Authors · Islamic scholarship
Aṭ-Ṭaḥāwī
أبو جعفر أحمد بن محمد الطحاوي
239–321 AH
Born in Egypt, Aṭ-Ṭaḥāwī first studied Shafi‘i law before adopting the Hanafi school.
At a glance
- Hadith and transmission
- Sharḥ maʿānī al-āthār · شرح معاني الآثار
- He seeks to understand reports that appear to diverge.
Timeline
- 239 AHBirth
- 321 AHDeath
Biographical overview
- Full name
- Abū Jaʿfar Aḥmad ibn Muḥammad ibn Salāma aṭ-Ṭaḥāwī
- Arabic name
- أبو جعفر أحمد بن محمد الطحاوي
- Birth
- 239 AH
- Death
- 321 AH
Life and education
Born in Egypt, Aṭ-Ṭaḥāwī first studied Shafi‘i law before adopting the Hanafi school.
Sources [1]
Understanding the work
Sharḥ maʿānī al-āthār studies traditions used in law; Sharḥ mushkil al-āthār explains reports that are difficult to reconcile or understand. His creed is known as Al-ʿAqīda aṭ-Ṭaḥāwiyya.
Sources [1]
Method and contribution
He seeks to understand reports that appear to diverge. Aṭ-Ṭaḥāwī compares texts, contexts and their support for legal rulings. Sharḥ maʿānī al-āthār focuses on law; Sharḥ mushkil al-āthār addresses broader interpretive difficulties. The projects are related but distinct.
Sources [1]
Transmission and legacy
His creed, known as Al-ʿAqīda aṭ-Ṭaḥāwiyya, received many commentaries. The short original should be distinguished from explanations produced in different periods and settings. His hadith writings also show a jurist and tradition specialist beyond this single doctrinal text.
Sources [1]
A guide to reading
Read a chapter heading alongside its reports. Comparing wording and chains helps explain why an author preserves several versions. Inclusion in a collection does not replace checking a report’s assessment and a commentary; selection aims differ between works.
Sources [1]
Selected works
Sharḥ maʿānī al-āthār · شرح معاني الآثار
Law and argumentLegal questions, evidence and discussion of juristic positions.
Sharḥ mushkil al-āthār · شرح مشكل الآثار
Hadith and transmissionAnalysis of narrators, variants and difficulties in transmission.
Al-ʿAqīda aṭ-Ṭaḥāwiyya · العقيدة الطحاوية
Theology and beliefAn exposition and discussion of questions of belief and theology.
Biographical sources and references
References for further reading on the life and works of Aṭ-Ṭaḥāwī: