Yusuf al-Asir

Yusuf al-Asir
يُوسُف الأسير
Personal
Born1232 AH = 1817 AD
Sidon, Sidon Eyalet,  Ottoman Empire
Died6 Rabiul Awwal 1307 AH = November 28, 1889 AD (71-72 years old)
Beirut, Beirut vilayet,  Ottoman Empire
Resting placeBeirut,  Lebanon
ReligionMuslim Sunni
NationalityOttoman
SpouseHanifa bint Muhammad Al-Naqib, Amna Sharitah
ChildrenSix boys and three girls
Parents
  • Abdul Qader bin Muhammad al-Asir (father)
  • Nafisa Al-Naqib (mother)
CitizenshipLebanon
JurisprudenceShafi'i school, Hanafi school
ProfessionPoet, Faqīh, Qadi, Journalist, Teacher, and Writer
Senior posting
ProfessionPoet, Faqīh, Qadi, Journalist, Teacher, and Writer

Al-Sheikh Al-Allama Abu Muhammad Yusuf ibn Abd al-Qadir ibn Muhammad al-Husseini al-Asir al-Saydaoui al-Azhari al-Shafi'i[1][2] was a faqih, scholar of Islamic inheritance law, writer, poet, linguist, and journalist during the Arab Nahda of the late Ottoman period. He was born in the city of Sidon, which was part of the Sidon Eyalet, in 1232 AH (1817 CE), according to the historian Al-Zirikli, although Kahhala and Jurji Zaydan have placed his birth year at 1230 AH (1815 CE).[3]

Yusuf grew up in Sidon under the care of his father, where he began his education by memorizing the Quran at the age of seven. He later attended the Muradiyya school in Damascus before returning to Sidon. He then moved to Cairo, where he spent seven years studying and teaching at Al-Azhar University. While in Cairo, he interacted with several notable scholars and dignitaries.[4][5]

Upon his return to Greater Syria, he devoted himself to teaching, writing, and serving as a judge and mufti, moving between Sidon, Tripoli, and Beirut. Among his notable students were figures who later held prominent positions, including Youhanna al-Hajj, who became the Maronite Patriarch; Bishop Youhanna Habib, the founder of the Congregation of the Maronite Lebanese Missionaries; and the American Orientalist Dr. Cornelius Van Alen Van Dyck, among others.[6][7]

Upon his return to Beirut, Al-Asir devoted himself to writing, focusing mainly on Islamic Law and language. He wrote a book on Islamic law entitled "Ra'id al-Fara'id" and a commentary on "Atwaq al-Dhahab fi al-Mawa'iz" by the renowned scholar Al-Zamakhshari. He also composed many poems, many of which were published in a collection known by his name. In addition, he published several scholarly articles in newspapers and served for a time as editor-in-chief of the newspapers "Thamarat al-Funun" and "Lisan al-Hal". One of his notable contributions during this period was assisting Dr. Cornelius Van Dyck and Sheikh Nasif al-Yaziji in the Arabic translation of the Holy Bible. He also composed Christian spiritual hymns widely sung in churches and homes by Evangelical Christians.[8][9]

Al-Asir passed away in Beirut on 6 Rabi' al-Awwal 1307 AH, corresponding to November 28, 1889. He was interred in the Bashoura Cemetery. His passing was lamented by scholars, writers, and poets, with approximately twenty eulogies dedicated to him. His elegies were compiled by Sheikh Ibrahim al-Ahdab and Abu al-Hasan al-Kusti in a booklet published in the year of his death, which included a biography of Al-Asir.[10]

  1. ^ Kahala, Omar Rida (1993). Lexicon of Authors: Tarajim of the Compilers of Arabic Books (vol. 1). Beirut: Al-Risala Foundation. Vol. 4. ISBN 978-9933-23-192-7. OCLC:4770872170. QID:Q120220616.
  2. ^ Khayr al-Din al-Zirikli (2002), Al-Alam: A Targum Dictionary of Famous Men and Women of Arab, Arabic and Orientalist Origin (15th ed.), Beirut: Dar al-Alam al-Malayin, c. 8, OCLC:1127653771, QID:Q113504685
  3. ^ Kahala, Omar Rida (1993). Lexicon of Authors: Tarajim of the Compilers of Arabic Books (vol. 1). Beirut: Al-Risala Foundation. Vol. 4. ISBN 978-9933-23-192-7. OCLC:4770872170. QID:Q120220616.
  4. ^ Adel Nuwayhid (1988), A Dictionary of Exegetes: From Sadr al-Islam to the Present (3rd ed.), Beirut: Nuwayhid Cultural Foundation for Authorship, Translation and Publishing, OCLC:235971276, QID:Q122197128
  5. ^ Jurji Zaydan (1970), Tarajam al-mushaharat al-sharqiya al-sharqiya fi al-nineteenth century (3rd ed.), Beirut, Beirut: Dar al-Maktabat al-Hayat, c. 2, QID:Q122197006
  6. ^ Kamel Salman al-Jubouri (2003). Dictionary of Literary Writers from the Jahili Era to 2002. Beirut: Dar al-Kutub al-Alamiya. c. 7. p. 56. ISBN 978-2-7451-3694-7. OCLC:54614801. OL:21012293M. QID:Q111309344.
  7. ^ Jurji Zaydan (1970), Tarajam al-mushaharat al-sharqiya al-sharqiya fi al-nineteenth century (3rd ed.), Beirut, Beirut: Dar al-Maktabat al-Hayat, c. 2, QID:Q122197006
  8. ^ "The most famous incidents and the greatest men: Sheikh Yusuf al-Asir". Al-Hilal. Cairo: Dar al-Hilal. P. 20. 15 June 1895 AD = 22 Dhu al-Hijjah 1312 AH. Archived from the original on 2023-09-03. Accessed on September 3, 2023.
  9. ^ Adham Al Jundi (1958), Alaam Aladab wa Alfan (PDF), Damascus: D.N., c. 2, QID:Q122209419
  10. ^ Adham Al Jundi (1958), Alaam Aladab wa Alfan (PDF), P.326 Damascus: D.N., c. 2, QID:Q122209419