet of Intercession. Translated by Khan, Imran. Heritage Press. p. 13. ISBN 9781838247911.