Al-Suyuti

Abd al-Rahman ibn Abi Bakr al-Suyuti was an encyclopedic Shafi'i scholar considered one of the most prolific authors in Islamic history, spanning exegesis, hadith, language, and history in hundreds of works, most famously Tafsir al-Jalalayn and Al-Itqan fi Ulum al-Qur'an.

الإنجازات

One of the most prolific authors in Islamic history with over six hundred attributed works

Completed Tafsir al-Jalalayn, one of the most widely read Qur'anic commentaries in the Muslim world

Authored Al-Itqan fi Ulum al-Qur'an, a foundational reference in Qur'anic sciences still used today

Documented the history of the Islamic caliphate in Tarikh al-Khulafa

Abd al-Rahman ibn Abi Bakr al-Suyuti was born in 849 AH (1445 CE) in Cairo. He was orphaned as a child after his father's death and was raised amid the books and learning he inherited. He memorized the Qur'an at age eight, then pursued knowledge with remarkable zeal, earning certifications from leading scholars across Cairo, the Levant, and the Hejaz in exegesis, hadith, jurisprudence, grammar, and history.

Al-Suyuti became known for an unprecedented volume of scholarly output — more than six hundred works are attributed to him, ranging from short treatises to vast encyclopedias, compiled with remarkable speed thanks to his powerful memory and wide reading. Later in life he withdrew from teaching and issuing legal rulings to devote himself to writing and worship at his home on the banks of the Nile.

His Scholarly Legacy

Among his most famous works is Tafsir al-Jalalayn, which he completed after the death of his teacher Jalal al-Din al-Mahalli, along with Al-Itqan fi Ulum al-Qur'an, a foundational reference in Qur'anic sciences, and Tarikh al-Khulafa. Al-Suyuti died in Cairo in 911 AH (1505 CE).