Biography of Mulla Ali Al-Qaari

23-8-2017 | IslamWeb

Question:

Assalaamu alaykum wa rahmatullaah. Who was Mulla Ali Qari Harawi? What is your advice concerning his Tafseer (exegesis) and Mirqat? Was he from the people of innovation? May Allah reward you.

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Answer:

All perfect praise be to Allah, the Lord of the worlds. I testify that there is none worthy of worship except Allah and that Muhammad, sallallahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, is His slave and Messenger.

Az-Zirikli wrote in the biography of Mulla ‘Ali Al-Qaari "He is ‘Ali ibn Sultaan Muhammad, Noor Ad-Deen Al-Mulla Al-Harawi Al-Qaari. He was a Hanafi scholar of Fiqh and one of the leading scholars of his time. He was born in Haraat and settled in Makkah, where he died. It is said that he used to make a handwritten copy of the Quran every year with his comments on the Qiraa'aat (recitations) and Tafseer, sell it, and live off its price for a whole year. He penned many books, like Tafseer Al-Quraan..." [Al-A‘laam] Az-Zirikli then listed the titles of his books.

As Az-Zirikli added that the man was one of the leading Sunni scholars of his time, and he was not from the people of innovation. Rather, his books are useful references, and they abound in great benefits. If some opinions involving figurative interpretation of the divine attributes of Allah (Ta'weel) are found in his books, the reader should avoid them and benefit of the great amount of good knowledge in them.

Allah knows best.