Qurtubi

Abu 'Abdullah Al-Qurtubi
Born	1214
Died	29 April, 1273
Era	Islamic golden age
Religion	Islam
Denomination	Sunni
Jurisprudence	Maliki
Main interest(s)	Tafsir, fiqh and hadith

Imam Abu 'Abdullah Al-Qurtubi or Abu 'Abdullah Muhammad ibn Ahmad ibn Abu Bakr al-Ansari al-Qurtubi (Arabic: أبو عبدالله القرطبي‎‎) was a famous mufassir, muhaddith and faqih scholar from Cordoba of Maliki origin. He is most famous for his commentary of the Quran, Tafsir al-Qurtubi.

He was born in Córdoba, Spain in the 13th century. His father was a farmer, and died during a Spanish attack in 1230. During his youth, he contributed to his family by carrying clay for use in potteries. He finished his education in Cordoba, studying from renowned scholars ibn Ebu Hucce and Abdurrahman ibn Ahmet Al-Ashari. After Cordoba’s capture in 1236 by King Fernando I, he left for Alexandria, where he studied hadith and tafsir. He then passed to Cairo, and settled in Munya Abi'l-Khusavb where he spent the rest of his life. Known for his modesty and humble lifestyle, he was buried in Munya Abi'l-Khusavb, Egypt in 1273. His grave was carried to a mosque where a mausoleum was built under his name in 1971, still open for visiting today.

He was very skilled in commentary, narrative, recitation and law; clearly evident in his writings, and the depth of his scholarship has been recognized by many scholars. In his works, Qurtubi defended the Sunni point of view and criticized the Mu'tazilah.

The hadith scholar Dhahabi said of him, ..he was an imam versed in numerous branches of scholarship, an ocean of learning whose works testify to the wealth of his knowledge, the width of his intelligence and his superior worth.

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