محمد زاهد الكوثري
al-Kawthari (RH)
Muhammad Zahid al-Kawthari
Also known as: Zahid al-Kawthari, al-Kawsari, Kevserî
1296–1371 AH · 1879–1952 CE
Sufism & Theology Hanafi Theology Fiqh
The last Ottoman deputy Shaykh al-Islam, a Hanafi and Maturidi scholar of hadith and theology.
Muhammad Zahid al-Kawthari was born near Düzce in north-west Anatolia and studied at the Fatih mosque in Istanbul, where he taught for many years. He rose to be deputy (wakil) to the Ottoman Shaykh al-Islam, the head of the state's religious offices.
When the Ottoman order came to an end in 1922 he left for Egypt and spent the rest of his life in Cairo, living modestly and working on manuscripts. He published and introduced many early works of hadith, law and theology, and defended the Hanafi school and Ash'ari and Maturidi theology. His sharp polemics were criticised by some scholars, but his learning was widely recognised, and his students included 'Abd al-Fattah Abu Ghuddah.
Life journey
- 1879 CE Düzce دوزجةBorn in a village near Düzce, to a family of Circassian origin.
- 1894 CE Constantinople (Istanbul) القسطنطينيةStudied and taught at the Fatih mosque; deputy to the last Ottoman Shaykh al-Islam.
- 1922 CE Cairo (al-Qahira) القاهرةDied 1952 CE · 1371 AHLeft Istanbul in 1922 and settled in Cairo, after a few years partly in Damascus.
Students
- 'Abd al-Fattah Abu Ghuddah (RH) 1917–1997 CEAbu Ghuddah met al-Kawthari in Cairo and regarded him as his chief teacher in hadith.
Key works
- Maqalat al-Kawthari مقالات الكوثريThe Articles of al-KawthariHis collected essays on hadith, theology and law.
Places in their life
Photo: Myrabella, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Photo: CumaliOnal, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Sources
- Khayr al-Din al-Zirikli, al-A'lam
- Muhammad Zahid al-Kawthari, Maqalat al-Kawthari (introduction)