Aḥmad ibn Muḥammad Ardabīlī, Muqaddas/Muḥaqiq Ardabīlī (d. 993/1585)

Theologian/Jurist

A theologian and jurist of the early Safavid (r. 907/1501 to 1134-35/1722) age, little is known of the life of Aḥmad ibn Muḥammad Ardabīlī (known as Muqaddas or Muḥaqiq Ardabīlī). He studied philosophy, theology and fiqh (Islamic jurisprudence) and spent most of his life as a teacher in Najaf. “Many edifying and miraculous stories are related about his saintly conduct, which earned him his epithet Muqaddas,” and it has been reported that several Safavid rulers tried to induce him to return to Iran and continue his studies and profession there. Ardabīlī composed several works mostly dealing with legal issues or theological issues related to the Imamate, among them: a commentary on Quranic passages related to legal rules, treatises on the land tax, and a work on the legal rules concerning day and night. He died in 993/1585.

Works

ʿAks-i partaw     The Deflection of the Ray

'Aks-i partaw (The Deflection of the Ray)