Fatawa Qadi al-Jamaa Ibn Siraj al-Andalusi
- Author died
- 848 AH
- Editions
- Dār Ibn Ḥazm lil-Ṭibā‘ah wal-Nashr wal-Tawzī‘
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 by the Granadan jurist and chief judge Abu al-Qasim Muhammad ibn Muhammad ibn Siraj al-Andalusi (d. 848 AH / 1444 CE) .
Author and Context
The author served as both the mufti and the chief judge (qadi al-jama'ah) of Granada . A prominent figure of late Andalusian Maliki jurisprudence, he studied under scholars including Ibn Lubb, al-Haffar, and Ibn Allaq, and traveled to Tlemcen—where he engaged in scholarly debates with Ibn Marzuq—as well as Ifriqiya . His juristic legacy was carried on by leading figures of the era who studied with him, such as Abu Yahya ibn 'Asim, Abu 'Amr ibn Manzur, and al-Mawwaq .
Content and Legal Method
The work brings together Ibn Siraj's practical rulings, official court judgments, and responsa to legal questions arising in fifteenth-century Andalusia . The rulings address various substantive branches of Maliki law and real-world litigation (nawazil), reflecting disputes that arose between Ibn Siraj and contemporary scholars over judicial reasoning and procedural evidence, such as cases concerning absent litigants, financial maintenance (nafaqah), and property claims .
Transmission and Publication
A substantial portion of Ibn Siraj's fatwas was preserved and recorded by Ahmad al-Wansharisi in his major legal compendium al-Mi'yar al-Mu'rib . In modern times, his dispersed responsa and legal opinions were gathered from manuscript and printed sources and published under the title Fatawa Qadi al-Jama'ah, critically edited by Muhammad Abu al-Ajfan .
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