al-Izz Ibn Jamaa al-Hafid
- Died
- 819 AH
- Born in
- -
al-Izz Ibn Jamaa al-Hafid (749–819 AH / 1348–1416 CE) was a Shafi'i jurist, legal theorist, and polymath based in Cairo, known for his mastery across both the transmitted and rational disciplines.
Lineage and Early Life
His full name was Abu Abd Allah Muhammad ibn Abi Bakr ibn Abd al-Aziz ibn Muhammad ibn Ibrahim ibn Sa'd Allah ibn Jama'a al-Kinani al-Hamawi al-Asl al-Misri. He belonged to the prominent scholarly Banu Jama'a family, being the grandson of the chief judge Izz al-Din Abd al-Aziz ibn Jama'a and the great-grandson of Badr al-Din Ibn Jama'a. He was born in Yanbu' on the Red Sea coast in 749 AH—though other reports record his birth in 746 AH or 759 AH—and later settled in Cairo.
Education and Scholarly Career
Ibn Jama'a began his studies in childhood, attending the gatherings of Sadr al-Din al-Maydumi and hearing hadith from his grandfather, who transmitted to him his forty nine-link narrations (al-Arba'un al-Tisa'iyyat), as well as from scholars such as Abu al-Haram al-Qalanisi. He received authorizations from numerous scholars across Syria and Egypt through the efforts of Zayn al-Din al-Iraqi. Turning toward the rational sciences (al-ma'qulat), he attached himself to Ala' al-Din al-Sayrami upon the latter's arrival in Cairo and appointment to the Barquqiyyah madrasa until his death. He studied jurisprudence under Siraj al-Din al-Bulqini, medicine under Ala' al-Din ibn Saghir, and also studied extensively under Ibn Khaldun, Shams al-Din ibn al-Sa'igh, Muhibb al-Din Nazir al-Jaysh, and Burhan al-Din al-Tanukhi.
He became recognized as a leading authority in Egypt in legal theory, logic, rhetoric, philosophy, and grammar, while also studying diverse technical and practical disciplines. A large circle of prominent scholars studied under him, including Ibn Hajar al-Asqalani, who accompanied him from 790 AH until his death and read with him major works including Jam' al-Jawami' and commentaries on Minhaj al-Wusul, as well as al-Maqrizi and Kamal al-Din ibn al-Humam. His pedagogical output was characterized by extensive commentaries, annotations, and marginalia on standard curriculum texts, alongside treatises such as his concise biographical summary al-Ghurar wa al-Durar fi Sirat Khayr al-Bashar and his commentary on Jam' al-Jawami'.
Standing and Personal Life
Ibn Hajar described him as an unmatched master of his time and referred to him as an "imam of imams." al-Maqrizi noted that students from both Egypt and abroad graduated under his tutelage in logic, rhetoric, and theology, and seekers of knowledge journeyed to him from the East and West. He was known for maintaining constant ritual purity, living simply, and adopting non-Arab attire (ziyy al-Ajam). He never married.
Death
Ibn Jama'a died in Cairo in 819 AH / 1416 CE, specifically on 20 Rabi' al-Akhir according to several authorities, while another report places his death during an outbreak of plague in Jumada al-Ukhra of that year.
Answer updated
List of Works
al-Ghurar wa al-Durar fi Sirat Khayr al-Bashar (The Blazes and Pearls in the Biography of the Best of Mankind) is a concise compendium on the prophetic biography (al-Sirah al-Nabawiyyah). Conceived as an abridged and accessible handbook, it outlines the essential events and aspects of the life of the Prophet Muhammad using a brief, precise style designed to provide a distilled overview without expansive chains of transmission or prolonged digressions.