Ibn al-Tilimsani
- Died
- 644 AH
- Born in
- -
Ibn al-Tilimsani (567–644 AH / 1172–1246 CE) was an Egyptian Shafi'i jurist, legal theorist, and theologian, renowned for his commentary on Fakhr al-Din al-Razi's al-Ma'alim fi Usul al-Fiqh (The Landmarks in Legal Theory).
Name and Early Life
His full name was Sharaf al-Din Abu Muhammad 'Abd Allah ibn Muhammad ibn 'Ali al-Fihri al-Misri, and he was known as Ibn al-Tilimsani after the city of Tlemcen in the Maghreb. He was born in 567 AH (1172 CE).
Education and Scholarly Career
Ibn al-Tilimsani specialized in Islamic jurisprudence, legal theory, and theology. He studied under Taqi al-Din al-Muqtarah and completed his teacher's unfinished commentary on al-Juwayni's theological treatise al-Irshad. Based in Cairo, he assumed a primary teaching post at a madrasa in Egypt, where numerous students studied under him, including Abu al-'Abbas al-Labli.
In legal jurisprudence, he authored al-Mughni, an extensive commentary on Abu Ishaq al-Shirazi's foundational Shafi'i manual al-Tanbih. In legal theory, he authored his celebrated exposition Sharh al-Ma'alim fi Usul al-Fiqh, explaining the text of Fakhr al-Din al-Razi.
Standing
Ibn al-Tilimsani was widely praised by biographers for his command of substantive law and theological reasoning. Jamal al-Din al-Isnawi described him as an authority in jurisprudence and both foundations (theology and legal theory), noting that he was intelligent, articulate, and gifted in expression. Taj al-Din al-Subki praised him as a pious and righteous legal theorist and theologian, counting him among the most rigorous scholars of Egypt.
Death
Ibn al-Tilimsani died in Cairo on the night of Saturday, 11 Jumada al-Akhira 644 AH (October 1246 CE).
Answer updated
List of Works
Sharh al-Maalim fi Usul al-Fiqh (Commentary on "The Landmarks in Legal Theory") is a thirteenth-century commentary on Islamic jurisprudence. It serves as an exposition of Fakhr al-Din al-Razi's treatise on legal theory, al-Maalim fi Usul al-Fiqh.