Ibn Yunus al-Siqilli
- Died
- 451 AH
- Born in
- -
Ibn Yunus al-Siqilli (d. 451 AH / 1059 CE) was a Sicilian-born Maliki jurist and legal specialist, best known for his authoritative legal compendium al-Jami‘ li-Masa’il al-Mudawwana ("The Comprehensive Compendium of the Issues of the Mudawwana") .
Life and education
Abu Bakr Muhammad ibn Abd Allah ibn Yunus al-Tamimi al-Siqilli was born and raised on the island of Sicily . He began his early education under prominent Sicilian scholars, including the judge Abu al-Hasan Ahmad ibn Abd al-Rahman al-Hasa'iri, 'Atiq ibn Abd al-Hamid ibn al-Fardi, and Abu Bakr ibn 'Abbas .
He subsequently relocated to Kairouan in Ifriqiya to advance his studies under its leading scholars . There, he transmitted hadith from Abu al-Hasan al-Qabisi and drew extensively from the teachings and legal transmissions of Abu 'Imran al-Fasi . Among those who studied jurisprudence under him was the reciter and preacher 'Abd al-Karim ibn Abd Allah .
Scholarly standing and contributions
Ibn Yunus was recognized as a prominent jurist, legal theorist (nazzar), and specialist in the law of inheritance (faradi) . Biographical sources also describe him as someone dedicated to military vigilance and struggle (jihad), noted for his courage and chivalry .
Within the Maliki school, he is regarded as one of its leading authorities in legal preference and weighing divergent opinions (tarjih) . He composed an important treatise on inheritance shares (Kitab fi al-fara'id) as well as his major work, al-Jami‘ li-Masa’il al-Mudawwana, in which he synthesized, arranged, and clarified the issues of Sahnun's al-Mudawwana, supplementing them with material from the primary authoritative sources of the school . His legal preferences and selections in al-Jami‘ became a cornerstone for subsequent jurists and were heavily relied upon in later standard compendia, such as Khalil ibn Ishaq al-Jundi's Mukhtasar .
Death
Ibn Yunus died in Kairouan in the month of Rabi‘ al-Awwal 451 AH (April–May 1059 CE) . He was buried in the coastal city of Monastir near the gate of the Grand Palace (Bab al-Qasr al-Kabir), where his burial site became known as "Sidi al-Imam" and was traditionally visited for blessings .
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List of Works
al-Jami li-Masa'il al-Mudawwana is a Maliki legal work that serves as an extensive commentary, synthesis, and refinement of Sahnun's al-Mudawwana and other early authoritative texts of the Maliki school of law. It organizes, abridges, and clarifies legal issues, arranging chapters sequentially, simplifying phrasing, collecting traditions and reports while removing chains of transmission, and supplementing gaps with other core Maliki legal compendia.