Abu Ismaïl Abdullah al-Herawi al-Ansari or Abdullah Ansari of Herat also known as Pir-i Herat "Sage of Herat", was a Muslim Sufi saint who lived in the 11th century in Herat. One of the outstanding figures in Khorasan in the 5th/11th century: commentator of the Qur'an, traditionist, polemicist, and spiritual master, known for his oratory and poetic talents in Arabic and Persian.
Life
He was born in the Kohandez, the old citadel of Herat, on 4 May 1006. His father Abu Mansur, was a shopkeeper who had spent several years of his youth at Balkh. Abdullah was the disciple of Abu al-Hassan al-Kharaqani, for whom he had deep respect and faith, as he has said: "Abdullah was a hidden treasure, and its key was in the hands of Abul Hassan Kharaqani. He practiced the Hanbali school of Sunnijurisprudence. The Shrine of Khwaja Abd Allah, built during the Timurid dynasty, is a popular pilgrimage site. He wrote several books on Islamic mysticism and philosophy in Persian and Arabic. His most famous work is "Munajat Namah", which is considered a masterpiece of Persian literature. After his death, many of his sayings that had been transmitted by his students along with others that were in his written works were included in the Tafsir of Maybudi, "Kashf al-Asrar". This is among the earliest complete Sufi Tafsirs of Quran and has been published several times in 10 volumes. He excelled in the knowledge of Hadith, history, and ʻilm al-ansāb. He used to avoid the company of the rich, powerful and the influential. His yearly majlis-e wa'az was attended by people from far and wide. Whatever his disciples and followers used to present to him was handed over to the poor and the needy. He is said to have had a very impressive personality, and used to dress gracefully. Khwajah Abdullah Ansari of Herat was a direct descendant of Abu Ayyub al-Ansari, a companion of the Prophet Muhammad, being the ninth in line from him. The lineage is described, and traced in the family history records, as follows; Abu Ismail Khajeh Abdollah Ansari, son ofAbu Mansoor Balkhi, son of Jaafar, son of Abu Mu'aaz, son of Muhammad, son of Ahmad, son of Jaafar, son of Abu Mansoor al-Taabi'i, son ofAbu Ayyub al-Ansari. In the reign of the third Rashid Caliph, Uthman, Abu Mansoor al-Taabi'i took part in the conquest of Khorasan, and subsequently settled in Herat, his descendant Khwajah Abdullah Ansari died there in 1088. The Hanbali jurist ibn Qayyim al-Jawziyya wrote a lengthy commentary on a treatise written by Ansari entitled Madarij al-Salikin. He expressed his love and appreciation for Ansari in this commentary with his statement, "Certainly I love the Sheikh, but I love the truth more!". Ibn Qayyim al-Jawziyya refers to Ansari with the honorific title "Sheikh al-Islam" in his work Al-Wabil al-Sayyib min al-Kalim al-Tayyab
