الرحلةThe Journey

أحمد بن محمد زين الفطاني

Ahmad al-Fatani (RH)

Ahmad ibn Muhammad Zayn al-Fatani

Also known as: Syeikh Ahmad al-Fathani, Ahmad bin Muhammad Zain al-Fatani, Wan Ahmad al-Fatani

1272–1325 AH · 1856–1908 CE

Fiqh Shafi'i

Patani scholar who brought Malay books into print in Makkah and taught a generation of ulama.

Ahmad al-Fatani was born in Patani and taken to Makkah as a child. He studied there and at al-Azhar in Cairo, where he also learnt medicine, and returned to Makkah as one of the most respected teachers of the Malay community.

The Ottoman authorities put him in charge of the Malay section of the government press in Makkah. He edited and printed the works of earlier scholars such as Dawud al-Fatani, and so made the classical Malay kitab widely available for the first time. He wrote on fiqh, belief, history, the Malay language and medicine, and answered questions sent from across the region. Many leading scholars of the next generation, among them Tok Kenali, were his students. He died at Mina during the Hajj of 1908.

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Life journey

  1. 1856 CE Patani فطاني
    Born at Jambu in Patani.
  2. 1860 CE Makkah مكة
    Taken to Makkah as a small child by his family.
  3. 1872 CE Cairo (al-Qahira) القاهرة
    Studied at al-Azhar, including medicine; the years in Cairo are approximate.
  4. 1881 CE Makkah مكة
    Died 1908 CE · 1325 AH
    Taught in Makkah and ran the Malay section of the government press; died at Mina during the Hajj.

Students

  • Tok Kenali (RH) 1868–1933 CE
    Tok Kenali studied with Ahmad al-Fatani in Makkah for many years and was among his closest students.
  • Abdullah Fahim (RH) c. 1869–1961 CE
    Abdullah Fahim studied with Ahmad al-Fatani among the Malay scholars of Makkah.

Key works

  • al-Fatawa al-Fataniyyah الفتاوى الفطانية
    The Patani Fatwas
    His Malay answers to questions sent to him from across the Malay world.
  • Tayyib al-Ihsan fi Tibb al-Insan طيب الإحسان في طب الإنسان
    The Best of Care in the Medicine of Man
    An early printed Malay book on medicine and health.

Places in their life

The Ka'bah in al-Masjid al-Haram, Makkah
The Ka'bah in al-Masjid al-Haram, Makkah
Photo: Adli Wahid (minor modifications by Basile Morin), CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
The courtyard of al-Azhar, Cairo
The courtyard of al-Azhar, Cairo
Photo: CumaliOnal, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Sources

  • Wan Mohd. Shaghir Abdullah, Syeikh Ahmad al-Fathani: Pemikir Agung Melayu dan Islam
  • Virginia Matheson and M. B. Hooker, "Jawi Literature in Patani", JMBRAS 61 (1988)
Draft, awaiting scholarly review.
The years of his studies in Cairo are approximate.