al-Izz Ibn Jamaa

al-Izz Ibn Jamaa (694–767 AH / 1294–1366 CE) was a Shafi'i jurist, hadith scholar, and chief judge of Egypt, known for works such as his comparative legal guide to pilgrimage rites, Hidayat al-Salik ila Madhahib al-Arba'a fi al-Manasik al-Mawsua al-Fiqhiyya al-…+1.

Lineage and Early Life

He was Abu Umar (and Abu Muhammad) Izz al-Din Abd al-Aziz ibn Muhammad ibn Ibrahim ibn Sa'd Allah ibn Jama'a al-Kinani al-Hamawi by origin, born in Damascus at the Great Adiliyya Madrasa on 19 Muharram 694 AH (a variant report gives 9 Muharram) al-Manhal al-Safi wa al-M…+1. He was raised under the guidance of his father, the chief judge Badr al-Din Ibn Jamaa al-Manhal al-Safi wa al-M…+1.

Education and Teachers

In his youth, he attended transmissions with Umar ibn al-Qawwas, Abu al-Fadl Ibn Asakir, and al-Izz al-Farra in Damascus al-Mawsua al-Fiqhiyya al-…+1. He studied Islamic jurisprudence under his father and Jamal al-Din al-Wajizi, legal theory under Ala al-Din al-Baji, and Arabic grammar under Abu Hayyan al-Andalusi al-Durar al-Kamina fi Aya…+1. In Egypt, he heard hadith from scholars including Abu al-Ma'ali al-Abarquhi and Sharaf al-Din al-Dimyati al-Durar al-Kamina fi Aya…+1. He obtained written authorizations (ijazat) from a wide circle across Damascus, Baghdad, Cairo, and the Maghrib, including al-Busiri, Ahmad ibn Abi Asrun, and Abu Ja'far Ibn al-Zubayr, with his total teachers exceeding 1,300 al-Durar al-Kamina fi Aya…+1.

Judicial Career and Offices

He began teaching in 714 AH (another report dates this to 724 AH) al-Durar al-Kamina fi Aya…. Following his father's loss of sight, he was assigned public and private legal agencies (wikalat bayt al-mal and al-wikala al-khassah), the supervision and teaching of jurisprudence and hadith at the Mosque of Ibn Tulun, the al-Aqmar Mosque, and the shrine enclosure of Imam al-Shafi'i in Cairo Tabaqat al-Shafiiyya al-K…. He also delivered Friday sermons at al-Jami' al-Jadid al-Durar al-Kamina fi Aya…+1.

In Jumada al-Ula 738 AH, he was appointed Chief Shafi'i Judge of Egypt succeeding Jalal al-Din al-Qazwini, and Sultan al-Nasir delegated to him the authority to appoint judges in the Levant al-Mawsua al-Fiqhiyya al-…+1. He was briefly removed from the judgeship for between sixty and eighty days in 759 AH during the political upheaval of Amir Sarghitmish, with Baha al-Din Ibn Aqil deputizing, before being restored upon Sarghitmish's fall Dhayl al-Taqyid fi Ruwat …+1. Seeking retirement, he repeatedly requested relief from office and finally resigned definitively in 766 AH before Amir Yalbugha Dhayl al-Taqyid fi Ruwat …+1.

Scholarly Standing

Al-Dhahabi described him as of fine character, religious devotion, and broad erudition in hadith, noting his extensive reading and recording of certificates of audition (tibaq) al-Durar al-Kamina fi Aya…. Jamal al-Din al-Isnawi praised his teaching, legal verdicts, and fine literary compositions al-Durar al-Kamina fi Aya…. In prophetic history, he authored a condensed biography titled Mukhtasar al-Sira al-Nabawiyya, alongside his literary collection Nuzhat al-Albab fima la Yujad fi Kitab al-Mawsua al-Fiqhiyya al-…+1. Historians noted that during his judgeship, heavy reliance was placed on his deputy Taj al-Din al-Munawi, and some contemporary observers remarked upon his haste in judicial responses Tabaqat al-Shafiiyya li-I…+1.

Death

Following his resignation in late 766 AH, he traveled to Mecca for pilgrimage, resided there as a neighbor of the sanctuary (mujawir), and visited Medina Dhayl al-Taqyid fi Ruwat …. Thirteen days after returning to Mecca, he died on Monday, 11 Jumada al-Akhira 767 AH (reported also generally within the middle ten days of that month) and was buried on the same day in al-Ma'lah Cemetery near the grave of al-Fudayl ibn Iyad Dhayl al-Taqyid fi Ruwat …+1.