al-Khudari

Muhammad ibn Afifi al-Bajuri, known as al-Khudari Bek (1289-1345 AH / 1872-1927 CE), was an Egyptian Islamic scholar, historian, and educator. He studied at al-Azhar and later at the Egyptian School of Law (which became Cairo University), combining traditional Islamic education with modern academic methods. He taught Islamic history at both institutions.

Al-Khudari Bek is best known for his accessible works on Islamic history and the biography of the Prophet ﷺ, aimed at educating the modern Arabic-reading Muslim public. His Nur al-Yaqin fi Sirat Sayyid al-Mursalin (The Light of Certainty in the Life of the Master of the Messengers) is one of the most widely read Seerah (prophetic biography) works in the 20th century. Written in clear, accessible Arabic, it presents the life of the Prophet ﷺ in a way that is both scholarly and accessible to non-specialist readers. It became a standard educational text in Islamic schools across the Arab world.

He also authored Itmam al-Wafa' fi Sirat al-Khulafa' (Completing the Fulfillment: Lives of the Caliphs), a history of the early caliphs; Muhadarat Tarikh al-Umam al-Islamiyyah (Lectures in the History of the Islamic Nations), a history of Islamic civilization in multiple volumes; and Tarikh al-Tashri' al-Islami (The History of Islamic Legal Development).

Al-Khudari Bek was a pioneering educator who helped bring Islamic history into the modern Arabic educational curriculum. He passed away in Cairo in 1927. His Nur al-Yaqin on the Seerah remains widely printed and read.