Muḥammad ibn Ali ibn Muḥammad ibn Abd Allah, better known as al-Shawkani (Arabic: الشوكاني) (11 July 1759–30 October 1834) was a prominent Yemeni Sunni Islamic scholar, jurist, theologian and reformer. Al-Shawkani was one of the most influential proponents of Athari theology and is respected as one of their canonical scholars by Salafi Muslims. His teachings played a major role in the emergence of the Salafi movement. Influenced by the teachings of the medieval Hanbali scholar Ibn Taymiyya, al-Shawkani became noteworthy for his staunch stances against the practice of Taqlid (imitation to legal schools), calls for direct interpretation of Scriptures, opposition to Kalam (speculative theology) as well as for his robust opposition to various Sufi practices which he condemned as Shirk (idolatry).

His full name was Muhammad Ibn Ali ibn Muhammad ibn Abdullah al-Shawkani. The surname "ash-Shawkani" is derived from Hijrah ash-Shawkan, which is a town outside Sanaa.

Born into a Zaydi Shi'a Muslim family, ash-Shawkani later on converted to Sunni Islam. He called for a return to the textual sources of the Quran and Hadith. As a result, ash-Shawkani opposed much of the Zaydi doctrines and engaged in vigorous Sunnification campaigns across Yemen during his tenure as Chief Qadi. He also opposed Sufism and mystical practices of Sufi orders, considering them to be an affront to Tawhid (monotheism). Ash-Shawkani is considered as a mujtahid, or authority to whom others in the Muslim community have to defer in details of religious law. Of his work issuing fatwas (judicial verdicts), ash-Shawkani stated "I acquired knowledge without a price and I wanted to give it thus." Part of the fatwa-issuing work of many noted scholars typically is devoted to the giving of ordinary opinions to private questioners. Ash-Shawkani refers both to his major fatwas, which were collected and preserved as a book, and to his "shorter" fatwas, which he said "could never be counted" and which were not recorded. Ash-Shawkani was known to be influenced by the thought of Dawud al-Zahiri school of jurisprudence and also practicing the jurisprudential independent thinking or ijtihad.

He is credited with developing a series of syllabi for attaining various ranks of scholarship and used a strict system of legal analysis based on Sunni thought. He insisted that the ulama were required to ask for textual evidence, that the gate of ijtihad was not closed and that the mujtahid was to do ijtihad independent of any madhhab, a view which stemmed from his opposition to taqlid for a mujtahid, which he deemed to be a vice with which the Shariah had been inflicted. Al-Shawkani asserted that the decline of the Muslim community was due to their distancing from the Scriptures, the principle sources of religion. Hence he condemned the principle of taqlid and proposed ijtihad (independent legal reasoning) as the solution of the problems faced by Muslims. Shawkani equated unyielding imitation to the madhhabs as a type of shirk (polytheism) and accused scholars promoting such methodology of apostasy.

Al-Shawkani wrote the book Nayl al-Autar, a major reference in Islamic law. He also wrote several treatises condemning various popular mystical practices which he viewed to be shirk (polytheism). He praised the contemporary Arabian Islamic reformer Muhammad ibn 'Abd al-Wahhab (1703–1792) who had advocated for similar views and refuted his Yemeni theological opponents in correspondence. Upon hearing the death of Muhammad ibn Abd al-Wahhab, al-Shawkani wrote a poem praising his efforts to eradicate shirk, defend Tawhid and his call to Quran and Hadith. Reviving the classical theologian Taqi al-Din ibn Taymiyya's (1263 - 1328 CE/ 661 - 728 AH) doctrines on Tawḥīd and shirk, al-Shawkānī equated the adherents of Sufi orders to the pagan Arabs of Quraysh.

The Imam of Yemen Mansur Ali appointed al-Shawkani as the Chief Qadi of Yemen in 1795, an office he held until his death. He made a powerful critique of Zaydism, arguing that many Zaydi theological and legal doctrines have no basis in Scriptures. Meanwhile, Zaydis believed that their Imams of Ahl al-Bayt (Prophetic family) had stronger authority than the Sunni Hadith collections; which was the heavy focus of al-Shawkani's approach. Zaydi doctrines also stipulated that unjust rulers be removed and replaced by a just Imam, through force, if necessary. In contrast, al-Shawkani supported the Quietist Sunni doctrine that necessitated obedience to rulers, even the unjust who lacked qualifications. Hence, the ruling Qasimid dynasty of Yemen supported scholars like al-Shawkani who legitimized their dynastic rule.

As chief judge from 1795 until 1834, al-Shawkani implemented his reformist project with state-backing and placed many of his students in positions of influence, who subsequently carried on his legacy into the 21st century. During the 1796 and 1802 street clashes between Sunni traditionists and Zaydi Shi'is, al-Shawkani was able to convince the Qasimid rulers to side with the Sunnis. He also campaigned for the 1825 execution of the Zaydi scholar Ibn Hariwa who criticised al-Shawkani's Sunnification efforts and state policies. Due to the official patronage of al-Shawkani and other Sunni scholars, Zaydi clerics were unable to stop the spread of Hadith-centric approach of al-Shawkani and his students; who upheld the authority of Sunni Hadith over the opinions of Zaydi Imams. Hence, the Zaydis viewed al-Shawkani as seeking to undermine Zaydism by creating a sect modelled on the Ahl al-Hadith school.

Acting as al-Mansur's secretary, Shawkani would often correspond with the leaders of the Emirate of Diriyah between 1807 and 1813. Defending the Saudi rulers, ash-Shawkani refuted the allegations that they were from the Khawarij since they followed Muhammad ibn Abd al-Wahhab who learned Hadith from the scholars of Medina and they campaigned against superstitious beliefs prevalent in Najd acting upon the views of the Hanbali scholars Ibn Taymiyyah and Ibn Qayyim al-Jawziyya. The reform efforts of ash-Shawkani throughout the 39 years of his tenure as Chief Judge would fundamentally transform the religious landscape of Yemen. By his death in 1834, the Qasimid rulers had fully turned from Hadawi principles to embrace Sunni-style traditionism.