Ibn Ashur

Muhammad al-Tahir ibn Ashur (1296–1393 AH / 1879–1973 CE) was the Shaykh al-Islam of Tunisia and the foremost Islamic scholar of the 20th century Arab world. He served as the rector of the Zaytuna University in Tunis and wrote prolifically on Islamic law, Quran commentary, and legal philosophy. His al-Tahrir wa al-Tanwir (Liberation and Enlightenment) is a 30-volume Quran commentary widely regarded as the most significant modern Arabic tafsir for its engagement with contemporary issues and linguistic depth. His Maqasid al-Shari'ah al-Islamiyya (The Objectives of Islamic Law) is a landmark work that reexamined the theory of Islamic legal objectives (maqasid) and influenced modern Islamic legal thought.