Imam Shurunbulali is Abul Ikhlas Hasan ibn `Ammar ibn `Ali al Shurunbulali al Wafa’i (964-1069 H.), a major Hanafi imam and verifier (muhaqiq) whose works form an integral part of the school.
Shaykh Muhammad I`zaz `Ali states in his commentary on the Nur al Idah, quoting Shaykh Muhammad Amin (d: 1111):
“He was from the elite and distinguished scholars of jurisprudence (fuqaha) and the most preferred of his time. He was the greatest of the latter day scholars in possession of fiqh, the most knowledgeable of them in the texts and its principles, and the most bountiful in his writings and authorship.” (Nur al Idah bil Isbah, Pg: 7 Qadim Kutub Khana Ed.)
His Studies & Teachers
He traveled to , which was at the time the storehouse of knowledge and the gathering place of the scholars, in order to study the Islamic sciences. Among his teachers were:
(1) In Qur’anic recitation (qira’at): Shams al Din Muhammad ibn `Abd al Rahman al Hamawi (d: 1018), the great scholar of law (fiqh), exegesis (tafsir), prophetic narrations (hadith), and Qur’anic recitation. He also studied the science of recitation under Shaykh `Abd al Rahman al Masayri.
(2) In jurisprudence (fiqh): Imam `Abdullah ibn Muhammad al Nahrawi (d: 1026), the foremost scholar of law in his time, and Imam Shams al Din Muhammad ibn Mansur (d: 1030). He was granted permission (ijaza) from both these scholars as well as from Shaykh al Islam `Ali ibn Muhammad ibn Ghanim al Maqdisi (d: 1004).
(3) He also studied in the renowned Al Azhar and benefited therein from many scholars such as Shaykh Ahmad al `Ajami al Shafi`i, Shaykh Ahmad al Hamawi, Shaykh Shahin al Armanawi, and others. He also took from Shaykh Isma`il al Nabulisi from among the scholars of .
(4) He also sat in the company of Imam Yusuf ibn `Abd al Razaq ibn Wafa’ al Maliki (d: 1051) in the Al Aqsa Mosque,
His Works
Imam Shurunbulali authored many books, some being large texts and others small treatises. Among his most famous works are the Nur al Idah, Maraqi al Sa`adat, Imdad al Fatah Sharh Nur al Idah, Maraqi al Falah Sharh Nur al Idah, Mufidat al Husna, and so forth.
Imam `Abd al Hayy Lakhnawi said in his biographical dictionary of the Hanafis:
“(He authored) 60 works on varying subjects.”
His Passing
He left the temporal abode of this earth in the month of Ramadhan, on the day of jumu`ah, after the prayer of `asr, in the year 1069. May Allah have mercy on him, make fragrant his grave, and allow us to benefit through his works.
Main Sources: Mu`ajam al Mu’alifin, Maraqi al Sa`aadat with tahqiq and notes by Shaykh Abul Yusar ibn `Abidin)
Courtesy of islamqa.org
