Al-Hakim al-Samarqandi

For other uses, see Al-Samarqandi (disambiguation).
Al-Hakim al-Samarqandi
الحكيم السمرقندي
TitleAl-Hakim (The Wise One)[1]
Personal
BornUnknown [c. 874 A.D.]
Died342 A.H. = 953 A.D.
345 A.H. = 956 A.D.
Samarqand
ReligionIslam
EraIslamic Golden Age
RegionTransoxiana
DenominationSunni
JurisprudenceHanafi
CreedMaturidi
Main interest(s)Sufism, Aqidah, Kalam (Islamic theology), Fiqh (Islamic jurisprudence), Tafsir, Hikmah (Wisdom)
Notable work(s)al-Sawad al-A'zam
Muslim leader
Influenced by
Influenced

Al-Hakim Abu al-Qasim Ishaq al-Samarqandi (Arabic: الحكيم أبو القاسم إسحاق السمرقندي), was a Sunni-Hanafi scholar, qadi (judge), and sage from Transoxania who studied Sufism in Balkh with Abu Bakr al-Warraq. Some sources describe him as a student of al-Maturidi (d. 333/944-45) in fiqh and kalam.[2]

He was proficient in kalam and authored a Hanafi creedal statement that insists on the need for obedience to any duly appointed ruler. The creed criticizes the harsh asceticism of the Karramiyya[Note 1] and accepts traditional views of saintly marvels (karamat).[3]

Abu al-Qasim's life marked a turning-point in the formation of the ascetic doctrines and teachings of Hanafi Sunnis in the east, and his al-Sawad al-A'zam (Arabic: السواد الأعظم) was for a long time a major reference source on doctrine for many Hanafis-Maturidis.[4] Although it is not yet clear whether al-Hakim was a disciple of al-Maturidi, or whether his handbook was a mere traditional document on Hanafite doctrine.[5]

  1. ^ C.E. Bosworth; M.S. Asimov, eds. (2000). History of civilizations of Central Asia: Volume IV: The Age of Achievement: A.D. 750 to the End of the Fifteenth Century - Part Two: The Achievements. UNESCO. p. 125. ISBN 9789231036545.
  2. ^ "IMAM AL-MATURIDI by Dr. G. F. Haddad". As-Sunnah Foundation of America. Archived from the original on 2011-09-27. Retrieved 2019-10-30.
  3. ^ John Renard (2015). Historical Dictionary of Sufism. Rowman & Littlefield. p. 26. ISBN 9780810879744.
  4. ^ "Abū al-Qāsim al-Ḥakīm al-Samarqandī". Brill Publishers.
  5. ^ C.E. Bosworth; M.S. Asimov, eds. (2000). History of civilizations of Central Asia: Volume IV: The Age of Achievement: A.D. 750 to the End of the Fifteenth Century - Part Two: The Achievements. UNESCO. p. 125. ISBN 9789231036545.


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