Ibn Siraj al-Andalusi
- Died
- 848 AH
- Born in
- -
Abu al-Qasim Ibn Siraj al-Andalusi (d. 848 AH / 1444–1445 CE) was a Maliki jurist and scholar from Granada who served as its chief judge (qadi al-jama'ah) and principal mufti.
Education and travels
Ibn Siraj pursued his Islamic legal education under notable Granadan scholars, including Ibn Lubb, al-Haffar, and the judge and hadith scholar Ibn 'Allaq. He subsequently journeyed to North Africa, traveling to Tlemcen, where he met and engaged in scholarly debates with Ibn Marzuq, and visited Ifriqiya, where he met and debated multiple local scholars, before returning to al-Andalus.
Judicial career, students, and legal legacy
Ibn Siraj achieved prominence in jurisprudence and was appointed to the highest judicial and legal offices in Granada as its mufti and qadi al-jama'ah. A distinguished circle of jurists and scholars studied under him, including the chief judge Abu Yahya ibn 'Asim, the mufti Abu 'Abd Allah al-Saraqusti, Ibrahim ibn Futuh, al-Ra'i, the chief judge Abu 'Amr ibn Manzur, and al-Mawwaq. Transmission from him was also recorded by scholars such as Abu Ja'far al-Balawi.
In jurisprudence, Ibn Siraj composed an extensive commentary on the Mukhtasar of Khalil ibn Ishaq al-Jundi, from which al-Mawwaq drew and quoted heavily in his own commentary on the work. He also issued numerous legal responsa (fatawa) resolving contemporary judicial questions and real-world litigation in Granada, a large compilation of which was preserved by Ahmad al-Wansharisi in his legal compendium al-Mi'yar al-Mu'rib.
Death
Ibn Siraj died in 848 AH (1444–1445 CE), as recorded by al-Wansharisi in his chronicle of deaths.
Answer updated
List of Works
Fatawa Qadi al-Jamaa Ibn Siraj al-Andalusi (Legal Responsa of the Chief Judge Ibn Siraj al-Andalusi) is a compilation of Maliki legal verdicts and judicial cases delivered in Granada. The work brings together practical rulings, official court judgments, and responsa to legal questions arising in fifteenth-century Andalusia, addressing substantive branches of Maliki law and real-world litigation.