AbuBakr Lineages

An image showing Aksaray Province in Turkey

Sheikh Jamaluddin Al-Aqsara’i ⁽¹⁾: Sheikh Imam Jamaluddin Muhammad Al-Aqsara’i Bin Muhammad Bin Muhammad Bin Imam Fakhr Al-Din Muhammad Al-Razi was a descendant of Abu Bakr Al-Siddiq whose lineage can be traced back to the tribe of Quraysh. He was a follower of the Shafi’i school of thought, although some sources say he was a Hanafi. He was an exegetist of the Qur’an who was also knowledgeable about medicine, the Arabic language, and literature. Many of his descendants were prominent scholars in Anatolia who associated their lineage with his name (Jamaluddin) and thus came to have the name “Al-Jamali.” Among them was the vizier Piri Pasha Al-Jamali, who held the position of Grand Vizier during the reign of Sultan Selim I.

As for Imam Jamaluddin Al-Aqsara’i’s country of origin, I do not have any further information other than what Sayyid Umar Bin Rida Kahhalah (d. 1408 AH) wrote in his biography of him in Mu’jam Al-Mu’allifin, where he described Al-Aqsara’i as “Tabrizi.” Taking this into account, it may be that he was originally from Tabriz, which is not too far away from Ray, where his great-grandfather (Fakhr Al-Din Al-Razi) was from. It is also close to Tabaristan, the homeland of Fakhr Al-Din Al-Razi’s ancestors.

Haci Halife (Hajji Khalifa) said regarding him: He had superior knowledge of Arabic, Shar’iah, and logic. He was a descendant of both Abu Bakr Al-Siddiq and Umar Bin Al-Khattab. His father was a preacher, and his grandfather was the son of Imam Fakhr Al-Din Al-Razi. He died young. He went to Anatolia and took up residence in Aksaray. He wrote Sharh Al-Idhah on behalf of the Amir of Karaman, who paid him a thousand dirhams each day for his work. He was a teacher at the Al-Musalsila madrasah, which was built on the condition that anyone who taught there had to know Sihah Al-Jawhari by heart, so the above-mentioned mawla was appointed there.

His students were of three levels, the first of which he called the “walkers,” comprised of those who learned from him as he rode his mount. The second (middle) level was compromised of those who lived in the corridors of the school and were called the “corridor dwellers.” The third (highest) level included those who lived inside the school. He used to teach each level in order. Mawla Al-Fanari lived in the school corridors due to his young age.

It was reported that a man who heard about Imam Jamaluddin’s reputation traveled to Anatolia to learn from him. When he had almost reached his destination, he read his work, Sharh Al-Idhah. He did not like it and said something insulting about him (likening him to “flies on meat”). People advised him that his verbal communication was better than his writing, so the man continued his journey to see Jamaluddin. When he finally arrived, however, he had already died. The man met Al-Fanari there and proceeded with him to Egypt.

His school of thought: More than one scholar, including Haci Halife and Isma’il Al-Babani, mentioned that Jamaluddin Al-Aqsara’i was a follower of the Shafi’i school of thought like his great-grandfather, Fakhr Al-Din Al-Razi, author of the famous tafsir (exegesis of the Qur’an). Al-Adnah Wey, however, who was a scholar of the eleventh century after the Hijrah and the author of Tabaqat Al-Mufassirin, mentioned that he was a Hanafi, saying:

He was definitely a scholar, which is agreed upon, and he authored works sought out by travelers everywhere. He made annotations to Tafsir Al-Kash-shaf. He also wrote Sharh Al-Idhah on semantics. He was a compiler of knowledge in Shari’ah, logic, and the Arabic language. He taught knowledge and benefitted others. He authored various works and excelled in every way, with many scholars and people of honor benefitting from his knowledge.

He was from the descendants of Imam Fakhr Al-Din Al-Razi, author of the major tafsir, but Mawla Al-Razi was a Shafi’i scholar, and it is possible that he (Jamaluddin Al-Aqsara’i) became a Hanafi along with his father, Muhammad, because they have both been mentioned as Hanafi imams. –End of Citation

As for Imam Jamaluddin’s name (Al-Aqsara’i), Haci Halife mentioned that it was derived from “Aksaray,” a town in Anatolia near Kayseri, and indicated that the ancestry of Sheikh Jamaluddin Muhammad Bin Muhammad Bin Muhammad Al-Aqsara’i could be traced back to this town.

In Al-A’lam, the scholar, Khair Al-Din Al-Zarkali (d. 1396 AH), specified that it was the “Aksaray” of Anatolia, meaning “the white palace.” The same thing was also mentioned in Mu’jam Al-Mufassirin, by Sayyid ‘Adil Nuwayhid, who may have quoted Al-Zarkali.

The famous traveler, Ibn Battuta Al-Lawati Al-Tanji (d. 779 AH), provided us with more information regarding this place, saying:

The City of Aqsara: Spelt with a fat-ha on the hamzah, a sukun on the letter qaf, and a fat-ha on both the sad and the ra’. It is one of the nicest and prettiest areas of Anatolia, surrounded by running springs and orchards in every direction. Three rivers run through the city, with water flowing right next to the homes. There are trees, grape vines, and many orchards there. The rugs bearing its name are made there from the wool of sheep and are like nothing found in any other country. They are transported from there to the Levant, Egypt, Iraq, India, China, and the Turkic lands.

In my opinion, Ibn Battuta was not referring to the famous city of Luxor in Upper Egypt, which is known for its many ancient Egyptian palaces and temples, and would have the names “Aqsuri” and “Aqsura’i” associated with it.

Among Imam Jamaluddin’s works were: Sharh Al-Idhah, Al-Takhlis fi Al-Ma’ani, Sharh Al-Mujaz (on medicine), Kashf Al-I’rab fi Sharh Al-Lubab lil-Asfarayini (on grammar), Sharh Ghayat Al-Quswa lil-Baydawi (on the different Shafi’i branches), Hawashi ‘ala Majma’ Al-Bahrayn li Ibn Al-Sa’ati, Sharh Al-Kashshaf lil-Zamakhshari, Akhlaq Al-Jamal, an explanation of the hadith which says that Allah SWT created Adam “in his image,” Nuzhat Al-Arwah (explaining the poetry of Sheikh Awhad Al-Din and other Sufi figures), and an explanation of Mushkilat Al-Qur’an Al-Karim in Persian, in a volume which he finished writing in 766 AH and can be found in the Ibrahim Pasha Library. Al-Zarkali said: “In Istanbul’s Damad Ibrahim Library is a copy of his book Idhah Al-Idhah in his own handwriting, which he completed in Sha’ban of 776 AH.”

His death: Haci Halife mentioned in Sullam Al-Wusul that Imam Jamaluddin’s death took place in 776 AH (1374 AD), while some reports place his death after that. Sayyid ‘Adil Nuwayhid said that there was a dispute among historians over the date of his death, with different reports stating that he died in either 771, 779, or 791 AH.

Prepared by: Ahmed Farghal Al-De’abassi Al-Bakri

General Secretariat of the Sheikhdom of Sijjada Bakria –  

Chairman of the Lineage Investigation Committee

17 Ramadan 1438 AH / June 12, 2017 AD

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Bibliography and References:

1. Shaqa’iq Al-Nu’maniyya fi ‘Ulema’ Al-Dawla Al-‘Uthmaniyya, Ahmed Bin Mustafa Khalil, Abu Al-Khair, Isam Al-Din Taşköprüzade (d. 968 AH), Dar Al-Kitab Al-‘Arabi – Beirut.

2. Rihlat Ibn Battuta (Tuhfat An-Nuzzar fi Ghara’ib al-Amsar wa ‘Aja’ib Al-Asfar), Muhammad Bin Abdullah Bin Muhammad Bin Ibrahim Al-Lawati Al-Tanji, Abu Abdullah, Ibn Battuta (d. 779 AH), Académe du Royaume du Maroc – Rabat, 1417 AH.

3. Sullam Al-Wusul ila Tabaqat Al-Fuhul, Mustafa Bin Abdullah Al-Qonstantini Al-‘Uthmani, known as Katib Çelebi (The “Gentleman Scribe”) and Hajji Khalifah (Haci Halife) (d. 1067 AH), Editor: Mahmud Abdul-Qader Al-Arnaout, Introduction: Ekmeleddin Ihsanoğlu, Publisher: IRCICA Library – Istanbul, 2010 AD.

4. Kashf Al-Zunun ‘an Asami Al-Kutub wa Al-Funun, Mustafa Bin Abdullah Al-Qonstantini Al-‘Uthmani, known as Katib Çelebi (The “Gentleman Scribe”) and Hajji Khalifah (Haci Halife) (d. 1067 AH), Al-Muthanna Library – Baghdad.

5. Diwan Al-Islam, Shams Al-Din Abu Al-Maali Muhammad Bin Abdel-Rahman Bin Al-Ghazzi (d. 1167 AH), Editor: Sayyed Kasrawi Hasan, Dar al-Kutub al-‘Ilmiyya – Beirut, First Edition 1411 AH – 1990 AD.

6. Tabaqat Al-Mufassirin, Ahmed Bin Muhammad Al-Adnah Wey (a scholar of the eleventh century after the Hijrah), Editor: Sulaiman Bin Saleh Al-Khazi, Maktabat Al-‘Ulum wa Al-Hikam – Saudi Arabia, First Edition 1417 AH – 1997 AD.

7. Mu’jam Al-Matbu’at Al-‘Arabiyah wa Al-Mu’arrabah, Yusuf Bin Ilyan Bin Musa Sarkis (d. 1351 AH), Sarkis Press, Egypt, 1346 AH – 1928 AD.

8. Al-A’lam, Khair Al-Din Bin Mahmud Bin Muhammad Bin Ali Bin Faris, Al-Zarkali Al-Dimashqi (d. 1396 AH), Dar El Ilm Lilmalayin, Fifteenth Edition – May 2002 AD.

9. Hadiyyat Al-‘Arifin Asma’ Al-Mu’allifin wa-athar Al-Musannifin, Isma’il Bin Muhammad Amin Bin Mir Salim Al-Babani Al-Baghdadi (d. 1399 AH), Printed under the auspices of Wikalat Al-Maarif Al-Jalila at its magnificent Istanbul press 1951 AD, Offset reprint: Dar Ihya al-Turath al-Arabi – Beirut.

10. Mu’jam Al-Mu’allifin, Umar Bin Rida Bin Muhammad Raghib Bin Abdul-Ghani Kahhalah Al-Dimashqi (d. 1408 AH), Maktabat al-Muthanna – Beirut, Dar Ihya al-Turath al-Arabi – Beirut.

11. Mu’jam Al-Mufassirin: Min Sadr Al-Islam Hatta Al-‘Asr Al-Hadir, ‘Adil Nuwayhid, Introduction by: Grand Mufti of Lebanon, Sheikh Hassan Khaled, Publisher: Muassasah al-Nuwayhid al-Thaqafiyyah lil-Ta’lif wal-Tarjamah wal-Nashr – Beirut, Third Edition 1409 AH – 1988 AD.

 (1) Shaqa’iq Al-Nu’maniyya fi ‘Ulema’ Al-Dawla Al-‘Uthmaniyya, pp. 14-15, Sullam Al-Wusul ila Tabaqat Al-Fuhul (3/ 250-251, 4/ 199, 323), Kashf Al-Zunun 2/ 1192, Tabaqat Al-Mufassirin, by Al-Adnah Wey 1/ 293, Rihlat Ibn Battuta 2/ 176, Diwan Al-Islam 1/ 141, Mu’jam Al-Mufassirin 2/ 617-618, Mu’jam Al-Mu’allifin (11/ 192, 273), Al-A’lam, by Al-Zarkali 7/ 40-41, Hadiyyat Al-‘Arifin 2/ 165-166, Mu’jam Al-Matbu’at Al-‘Arabiyah wa Al-Mu’arrabah 2/ 462