أبو جعفر الطحاوي
al-Tahawi (RH)
Abu Ja'far al-Tahawi
Also known as: Imam al-Tahawi
239–321 AH · 853–933 CE
Fiqh Hanafi Hadith Theology
Hanafi jurist and hadith scholar, author of the widely accepted creed al-'Aqidah al-Tahawiyyah.
Al-Tahawi first studied Shafi'i law with his maternal uncle al-Muzani, then turned to the Hanafi school and became its greatest scholar in Egypt. He was also a master of hadith, and his books Sharh Ma'ani al-Athar and Sharh Mushkil al-Athar show how Hanafi positions rest on the reports.
His short creed, al-'Aqidah al-Tahawiyyah, states the beliefs of Ahl al-Sunnah according to Abu Hanifa and his two students. It is accepted and taught across the Sunni schools to this day.
Life journey
- 853 CE Fustat (Old Cairo) الفسطاطDied 933 CE · 321 AHBorn in the village of Taha in Upper Egypt; lived and taught in al-Fustat.
Teachers
- al-Muzani (RH) 791–878 CEAl-Tahawi first studied Shafi'i fiqh with al-Muzani, his maternal uncle, before turning to the Hanafi school.
- al-Nasa'i (RH) 830–915 CEAl-Tahawi narrated hadith from al-Nasa'i in Egypt.
Key works
- al-'Aqidah al-Tahawiyyah العقيدة الطحاويةThe Creed of al-TahawiA short statement of Sunni belief, taught across the schools.
- Sharh Ma'ani al-Athar شرح معاني الآثارExplaining the Meanings of the ReportsHadith arranged by legal topic, showing the evidence for Hanafi positions.
Places in their life
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Photo: لا روسا, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Sources
- al-Dhahabi, Siyar A'lam al-Nubala'
- Ibn Khallikan, Wafayat al-A'yan
Draft, awaiting scholarly review.
Birth reported as 229 or 239 AH.