Ibn 'Atiyya

Abu Muhammad Abd Al-Haqq ibn Ghalib ibn Abd Al-Rahman, who was better known as Ibn 'Atiyya (ابن عطية) was a Sunni Andalusian scholar of the 5th Islamic century. He was a prominent Maliki jurist, Quranic exegete, Hadith expert, grammarian, linguist, poet, litterateur, and a bibliographer. His fame largely derives from his highly celebrated commentary on the Quran entitled Al-Muharrar al-Wajiz fi Tafsir al-Kitāb al-'Aziz or shortly named al-Muharrar al-Wajiz, better known as Tafsir Ibn Atiyya.

Biography
Ibn 'Atiyya was born in Granada, Islamic Spain, in 481 AH/1088 CE. He was raised in a family of scholars. His father was a well-known Hadith scholar and jurist who studied under numerous eminent scholars while travelling throughout the Muslim world's eastern regions. He then became a judge in Granada, demonstrating his great reputation as a scholar.

As a result, Ibn 'Atiyya thus grew up in a household visited by scholars who studied under his father. This inspired him to continue in his father's footsteps, and before long he was learning under him and other scholars, getting regular support from the man who knew his son had a keen mind. Ibn 'Atiyya was, in fact, an extremely conscientious student who enjoyed reading and was eager to learn in order to become well-versed in all fields. He felt that reading widely would help him comprehend the Qur'an, so he did not limit his studies to Islamic studies. Additionally, he visited all of the Andalus's centres and cities, where he met and learned from a great deal of scholars. As a result, he became a highly regarded scholar who was well known throughout the region. Later on, he rose to the position of judge in Murcia, where he was well known for his zeal for upholding the law. He was also a prominent teacher and this is further evidenced by the fact that a number of his students went on to become highly regarded scholars in their own right.

There was a lot of turbulence in Andalusia during this time, with Christendom's attempting to attack Muslim areas and occasionally succeeding. He enlisted in the army and engaged in combat with disbelievers on multiple occasions. In addition, he urged all Muslims throughout Andalusia to take a firm stance, writing to governors and princes to remind them of their obligation to Islam and to back God's cause. He was at the forefront in advocating for unity and jihad. All of this guaranteed him a solid reputation as an accomplished scholar and devoted Muslim.

Even though Ibn Atiyyah was a famed scholar, there is disagreement on when exactly he passed away, even if all of the biographies agree on the year of his birth. He is so reported to have passed away in the small Spanish city of Lorca in the year of 541/1141, 542/1142, and 545/1145, however the first may be the most accurate.

Reception
Al-Dhahabi said in Siyar: “The scholarly Imam, the chief of the (Quran) commentators, was an imam in jurisprudence, interpretation, and Arabic, strong in participation, intelligent, discerning, and aware of the sources of knowledge.”

Ibn Farhun said: “He was a jurist who knew interpretations, rulings, Hadith, jurisprudence, grammar, language, and literature.”

Works
Ibn 'Attiya left many valuable scientific works, the most important of which is his Al-Muharrar al-Wajiz fi Tafsir al-Kitāb al-'Aziz which scholars unanimously agree is the most rigorous, accurate, and comprehensive.