Shaykh Ibrahim al-Bajuri إبراهيم بن محمد بن أحمد الباجوري

Shaykh Ibrahim ibn Muhammad ibn Ahmad al-Bajuri rahimahullah (1198-1276 AH / 1784-1860 CE) was the Shaykh al-Islam and Grand Imam of al-Azhar in Cairo. He was born in the village of al-Bajur, a few hours from Cairo, from which his nisba derives. He lived in Giza during the French occupation and witnessed Napoleon's entry into Cairo. In 1216 AH / 1801 CE he returned to Cairo and began his formal studies at Masjid al-Azhar, where his vast learning quickly earned him recognition. He began teaching at al-Azhar in Sha'ban 1263 AH and served as Grand Shaykh from that year until his death in 1276 AH / 1860 CE. He was the foremost Shafi'i authority of his age, and his celebrated glosses include: Hashiyat al-Bajuri 'ala Sharh Ibn Qasim al-Ghazzi (Shafi'i fiqh), a commentary on Jawharat al-Tawhid (kalam), Hashiyat al-Bajuri 'ala Sharh al-'Aqa'id al-Nasafiyya (theology), and a commentary on the Burdat al-Busiri (literature). These works together represent one of the most important Azhari scholarly corpora of the late classical period.