Ibn Shas
- Died
- 616 AH
- Born in
- -
Ibn Shas (d. 616 AH / 1219 CE) was an Egyptian Maliki jurist and scholar, best known for his legal manual ‘Aqd al-Jawahir al-Thamina fi Madhhab ‘Alim al-Madina (The String of Precious Jewels in the School of the Scholar of Medina).
Name and Background
His full name was Abu Muhammad ‘Abd Allah ibn Najm ibn Shas ibn Nizar ibn ‘Asha’ir ibn ‘Abd Allah ibn Muhammad ibn Shas al-Judhami al-Sa‘di al-Misri. He bore the honorific title Jalal al-Din (also recorded as Jamal al-Din in some sources) and was known as al-Khallal. He came from an influential family of high standing and military command; his ancestor Shas had served as an army commander.
Education and Career
Ibn Shas studied Maliki jurisprudence under Ya‘qub ibn Yusuf al-Maliki and received instruction in Arabic grammar and hadith from the philologist ‘Abd Allah ibn Barri. He taught at the Maliki madrasa adjacent to the Old Mosque (al-Jami‘ al-‘Atiq) in Egypt and issued legal rulings (fatwas). Later in life, he turned extensively toward the study of hadith and the prophetic Sunnah; after completing the Hajj pilgrimage, he completely abstained from issuing fatwas for the remainder of his life out of scrupulous religious caution.
His students included the hadith master ‘Abd al-‘Azim al-Mundhiri, who narrated from him and praised his piety. The biographer Ibn Khallikan recorded meeting a large circle of Ibn Shas's former students in Egypt who celebrated his legal acumen and virtue.
Jurisprudence and Standing
Ibn Shas was regarded as the leading Maliki jurist of his era in Egypt. He structured ‘Aqd al-Jawahir al-Thamina according to the organizational framework of Abu Hamid al-Ghazali’s Shafi‘i manual al-Wajiz, seeking to revitalize interest in Maliki substantive law by presenting its rulings in a refined, systematic order. The text gained widespread acclaim across Egypt and became a foundational reference for subsequent jurists. Ibn al-Hajib followed his systematic method and abridged his legal findings in the influential manual Jami‘ al-Ummahat (also known as al-Mukhtasar al-Far‘i), while Shihab al-Din al-Qarafi incorporated his material into al-Dhakhiroh.
Death
When Crusader forces attacked the northern Egyptian coastal stronghold of Damietta, Ibn Shas traveled there to take part in jihad. He died during the military campaign in Jumada al-Akhirah or Rajab 616 AH (1219 CE), while the city was under siege (a minority report places his death in 610 AH).
Answer updated
List of Works
Aqd al-Jawahir al-Thamina fi Madhhab Alim al-Madina is a comprehensive manual of Maliki jurisprudence (fiqh). It reorganizes the substantive law (furu') of the Maliki school according to the systematic arrangement found in late Shafi'i manuals.