Liu Zhi

Liu Zhi, born around 1660 in Nanjing and passing away around 1739, was a significant Chinese Sunni Hanafi-Maturidi scholar during the Qing dynasty. He was a prominent figure within the Hui (Muslim) school of Neoconfucian thought. Liu Zhi is best known for his work as a Han Kitab writer, a movement that sought to explain Islamic concepts and beliefs within the existing Chinese intellectual framework. He adeptly borrowed terminology and concepts from Chinese philosophies such as Buddhism, Taoism, and particularly Neoconfucianism, integrating them with Islamic ideas to make them accessible to a Hui Chinese audience. His father, Liu Sanjie, was also a scholar. Liu Zhi received early instruction from his father and later studied scriptures with Yuan Ruqi. At fifteen, he embarked on a fifteen-year intensive study of Confucianism, Buddhism, Daoism, and what were termed 'Western Studies.' He famously regarded Confucius and Mencius as 'Sages of the East' and Muhammad as a 'Sage of the West,' positing a fundamental unity in their teachings. He believed Islamic scriptures shared common intentions with Confucianism. For about twenty years, starting around the age of thirty, he lived at the foot of Qingliangshan in Nanjing, dedicating himself to interpreting Islamic scriptures through a Confucian lens. This period involved extensive travel across several Chinese provinces to seek counsel and opinions from both Muslims and non-Muslims. His most celebrated work is *Tianfang Xingli* ('Nature and Principle in the Direction of Heaven'), which served as an authoritative exposition of Islamic beliefs and was republished numerous times. His tomb later became a site of pilgrimage for Chinese Muslims. He also learned Arabic and Persian, and studied Buddhism and Daoism, writing several other works on Islam in 1674, 1710, and 1721.