Talk:Al-Suyuti

Creed

My father just informed that me that that Suyuti became Shi'a towards the end, but its not widely known. When i asked him what the proof is, he said that those close to him knew that, and that it is obvious from his latest books. Anyhow, its not sourced, so i cant add it to the article. --Striver 18:17, 6 June 2006 (UTC)

It is rather accepted that Suyuti was to some extent influenced by Sufism. In the introduction to his own explanation of his Alfiyyah the verifier wrote a brief biography of him and inlcuded some examples illistrating this. 212.71.33.86 21:02, 9 September 2007 (UTC)Supertouch212.71.33.86 21:02, 9 September 2007 (UTC)

Exaggerated praise?

"He was modest, kind, righteous, fearful of Allah, satisfied with what sustenance he received from his scholastic life. And he would not extend his eyes out to anyone. The leaders and rich people would go to visit him and would present him with valuable wealth, but he would return it to them."

The first sentence seems definitely out of place in an encyclopedia that strives to be objective, as those aren't exactly facts. The latter bit could be true, but would probably require some kind of source, no? I'll leave this to the author to edit...

"This in itself is a testimony of his acceptance among the people and a lofty rank with Allāh."

Absolutely inappropriate, so I'm taking it out.

Paul Willocx 21:54, 16 June 2006 (UTC)

Mahd'hab

What was his madh'hab? --Striver 14:45, 19 November 2006 (UTC)

I say with a fair amount of confidence that he was Shafi'i, however, I couldn't find a solid source at the moment... 212.71.33.95 20:58, 9 September 2007 (UTC)Supertouch212.71.33.95 20:58, 9 September 2007 (UTC)

what is with these muslim articles

why are so many articles about historical figures in islam filled with absurd pov and praise? this is not even the worst i have seen. who is writing these? are these figures even encyclopedic in terms of their significance? if they are, why can't we get any good writers? -69.47.186.226 08:05, 17 August 2007 (UTC)

Most likely the cause of this is that the style in encyclopedias containing biographies of Islamic figures would extoll the virtues of the subject as a sort of introduction. In addition, some phrases sound natural in Arabic but not too swell when translated in English. 212.71.33.95 20:54, 9 September 2007 (UTC)Supertouch212.71.33.95 20:54, 9 September 2007 (UTC)

Suyūṭī (1909), Husn Al-Muhadarah Fi Akhbar Misr Wa Al-Qahirah, Cairo: Al-Sharafiyah Press

The link provided is wrong (Pamour (talk) 10:58, 17 July 2019 (UTC)).

Lineage

I am proposing a correction to the introduction regarding Al-Suyuti's lineage. Currently, the article states he was of "Persian descent," citing Meri (2006) and Kollatz (2022).

However, this appears to be a generalization found in some tertiary sources based on his family's migration from the Al-Khudayriyya quarter in Baghdad. It contradicts the most important primary source: Al-Suyuti's own autobiography, Al-Tahadduth bi-Ni'mat Allah.

In his autobiography, Al-Suyuti explicitly states: "My father informed me that his grandfather... was a man of truth and standing... and that his lineage is Arab" (translated in Sartain, 1975). Furthermore, E.M. Sartain's biography (Vol 1, p. 39), which is the standard academic work on his life, confirms that the family claimed Arab descent. Other biographical dictionaries (e.g., Mu'jam al-Mu'arrikhin by Yusri Abdullah) note his claims of Ansari and Sharifi lineage.

Per WP:PSTS, while we rely on secondary sources, we should not prioritize a general encyclopedia's assumption over the subject's own explicit writings and specialized biographical studies.

I am updating the text to reflect that while some sources infer a Persian background from his Baghdad origins, Al-Suyuti himself and specialized biographers identify his lineage as Arab. I have also fixed a previous ISBN error that caused a bot to flag my last attempt. ~2026-47485-7 (talk) 13:24, 26 January 2026 (UTC)

Not only are you removing WP:RS regarding Persian origins, falsely claiming that they're not reliable, but you also cite two citations which are conveniently unverifiable, the second one not even seeming to be WP:RS. As for the first source, having Arab descent does not equal having Arab origins. I have a feeling that you're not presenting the full context. So please, cite the full page from Sartain here. For someone who claims to be adhering to Wiki policies, you cite this obvious non-WP:RS "Notes On Entering Deen Completely: Islam as its followers know it" by Talib Jaleel. WP:SYNTH is not allowed either. HistoryofIran (talk) 14:42, 26 January 2026 (UTC)

It would be fair to include that Suyuti claimed Arab descent or his family, whether other scholars suggest Persian origin. --~2026-57167-9 (talk) 15:32, 26 January 2026 (UTC)

Sure. But you ignored this part of my message; please, cite the full page from Sartain here. Or pages for that matter. There is clearly more context. HistoryofIran (talk) 16:52, 26 January 2026 (UTC)

I've taken a look at the Sartain source. And as I suspected, there is source misuse here. The quote "Suyūṭī's family claimed Arab descent, his father having told him... that his remote ancestors were 'arab." is not mentioned anywhere (I've even tried to search for bits of the quote too), let alone on page 39. In fact, Sartain says on page 19; "The family was not purely Egyptian: al-Suyuti had it on good authority that his father had said that his ancestor (presumably al-Humam is meant) was a Persian (a'jam), or from the East." HistoryofIran (talk) 13:40, 28 January 2026 (UTC)

"Suyūtִī" listed at Redirects for discussion

The redirect Suyūtִī has been listed at redirects for discussion to determine whether its use and function meets the redirect guidelines. Readers of this page are welcome to comment on this redirect at Wikipedia:Redirects for discussion/Log/2026 May 3 § Titles with Hebrew lookalikes of apostrophes and diacritics until a consensus is reached. –LaundryPizza03 (dc̄) 17:47, 3 May 2026 (UTC)