Sibt al-Mardini

Sibt al-Mardini (826–912 AH / 1423–1506 CE) was a Cairene Shafi'i jurist, mathematician, and astronomer who served as the timekeeper (muwaqqit) at al-Azhar Mosque al-Alam lil-Zirikli+1. He was widely recognized for his pedagogical treatises and commentaries on Islamic inheritance law (fara'id), arithmetic, and astronomical quadrants al-Daw al-Lami li-Ahl al-…+1.

Lineage and Early Life

His full name was Abu 'Abd Allah Muhammad ibn Muhammad ibn Ahmad ibn Muhammad ibn Ahmad ibn Muhammad Badr al-Din al-Ghazzal al-Dimashqi al-Qahiri al-Shafi'i al-Daw al-Lami li-Ahl al-…+1. Of Damascene heritage, he was born in Cairo on the night of 14 Dhu al-Qi'da 826 AH al-Daw al-Lami li-Ahl al-…+1. He became known as Sibt al-Mardini ("the maternal grandson of al-Mardini") through his mother, Fatima, whose father was the astronomer and timekeeper Jamal al-Din 'Abd Allah ibn Khalil al-Mardini (d. 809 AH) al-Daw al-Lami li-Ahl al-…+1.

Raised in Cairo, he memorized the Quran and perfected its recitation under al-Nur, the imam of al-Azhar, reciting to him according to several variant readings al-Daw al-Lami li-Ahl al-…. He also memorized the Alfiyya of Ibn Malik in grammar and portions of Minhaj al-Talibin al-Daw al-Lami li-Ahl al-…. His formal scholarly studies commenced in 839 AH al-Daw al-Lami li-Ahl al-….

Education and Travels

Sibt al-Mardini studied inheritance law, arithmetic, and timekeeping (miqat) extensively under Ibn al-Majdi al-Daw al-Lami li-Ahl al-…+1. He studied jurisprudence and inheritance law under 'Ala' al-Din al-Qalqashandi, reading with him Ibn al-Ha'im's al-Fusul, legal works such as al-Minhaj and al-Muhadhdhab, and the hadith collections of al-Bukhari and al-Tirmidhi al-Daw al-Lami li-Ahl al-…. He attended the lectures of Jalal al-Din al-Mahalli, 'Alam al-Din al-Bulqini, al-Qayati, and al-Buteeji, and studied Arabic grammar under al-Karim al-'Uqbi al-Daw al-Lami li-Ahl al-…. In hadith, he heard transmissions from Ibn Hajar al-'Asqalani, al-Salihi, and al-Rashidi in Cairo, Abu al-Fath al-Maraghi in Mecca, and Shams al-Din ibn al-Faqih Hasan in Damietta al-Daw al-Lami li-Ahl al-….

He made several pilgrimages to Mecca and resided for periods of devotion and study at the Ribat of al-Rahbiyya al-Muzhiriyya al-Daw al-Lami li-Ahl al-…. He visited Jerusalem multiple times—including a visit in 890 AH alongside Abu al-Baqa' ibn al-Ji'an—and traveled twice to Damascus and north to Hama al-Daw al-Lami li-Ahl al-…+1.

Career and Scholarly Standing

Sibt al-Mardini served as the official timekeeper (muwaqqit) at al-Azhar Mosque in Cairo al-Alam lil-Zirikli+1. In Safar 879 AH, he assumed a teaching chair at the Mosque of Ibn Tulun, which was conceded to him by Nur al-Din ibn al-Naqqash al-Daw al-Lami li-Ahl al-…. He taught advanced students in inheritance law, arithmetic, timekeeping, and Arabic grammar; among those who studied under him was Najm al-Din ibn Hijji al-Daw al-Lami li-Ahl al-….

Biographers praised him for his sharp intellect, humility, approachable character, and affection for humor and witty anecdotes al-Daw al-Lami li-Ahl al-…. In his later years, he was regarded as peerless in his specialist disciplines al-Daw al-Lami li-Ahl al-…. Among his principal compositions were Kashf al-Ghawamid, an original manual on inheritance law that he also abridged and commented upon; Tuhfat al-Ahbab, an introductory guide to arithmetic; and Sharh al-Fusul al-Muhimma, an explanatory commentary on Ibn al-Ha'im's treatise on inheritance and estate calculation al-Daw al-Lami li-Ahl al-…+1.

Death

Sibt al-Mardini died in Cairo in 912 AH (1506 CE) al-Alam lil-Zirikli+1. Other biographical entries report his death as having occurred in 902 AH or 907 AH Hadiyat al-Arifin Asma al…+1.