Ahmad ibn Zayni Dahlan

Ahmad ibn Zayn ibn Ahmad Dahlan (1231-1304 AH / 1816-1886 CE) was the Mufti of the Shafi'i school at Masjid al-Haram in Mecca and one of the leading scholars of the Hijaz in the 19th century. Born in Mecca, he studied at the Sacred Mosque under the scholars of the Hijaz and became a major authority in Shafi'i jurisprudence and Islamic history.

Ahmad Dahlan is best known for his historical and polemical works. His al-Futuhat al-Islamiyyah ba'da Mudiyy al-Futuhat an-Nabawiyyah (The Islamic Conquests after the Prophetic Conquests) is a comprehensive history of Islamic conquests. His most controversial work is Khulasa al-Kalam fi Bayan Umara' al-Balad al-Haram (A Summary of the Statement on the Rulers of the Sacred Land), also known as Fitnah al-Wahhabiyyah (The Wahhabi Sedition), a critique of the Wahhabi movement from the perspective of traditional Shafi'i-Ash'ari scholarship. This work is an important document of the scholarly opposition to the early Saudi-Wahhabi movement from within the traditional Hijazi scholarly establishment.

He also authored Asna al-Matalib fi Najat Abi Talib, addressing the status of the Prophet's ﷺ uncle; and works on Shafi'i jurisprudence. He served as the Mufti of the Shafi'i school and was the principal religious authority of the Hijaz under Ottoman rule in the latter half of the 19th century.

Ahmad Dahlan passed away in Mecca in 1304 AH. He is significant both as a traditional Shafi'i legal authority and as one of the most prominent scholarly critics of the Wahhabi movement from the classical scholarly tradition.