Muḥammad b. Aḥmad al-Khalwatī

Muḥammad b. Aḥmad b. ʿAlī al-Buhūtī, widely known as al-Khalwatī, was a distinguished Egyptian Ḥanbalī jurist and scholar who lived during the turbulence of Ottoman rule in Egypt. Despite the political instability of his time, he rose to prominence as one of the foremost Ḥanbalī authorities of the eleventh century AH. His teaching, authorship, and intellectual influence left a lasting mark on the Ḥanbalī school—particularly in Egypt and beyond.

Birth and Early Life

Al-Khalwatī was born in Egypt, though the exact date of his birth remains unknown. His family hailed from the village of Bahūt in Upper Egypt (Ṣaʿīd), from which his nisbah “al-Buhūtī” is derived. The epithet “al-Khalwatī” likely refers to his eventual association with a quarter connected to the Khalwatiyya Sufi order, which he appears to have joined later in life.

He grew up during a period of profound social unrest marked by frequent changes in Ottoman governors, military uprisings, famine, and widespread corruption. This political chaos—especially the recurring mutinies and exploitation of Egyptian society by Ottoman officials—formed the turbulent backdrop against which al-Khalwatī pursued his studies and scholarship.

Education and Teachers

Raised in a family devoted to knowledge, al-Khalwatī benefited early on from his close relationship with his maternal uncle, the illustrious Ḥanbalī jurist Manṣūr b. Yūnus al-Buhūtī (d. 1051 AH), author of the seminal works Sharḥ Muntahā al-Irādāt and Kashshāf al-Qināʿ. Under his uncle’s tutelage, al-Khalwatī studied the major Ḥanbalī texts—including al-Muntahā and al-Iqnāʿ—carefully recording his uncle’s notes and legal insights.

In addition to his Ḥanbalī training, he broadened his intellectual horizons by studying the rational sciences (ʿulūm ʿaqliyya) with scholars from other schools of law. Among his notable teachers were:

• ʿAbd al-Raḥmān b. Yūsuf al-Buhūtī (d. 1089 AH), a direct student of Ibn al-Najjār al-Futūḥī, author of Muntahā al-Irādāt.

• Aḥmad b. Muḥammad al-Ghunaymī al-Shāfiʿī (d. 1044 AH), a renowned scholar of logic, language, and legal theory.

• ʿAlī b. ʿAlī al-Shibrāmallisī al-Shāfiʿī (d. 1087 AH), with whom he studied the rational disciplines and engaged in refined academic debates.

• Ibrāhīm al-Laqqānī al-Mālikī (d. 1041 AH), author of Jawharat al-Tawḥīd, one of the foundational didactic poems of Ashʿarī theology.

• ʿAlī b. Muḥammad al-Ajhūrī al-Mālikī (d. 1066 AH), a noted jurist and ḥadīth scholar.

Following the death of al-Ghunaymī, al-Khalwatī developed a close companionship with al-Shibrāmallisī, attending his lessons regularly and engaging with him in subtle and intricate debates.

Scholarly Career

After the passing of his uncle Manṣūr al-Buhūtī, the Ḥanbalīs of Egypt requested that al-Khalwatī assume his uncle’s position in teaching and issuing fatwās. Though he initially accepted and taught for a few days, he soon withdrew from public instruction and relocated with his wife to a quarter near the Khalwatiyya zāwiyah.

Shaykh Muḥammad, the head of the Khalwatiyya sajjādah at the time, noticed al-Khalwatī’s presence and honored him greatly—providing him with a respectable residence, a stipend from the zāwiyah’s endowments, and seating him above the other disciples. Despite such esteem, al-Khalwatī remained humble in both demeanor and dress. He frequented public spaces such as coffeehouses, interacted warmly with ordinary people, and was often mistaken for a commoner due to his simplicity and humility.

His teaching style was characterized by precision, clarity, and intellectual depth. He combined mastery of the transmitted sciences (manqūl) with keen insight into the rational disciplines (maʿqūl). His contemporaries praised his dialectical brilliance, meticulous verification, and comprehensive knowledge of the Ḥanbalī school. Later scholars described him as “the learned scholar, the Imām of transmitted and rational sciences, the jurist, the muftī, the precise editor, and the critical investigator.” Ibn Ḥumayd, in al-Suḥub al-Wābila, lauded his eloquence, clarity of expression, and mastery in verification and reasoning.

Students

Al-Khalwatī’s influence extended through a remarkable circle of students who later became prominent figures in the Ḥanbalī tradition. Among his most distinguished students were:

• ʿUthmān b. Aḥmad b. Saʿīd b. ʿUthmān b. Qāʾid al-Najdī (d. 1097 AH), author of Ḥāshiyat al-Muntahā and Hidāyat al-Rāghib.

• ʿĪsā b. Maḥmūd al-Kinānī al-Ṣāliḥī (d. 1093 AH), known for his asceticism and piety.

• Aḥmad b. Muḥammad b. ʿAwaḍ al-Mardāwī al-Nābulsī (d. 1105 AH), a versatile scholar well-versed in multiple disciplines.

• Muḥammad b. ʿAbd al-Bāqī al-Baʿlī (Abū al-Mawāhib) (d. 1126 AH), among the foremost Ḥanbalī scholars of Damascus.

• Ismāʿīl al-Jīnīnī and Ibrāhīm al-Jīnīnī, two brothers from the Palestinian town of Jīnīn who studied extensively under him.

• Tāj al-Dīn al-Dahhān al-Makkī, who continued the scholarly legacy of his teacher in Makkah.

Major Works

Al-Khalwatī left behind an impressive body of scholarship spanning jurisprudence, theology, Arabic grammar, logic, and rhetoric. His most notable works include:

• Ḥāshiyat al-Muntahā — an extensive commentary on Muntahā al-Irādāt by Ibn al-Najjār.

• Ḥāshiyat al-Iqnāʿ — annotations and commentary on al-Iqnāʿ.

• Bughyat al-Nāsik fī Aḥkām al-Manāsik — a treatise on the rulings of pilgrimage (ḥajj).

• Ḥāshiyat ʿalā Sharḥ al-Alfiyyah li-l-Ashmūnī — marginalia on Arabic grammar and linguistics.

• Ladhdhat al-Samʿ bi-Naẓm Risālat al-Waḍʿ — a versification and commentary on the logical treatise Risālat al-Waḍʿ by al-Ījī.

• al-Tuḥfah al-Ẓarīfah fī al-Sīrah al-Sharīfah — a concise treatise on the biography of the Prophet ﷺ.

• Ḥāshiyat ʿalā Sharḥ ʿIṣām al-Dīn ʿalā al-Samarqandī fī al-Balāghah — commentary on rhetoric.

• Ḥāshiyat ʿalā Sharḥ Īsāghūjī — notes on logic.

• Ḥāshiyat ʿalā Sharḥ al-ʿAqāʾid al-Nasafiyyah — commentary on theology.

The Sharḥ al-ʿAqāʾid al-Nasafiyyah itself, authored by Imām Saʿd al-Dīn al-Taftāzānī, is among the foundational texts of Islamic theology (ʿilm al-tawḥīd). It elaborates upon the concise yet influential creed of Imām ʿUmar al-Nasafī, which encapsulates the core doctrines of the Māturīdī school. In his introduction, al-Taftāzānī praises the text, writing: “The abridged text known as al-ʿAqāʾid, authored by the great imām, a leader among the scholars of Islam, the radiant star of the faith and religion, ʿUmar al-Nasafī—may Allah elevate his rank in the Abode of Peace—encompasses within this discipline rare and valuable insights, and brilliant theological gems. It is arranged in chapters that form the foundational principles and core pillars of the religion, and its statements are like jewels of certainty—refined and precise. The text reaches the highest standard in clarity and organization, and reflects the utmost in refinement and systematic composition.”

In addition to his prose works, al-Khalwatī composed several poetic pieces—some addressing jurisprudential principles, others reflecting on spiritual and moral themes. His verses reveal both scholarly precision and a contemplative heart, often expressing humility before divine decree and deep attachment to worship.

Death

Al-Khalwatī passed away in Cairo on the night of Friday, the 9th of Dhū al-Ḥijjah, 1088 AH. His death marked the close of a significant era in Egyptian Ḥanbalī scholarship. Yet his intellectual legacy endured through his writings and students, who carried forth his careful blend of transmitted knowledge and rational insight—fortifying the Ḥanbalī tradition for generations to come.