Siraj al-Din al-Makhzumi

Shaykh al-Islam Siraj al-Din al-Makhzumi
Title	Shaykh al-Islam
Personal life
Born	793 AH, (1391 CE) Wasit Governorate, Iraq
Died	885 AH, (1480 CE) Baghdad, Iraq
Main interest(s)	Akbarism
Religious life
Religion	Islam
School	Shafi'i
Tariqa	Rifa'i
Creed	Ash'ari
Muslim leader
Influenced by Ahmad al-Rifa'i, Siraj al-Din al-Bulqini
Influenced Siraj al-Din al-Bulqini

Siraj al-Din al-Makhzumi (Arabic: سراج الدين المخزومي; d. circa 1480) was a 15th-century Muslim scholar and a disciple of contemporary scholar Siraj al-Din al-Bulqini. He was a follower of the Rifa'i order of Sufism and espoused the ideas of the famous Sufi philosopher, Ibn Arabi.

Life

Siraj al-Din al-Makhzumi was born in the city of Wasit in 1391 but stayed in Damascus for a while before he travelled to Egypt to study.[1] In Egypt, he studied under Siraj al-Din al-Bulqini. However, al-Bulqini would later become a disciple of al-Makhzumi instead, after al-Makhzumi initiated him into the Rifa'i order.[1] After al-Makhzumi had performed the Hajj pilgrimage, he returned to Baghdad where he stayed for the rest of his life.[1][2]

Siraj al-Din al-Makhzumi acquired a large following during his stay in Baghdad.[2] He died there in 1480 and was buried in a mosque named after him.[2] According to Abu al-Huda al-Sayyadi, the reason for al-Makhzumi's fame may be due to his mother being from a household of prominence in Iraq.[1]

Views

Takfir (excommunication)

Siraj al-Din al-Makhzumi followed the view of al-Shafi'i regarding takfir (excommunication).[3] He agreed that the Khawarij are Muslims and are not excluded by takfir, nor are the Mu'tazilites or the Murji'ah.[3] He also explained the terminology of "people of whims" as referring to the aforementioned groups.[3]

Ibn Arabi

He was a staunch defender of the views and doctrine of the Andalusian philosopher and Sufi mystic, Ibn Arabi.[1][4] Amongst his writings is the Kashf al-Ghita' an Asrar al-Kalam al-Shaykh Muhyi al-Din, a treatise which contains a defense of Ibn Arabi against accusations of pantheism and polytheism.[5]

One of his students recorded the following statement from him:[6]

We seek refuge in Allah from say­ing that he [Ibn 'Arabi] asserts indwelling or communion-with-the-divine! He is far above that. Rather, he is one of the greatest imams and among those who have probed the oceans of the sciences of the Book and the Sunnah.

Writings

• Sahih al-Akhbar: A genealogical work on the lineage of those descended from Fatima daughter of Muhammad[2][7]
• Kashf al-Ghita' an Asrar al-Kalam al-Shaykh Muhyi al-Din: A treatise defending Ibn Arabi from accusations of pantheism and other heresies.[5]

Legacy

Siraj al-Din al-Makhzumi was honourably given the title of Shaykh al-Islam of the Levant.[4][7] A mosque known as the Siraj al-Din Mosque was built at the site of his grave in 1955, while construction was supervised and directed by Iraqi architect, Rifat Chadirji.[2][8] It contains some relics of the Islamic prophet Muhammad.[9]

See also

• List of Sufis
• List of Ash'aris

References

1. al-Sayyadi (2019). Khizānat al-amdād fī akhbār al-Ghawth al-Kabīr al-Sajjād Mawlānā al-Sayyid ‘Izz al-Dīn Aḥmad al-Ṣayyād. Beirut, Lebanon: Dar Al Kutub Al Ilmiyah. ISBN 9782745193995.
2. مجلة لغة العرب العراقية | مجلد 9 | صفحة 184 | العدد 88 | جامع سراج الدين وترجمة الشيخ | الجوامع والم (in Arabic).
3. al-Sha'rani (2007). Kitāb al-Yawāqīt wa al-Jawāhir fī Bayān ʻaqāʼid al-Akābir. Beirut, Lebanon: Dar Al Kutub Al Ilmiyah.
4. From the work al-Durr al-Saqit Fay Tarjamat A'ayan wa Sadat al-Wasit (الدر الساقط فی ترجمة اعیان و سادات واسط)
5. Yaziji Oglu (2021-11-21). "Explanation of Fusus al-Hikam by Muhyi al-Din ibn 'Arabi". Google Books. Retrieved 2024-12-14.
6. al-Hilmi, Muhammad Rajab (1908). Kitāb al-burhān al-azhar fī manāqib al-Shaykh al-Akbar. Cairo, Egypt: Matba'at al-Sa'adah.
7. "SAHIH AL-AKHBAR, 18TH CENTURY". www.orientalartauctions.com. Retrieved 2024-12-14.
8. "Archnet > Site > Jami' Siraj al-Din (Design)". www.archnet.org. Retrieved 2024-12-14.
9. hadi, huda (2021-12-21). "مركز احياء التراث يزور مركز الإرشاد الصوفي العراقي". المركز الخبري. Retrieved 2024-12-14.