Born possibly circa. 1310?-1439 AH
He is ِAl-Murabit Al-Hajj Sidi Muhammad ibn Salik Ould Fahfu Al-Masumi As-Sinhaji Ash-Shanqiti Al-Maliki
I had stated the following quote before when I made a biography of the man: Most certainly, if he is not THE Shaikh ul-Islam of the age, then he most assuredly should be classed as one of them and one of the major Imams of the Muslims. He has generally been called the `Alim of the Scholars, the Maker of Scholars.
Early Life and Learning
Born and raised in the West African country of Mauritania, he completed his schooling in the 18 sciences of the Revealed Law at an early age. His hard work in memorising the Qur’an resulted in him knowing all ten variants in addition to the six sahih collections and their variations.
Notable Rulings
He wrote a book on commentary of Al-Ajurumiyyah that is influential and also the issue of following madhhabs, its’ necessity and the kufr of the one who truly knows that he is not a mujtahid and tries to derive rulings. He also penned numerous fatawa but was more widely known by people that visited him from five of the seven continents and sought his advice on global matters.
The fatwa he gave on the Iraq war that it was a symptom of the sins of the people was not met with welcome by those in an age of self-glorification and cannot admit that some tribulations are due to sins.
Current Activities
His school in Mauritania, where the elderly sage had taught to his dying day, has had some more than 30,000 qadis and muftis pass through it over the years. He was a great authority of the age and we ask that Allah cause us to benefit from his rank and that He raise him to the highest levels of the Paradise.
Meeraath 