Brief Biography of Imām Aḥmad al-Marzūqī

The great Shaykh was born in Egypt. He was born in the year 1,205 (AH) and passed away in 1,262 (AH). He was born blind, and he studied at al-Azhar University. He became one of the prominent scholars of al-Azhar of his time, eventually moving to Makkah. He would teach in the Ḥaram. He was Ḥasanī & Ḥusaynī; his lineage goes back to the Prophet ﷺ. Alongside, he was the Muftī of the Mālikiyyah. Excerpt from Sh. Suhaib Webb: “Writing was what one of his teacher’s shared about the great Shaykh رضي الله عنه.”

It’s mentioned, that Shaykh (al-Marzūqī) used to take a donkey to al-Azhar daily to teach al-Kharīdah al-Bahiyyah (by Shaykh Aḥmad al-Dardīr), and his text, ‘Aqīdah al-‘Awām. After Maghreb, he would return by a donkey. The interesting thing about the Shaykh is that he would teach the donkey (cart driver). He did this so habitually that some stated, ‘The drivers of the donkeys have become the scholars of Kalām’. It was because, for periods, people noticed them talking about Allāh, Prophets, Angels, Books, Hereafter, Divine Decree, and the Measure!

There is something beautiful about scholars who stay with crowds, not letting their knowledge serve as an excuse to look down upon people or ignore them.

The presence of the Shaykh changed many lives, discourse, and language and created a whole new environment due to his practice of spreading his knowledge whenever Allah made it possible.