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The great Qur'an commentator and Maliki jurist of Algiers; known for his commentary al-Jawahir al-hisan and remembered for his piety and asceticism. His full name is Abu Zayd 'Abd al-Rahman b. Muhammad b. Makhluf al-Tha'alibi. Because his lineage goes back to Ja'far b. Abi Talib he is also known by the nisba Ja'fari.
He was born in 786 (1384) at Wadi Yusr near the city of Algiers, the homeland of his ancestors the amirs of the Tha'aliba. After memorising the Qur'an he received his first religious instruction. He then went with his father to Tlemcen for study and, in 802 (1399), to Bougie, where he stayed a year. On his father's death he returned home; later he went again to Bougie, where he stayed seven years and studied law, legal theory, exegesis, Qur'an readings and hadith under teachers such as 'Ali b. 'Uthman al-Miqlati and Abu al-Rabi' Sulayman b. Hasan.
In 809-817 (1406-1414) he stayed in Tunis, the Hafsid capital, and profited from scholars such as Muhammad b. Khilfa al-Ubbi and 'Isa al-Ghubrini. In 817 (1414) he followed at al-Azhar in Egypt the lessons of Muhammad 'Ali b. Ja'far al-Bilali, Shams al-Din Muhammad b. Ahmad al-Bisati and especially Ibn al-'Iraqi, from whom he benefited in hadith. According to the source, some sources record that he then went to Bursa, where a lodge was built in his name for him to teach and guide. From there he passed to the Hijaz for the pilgrimage and profited from its scholars. In 819 (1416) he returned by way of Egypt to Tunis, taught at the Zaytuna and distinguished himself in hadith. In the same period he followed the lessons of his teacher al-Ubbi and received his licence; having obtained from Ibn Marzuq al-Hafid a licence for al-Bukhari and al-Muwatta', he returned home about 820 (1417).
He took up the post of imam and preacher at the Great Mosque (al-Jami' al-A'zam) of Algiers. For a time he served as qadi, but not for long; he devoted himself to writing, teaching, preaching and guidance. He took particular care not to keep company with rulers. He enjoyed great fame; in the source's words, his birthplace came to be called after him Jaza'ir Sidi 'Abd al-Rahman.
He died on 23 Ramadan 875 (15 March 1471); some sources give the date as 876. The source does not state his place of burial.
His Circle of Influence — Among his pupils are figures such as Muhammad b. Marzuq al-Kafif, the theologian Muhammad b. Yusuf al-Sanusi, Ahmad b. 'Abd Allah al-Jaza'iri al-Zawawi and Zarruq.
His Works — The sources record that he wrote about ninety works. The most famous is al-Jawahir al-hisan fi tafsir al-Qur'an; this tradition-based commentary, completed in 833 (1429), was so named in the belief that it is full of the finest wisdom and of jewels of sound traditions. It is in the nature of an abridgement of Ibn 'Atiyya al-Andalusi's al-Muharrar al-wajiz; about 100 sources were used in preparing it, some criticisms are directed at Ibn 'Atiyya and choices are made among opinions. It treats the occasions of revelation, variant readings and lexical explanations; the legal verses are explained mostly according to the Maliki school; and of the rare Isra'iliyyat reports it states that they are not sound or must be interpreted. Among his other works: al-'Ulum al-fakhira on the states of the hereafter; al-Mukhtar min al-jawami', a commentary on the versified al-Durar al-lawami' on the reading of Nafi'; Rawdat al-anwar on law; al-Anwar fi ayat al-nabi al-mukhtar on the miracles of the Prophet; al-Mara'i, in which his own dreams are related; al-Jami' al-kabir; a commentary on Ibn al-Hajib's compendium of Maliki law; al-Anwar al-mudi'a in the forty-hadith genre; Jami' al-ummahat on the rules of worship; Riyad al-salihin; Nafa'is al-marjan on the stories of the Qur'an; Haqa'iq al-'aqida; Riyad al-uns; the autobiographical catalogue Ghanimat al-wafid wa-bughyat al-talib al-majid, in which he relates his journeys in search of knowledge, the teachers who licensed him and his chains of transmission; a Mu'jam on rare words; and Arba'un hadithan fi istina' al-ma'ruf, an epitome of a commentary on forty hadiths on doing good.
Differing Scholarly Views
Place of burial — The atlas attaches this figure to the city of Algiers, and its earlier text said that he was buried in his own lodge and that a tomb was built over him. The source (the TDV article) makes NO mention of his place of burial, of a lodge in Algiers or of a tomb; it records only that he came to be called Jaza'ir Sidi 'Abd al-Rahman. For visitation, the site of the grave awaits confirmation by a second source; the atlas does not conceal this.
Year of death — The source gives 23 Ramadan 875 (15 March 1471); some sources record 876. The atlas carries 875/1471 in its record field and keeps the other report here.
The journey to Bursa — The source gives his going to Bursa, where a lodge was built in his name for teaching and guidance, with the qualification according to some sources; it does not present it as certain. The atlas keeps the same caution.
Sources
- TDV İslâm Ansiklopedisi (DİA) · vol. 36, pp. 239-240, entry “Seâlibî, Ebû Zeyd”
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