Abd al-Rahman al-Jaziri
`Abd al-Raĥmān Ibn Muĥammad `Awađ al-Jazīrī
`Abd al-Raĥmān Ibn Muĥammad `Awađ al-Jazīrī was born on the Egyptian island of Shandawīl in 1882 (1299 AH) and was educated at al-Azhar from 1896-1909; he later became a teacher at al-Azhar. In 1912, al-Jazīrī was appointed inspector for the Ministry of Religious Endowment’s Department of Mosques, after which he was promoted to the Ministry’s chief inspector. He was subsequently appointed as a professor in al-Azhar’s College of the Principles of Religion, and before his death in Ĥulwān in 1941 (1360 AH), al-Jazīrī became a member of al-Azhar’s Committee of Senior Scholars.
Al-Jazīrī’s writings include:
Al-Fiqh `Alā al-Madhāhib al-Arba`ah (“Islamic Jurisprudence According to the Four Orthodox Schools”) in four volumes (Volume I was composed jointly by al-Jazīrī and a committee of scholars, while the remaining volumes were composed by al-Jazīrī alone);
Islamic Jurisprudence According to the Four Orthodox Schools deals with the forms of worship (`ibadat), this work offers an in-depth discussion of ritual purity (taharah), ritual prayers (salat), including funeral prayers and the practice of visiting the tomb of the Prophet Muhammad (pbuh), fasting (siyam), spiritual retreats (`itikaf), charity (zakât), the pilgrimage to Mecca (both ‘al-hajj‘ and ‘al-`umrah‘), and the offering of animal sacrifices.
Unlike previous works on Islamic law, which offer a medieval perspective, Islamic Jurisprudence According to the Four Orthodox Schools is unique in providing the four legal views of `ibadah, according to the interpretations of more recent traditionalists, trained at al-Azhar University. It is a valuable and detailed reference work for those interested in Islam, Islamic law, or comparative law and contains a glossary of Islamic terminology. This is a must for academic libraries as well as for private individuals who want to learn more about the performance of religious duties.
Tawđīĥ al-`Aqā’id (“Clarification of Doctrines”) on the science of monotheism; Al-Akhlāq al-Dīniyah wal-Ĥikam al-Shar`iyah (“Religious Ethics and the Manifestations of Wisdom in the Islamic Law”);
Adillat al-Yaqīn (“Proofs of Certainty”) in response to certain Christian evangelists; and
Dīwān Khuţab (“Collected Sermons”).
[taken from Al-A`lām: Qāmūs Tarājim li-Ashhar al-Rijāl wal-Nisā’ min al-`Arab wal-Mustacribīn wal-Mustashriqīn, by Khayr al-Dīn al-Ziriklī, Beirut: Dār al-`Ulūm lil-Malāyīn, Vol. III.]
