Muhammad al-Amin ash-Shinqiti

Muhammad al-Amin ibn Muhammad al-Mukhtar ash-Shinqiti (1907-1973 CE / 1325-1393 AH) was a Mauritanian scholar of remarkable breadth who settled in Saudi Arabia and became one of the most respected teachers at the Prophet's Mosque in Medina and at the Islamic University of Madinah. Born in Shinqit (Mauritania), he received a comprehensive traditional education in the Mauritanian scholarly tradition, memorizing vast amounts of classical Arabic literature, poetry, and Islamic texts.

Ash-Shinqiti's magnum opus is Adwa al-Bayan fi Idah al-Quran bil-Quran (Lights of Clarification in Explaining the Quran by the Quran), a monumental tafsir whose distinctive methodology is to explain Quranic verses primarily by reference to other Quranic verses. This approach, known as tafsir al-Quran bil-Quran, demonstrates the internal coherence and self-explanatory nature of the Quran. The work also incorporates hadith evidence, linguistic analysis, and juristic discussions. He also authored Mudhakkirah fi Usul al-Fiqh, an important text on the principles of jurisprudence, and Daf Iham al-Idtirab an Ayat al-Kitab on reconciling apparently contradictory Quranic verses.

Ash-Shinqiti was revered for his extraordinary memory, his mastery of the Arabic language, and his deep piety. His classes at the Prophet's Mosque attracted scholars from across the Muslim world. He was a founding faculty member at the Islamic University of Madinah and trained numerous students who became leading scholars. He passed away before completing Adwa al-Bayan; his student Atiyyah Muhammad Salim completed the final volume. He is widely considered one of the greatest scholars of Quranic exegesis in the modern era.