Ibn Fūrāk ابن فورك | |
|---|---|
| Title | Al-Ḥāfiẓ |
| Personal life | |
| Born | 941 |
| Died | 1015 (aged 73–74) |
| Cause of death | assassinated |
| Resting place | al-Hira |
| Era | Islamic golden age |
| Region | Khorasan |
| Main interest(s) | Theology (Kalam),Logic,Islamic Jurisprudence,Hadith,Arabic grammar |
| Notable work(s) | Mujarrad Maqalat al-Shaykh Abi al-Hasan al-Ash'ari ("Summary of Shaykh Abi al-Hasan al-Ash'ari's Treatises/Articles"),Mushkil al-Hadith wa Bayanuh ("Ambiguity of the Hadith and its Explanation") |
| Religious life | |
| Religion | Islam |
| Denomination | Sunni |
| Jurisprudence | Shafi'i[1] |
| Creed | Ash'ari[2][3][4] |
| Muslim leader | |
Influenced | |
Muhammad ibn al-Hasan ibn Fūrāk, Abū Bakr al-Asbahānī al-Shāfi`ī, commonly known asIbn Fūrāk (Arabic:ابن فورك); c. 941–c. 1015CE / 330–406AH). TheImam, a leading authority onkalam and usul, the transmitter ofAl-Ash`ari's school, an expert inArabic language,grammar andpoetry, anorator, ajurist, and ahadith master from theShafi'iMadhhab in 10th century.[5]
Ibn Furak was born in around 941 CE (330 AH) inIsfahan. He studied the Ash'ari theology underAbu al-Hasan al-Bahili along withAl-Baqillani andAbu Ishaq al-Isfarayini inBasra andBaghdad, and also Prophetic traditions under 'Abd Allah bin Ja'far al-Isbahani. From 'Iraq he went toRayy, then toNishapur, where a madrasa was built for him beside the Khanqah of the Sufi al-Bushandji. He was in Nishapur before the death of the SufiAbu 'Uthman al-Maghribi in 373/983, and thesaint would instruct Ibn Furak to lead the burial prayer over him prior to his death.[6][5][7]
Ibn Furak was the teacher and master ofal-Qushayri andal-Bayhaqi who both would frequently cite in their popular worksAl-Risala andAl-Asma' wa al-Sifat, respectively. He debated and won against the anthropomorphistKarramiyya in Rayy, then he travelled toNishapur where he trained and taught the next generation ofjurists at a school established in his honour, which was an extension of the previous Sufi school (Khanqah) built by Abû al-Hasan al-Bushanji. In Nishapur, he brought the transmissions of the narrators ofBasra andBaghdad, both fromIraq, and also authored a number of books in various fields and Islamic sciences.[5][8]
TheKarramiyya tried to initially have him executed by the SultanMahmud of Ghazni but failed after the Sultan summoned him toGhazni and questioned him then exonerated him of the erroneous charges they had brought against him as Ibn Furak was found innocent from the false accusations laid out by his enemies. However, upon returning from Ghazni, he was poisoned by the angered Karramiyya, fell on the road, and died in 1015 CE (406 AH) while another version says that he was attacked from behind from them. He was carried back to Nishapur and buried inal-Hira. According toIbn Asakir, the grave of Ibn Furak is a place where people go to seek healing (istishfâ') and have their prayers granted.[8]
Al-Dhahabi mentions Ibn Furak in a short reference stating some inaccurate and defaming reports fromIbn Hazm, without questioning their intent where Ibn Furak was unjustly accused of claiming the prophethood ends after the death ofMuhammad and other slanders that accuse him of disbelief. Despite this, Al-Dhahabi goes on to say: "Ibn Furak was better than Ibn Hazm, of a greater stature (rank among scholars) and better belief (creed)."[9]
Ibn al-Subki provided evidence that this statement byIbn Hazm were "anti-Ash'ari fabrications and forgeries" falsely attributed to Ibn Furak. He showed how these reports were refuted byAl-Qushayri andIbn al-Salah. Ibn al-Subki then quotes Ibn Furak's own words testifying his true creed. Ibn Furak says:[9]
“The Ash'ari belief (creed) is that our prophet (ﷺ) is alive in his Blessed Grave and is the Messenger of Allah (God), forever until the End of times, this is literally, not metaphorically or symbolically, and the correct Belief is that he (Prophet Muhammad ﷺ) was a Prophet when Adam (ﷺ) was between Water and Clay, and his Prophethood remains until now, and shall ever remain.”
According to the martyred Imam Abu al-Hajjaj Yusuf ibn Dunas al-Findalawi al-Maliki, Ibn Furak would always sleep elsewhere out of reverence for a house that cantained a volume of theQur'an.[10]
Ibn Furak's works in "Usul al-Din"(foundation of religion), "Usul al-fiqh"(foundation of jurisprudence), and the meanings of theQuran count nearly one hundred volumes. Among them areMujarrad Maqalat al-Ash'ari andKitab Mushkil al-hadith wa-bayanihi (with many variants of the title), in which he refuted both theanthropomorphist tendencies of karramis and the over-interpretation of theMu'tazila. Ibn Furak said that he embarked on the study ofkalam because of the hadîth reported from the Prophet.[11]
His main work in the eyes of later generations isTabaqat al-mutakallimin which is the main source to studyal-Ash'ari theology.[7]
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| Ash'ari scholars (Abu Hasan al-Ash'ari) |
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| Ash'ari leaders |
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