Abu Bakr al-Maliki
- Died
- 454 AH
- Born in
- -
Abu Bakr al-Maliki (d. after 453 AH / 1061 CE) was a Maliki jurist and historian from Kairouan, best known for Riyad al-nufus fi tabaqat 'ulama' al-Qayrawan wa-Ifriqiya ("The Meadows of Souls on the Classes of the Scholars of Kairouan and Ifriqiya"), a major biographical history of North African scholars, ascetics, and devout worshippers .
Life and education
His full name was Abu Bakr 'Abd Allah ibn Muhammad ibn 'Abd Allah al-Maliki . His father, Muhammad ibn 'Abd Allah (d. 438 AH according to his tombstone inscription; 444 AH according to al-Dabbagh), was a jurist and traditionist who studied under Abu al-Hasan al-Qabisi and traveled to Mecca to hear hadith from Abu Dharr al-Harawi . Al-Qabisi gave his father the appellation "al-Maliki", which replaced his earlier nickname "Ibn al-Shafi'i" .
Abu Bakr studied in Kairouan and accompanied the jurist Abu Bakr ibn 'Abd al-Rahman, before whom he read his lessons and from whom he benefited greatly . He also drew significantly upon the biographical and hagiographical writings of Abu 'Abd Allah al-Husayn ibn Abi al-'Abbas al-Ajdabi (d. 432 AH) .
Biographical sources note that historical details concerning Abu Bakr's life remain scarce . He was among the circle of scholars who chose to remain in Kairouan following its devastation by Bedouin tribes (reported in 446 AH or 449 AH), alongside scholars such as Abu 'Abd Allah Muhammad ibn al-'Abbas al-Khawwas and Abu 'Abd Allah al-Husayn al-Ajdabi .
Students, standing, and death
Among those who met him in Ifriqiya and transmitted from him was the Sicilian Quran reciter Abu al-Baha' 'Abd al-Karim ibn 'Abd Allah al-Muqri' al-Siqilli (b. 440 AH, d. 517 AH in Alexandria) . The Maliki jurist al-Maziri cited Abu Bakr in his legal responses and commended him, stating that he witnessed his virtue, piety, stature, and mastery of historical reports, which inspired complete trust in his narrations .
The exact year of Abu Bakr's death was not preserved in early biographical dictionaries . Given his documented presence in Kairouan after its sack in 449 AH and the transmission of adult students who traveled to him, biographers and researchers establish that he lived past 453 AH, and likely past 460 AH .
Answer updated
List of Works
Riyad al-Nufus fi Tabaqat Ulama al-Qayrawan wa Ifriqiya (The Meadows of Souls Concerning the Classes of the Scholars of Kairouan and Ifriqiya) is a biographical history recording the lives of scholars, jurists, ascetics, and devout worshippers in Kairouan and the wider region of Ifriqiya from the early Islamic conquests up to 453 AH.