Abu'l Tayyeb Tabari

Abu’l-Ṭayyib Ṭāher Bin ʿAbdallāh Bin Ṭāher al-Ṭabarī al-Āmolī al-S̲h̲āfiʿī commonly known as Abū al-Ṭayyib al-Ṭabarī was an Iranian jurisconsult, professor of legal sciences and was the chief judge in Baghdad. He is regarded by his peers as one of the greatest Shafi'i jurist in the 5th/11th century. In addition, he was a traditionist, linguist and poet.

Life He was born in Amol in the region of Tabaristan during the year of 348 AH/959-60 AD. Abu al-Tayyib started his education at the age of fourteen, which was a bit late for that era. He studied at Gorgan in 371/981, then in Nishapur, but he eventually made his home in Baghdad, where he studied under prominent scholars of his time. He studied Hadith under al-Daraqutni, he studied Fiqh under Abu Hamid al-Isfarayini, and he studied Kalam and Hadith under Abu Ishaq al-Isfarayini.

He lived in Baghdad, where he lectured, issued fatwas, and was later appointed as Judge of Judges in 436/1044–1045 and kept the position until his death. It is reported that he won numerous debates with the Hanafis. Abu al-Tayyib's place in the century's intellectual heritage has been amply demonstrated by al-Maqrizi: Abu Hamid was the first Shafiʿite leader, followed by Abu al-Tayyib. Two of Abu al-Tayyib's prominent students, Abu Ishaq al-Shirazi and Ibn al-Sabbagh, who were rivals during the founding of the Nizamiyya of Baghdad in 459/1066–67, perpetuated the Shafiʿite leadership. His other renowned students include the hadith scholar and historian, al-Khatib al-Baghdadi and the Maliki jurist, hadith scholar and theologian, Abu al-Walid al-Baji.

Abu al-Tayyib was an accomplished scholar with a mastery of various sciences. Numerous scholars in the fields of jurisprudence and hadith graduated from his hands. However, his talents did not end there. He was also a skilled poet who composed poetry in an engaging style and with simple language. However, his poems did not receive the same attention as others.

Al-Khatib narrated from Muhammad ibn Ahmad al-Mu'addeb said: “I heard Abu Muhammad al-Bafi said: Abu al-Tayyib al-Tabari is more knowledgable in jurisprudence than Abu Hamid al-Isfarayini, and I heard Abu Hamid say: Abu al-Tayyib is more knowledgable in jurisprudence than Abu Muhammad al-Bafi.”