Al‑Kawthari
Al-Kawthari | |
|---|---|
الكوثري | |
| Personal life | |
| Born | Muhammad Zahid Hasan c. 1879 |
| Died | 1952 (aged 72–73) |
| Nationality | Ottoman Empire |
| Main interest(s) | Aqidah, Kalam (Islamic theology), Fiqh (Islamic jurisprudence), Hadith studies, Shari'a (Islamic law), Tasawwuf, Literature |
| Notable work(s) | Maqalat al-Kawthari, Mahq al-Taqawwul fi Mas'alat al-Tawassul, Al-Lamadhhabiyya Qantarat al-Ladiniyya |
| Religious life | |
| Religion | Islam |
| Denomination | Sunni |
| Jurisprudence | Hanafi |
| Creed | Maturidi |
| Muslim leader | |
Influenced by | |
Muhammad Zahid Hasan (Arabic: محمد زاهد حسن, romanized: Muḥammad Zāhid Ḥasan; c. 1879–1952), commonly known by the nisba al-Kawthari (Arabic: الكوثري, romanized: al-Kawtharī), was an Islamic scholar and theologian. A prolific author of over 40 works, al-Kawthari followed the Hanafi school of jurisprudence and championed the Maturidi school of theology.
A Circassian, al-Kawthari was born in Düzce, Ottoman Empire and studied at the Fatih Mosque, Istanbul. After the fall of the Ottoman Empire, al-Kawthari fled to the Kingdom of Egypt to avoid crackdown by the Kemalists. He then resided in Cairo and became a well-known scholar there.
Al-Kawthari was a staunch critic of Salafism and wrote works against Ibn Taymiyya and Ibn al-Qayyim. Al-Kawthari is widely honored by modern Hanafis and Maturidis. He is considered a leading Shaykh al-Islam of the Ottoman era.