Muhammad Bakhit al-Muti'i
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Muhammad Bakhit al-Muti'i (1854 or 1856 — 1935) was the Grand Mufti of Egypt, judge in the Shari'a Courts, rector of al-Azhar, and one of the leading Hanafi-Maturidi scholars of his time. He was educated at al-Azhar and was teaching in this university for several years. In 1914 he was appointed mufti, a title he held for seven years. He was known as the bitterest foe of the Islamic Reform movement led by Jamal al-Din al-Afghani and Muhammad 'Abduh. He was also known as a devout scholar who chose to lose his position as mufti rather than bow to government pressure to issue a particular fatwa.[1]
Muhammad Bakhit al-Muti'i محمد بخيت المطيعي | |
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Personal | |
Born | 1271 A.H. = 1856 A.D. |
Died | 1354 A.H. = 1935 A.D. |
Religion | Islam |
Nationality | Egypt |
Denomination | Sunni |
Jurisprudence | Hanafi |
Creed | Maturidi |
Main interest(s) | Aqidah, Kalam (Islamic theology), Tawhid, Fiqh (Islamic jurisprudence), Usul al-Fiqh, Hadith studies, Tafsir, Logic, Philosophy |
Notable work(s) | Tathir al-Fu'ad min Danas al-I'tiqad |
Muslim leader | |
Influenced |
Bakhit studied at al-Azhar and taught there from 1875 to 1880, when he was appointed qadi (Muslim judge) of Qalyubiyya, after which he served as a judge in various provincial centers, Alexandria, and Cairo. He was appointed Egypt's chief mufti on 21 December 1914, serving until 1921. He opposed Muhammad 'Abduh's reforms at al-Azhar, issued a fatwa (Muslim legal opinion) to warn Muslims against bolshevism (presumably meaning politically inspired violence) in the midst of the 1919 Revolution, and took conservative stands on such issues as the translation of the Quran, women's rights, and the abolition of family awqaf. After he ceased to be the chief mufti, he attacked severely 'Ali 'Abd al-Raziq's al-Islam wa Usul al-Hukm (Islam and the Principles of Rule).[2]