Top 10 Greatest Islamic Scholars of All Time
It is like driving down a long street in a great library that stretches
over centuries and the shelves are wailing at the weight of books, but more
than books, it is the weight of thought that framed civilizations, leaped into
the future, that distinguished religion and sparked off mental revolutions.
This is the Islamthernous scholarship. Be it the colorful heartlands of the
Middle East or the graced opulence of the Andalusian courts, Muslim scholars
have been the guiding lights of knowledge, the sound of whose actions still
resonate over time. Coming up with a list of the ten greatest scholars in
Islamic history of all time is a herculean, and therefore subjective process,
as is the intellectual wealth: The Muslims, have brought into this world.
Nonetheless, some of them are remembered due to their monumental, sustained
contribution to theology, philosophy, science, law, and spirituality. These are
not merely minds, they lit up the world.
The Measure of Greatness:
What Makes an Islamic Scholar "Greatest"?
The criteria are important before we journey. Here greatness does not
only mean popularity. We consider:
1. Foundational Impact: Did they create or totally
transform an entire area of research (such as law or theology)?
2. Intellectual Range & Depth: Were they well
rounded like participants of various fields?
3. The impact they had is still affecting Islamic
thought and practice centuries later.
4. Global Reach:
Did they have an extended effect beyond their area of influence, in terms of
influence on the greater Islamic civilization or even humanity in general?
5. Estate of Thought: Did they produce a major body of
texts and/or did they educate other scholars in large numbers? To these pillars
we turn to ten titans whose light still reaches seekers of knowledge:
1. Imam Abu Hanifa (699-767 CE): The Architect of Reasoning in Islamic Law
· Field: Islamic Jurisprudence (Fiqh)
· Legacy: The founder of the Hanafi school, which is the most dominant school of
Islamic law in the world. Imam Abu Hanifa stressed reasoned opinion (ray ) and
analogy (qiyas ) in addition to the Quran and Sunnah, and developed a flexible
methodology that was vital to Muslims in the world outside the Arabian
peninsula. His focus on justice and utility gave him the reputation as one of
the finest Islamic scholars of Islamic jurisprudence. His school had a
tremendous influence on the Islamic law in the Ottoman Empire, South Asia, and
elsewhere in the world.
2. Imam Malik ibn Anas (711-795 CE): The Guardian of Medinan Practice
· Field: Islamic Jurisprudence (Fiqh), Hadith
· Legacy: Founder of the Maliki school. Al-Muwatta (The Approved Path) is the
magnum opus of Imam Malik, which is one of the oldest and most considered
Hadith and legal decision anthologies. His original methodology laid great
emphasis on the already existing practices (amal) of the people of Medina,
which was seen as a living time-transmission of the Sunnah of the Prophet. This
emphasis on community tradition offers a vital counterpoint and remains
dominant across North and West Africa. His contribution to Islamic scholarship
is foundational.
3. Imam Al-Shafi'i (767-820 CE): The Systematizer of Islamic Jurisprudence
· Field: Islamic Jurisprudence (Fiqh), Legal
Theory (Usul al-Fiqh)
· Legacy: The founder of the Shafi school and possible father of the theory of
Islamic law. Imam Al-Shafi i (Al-Risala (The Epistle) introduced, in a fixed
order that is replicated in all his successors, the four main sources of the
Islamic law (the Quran, Sunnah, the Consensus Ijma, and the Analogy Qiyas). His
strict approach resulted in an unprecedented consistency to Islamic
jurisprudence warranting him a formidable admiration over all schools. His
persuasiveness has been deeply incorporated in Southeast Asian laws, laws of
Egypt and East Africa.
4. Imam Ahmad ibn Hanbal (780-855 CE): The Unyielding Defender of Tradition
· Field: Islamic Jurisprudence (Fiqh), Hadith,
Theology
· Legacy: Hanbali school founder was well known to closely follow the Quran,
Hadith, and the way of early generations (Salaf) and limit some speculative
reasoning. The most impressive work of Imam Ahmad is his collection of Hadiths
called the Musnad Ahmad ibn Hanbal: it consists of more than 28000 reports. His
resolute attitude against the Mihna (inquisition), in the belief of the created
Quran made his reputation more outstanding in terms of integrity and bravery.
His stress on textual authority has a potent effect on Salafi movements and it
is the official school in Saudi Arabia. He is the pillar of conventional
Islamic scholarship.
5. Imam Al-Ghazali (1058-1111 CE): The Proof of Islam & Reviver of Faith
· Field: Theology (Kalam), Philosophy, Sufism,
Jurisprudence
· Legacy: A giant who not only had learned but had syncretised the existing intellectual
streams. Critical to Aristotelian philosophy was Imam Al-Ghazali, who composed
a refutation of the philosophers (Tahafut al-Falasifa) in which he defended
fundamental tenets of Islam. His spiritual crisis was also the reason why he
turned to Sufism, culminating in his masterpiece Ihya Ulum al-Din (The Revival
of the Religious Sciences); because of this work, Islamic spirituality became
renewed again, by being integrated with jurisprudence and theology. His
authorship dealt with the anxieties of existence in his time and has been
immensely influential, to the extent he is called Hujjat al-Islam (Proof of
Islam). He cannot be ignored in any topped list of Muslim scholars.
6. Ibn Sina (Avicenna) (980-1037 CE): The Polymath Prince of Physicians & Philosophers
· Field: Medicine, Philosophy, Science, Logic,
Metaphysics
· Legacy: The exponent of a towering genius of the Golden Age of Islam. The Canon
of Medicine (Al-Qanun fi al-Tibb) by Ibn Sina would become the standard book of
medicine in Europe, as well as Islamic world, and brought an organization to
medical knowledge, lasting in medical textbooks there over six hundred years.
His philosophical masterpiece The Book of Healing (Kitab al-Shifa) and The Book
of Directives and Remarks (Kitab al-Isharat wa al-Tanbihat) introduced a
comprehensive Neoplatonic-Aristotelian system that had a profound effect not
only on Islamic thought but also on subsequent medieval European scholasticism
(and in particular Aquinas). His scope is the epitome of Islamic learning in
the sciences and philosophy.
7. Al-Biruni (973-1048 CE): The Universal Scholar & Founder of Indology
·
Field: Astronomy, Mathematics, History,
Geography, Comparative Religion, Anthropology
·
Legacy: Virtually an encyclopedic man of genius. Al-Biruni also contributed in
astronomy (determined the radius of the earth), mathematics (trigonometry) and
mineralogy. His revolutionary History of India (Ta'rikh al-Hind) is an epitome
of objective, anthropology and comparative religion that was a product of
careful research when travelled in the Indian subcontinent. His process was
characterized by focusing on observation, experimental testing, and
cross-cultural comprehension, and established guidelines on how a scientist
should conduct research. He stands in the tradition of the empirical spirit in
Islamic thought.
8. Ibn Rushd (Averroes) (1126-1198 CE): The Commentator & Bridge to the West
· Field: Philosophy, Jurisprudence, Medicine,
Astronomy
· Legacy: Immense Andalusian commentator on Aristotle, and it was on his writings
that Greek philosophy filtered through to medieval Europe and so deeply
influenced the Renaissance. In The Incoherence of the Incoherence (Tahafut
al-Tahafut) he defended philosophy against the attack of Al-Ghazali and he also
defended the theory of "double truth" to demonstrate the
compatibility of philosophy and faith. He was likewise a Maliki jurist, and
author of an important Bidāyat al-Mujtahid (The Distinguished Jurist Primer). Such
rationalist posture placed him at the crux of Islamic and Western intellectual
history, and as one of the key Muslim scholars in the interfaith dialogue.
9. Ibn Taymiyyah (1263-1328 CE): The Iconoclastic Reviver & Strict Reformer
· Field: Islamic Jurisprudence, Theology,
Polemics
· Legacy: One of the most prolific, controversial and influential scholars in the
school of Hanbali. Ibn Taymiyyah advocated an ultra-conservative adherence to
the Quran and Sunnah according to the interpretations made by the early
generations (Salaf), in fiercely criticizing so-called innovations (bid a,)
prevailing practices of Sufis, and philosophical interpretations which he
considered degenerate. Of particular influence to the modern reformist and
Salafi movements were his focus on Tawhid (monotheism) and his own involvement
with texts, collected in his colossal Majmu al-Fatawa (Collection of Fatwas).
He is indeed one of the greatest Islamic scholars due to his uncompromising
attitude that is however, questionable.
10. Jalaluddin Rumi (1207-1273 CE): The Poet of the Soul & Master of Mystical Love
· Field: Sufism, Poetry, Spirituality
· Legacy: Although considered more of a mystic and poet, it is impossible to
measure Rumi as an influence to spiritual scholars and guides. His magnum opus,
Masnavi-ye Ma'navi (Spiritual Couplets) has been dubbed the Quran of Persia due
to its immensity as the ocean of spiritual knowledge, anecdotes and lessons in
the way to divine love, self-purification and travel of the soul back to God.
His poems cross cultural and religious lines giving him the status of one of
the most selling poets in the West today. His teachings of love and tolerance
as well as ecstatic devotion to the Divine have been able to endure with help
of the Mevlevi Sufi order to this day, as it has been able to inspire nearly
millions of people through their lifetime, giving a fresh and globally
relatable aspect to Islamic studies.
Beyond the List: A Living
Legacy
Although it is one of the greatest lists of all time Islamic scholars,
it just barely scratches the surface especially after identifying ten of the
greatest Islamic scholars throughout the world. Contributions of such thinkers
as Al-Farabi (The Second Teacher), Al-Khwarizmi (pioneer of algebra), Ibn
Khaldun (founder of historiography and sociology), Fatima al-Fihri (founder of
the oldest university), and many others left never to be erased marks. Their
very legacy, their combined legacy bears witness to the great intellectual
tradition of Islam that exemplified the importance of the pursuit of knowledge
(as portrayed in the Islamic tradition from the cradle to the grave), the role
of reason, along with revelation and the contribution of inestimable value to
human civilization through science, medicine, philosophy, art, law, and
spirituality.
The Torch Still Burns
The works of these most important Muslim
thinkers are not the relics of the past. To this day, their thoughts are
researched, argued and realized in the Islamic schools, universities, and
hearts of the followers globally. They remind that seeking knowledge based in
faith and ethics is a divine responsibility and a force that can make human
beings move forward. Just as we go about the complexities of the modern world,
the light of their intellectual giants still shine with invaluable insight
calling to us to grow in knowledge, wisdom, a deeper relationship with the
Divine. Their narrations are a lifelong plea to participate, educate and share
in the continuing tale of human knowledge
0 Comments