Abū Muḥammad ʿAbd al-Jamīl bin ʿAbd al-Ḥaqq bin ʿAbd al-Waḥīd bin Muḥammad bin al-Hāshim bin Bilāl al-Hāshimī al-ʿUmarī al-ʿAdawī, better known as Abū Turāb al-Ẓāhirī (Arabic: أبو محمد عبد الجميل بن عبد الحق بن عبد الوحيد بن محمد بن الهاشم بن بلال الهاشمي العمري العدوي; 1 January 1923 – 4 May 2002), was an Indian-born Saudi Arabian linguist, jurist, theologian and journalist.[1][2] he was often referred to as the Sibawayh of his era due to his knowledge of the Arabic language. Al-Ẓāhirī’s contributions to Islamic jurisprudence, poetry, and biographical evaluation have left a lasting impact on the field. Born in Ahmedpur East, Punjab Province, British India (present-day Punjab, Pakistan), he later became a prominent figure in Saudi Arabia, where he taught Muslim theology at Mecca’s Masjid al-Haram. His extensive travels in pursuit of Islamic manuscripts and his scholarly works have cemented his legacy as a distinguished scholar and author.
Abu Turab traveled extensively in pursuit of Islamic manuscripts, which he often copied by hand due to a lack of resources. During his younger years, he visited Western Europe, North Africa, and the Middle East. He eventually ended up in Egypt, where he earned his master's and doctoral degrees at Al-Azhar University,[3] and was also a student of fellow Hadith specialist Ahmad Muhammad Shakir. Later, Zahiri settled down in Saudi Arabia in 1948 at the behest of first King of Saudi ArabiaIbn Saud, who requested that Abu Turab teach Muslim theology in Mecca's Masjid al-Haram, the holiest site in Islam.[3] Zahiri's best-known student was Abu Abd al-Rahman Ibn Aqil al-Zahiri, who shared Abu Turab's pen name due to their adherence to the Zahiriteschool of Islamic law.[5] Zahiri also had a friendship with a fellow foreigners in Saudi Arabia, Abdallah Bin Bayyah.[6]
Abu Turab authored roughly fifty published works. Although he was fluent in Persian and Urdu and conversational in multiple Languages of India, most of his written work was in Arabic.[citation needed]
Biographical
ʻAbd al-Karīm ibn ʻAbd Allāh ʻAbd al-Karīm, Abū Turāb al-Ẓāhirī, 1343–1423 H/1923-2002 M : ṣafaḥāt min ḥayātih-- wa-taʼammulāt fī adabih. Riyadh: Maktabat al-Malik Fahd al-Waṭanīyah, 2008. 603 pgs.; 24 cm.[8][9]ISBN9789960003023