Abu l-Futuh al-Razi
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Personal Information | |
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Full Name | al-Husayn b. 'Ali b. Muhammad al-Khuza'i |
Teknonym | Abu l-Futuh |
Epithet | Jamal al-Din |
Well-Known As | Abu l-Futuh al-Razi |
Lineage | Khuza'a tribe |
Well-Known Relatives | Nafi' b. Budayl b. Warqa' al-Khuza'i |
Birth | c. 470/1078 |
Place of Birth | Ray |
Death | 552/1157 or 556/1161 |
Burial Place | Shrine of Hamza b. Musa b. Ja'far (a) |
Scholarly Information | |
Professors | 'Ali b. Muhammad al-Nisaburi al-Razi (father), 'Abd al-Rahman b. Ahmad al-Khuza'i, ... |
Students | Ibn Shahrashub, Muntajab al-Din al-Razi, Ibn Hamza al-Tusi |
Works | Rawd al-jinan wa rawh al-janan fi tafsir al-Qur'an |
Abū l-Futūḥ Jamāl al-Dīn Ḥusayn b. ʿAlī b. Muḥammad al-Khuzāʾī al-Nīshābūrī al-Rāzī (Arabic: ابوالفتوح جمالالدین حسین بن علی بن محمد الخزاعى النیشابورى الرازى) (b. c. 470/1078 - d. 552/1157 or 556/1161) famous as Abu l-Futuh al-Razi was one of the greatest Shi'a exegetes and hadith scholars of 6/12 century. He is the author of an exegesis of the Qur'an titled Rawd al-jinan wa rawh al-janan.
Contents
Birth and Lineage
The exact date of his birth is unknown, but he was born around 470/1077 in the city of Ray. His lineage goes back to Khuza'a tribe and according to his own statement, his great-grandfather was Nafi' b. Budayl b. Warqa' al-Khuza'i, one of the companions of the Prophet (s).
Family
According to al-Sayyid Muhsin al-Amin, his family had a special position among Shi'a scholars and they had fruitful writings and numerous books. Qadi Nur Allah Shushtari said that Abu l-Futuh was from a glorious and virtuous family and his lineage goes back to Budayl b. Warqa' al-Khaza'i who was a close companion of the Prophet (s). Throughout history, Khuza'a tribe were among pure Shi'a of Ahl al-Bayt (a).
Children
- Taj al-Din Muhammad al-Razi, about whom al-Hurr al-'Amili writes, "Taj al-Din Muhammad, son of Abu l-Futuh al-Razi al-Khuza'i was a teacher and leader of the people. He was a pious scholar."
- Sadr al-Din 'Ali al-Razi who was also a Shi'a scholar.
Great Scholars' Views about Him
Sayyid Muhammad Baqir Khwansari writes, "al-Husayn b. 'Ali al-Khuza'i, known as al-Shaykh Abu l-Futuh al-Razi is the author of the famous Persian Exegesis of the Qur'an and one of the well-known scholars in exegesis of the Qur'an and theology. He is one of the most knowledgeable scholars of Arabic literature and one of the greatest hadith scholars.[1]
Also Muhaddith Nuri says, "he was a teacher and leading scholar of exegesis and translation of the word of God. He was an erudite, a learned faqih, an exegete, and a man of literature who reached perfect degrees of knowledge."[2]
Teachers
- 'Ali b. Muhammad al-Nishaburi al-Razi, father of Abu l-Futuh and the author of Masa'il al-ma'dum and Daqa'iq al-haqa'iq
- 'Abd al-Rahman b. Ahmad Khuza'i al-Nisaburi known as al-Mufid al-Thani (second al-Mufid)
- 'Abd al-Jabbar b. Muqri al-Razi known as al-Mufid al-Razi
- Al-Qadi al-Hasan al-Astarabadi
- Al-Sayyid Abu Samsam Dhu l-Faqar
- Al-Shaykh Abu 'Ali al-Hasan b. Muhammad al-Tusi, son of al-Shaykh al-Tusi
- Abu l-Qasim Mahmud b. Umar al-Zamakhshari. He was a Sunni scholar and the author of al-Kashshaf exegesis of the Qur'an. Abu l-Futuh mentioned him as one of his teachers in his exegesis.
Students
- Rashid al-Din Muhammad b. Shahrashub al-Mazandarani known as Ibn Shahrashub, the author of Manaqib Al Abi Talib
- Muntajab al-Din al-Razi, the author of al-Fihrist
- Ibn Hamza al-Tusi
- Taj al-Din Muhammad b. al-Husayn, son of Abu l-futuh
Works

- Rawd al-jinan wa ruh al-janan; this book is the most famous work of Abu l-Futuh al-Razi.
- Ruh al-ahbab wa ruh al-albab fi sharh al-shihab; this book is a commentary on "Shihab al-akhbar" which is written by al-Qadi al-Quda'i al-Shafi'i and it is about maxims, sermons, and allegories attributed to the Prophet(s).
- Risalat Yuhanna; the book is as if quoted from a Christian character named Yuhanna and the book is about Imamate.
- Tabsirat al-'awam fi ma'rifat maqalat al-anam; in the beginning of this book, Abu l-futuh criticizes the ideas of al-Husayn b. Mansur al-Hallaj In next chapters, he answers some questions about Shi'a beliefs and defends Shi'a.
- Al-Risalat al-Husniyya; this book is about a discussion made by a girl named al-Husniyya who lived at the time of Harun al-Rashid. The book is in Persian and is against Sunni beliefs. It was frequently published with Hilyat al-muttaqin, book of al-Allamah al-Majlisi and also independently.
- Minhaj al-manahij; this is a research about the four major schools in Islam and supporting Imamate.
- Risala ijaza
- Exegesis of the Qur'an in Arabic.
Demise
It has been mentioned that he passed away in 552/1157 or 556/1161. According to his will, his body was buried in the city of Ray, in the shrine of Hamza b. Musa b. Ja'far (a) and near the shrine of 'Abd al-'Azim al-Hasani.
Notes
References
- The material for this article is mainly taken from ابوالفتوح رازی in Farsi WikiShia.