Imam Shawkani: taqlid's foe, ijtihad's friend

• Main Author: Ali, Mohammed Farid
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: IAIS Malaysia 2013
• Subjects: BL Religion; DS Asia; HN Social history and conditions. Social problems. Social reform; KBP Islamic Law
• Online Access: http://irep.iium.edu.my/44243/1/44243_-_Imam_Shawkani_taqlid%27s_foe%2C_ijtihad%27s_friend.pdf; http://irep.iium.edu.my/44243/; http://www.iais.org.my/e/attach/Al-Shawkani.pdf
• Institution: Universiti Islam Antarabangsa Malaysia

Imam Shawkani is Muhammad b. Ali b. Muhammad b. Abdillah al-Shawkani al-Sanani (born 1760). He is called al-Shawkani because of his attribution to his birth place, Hijrah Shawkan a small town a day’s journey from Sana, Yemen. He is also known as al-Sanani as an attribution to Sana where he grew up, studied and held the position of Qadi al-qudat under the Qasimi Imam rulers. In his early years, he studied under his father Ali b. Muhammad al-Shawkani (d. 1797) who was a judge of Sana. It is difficult to say whether al-Shawkani was a Zaydi or Sunni, but his milieu was Zaydi. He was well read, educated in both the Zaydi and the Sunni traditions...........