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Ibrahim ibn Umar al-Biqa'i
15th-century Muslim exegete From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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Burhan al-Din Ibrahim ibn 'Umar al-Biqa'i (Arabic: برهان الدين إبراهيم بن عمر البقاعي) (d. 1480) was a 15th-century Muslim commentator, polemicist, historian, and Muslim Hebraist.[1] He was an exegete as well as a prominent critic of the Andalusian philosopher, Ibn Arabi. He is remembered most for his method to Tafsir (exegesis) involving quoting from biblical sources such as the Hebrew Bible.
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Life
Ibrahim ibn Umar al-Biqa'i, was born in 1406 in the Beqaa as stated in his epithet al-Biqa'i (from Beqaa).[2] He moved to Damascus and Cairo for his studies. Since Damascus was occupied by the Crusaders at that time, al-Biqa'i was among the scholars who participated in jihad against them.[3] In Cairo, he was a student of Ibn Hajar al-Asqalani.[2][4] Through Ibn Hajar's recommendation, the ruling Burji Mamluk sultan, Sayf al-Din Jaqmaq accepted al-Biqa'i as a personal tutor.[4] He was also promoted to a role as a teacher at the Mosque of al-Zahir Baybars in Cairo.[2][4]
During his time in Cairo, he faced harsh criticism from contemporary scholars for his approach to Quranic exegesis.[2][4]
He died in 1480 and was buried in the cemetery at Bab al-Saghir.[2][4][5]
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Ibn Arabi
He was very critical of Ibn Arabi and his ideas. He wrote a treatise titled Tanbih al-Ghabi ila Takfir Ibn 'Arabi (The Warning To An Ignorant Regarding Ibn Arabi's Apostasy).[6][7] The book listed down several of Ibn Arabi's sayings which he considered as blasphemous. He also quoted evidences from other scholars contemporary to and before him, like Zain al-Din al-'Iraqi, to support his evidence that Ibn Arabi was a disbeliever.[8]
Contemporary Muslim scholar, Jalal al-Din al-Suyuti wrote a booklet, Tanbih al-Ghabi bi-Tabri'at Ibn 'Arabi as a refutation of the book and a defence of Ibn Arabi in general.[9]
Quranic exegesis
In his tafsir (commentary of the Qur'an) titled Nazm al-Durar fi Tanasub al-Ayat wa-al-Suwar (Arabic: نـظـم الـدرر في تـنـاسـب الآيـات و الـسـور), he drew extensively on the Hebrew Bible and the New Testament as sources to elucidate certain Qur'anic verses.[2][10] Intellectual figures who impacted al-Biqa'i's work included al-Haralli and al-Asbahani.[11] This hermeneutical decision met with great resistance and criticism from al-Sakhawi, one of Cairo's leading scholars, who wrote a scathing response in support of the traditional legal prohibition against the religious use of the Bible, a text believed to have existed only in corrupt form.[12] Aside from this, al-Biqa'i favoured the use of rhetorical and logical coherence as the primary tool for interpretation of the Qur'an.[2][10]
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Works
- Nazm al-Durar fi Tanasub al-Ayat wa-al-Suwar: His commentary on the Qur'an, which displays Ash'arite influence.[10]
- Tanbih al-Ghabi ila Takfir Ibn 'Arabi (A Warning to the Fool Regarding the Heresy of Ibn 'Arabi): A criticism of Ibn Arabi and Ibn al-Farid. This work was heavily criticized by the polymath Jalal al-Din al-Suyuti, who wrote a refutation booklet titled Tanbih al-Ghabi bi-Tabri'at Ibn 'Arabi.[7]
- Al-Nukat wa al-Fawa'id 'ala Sharh al-'Aqa'id (Gems and Annotations on the Explanation of Islamic Beliefs), commentary on al-Taftazani’s commentary on al-'Aqa'id al-Nasafiyya. This work demonstrates his profound grasp of kalām (speculative theology).
See also
References
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