Biography of the author of Adwaa' al Bayaan, Sheikh Muhammad Al Ameen Al Shinqitee:

 

Below is a brief biography of the virtuous sheikh, the Allamah Muhammad Al Ameen bin Muhammad Al Mukhtar Al Shinqitee:[1]

He was popularly known as "Allamah Al Shinqitee" or "Author of Adwaa' Al Bayan."

In the middle the African continent, and he grew up in a village named 'Shinqeet', and he became known after coming to Makkah and Madinah, and his he studied until he became more than what his contemporaries were, he wished to travel to Makkah for Hajj and to visit, but Allah wished for wished for him to become a teacher and a Mufassir there,  if he would share tafseer his eminence was like that of At Tabari's, and when he would share poems he was like Al Mutanabbi', and when he would share Hadith and it's scinces he would be seen as Ibn Hajr Al 'Asqalani, a Mufassir, a Muhadith, A poet, A Grammarian, the author of Adawaa' Al Bayan, the scholar, the Wali, the Zahid, Al Wara', the Allamah Ash Shinqitee. So who actually was this man? Where did he grow up? And where did he seek knowledge? And how were his manners? And what is this Adwaa' Al Bayan he is known for?

His name and lineage:

He was Muhammad Al Ameen Bin Muhammad Muhammad Al Mukhtar Al Jiknee Ash Shinqitee, was born in Qatar well known as Shinqeet from the state of Mauritania and he was born in the year 1325 H/ 1905 (corresponds to 17^th February, 1905).

His childhood and curiosity for knowledge:

He, may Allah have mercy on him, grew up as an orphan. His dad passed away when he was very young and had was just studying Juzz 'Amma (part 30) in his Aunt’s house. And this was his place of knowledge, and he memorized the Qur'an under the care of his uncle when he was 10 years old.[2] He mastered tajweed and the art of writing the Uthmāni Mushaf with his cousin, Muhammad Bin Ahmad Bin Muhammad al-Mukhtaar. He studied the basics of Arabic grammar, the Prophet Sallallahu `Alayhi Wasallam’s life history and the history of Arabian decent with his aunt. So yes, all this was in the house he stayed.

As for the remaining fields of knowledge, such as fiqh, tafsīr, hadīth, Arabic grammar, usool al-fiqh and poetry, he studied with some of the scholars of his land such as: Shaykh Muhammad Bin Sālih, Shaykh Ahmad al-Afram Bin Muhammad al-Mukhtār, Shaykh Ahmad Bin ‘Umar, Shaykh Ahmad Bin Mood, Shaykh Muhammad an-Nimah Bin Zaydān and Shaykh Ahmad Fāl Bin Aaduh.

As for the rest of the courses, then he studied Fiqh Al Maliki[3], which was common in his land, so he studied "Mukhtasar Khaleel" under the Sheikh Muhammad bin Saleh until the section of ‘Ibaadah (worship), and he studied "Alfiyyah Ibn Malik" as well under him, and then studied rest of the sciences under various scholars, and they were all from Jikneen, and this is the tribe to which the sheikh is attributed to, and it became well known for knowledge until it was said: "Knowledge is Jiknee.”

And this was the usual method in his land, that the student would begin with one of the fields of knowledge and begin with writting the books of matn and memorizing according to the ability, however this was not the case with him rahimahullah, he was very gifted and smart so some of his mashaikh let him to study two fields of knowledge looking at his curiosity to seek knowledge. And he busied himself with seeking knowledge upto an extent that he even postponed his marriage. And when few people spoke to him concerning marriage, he responded back saying:

"Leave me alone.."
 

فقلت لهم دعوني ان قلبي من غي الصراع اليوم صاح

His poetry:

Sheikh, may Allah have mercy on him, was extremely very good in poems. But in spite of all this, he would keep himself away from poetry. Once his student, Sheikh 'Atiyyah Muhammad Salim, may Allah have mercy on him, asked him whether why he abandoned poetry, in spite of ability and accreditation (ijaazah) in it. So he said, "I remembered a statement that is attributed to Ash Shafie: “And had it not been that scholars being attributed to poetry is not a good sign, I would be a better poet that Labeed.”[4]
 
And once his son Abdullah also said, "I found one of my father's poems with someone so I wished to memorize it. So he told me, 'Take permission from your father.' So I asked him and he strictly stopped him from it.

Once someone asked for something, and he responded back without any preparation in the form of a poem.

His hard works in spreading knowledge before coming to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia:

His works, may Allah have mercy on him, was just like other scholars. He would busy himself with studies, lectures etc.  He was a judge as well. And he also fought against the French colonizers in his land.

His manners and characteristics:

Indeed, a true scholar is the one who does crosses the boundaries set by Allah, and combines both knowledge and good deeds. 

He was amazing when it came to manners, generosity, bravery, abstinence, asceticism, etc. And he used to dislike becoming the center of attention. 

He would say: “And I am completely able to become one of the richest of men; but I disregard this dunya (world) because when one gets stained by it, no one gets saved except the one who Allah decides to save.”

This worldly life meant nothing to him, up to an extent that he would not even ask for salary, position or status. If someone offered him, he would accept it. But he wouldn't be the one to ask for it.

He would say: “I swear by Allah, if I had the strength to work, I would have never accepted the salary from the University (for teaching Qur’an). But I am forced due to my age, my hands do not have the strength, and I have become old and weak.”

And the Sheikh would not keep his salary with him except that what is required for him for the month. He would distribute the rest to the poor students of knowledge, and his close ones. And he would not sell his books; he would say that he feels shy to sell knowledge. He would say that he acknowledges that his books reach those who do not deserve; and he still let it be free as there were those as well, who deserve it but aren’t able to buy. 

His zuhd (asceticism) was clearly visible, up to an extent that once he was seen wearing sandals of two different colors, maroon red in one leg and another color in the other leg.

And Sheikh Muhammad Al ‘Uthaimeen (rahimahullah) described his first meeting with Sheikh Shinqiti as a young student: “We were students in an education center in Riyadh, and were sitting in the class. The Sheikh entered the class, I saw him and told myself, “This is a Bedouin from the dessert; he does not seems to have any beneficial knowledge!! Worn out thobe (clothe), and does not gives any feeling of awe or dignity, does not has any such looks.” Then, I began thinking about Sheikh Abur-Rahman As-Sa’adi and told myself, “I left Sheikh Abdur-Rahman As-Sa’adi and I am sitting in front of this Bedouin?” But when Sheikh Shinqiti began with his lessons, he poured upon us as if pearls of knowledge from his mind. Then, we realized that we are in front of one of the most skilled scholars. So, we benefitted from his knowledge, methodology, manners, asceticism and his piousness.” End quote. 

His humility and modesty:

Whenever he was asked on an issue, especially in the last years of his life, he would not give the fatwa, and had almost abandoned it. This was though he became very popular by the end of his life. But when he would be requested repeatedly, he would say: "Do not put my name on this, the scholars said such - such."

Sheikh 'Atiyyah Muhammad Salim said, "Once I asked concerning that, whether why he avoids giving fatwa." So he said, "A man is in relief until he is not tested, and a question (ie., for a fatwa) is a test, for you speak about Allah, but you do not know (with surety) whether this matches the actual command of Allah or not. So, when a clear text is not found from the Book of Allah or the Sunnah of the messenger of Allah sallallahu alayhi wa sallam, then it becomes an obligation to control oneself. Then he quoted a poet who said the same, and criticized those students of knowledge who are quick in giving answers and fatwas. Then, he said describing himself:

"صار أمثالنا علماء لما مات العلماء"

"When the actual scholars pass away, people like us become scholars."

And he would always emphasize on controlling oneself from giving verdicts. 

His travel for Hajj, and his stay in Madina:

Sheikh travelled to Saudi Arabia only with the intention to perform Hajj. But subhanallah, sheikh intended something, and Allah subhanahu wata ala intended something else. And Allah’s decision was better without any doubt. 

After his Hajj, he left for Madinatun Nabwiyyah and decided to stay there. And he, may Allah have mercy upon him, used to say: “There is nothing greater than teaching the book of Allah in the masjid of the messenger of Allah.”  

He would teach Arabic language, Usool, Aqeedah, Seerah, Tafseer, Mantiq (logic), and Maliki fiqh. But he was very open minded and would research on all the madhaahib and pass the verdict in accordance to what is closest to Qur’an and Sunnah. 

And he would spend a lot of time teaching Aqeedah from the works of Shaikh-ul Islam ibn Taymiyyah (rahimahullah). He would give both textual and rational proofs. And he would very often emphasize on importance of correct understanding of names and attributed of Allah in the daily life of a Muslim. He also had debates on the topic of Qadr (pre destination), Ilm al gaib (knowledge of the future), and Allah’s establishment of the ‘Arsh (throne). He has also emphasized it in his tafseer lectures. May Allah have mercy upon him. 

His travel to Africa:

In the year 1385, He travelled to all over the African continent.  He began with Sudan, and ended in Mauritania. The purpose of this was special meetings, lectures and conferences, and it was for longer than two months.

His works: 

Man dies. He is then carried to a sandy grave, and is accompanied with nothing from his wealth, status or certificates. But he leaves his deeds that he did for the sake of Allah.[5] Indeed, sheikh has left a treasure behind for us to benefit. His works can be divided into three on the basis of the time he wrote:

1. What he wrote in is his land: He wrote on poetry before he was even 15 years old. The name of the book is “Nazm fi Ansaab Al Arab.” He also wrote “Mandhūmah fil-Farā’idh” (A Book on the Laws of Inheritance) Other works were on business transactions, and Mantiq (logic). 

2. What he wrote on the way to Hajj: “Journey to the sacred house of Allah” It was printed after his death. And there is another book on Mantiq (logic). 

3. What he wrote in Saudi Arabia: This is the period when he wrote the most. His major works include:

Al-Mudhakkirah fee Usool-il-Fiqh (A small treatise on the Principles of Fiqh)

Al-Mudhakkirah fee Usool-il-Fiqh (A small treatise on the Principles of Fiqh)

Adab Al-Bahth wal-Munādhara (Etiquette for Researching)

Man’u Jawāz Al-Majāz (Proving the Non existence of Majaz in the Qur’an)

On Naasikh wal Mansookh (abrogation), and finally “Daf’ Eehaam al-Idtiraab ‘an Aayi’l-Kitaab” which he wrote answering those who create confusion using acclaimed mutashaabih verses. 

His popular verdicts include:

1. Performing Salah in the Aero plane.
2. Performing Sa’ee (Safa and Marwa) above the actual ground floor.
3. Where does the man’s intellect resides (brain or heart)?
4. Does the word “Musrikeen” (polytheists) include people of the book?
5. Is it permitted for the disbelievers to enter the Masajid?

His death:

Sheikh became sick in the end of his life. It was the month of Hajj, so sheikh decided to do Hajj in spite of extreme weakness. But his son Abdullah Shinqiti requested him not to go.

Later on in Dhul Hijjah[6], few people saw the Sheikh performing Hajj, so they informed his son. He was astonished: “My father is performing Hajj?!”  Sheikh Abdullah used to reside in Madina. So, he immediately travelled from Madina to Makkah to meet his father, and he found him safe there.

However, after he successfully completed all the rituals of Hajj, the Sheikh, may Allah have mercy upon him, passed away on a Thursday morning, 17^th Dhul Hijjah, 1393 (corresponds to 10^th January, 1974).

Scholars praise for him:

Sheikh Muhammad bin Ibraheem[7] said: “He is amazing in terms of knowledge of Qur’an, Arabic, and Arabian poetry.”


Sheikh Abdul Azeez bin Baz said: “Whoever listens to his speech when he speaks on tafseer gets very impressed noticing his knowledge, expertise, clarity, and style. And one does not feel bored listening to him.”


Sheikh Muhammad Nasiruddin Al Albani said: “I have not seen anyone the way in which he has gathered knowledge of so many sciences. He is similar to Sheikh ul Islam Ibn Taymiyyah.”


Sheikh Hammad Al Ansari[8] said: “He had a very strong memory, very rare to see someone like him.”

---

[1] His biography is taken only from the authentic original sources available in Arabic. It is from mainly two articles: the one which Sheikh Salim Atiyyah authored, and the other one which was written by Sheikh Abdur – Rahman As – Sudais.

[2] This was the norm among the salaf as well. They would memorize the Qur’an at a very early age.

[3] This is the usual way in which many scholars began to learn. They would study the books of the madhab of their land. So, in Africa, they study Maliki fiqh, and in Indian subcontinent they study Hanafi fiqh, in Saudi Arabia they study Hanbali fiqh.

[4] Labeed was a famous poet at the time of the messenger ((صلى الله عليه وسلم.

[5] The messenger of Allah said: "The action of man stops when he dies except three things: continuous charity, knowledge (that he shares/teaches) or a pious child who prays for him." [Sahih Muslim]

[6] Twelfth month of the Islamic Lunar calendar.

[7] He was the grand Mufti Saudi Arabia before Shaikh bin Baz (may Allah mercy on them all).

[8] He was the well known Muhaddith at the time of Sheikh Shinqiti, who strived and travelled a lot to libraries and museums of several countries in search of preserved Hadith Manuscripts.