'Abd al-Karīm ibn Hawazin Abū al-Qāsim Banu Qushayr al-Naysābūrī (, ; 986 – 30 December 1072) was an Arabs Scholar, kalam, faqih, legal theoretician, tafsir of the Qur’an, muhaddith, arabic grammar, wali, orator, poet, and an eminent scholar who mastered a number of Islamic sciences.
He was born in Nishapur which is in Khorasan province in Iran. This region was widely known as a center of civilization up to the 13th Century CE. He was the grandfather of the hadith scholar Abd al-Ghafir al-Farsi, a student of al-Juwayni.
PXXI. (Translator’s Introduction: Al-Qushayri’s "Epistle on Sufism": The author and his book):
"There Al-Qushayri attended the lectures and sermons of the renowned Sufi master (shaykh) Abu Ali al-Hasan al-Daqqaq (d. around 405/1015 or somewhat later), who headed a popular religious school (madrasa).
A student of Ibrahim b. Muhammad al-Nasrabadhi (d. 367/977), the foremost Sufi master of Khurasan in his age, al-Daqqaq belonged to the spiritual tradition that stretched back to the celebrated Sufis of the Baghdad school, including Sari al-Saqati (d. 251/865 or somewhat later) al-Junayd al-Baghdadi (d. 297/910), and Abu Bakr al-Shibli (d. 334/946)" Al-Nasrabadhi himself was a student of Abu Bakr al-Shiblì (d. 946), the student of Junayd Al-Baghdadi.Alexander Knysh, Islamic Mysticism: A Short History. P125
"Around 340/951, in confirmation of his status as an accomplished master, al-Sulami received a Sufi cloak (khirqa) from Abù 'l-Qàsim al-NaBràbàdhì (367/977–8), who, in turn, was initiated into Sufism by Abù Bakr al-Shiblì at Baghdad in 330/942.
His long association with al-Nabràbàdhì further strengthened al-Sulamì’s links with the Baghdad school of Sufism with which he had already been connected via his grandfather and al-Luluki"
Daqqāq later became the master and teacher of the mystical ways to Qushayri. He later married the daughter of Daqqāq, Fatima. After the death of Daqqāq, Qushayri became the successor of his master and father-in-law and became the leader of mystic assemblies in the madrasa that Abu Ali al-Daqqāq built in 1001 CE, which later became known as al-Madrasa al-Qushayriyya or "the school of the Qushayri family". Al-Qushayri's Epistle on Sufism – Al-Risala Al Qushayriyya Fi 'ilm Al-Tasawwuf by Abu 'l-Qasim Al-Qushayri (Author) by Professor alexander d. knysh (Translator).
PXXI. (Translator’s Introduction: Al-Qushayri’s "Epistle on Sufism" Qushayri was also the student of Al-Sulami, another student of al-Nasrabadhi (d. 367/977).
In later years Qushayri performed the pilgrimage in the company of Abu Muhammad al-Juwayni (d. 438/1047), the father of the great Al-Juwayni, as well as traveling to Baghdad and the Hijaz. During these travels he heard Hadith from various prominent Hadith scholars. Upon his return he began teaching Hadith, which is something he is famous for. He returned to Baghdad where the Caliph al-Qa'im had him perform hadith teachings in his palace. After his return to Khurāsān, political unrest in the region between the Ḥanafī and Ashʿarī-Shāfiʿī factions in the city forced him to leave Nishapur, but he was eventually able to return and lived there until his death in 1072/465, when the Seljuq Empire vizier Nizam al-Mulk re-established the balance of power between the Ḥanafīs and the Shāfiʿīs. He left behind six sons and several daughters between Fatima and his second wife and was buried near al-Madrasa al-Qushayriyya, next to his father in-law Abū ʿAlī al-Daqqāq
His fame however, is due mostly to his al-Risala al-Qushayriyya (or the Epistle on Sufism). This text is essentially a reminder to the people of his era that Sufis had authentic ancestral tradition, as well as a defence of Sufism against the doubters that rose during that time of his life. Al-Qushayri repeatedly acknowledges his debt to, and admiration for, his Sufi master throughout his Risala. Daqqaq was instrumental in introducing Qushayri to another outstanding Sufi authority of Khurasan, al-Sulami, who is quoted on almost every page of the Risala.
It has sections where al-Qushayrī discusses the creed of the Sufis, mentions important and influential Sufis from the past, and establishes fundamentals of Sufi terminology, giving his own interpretation of those Sufi terms. Al-Qushayrī finally goes through specific practices of Sufism and the techniques of those practices. This text has been used by many Sufi saints in later times as a standard, as is obvious from the many translations into numerous languages.
Abu al-Hasan al-Bakhirzi, the author of the book Dimyah al-Qasr, said about him:
Shaykh Amin considers Imam al-Qushayri's work to be an inspiration to the better-known work of Al-Ghazali:
7. * Chopra, R. M., "SUFISM", 2016, Anuradha Prakashan, New Delhi. .
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