al-Sanhaji
- Died
- 628 AH
- Born in
- -
Abu Abd Allah al-Sanhaji (d. 628 AH / 1231 CE) was a North African judge, historian, and man of letters from Qal'at Bani Hammad, best known for his historical chronicle Akhbar Muluk Bani Ubayd (History of the Ubaydid Rulers).
Origin and Education
He was Abu Abd Allah Muhammad ibn Ali ibn Hammad ibn Isa ibn Abi Bakr al-Sanhaji al-Qal'i, commonly known as Ibn Hammad, and also referred to as Ibn Hammadu and Ibn Kalanoon. A variant of his lineage gives his father's ancestry as Muhammad ibn Ali ibn Abi Bakr ibn Isa ibn Hammad. Originating from the village of Hamzah (Burj Hamzah near Bouira) in the territory of Qal'at Bani Hammad, he learned the Quran from al-Qasim ibn al-Nu'man ibn al-Nasir ibn 'Alla al-Nas ibn Hammad al-Sanhaji.
He pursued his education across several North African centers, studying in Qal'at Bani Hammad, Béjaïa, Algiers, and Tlemcen, before traveling to al-Andalus. His teachers included Abu Ja'far ibn Muhammad ibn Ayyash in Murcia, Abu al-Husayn Ibn Zarqun in Seville, Abu al-Hasan Ibn al-Qattan, Abu Dharr Ibn Abi Rukab, Abu Abd Allah Ibn Makhfuf in Algiers, Abu Abd Allah Ibn Abd al-Haqq al-Tilimsani, and Abu Muhammad Abd al-Haqq Ibn al-Kharrat in Béjaïa.
Career and Students
Al-Sanhaji entered the judiciary, serving as the judge (qadi) of Algeciras in al-Andalus, and was subsequently appointed judge of Salé in 613 AH. Later in life, he relocated to Marrakesh and took up permanent residence there.
He transmitted knowledge to several scholars, including Abu Bakr Muhammad ibn Ghalbun, Abu al-Husayn ibn Abd Allah al-Sijilmasi, Abu Abd Allah ibn Ali ibn Hisham, Abu al-Abbas Ibn Fartun, and Abu Muhammad Ibn Burtullah.
Scholarly Contribution and Death
Al-Sanhaji contributed to Islamic historiography, hadith commentary, language, and poetry. His best-known historical work is Akhbar Muluk Bani Ubayd wa-Siratuhum, in which he compiled early chronicles and firsthand reports detailing the establishment and reigns of the Fatimid (Ubaydid) dynasty in North Africa. He also composed a regional history of his own confederation, entitled al-Nubadh al-Muhtajah fi Akhbar Sanhajah (also recorded as al-Dibajah).
Al-Sanhaji died in Marrakesh in 628 AH (1231 CE), having lived past the age of eighty; another report dates his death to 629 AH.
Answer updated
List of Works
Akhbar Bani Ubayd (also known as Akhbar Muluk Bani Ubayd wa-Siratuhum) is a historical work dedicated to the history and biographies of the rulers of the Ubaydid (Fatimid) dynasty. The chronicle details the reigns, campaigns, and internal affairs of the early Ubaydid rulers in Ifriqiya and the central Maghrib up to their conquest of Egypt.