| Religion: | Islam |
| Muḥammad al- Katsināwī | |
| Students: | Hassan al-Jabarti |
| Death Date: | 1741 |
| Death Place: | Cairo |
| Birth Date: | 1699 |
| Birth Place: | Dan Rako, Katsina |
| Birth Name: | Muḥammad ibn Muḥammad al- Katsināwī |
| Pen Name: | Muḥammad b. Muḥammad al-Ghallānī al-Kashnāwī al-Ashʿarī al-Mālikī, |
| Resting Place: | Bustan al-Ulama (Hall of Scholars) in Cairo |
Muhammad ibn Muhammad al-Alhausawi al-Katsinawi was a prominent 18th century Hausa scholar, mathematician, astrologer, Arabic grammarian and jurist from Katsina, present-day Northern Nigeria.[1] [2]
Al-Kishnawi studied at the Gobarau Minaret in Katsina before leaving for Cairo, Egypt in 1732, where he published in Arabic a work titled, "A Treatise on the Magical Use of the Letters of the Alphabet" which is a mathematical scholarly manuscript of procedures for constructing magic squares up to the order 11.[3]
Muhammad al-Kishnawi was a Fulani scholar born in Dan Rako in Katsina (in modern-day Katsina state). Dan Rako was known for its association with the Wangara traders from Mali, who had established a presence in the area. The town was later sacked by Muhammad Bello and it no longer exists.[4] He was born into a Muslim family and studied the religion and its holy book, the Quran. Among his teachers were Muhamamd al-Wali al-Burnawi, a famous scholar from Kanem-Bornu, Muhammad Fudi, the father of Usman dan Fodio, and Muhammad al-Bindu "Booro Binndi", another famous scholar from Kanem-Bornu. He became famous in Hausaland and Bornu and attracted many students.[5] [6]
Sometime before 1730, he left Katsina to embark on a pilgrimage to the Hijaz. He writes:
When the Deliverer of Destiny and Sempiternal Will delivered me, and theThe journey to Mecca was arduous, and it was common for West African pilgrims to take breaks in Cairo before continuing their journey. This was a practice observed by notable figures like Mansa Musa, the famous Malian king, during his pilgrimage in the 14th century. Following a similar route, al-Kishnawi also stopped in Cairo before proceeding to Mecca and eventually settling in Medina.Usher of Divine Mercy ushered me to visit His good Prophet, upon him be the best
of prayers and most devoted salutations, and to perform the pilgrimage of His holy
sanctified House, I stayed there for some time and grew through these prayers...
[and] spent of my duty to thank Him, the Gracious for variegating an areborerum
for me, a small utterance [shaʿrat lisānan] indeed for that greatest of graces [niʿam]
that He has bestowed upon me….
During his time in the Hijaz, al-Kishnawi had the opportunity to meet and learn from scholars from various parts of the Islamic world. Around the years 1733-1734, he relocated to Cairo, where he found accommodation near Al-Azhar University. He dedicated himself to writing, and during his first four years in Cairo, he completed several notable works, including Al-Durr al-manẓūm, Bahjat al-āfāq, Bulūgh al-arab, and Durar al-yawāqī.
Al-Kishnawi became famous in Egypt, later becoming the teacher of Hassan al-Jabarti, the father of the renowned Egyptian historian Abd al-Rahman al-Jabarti.[7] Abd al-Rahman writes that his father “learned the art of numerical and literal magic squares and the art of fractions” from al-Kishnawi.
In 1741, Al-Kishnawi died at the age of 42 in the home of Hassan al-Jabarti in Cairo. He was buried in the Hall of Scholars in Cairo.[8]
Many of his works are now at the al-Azhar Library in Cairo. Some are preserved in Dar al-kutub, and some archives in Morocco, Nigeria and London.As words of encouragement to the readers he writes:
Do not give up, for that is ignorance and not according to the rules of this art ... Like the lover, you cannot hope to achieve success without infinite perseverance.[9]Some of his notable works are: