Imam Jalal al-Din al-Mahalli جلال الدين محمد بن أحمد المحلي

Imam Jalal al-Din al-Mahalli rahimahullah (791-864 AH / 1389-1459 CE) was one of the preeminent Shafi'i scholars of Cairo in his era. He excelled in jurisprudence, theology, grammar, rhetoric, and Qur'anic commentary, and was renowned for his scrupulousness, his fear of Allah, and his fearlessness in upholding the truth. He taught jurisprudence at the Mu'ayyadiyya and Barquqiyya madrasas in Cairo. Known for his asceticism, he declined the highest judicial positions when they were offered to him, preferring to earn his living through trade. His authored works include commentaries on Jam' al-Jawami', al-Burda, al-Manahij fi'l-fiqh, al-Waraqat fi'l-usul, and Kitab al-Jihad, as well as Kanz al-Raghibin Sharh Minhaj al-Talibin, the foundational commentary on Imam al-Nawawi's Minhaj al-Talibin. He is most celebrated for beginning the Tafsir al-Jalalayn, composing the second half of the Qur'an from Surat al-Kahf to al-Nas and al-Fatiha; he died before completing the first half, which was subsequently composed by his student Jalal al-Din al-Suyuti.