PROFILPELAJAR.COM

Imam
Ibn Fūrāk
ابن فورك
Imam Ibn Fūrāk; ابن فورك
Title	Al-Ḥāfiẓ
Personal life
Born	941; Isfahan
Died	1015 (aged 73–74); Nishapur
Cause of death	assassinated
Resting place	al-Hira
Era	Islamic golden age
Region	Khorasan
Main interest(s)	Theology (Kalam), Logic, Islamic Jurisprudence, Hadith, Arabic grammar
Notable work(s)	Mujarrad Maqalat al-Shaykh Abi al-Hasan al-Ash'ari ("Summary of Shaykh Abi al-Hasan al-Ash'ari's Treatises/Articles"), Mushkil al-Hadith wa Bayanuh ("Ambiguity of the Hadith and its Explanation")
Religious life
Religion	Islam
Denomination	Sunni
Jurisprudence	Shafi'i
Creed	Ash'ari
Muslim leader
	Influenced by Al-Shafi'i; Abu Hasan al-Ash'ari; Abu al-Hasan al-Bahili; Baqillani;
	Influenced Qushayri; Al-Bayhaqi;

Muhammad ibn al-Hasan ibn Fūrāk, Abū Bakr al-Asbahānī al-Shāfi`ī, commonly known as Ibn Fūrāk (Arabic: ابن فورك); c. 941–c. 1015 CE / 330–406 AH). The Imam, a leading authority on kalam and usul, the transmitter of Al-Ash`ari's school, an expert in Arabic language, grammar and poetry, an orator, a jurist, and a hadith master from the Shafi'i Madhhab in 10th century.^[5]

Life

Birth and Education

Ibn Furak was born in around 941 CE (330 AH) in Isfahan. He studied the Ash'ari theology under Abu al-Hasan al-Bahili along with Al-Baqillani and Abu Ishaq al-Isfarayini in Basra and Baghdad, and also Prophetic traditions under 'Abd Allah bin Ja'far al-Isbahani. From 'Iraq he went to Rayy, then to Nishapur, where a madrasa was built for him beside the Khanqah of the Sufi al-Bushandji. He was in Nishapur before the death of the Sufi Abu 'Uthman al-Maghribi in 373/983, and the saint would instruct Ibn Furak to lead the burial prayer over him prior to his death.^[6]^[5]^[7]

Scholarly career

Ibn Furak was the teacher and master of al-Qushayri and al-Bayhaqi who both would frequently cite in their popular works Al-Risala and Al-Asma' wa al-Sifat, respectively. He debated and won against the anthropomorphist Karramiyya in Rayy, then he travelled to Nishapur where he trained and taught the next generation of jurists at a school established in his honour, which was an extension of the previous Sufi school (Khanqah) built by Abû al-Hasan al-Bushanji. In Nishapur, he brought the transmissions of the narrators of Basra and Baghdad, both from Iraq, and also authored a number of books in various fields and Islamic sciences.^[5]^[8]

Dispute and Death

The Karramiyya tried to initially have him executed by the Sultan Mahmud of Ghazni but failed after the Sultan summoned him to Ghazni and questioned him then exonerated him of the erroneous charges they had brought against him as Ibn Furak was found innocent from the false accusations laid out by his enemies. However, upon returning from Ghazni, he was poisoned by the angered Karramiyya, fell on the road, and died in 1015 CE (406 AH) while another version says that he was attacked from behind from them. He was carried back to Nishapur and buried in al-Hira. According to Ibn Asakir, the grave of Ibn Furak is a place where people go to seek healing (istishfâ') and have their prayers granted.^[8]

Controversy over Ibn Furak

Al-Dhahabi mentions Ibn Furak in a short reference stating some inaccurate and defaming reports from Ibn Hazm, without questioning their intent where Ibn Furak was unjustly accused of claiming the prophethood ends after the death of Muhammad and other slanders that accuse him of disbelief. Despite this, Al-Dhahabi goes on to say: "Ibn Furak was better than Ibn Hazm, of a greater stature (rank among scholars) and better belief (creed)."^[9]

Ibn al-Subki provided evidence that this statement by Ibn Hazm were "anti-Ash'ari fabrications and forgeries" falsely attributed to Ibn Furak. He showed how these reports were refuted by Al-Qushayri and Ibn al-Salah. Ibn al-Subki then quotes Ibn Furak's own words testifying his true creed. Ibn Furak says:^[9]

“The Ash'ari belief (creed) is that our prophet (ﷺ) is alive in his Blessed Grave and is the Messenger of Allah (God), forever until the End of times, this is literally, not metaphorically or symbolically, and the correct Belief is that he (Prophet Muhammad ﷺ) was a Prophet when Adam (ﷺ) was between Water and Clay, and his Prophethood remains until now, and shall ever remain.”

Character

According to the martyred Imam Abu al-Hajjaj Yusuf ibn Dunas al-Findalawi al-Maliki, Ibn Furak would always sleep elsewhere out of reverence for a house that cantained a volume of the Qur'an.^[10]

Works

Ibn Furak's works in "Usul al-Din" (foundation of religion), "Usul al-fiqh" (foundation of jurisprudence), and the meanings of the Quran count nearly one hundred volumes. Among them are Mujarrad Maqalat al-Ash'ari and Kitab Mushkil al-hadith wa-bayanihi (with many variants of the title), in which he refuted both the anthropomorphist tendencies of karramis and the over-interpretation of the Mu'tazila. Ibn Furak said that he embarked on the study of kalam because of the hadîth reported from the Prophet.^[11]

His main work in the eyes of later generations is Tabaqat al-mutakallimin which is the main source to study al-Ash'ari theology.^[7]

Early Islam scholars

Muhammad, The final Messenger of God(570–632 the Constitution of Medina, taught the Quran, and advised his companions

Abdullah ibn Masud (died 653) taught

Ali (607–661) fourth caliph taught

Aisha, Muhammad's wife and Abu Bakr's daughter taught

Abd Allah ibn Abbas (618–687) taught

Zayd ibn Thabit (610–660) taught

Umar (579–644) second caliph taught

Abu Hurairah (603–681) taught

Alqama ibn Qays (died 681) taught

Husayn ibn Ali (626–680) taught

Qasim ibn Muhammad ibn Abi Bakr (657–725) taught and raised by Aisha

Urwah ibn Zubayr (died 713) taught by Aisha, he then taught

Said ibn al-Musayyib (637–715) taught

Abdullah ibn Umar (614–693) taught

Abd Allah ibn al-Zubayr (624–692) taught by Aisha, he then taught

Ibrahim al-Nakha’i taught

Ali ibn Husayn Zayn al-Abidin (659–712) taught

Hisham ibn Urwah (667–772) taught

Ibn Shihab al-Zuhri (died 741) taught

Salim ibn Abd-Allah ibn Umar taught

Umar ibn Abdul Aziz (682–720) raised and taught by Abdullah ibn Umar

Hammad ibn Abi Sulayman taught

Muhammad al-Baqir (676–733) taught

Farwah bint al-Qasim Jafar's mother

Abu Hanifa (699–767) wrote Al Fiqh Al Akbar and Kitab Al-Athar, jurisprudence followed by Sunni, Sunni Sufi, Barelvi, Deobandi, Zaidiyyah and originally by the Fatimid and taught

Zayd ibn Ali (695–740)

Ja'far bin Muhammad Al-Baqir (702–765) Muhammad and Ali's great great grand son, jurisprudence followed by Shia, he taught

Malik ibn Anas (711–795) wrote Muwatta, jurisprudence from early Medina period now mostly followed by Sunni in Africa, Sunni Sufi and taught

Al-Waqidi (748–822) wrote history books like Kitab al-Tarikh wa al-Maghazi, student of Malik ibn Anas

Abu Muhammad Abdullah ibn Abdul Hakam (died 829) wrote biographies and history books, student of Malik ibn Anas

Abu Yusuf (729–798) wrote Usul al-fiqh

Muhammad al-Shaybani (749–805)

al-Shafi‘i (767–820) wrote Al-Risala, jurisprudence followed by Sunni, Sunni sufi and taught

Ismail ibn Ibrahim

Ali ibn al-Madini (778–849) wrote The Book of Knowledge of the Companions

Ibn Hisham (died 833) wrote early history and As-Sirah an-Nabawiyyah, Muhammad's biography

Isma'il ibn Ja'far (719–775)

Musa al-Kadhim (745–799)

Ahmad ibn Hanbal (780–855) wrote Musnad Ahmad ibn Hanbal jurisprudence followed by Sunni, Sunni sufi and hadith books

Muhammad al-Bukhari (810–870) wrote Sahih al-Bukhari hadith books

Muslim ibn al-Hajjaj (815–875) wrote Sahih Muslim hadith books

Dawud al-Zahiri (815–883/4) founded the Zahiri school

Muhammad ibn Isa at-Tirmidhi (824–892) wrote Jami` at-Tirmidhi hadith books

Al-Baladhuri (died 892) wrote early history Futuh al-Buldan, Genealogies of the Nobles

Ibn Majah (824–887) wrote Sunan ibn Majah hadith book

Abu Dawood (817–889) wrote Sunan Abu Dawood Hadith Book

Muhammad ibn Ya'qub al-Kulayni (864- 941) wrote Kitab al-Kafi hadith book followed by Twelver Shia

Muhammad ibn Jarir al-Tabari (838–923) wrote History of the Prophets and Kings, Tafsir al-Tabari

Abu Hasan al-Ash'ari (874–936) wrote Maqālāt al-islāmīyīn, Kitāb al-luma, Kitāb al-ibāna 'an usūl al-diyāna

Ibn Babawayh (923–991) wrote Man La Yahduruhu al-Faqih jurisprudence followed by Twelver Shia

Sharif Razi (930–977) wrote Nahj al-Balagha followed by Twelver Shia

Nasir al-Din al-Tusi (1201–1274) wrote jurisprudence books followed by Ismaili and Twelver Shia

Al-Ghazali (1058–1111) wrote The Niche for Lights, The Incoherence of the Philosophers, The Alchemy of Happiness on Sufism

Rumi (1207–1273) wrote Masnavi, Diwan-e Shams-e Tabrizi on Sufism

Key: Some of Muhammad's Companions

Key: Taught in Medina

Key: Taught in Iraq

Key: Worked in Syria

Key: Travelled extensively collecting the sayings of Muhammad and compiled books of hadith

Key: Worked in Persia

References

^ ^a ^b Lewis, B.; Menage, V.L.; Pellat, Ch.; Schacht, J. (1986) [1st. pub. 1971]. Encyclopaedia of Islam. Vol. III (H-Iram) (New ed.). Leiden, Netherlands: Brill. p. 767. ISBN 9004081186.
^ A.C. Brown, Jonathan (2009). Hadith: Muhammad's Legacy in the Medieval and Modern World (Foundations of Islam). Oneworld Publications. p. 154. ISBN 978-1851686636.
^ ^a ^b Lewis, B.; Menage, V.L.; Pellat, Ch.; Schacht, J. (1986) [1st. pub. 1971]. Encyclopaedia of Islam. Vol. III (H-Iram) (New ed.). Leiden, Netherlands: Brill. p. 766. ISBN 9004081186.
^ Adang, Camilla; Fierro, Maribel; Schmidtke, Sabine (2012). Ibn Hazm of Cordoba: The Life and Works of a Controversial Thinker (Handbook of Oriental Studies) (Handbook of Oriental Studies: Section 1; The Near and Middle East). Vol. I (A-B). Leiden, Netherlands: Brill Academic Publishers. p. 384. ISBN 978-90-04-23424-6.
^ ^a ^b ^c Al-Bayhaqi 1999, p. 26
^ Gibril Fouad Haddad 2015, p. 155
^ ^a ^b "Furak". Retrieved August 28, 2014.
^ ^a ^b Al-Bayhaqi 1999, p. 27
^ ^a ^b Gibril Fouad Haddad 2015, p. 155-156
^ Al-Bayhaqi 1999, p. 28
^ Brown, Jonathan (2007). The Canonization of Al-Bukhari and Muslim: The Formation and Function of the Sunni Hadith Canon (reprint ed.). BRILL. p. 190. ISBN 978-9-004158399.