Muhammad Mustafa Al-A'zami (Arabic: محمد مصطفى الأعظمي; 1930 – 20 December 2017) was an Indian-born Saudi Arabian[1] contemporary hadith scholar best known for his critical investigation of the theories of fellow Islamic scholars Ignác Goldziher, David Margoliouth, and Joseph Schacht.
Muhammad Mustafa Al-A‘zami | |
|---|---|
 Azmi (second from the left) while launching 39 electronic books of Mohammad Najeeb Qasmi | |
| Personal | |
| Born | 1930 |
| Died | 20 December 2017 (aged 86-87) |
| Resting place | Al-Rajhi Mosque, Riyadh |
| Religion | Islam |
| Alma mater | Darul Uloom Deoband Al-Azhar University University of Cambridge |
| Occupation | Muhaddith |
| Muslim leader | |
| Awards | King Faisal International Award in 1980 (Islamic Studies Branch) |
Life and education
editHe was born in Mau, India then in the Azamgarh district (hence his nisba) in the early part of the year 1930. Al-A'zami received his education successively at Darul Uloom Deoband (1952), Al-Azhar University (M.A., 1955), and the University of Cambridge in the United Kingdom (Ph.D., 1966).[2]
Muhammad Mustafa Azmi died on 20 December 2017, aged 87.[3]
Career
editAzmi was a Professor Emeritus at King Saud University where he also chaired the department of Islamic Studies. He served as curator of the National Public Library of Qatar, Associate Professor at Umm al-Qura University, visiting scholar at the University of Michigan (Ann Arbor), Visiting Fellow at St Cross College, Oxford, King Faisal Visiting Professor for Islamic Studies at Princeton University, and visiting scholar at the University of Colorado at Boulder.[4] He was also an Honorary Fellow in Islamic Studies at the University of Wales, Trinity Saint David.[5]
Awards and recognition
editIn 1980, he was the recipient of the King Faisal International Award for Islamic Studies.[6] Much of A'zami's work focused on challenging Western scholarship on hadith literature, especially on highlighting the fact that there was already intense literary activity on hadiths during the lifetime of the Muslim prophet Muhammad, at his encouragement.[7]
Literary works
edit- Studies in Early Hadith Literature, His doctoral thesis at the University of Cambridge
- Hadith Methodology and Literature, a general introduction to the subject
- The History of the Qur'anic Text from Revelation to Compilation: A Comparative Study with the Old and New Testaments
- On Schacht's Origins of Muhammadan Jurisprudence
- Dirasat fi al-Hadith an-Nabawi[8]
- Kuttab an-Nabi
- Manhaj an-Naqd 'ind al-Muhaddithin
- al-Muhaddithun min al-Yamamah
His forthcoming works include The Qurʾānic Challenge: A Promise Fulfilled and The ʾIsnād System: Its Origins and Authenticity.
Edited works
edit- al-ʿIlal of Ibn al-Madini
- Kitāb at-Tamyiz of Imam Muslim
- Maghāzi Rasulullah of Urwah ibn Zubayr
- Muwatta Imam Malik
- Sahih Ibn Khuzaymah
- Sunan ibn Majah
References
edit- ^ "ولد بالهند ورحل بالسعودية وأدخل التقنية بالحديث.. من هو الشيخ الأعظمي؟". CNN Arabic (in Arabic). 20 December 2017. Retrieved 17 November 2021.
- ^ Mohammad Najeeb Qasmi. "Dr. Muhammad Mustafa Azmi & His Contributions To Hadeeth". Deoband.net. Retrieved 7 June 2019.
- ^ "Ulama Hadits Syeikh Mustafa al A'zami Wafat di Riyadh" (in Indonesian). 21 December 2017.
- ^ Azami, M. M. (2003). The History of the Qur'anic Text from Revelation to Compilation: A Comparative Study with the Old and New Testaments. Leicester: UK Islamic Academy. ISBN 1-872531-66-0.
- ^ Visiting and Honorary Staff, School of Theology, Religious Studies and Islamic Studies, Faculty of Humanities, Departments; University of Wales Trinity Saint David
- ^ "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 6 April 2012. Retrieved 13 December 2011.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link) - ^ Herbert Berg, The Development of Exegesis in Early Islam: The Authenticity of Muslim Literature from the Formative Period. Routledge Studies in the Qur'an. Transferred to digital publishing in 2005. he died in 20 December 2017 Routledge, 2013. ISBN 9781136115226
- ^ Kaleem, Mohd (2017). Contribution of Old boys of Darul uloom Deoband in Hadith Literature (PhD) (in Urdu). India: Department of Sunni Theology, Aligarh Muslim University. pp. 308–309. hdl:10603/364028. Archived from the original on 24 October 2023. Retrieved 24 October 2023.