Jamal al-Din al-Qasimi

Training under Muhammad Salim al-Attar, Ahmad al-Halwani and Bakri al-Attar is recorded. Muhammad al-Bazam, Muhammad Bahjat Baytar and Abdelhafid El Fassi are recorded as having studied under Jamal al-Din al-Qasimi. The recorded working language is Arabic. Works named in the authority record are Maḥāsin al-taʼwīl, Dalāʼil al-tawḥīd, Iṣlāḥ al-masājid min al-bidaʻ wa-al-ʻawāʼid, Mawʻiẓat al-muʼminīn min Iḥyāʼ ulūm al-dīn and al-Faḍl al-mubīn ʻalá ʻIqd al-jawhar al-thamīn.

• Honorific Prefix — Shaykh • Name — Jamal al-Din al-Qasimi • Native Name — جمال الدين القاسمي • Religion — Islam • Denomination — Sunni • Jurisprudence — Shafi'i • Creed — Athari • Movement — Salafi • Born — 10 October 1866 • Birthplace — Damascus, Ottoman Syria • Died — 10 April 1914 (aged 47) • Place of death — Damascus, Ottoman Syria • Father — Muhammad Saeed al-Qasimi • Students — Muhammad al-Bazm

• Illustration — A map showing the influence of the Ottoman Empire in 1914, the same year al-Qasimi died al-Qasimi lived in Damascus under Ottoman era between the 13th Hijri century to the end of the first third of the 14th Hijri century, During this period, the Ottoman state was at its most weakened condition, to the point that it was referred to as "The Sick Man" He witnessed the reign of four Ottoman sultans: Abdulaziz (1861–1876), Murad V (1876), Abdul Hamid II (1876–1909), and finally Mehmed V (1909–1918). During that time, the Ottoman Empire declared bankruptcy due to the excessive spending and extravagance of Abdulaziz. Numerous uprisings broke out in Romania, Serbia, Bosnia, Bulgaria, and Egypt. however, the Levant was not affected by these disturbances and remained calm, European colonial Powers begun to pressure the Ottomans and intervene in its internal affairs under the pretext of reform and modernization. Sultan Abdul Hamid II tried to fix these issues by paying off the state's debts and attempting to suppress the revolutions in the Balkans region, but, the reform efforts failed due to the outbreak of The Russo-Turkish War in 1877 in which the Ottomans were defeated, and it concluded with The Treaty of Berlin that resulted in the independence of several European States from The Ottoman Empire including Romania, Serbia, Montenegro, Bulgaria, Bosnia, Herzegovina, and Cyprus, European powers exploited the weakness of the Ottoman Empire and seized its territories like France who took Algeria and Tunisia, United Kingdom occupied Egypt, Aden, and Italy seized Tripolitania, • Illustration — Portrait of Abdul Hamid II

Al-Qasimi was born in Damascus in 1866. His father, Muhammad Saeed al-Qasimi, was a local religious teacher. He studied under prominent Damascene scholars including Muhammad Salim al-Attar, Ahmad al-Halawani al-Kabir, and Bakri al-Attar. He was trained primarily in the Shafi‘i school of Islamic law and adhered to the Athari creed.

Between 1890 and 1894, al-Qasimi worked as a state-appointed preacher and teacher in various Syrian towns. In 1895 he was briefly detained in what was known as the “Mujtahids Incident,” after accusations that he and colleagues were promoting unorthodox religious ideas; he was later cleared of all charges. He maintained close correspondence with Egyptian reformers Muhammad Abduh and Rashid Rida, which contributed to the development of early Arab Salafi thought. Following the Young Turk Revolution and the rise of the Committee of Union and Progress, al-Qasimi and other reformist scholars faced increased restrictions from Ottoman authorities, who associated their movement with political dissent and Wahhabi influence. In his later years, al-Qasimi focused on teaching and writing. He held lessons in tafsir and jurisprudence at the Sinan Pasha Mosque in Damascus, continuing the tradition of his father and grandfather.

• Qawa‘id al-Tahdith min Funun Mustalah al-Hadith – Principles of Hadith terminology. • Islah al-Masajid min al-Bida‘ wal-‘Awa’id – Reforming the Mosques from Innovations and Customs. • Tafsir al-Qasimi (Mahasin al-Ta’wil) – a multi-volume Qur’anic commentary. • Ta’thir al-Masham fi Mathir Dimashq al-Sham – Historical accounts of Damascus. • Irshad al-Khalq ila ‘Amal bil-Birq – Treatise on social reform.

Al-Qasimi died in 1914 in Damascus from typhoid fever.

The authorities additionally record the headings Jamaluddin al-Qasimi and Jamal al-Din ibn Muhammad Saeed bin Qasim al-Hallaq al-Qasimi. His recorded language was Arabic. His recorded confession was Islam. He was the child of Muḥammad Saʿīd Qāsimī. One child is recorded: Ẓāfir Qāsimī. Other recorded relations include Qāsim alḥalaaāq.