ash-Sha'rani

Abu al-Mawahib Abd al-Wahhab ibn Ahmad ash-Sha'rani (898-973 AH / 1493-1565 CE) was a prolific Egyptian Sufi scholar, jurist, and author. Born in Qalqashanda, Egypt, he studied in Cairo and became one of the most productive Islamic writers of the 10th century AH. He was a Shafi'i jurist who also studied the other three madhhabs in depth, and a follower of the Shadiliyyah Sufi tradition.

Ash-Sha'rani authored an enormous number of works — estimates range from sixty to over three hundred titles — covering jurisprudence, biography, Sufi doctrine, ethics, and Quran-related sciences. Among his most important works are al-Yawaqit wal-Jawahir fi Bayan Aqa'id al-Akabir, a work on the creedal views of major Sufi masters; al-Mizan al-Kubra, a comparative study of Islamic jurisprudence presenting the four madhhabs as complementary; and Lawaqih al-Anwar fi Tabaqat al-Akhyar, a biographical dictionary of Sufi masters. He also authored al-Tabaqat al-Kubra, a comprehensive biographical work on scholars and Sufi masters of Egypt.

His works often present Sufism as the inner dimension of Islam, fully compatible with the Sharia and grounded in the Quran and Sunnah. He was a defender of the Sufi tradition while also criticizing those who used spiritual claims to bypass legal obligations. Ash-Sha'rani lived and taught in Cairo throughout his career, where he had many students and maintained an influential presence in Egyptian religious life.

He is regarded as one of the most significant figures in the history of Egyptian Sufi scholarship. His al-Mizan al-Kubra is particularly noteworthy for its attempt to show that the apparent differences between the four legal schools are all expressions of divine mercy. He passed away in Cairo in 973 AH, leaving behind a monumental scholarly legacy.