Abu al-Walid al-Baji أبو الوليد الباجي | |
|---|---|
| Title | Al-Ḥāfiẓ |
| Personal life | |
| Born | 1013[1] |
| Died | 1081 (aged 67–68)[1] |
| Era | Islamic Golden Age |
| Region | Al-Andalus |
| Main interest(s) | Fiqh,Hadith, Islamic theology (kalam),Poetry |
| Occupation | Scholar,Jurist,Muhaddith,Theologian,Poet |
| Religious life | |
| Religion | Islam |
| Denomination | Sunni |
| Jurisprudence | Maliki |
| Creed | Ash'ari[2][3] |
| Muslim leader | |
Influenced | |
Abu al-Walid al-Baji, full nameSulayman ibn Khalaf ibn Saʿd (orSaʿdun)ibn Ayyub al-Qadi Abu al-Walid al-Tujibi al-Andalusi al-Qurtubi (28 May 1013 – 21 December 1081), was aSunni scholar fromBeja inal-Andalus. He was an eminentMālikī jurist (faqih), hadith master (muhaddith), theologian (mutakallim),poet and aman of letters. He was an accomplished debater, prolific writer in numerous scientific works and was a meticulous scholar whose high calibre of knowledge and religious merit are widely acknowledged.[4] He andIbn Ḥazm were "the two most important literary figures in eleventh-century al-Andalus".[5]
Al-Baji was born inBeja on 28 May 1013 to a family fromBadajoz. The family later relocated toCórdoba, where he received his primary education. At the age of 23, he went east to continue his studies. He remained there for thirteen years, three inMecca studying underAbū Dharr al-Harawī. After a period inBaghdad underAbū l-Ṭayyib al-Ṭabarī andAbū Isḥāq al-Shīrāzī, he spent a year inMosul underAbū Jaʿfar al Simnānī, possibly studyingkalām. He may also have visitedAleppo,Damascus andEgypt.[5] He worked at various times as a watchman and a goldsmith to support himself.
During these intense travels, he took hadith fromal-Khatib al-Baghdadi,Ibn 'Abd al-Barr, Abu al-Isba` ibn Shakir, Muhammad ibn Isma`il [?], Abu Muhammad Makki ibn Abi Talib, al-Qadi Yunus ibn `Abd Allah ibn Mughith, Ibn al-Mutawwa`i, Ibn Muhriz, Ibn al-Warraq, Ibn `Amrus, al-Damighani, and others. Both al-Khatib and Ibn `Abd al-Barr, although his seniors, narrated from him. Among his pupils are his son Ahmad, Abu `Abd Allah al-Humaydi, `Ali ibn `Abd Allah al-Saqali, Ahmad ibn Ghazlun,Abu Bakr al-Turtushi, the two hadith masters Abu `Ali al-Jiyani al-Sadafi and Abu al-Qasim al-Ma`afiri, Ibn Abi Ja`far, al-Qadi Abu `Abd Allah Muhammad ibn `Abd al-Rahman ibn Bashir, and many others.[4]
After he returned toAndalusia in 1047 and assumed the role of leading scholar and teacher there, his fortune increased significantly. A-Baji was thrust into the spotlight as soon as he had returned to home. In a disputation inMajorca in 1048, he bestedIbn Ḥazm, leading to the latter's exile from the island. Ibn Hazm reportedly said: "If theMalikis had only `Abd al-Wahhab and al-Baji, it would suffice them."[4] He spent time inMurcia,Dénia,Orihuela,Valencia andLleida before settling inZaragoza after the defeat of thecrusade of Barbastro in 1065. His most productive years were those in Zaragoza under the patronage ofAḥmad al-Muqtadir.[5] He died inAlmería on 21 December 1081.[6]
Imam al-Subki mentions him among those who followed the school of Imam Ashari in Beliefs & Doctrine (Aqidah) along with Abu al-Walid al-Baji, Abu al-Hasan al-Qabisi, Abu al-Qasim bin Asakir, Abu al-Hasan al-Muradi, Abu Sad bin al-Samani, Abu Tahir al-Silafi, Qadi Iyad and Al-Shahrastani
{{citation}}: CS1 maint: DOI inactive as of July 2025 (link).| Ash'ari scholars (Abu Hasan al-Ash'ari) |
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