Tartib al-Madarik wa Taqrib al-Masalik
- Author died
- 544 AH
- Editions
- T al-Maghribiyya · t Bakir
Tartib al-Madarik wa Taqrib al-Masalik li-Ma‘rifat A‘lam Madhhab Malik (Arranging Perceptions and Facilitating Pathways to Knowing the Prominent Figures of Malik’s School) is a biographical dictionary of Maliki jurists and transmitters by al-Qadi Iyad (476–544 AH / 1083–1149 CE) . It serves as the primary and most comprehensive early biographical reference for the history of the Maliki school of law .
Purpose and Scope
Before compiling the work, previous biographical writings on Maliki scholars—such as those by Ibn Abi Dulaym (d. 351 AH / 962 CE) and Muhammad ibn Harith al-Khushani (d. 361 AH / 971 CE)—were limited in scope; Ibn Abi Dulaym focused heavily on Western Islamic regions (Egypt, al-Andalus, and Kairouan) while listing names without detailed historical reports, and omitted scholars of the Hijaz and the Islamic East . Al-Qadi Iyad undertook the work to provide a comprehensive record encompassing over 1,300 scholars, narrators, and jurists associated with the school from its beginnings across all regions . The author's student Abd al-Rahman ibn al-Qasir recorded finding an authorization (ijazah) for the book written in al-Qadi Iyad's hand dated 532 AH, during his term as judge in Granada .
Structure and Contents
The work opens with an extensive foundational introduction that addresses the legal preference of the school of Malik ibn Anas (d. 179 AH / 795 CE), the merits of Medina, and the legal authority of the consensus and practice of its people (‘amal ahl al-Madina) . This is followed by a thorough biographical study of Malik ibn Anas, covering his lineage, life, teachers, students, transmissions, and legal contributions .
The biographical dictionaries are structured hierarchically by generational tiers (tabaqat) and further organized by geographic region, including Medina and the Hijaz, Egypt, Ifriqiya (Kairouan), al-Andalus, Iraq, and the Maghrib . The text draws upon numerous early historical, judicial, and biographical sources, including works by al-Zubayr ibn Bakkar, Waki‘, Ibn Yunus, al-Kindi, Abu al-Arab al-Tamimi, and Abu Bakr al-Maliki . The original manuscript of the work was estimated by the author's son Muhammad at five volumes .
Abridgments and Influence
The text became the cornerstone for later biographical literature within the Maliki tradition and was extensively abridged and reworked :
- Mukhtasar Tartib al-Madarik: Abridged by al-Qadi Iyad’s student Abu Abd Allah Muhammad ibn Hamada al-Burnusi al-Sanhaji (d. c. mid-6th century AH) .
- Mukhtasar al-Madarik: Abridged by Abu Abd Allah Muhammad ibn Rashiq al-Andalusi .
- Mukhtasar al-Madarik: Abridged by Abu al-Abbas Ahmad ibn Muhammad ibn ‘Alwan al-Tunisi (d. 787 AH / 1385 CE) .
- Al-Muntaqa min al-Madarik: A selection compiled by Shihab al-Din Ahmad ibn ‘Umar ibn ‘Uthman al-Khwarizmi, known as Ibn Qara .
- Tartib Asma’ Tarajim al-Madarik: An alphabetical rearrangement prepared by Najm al-Din ‘Umar ibn Taqi al-Din ibn Fahd al-Makki .
Ibn Hamada’s abridgment was itself later summarized by Muhammad ibn Ahmad ibn Abi Bakr ibn Khamis al-Andalusi in Manhaj al-Salik fi Ikhtisar Mukhtasar al-Madarik, and reorganized by Abu Muhammad Abd Allah ibn Sahl al-Quda‘i . Later scholars built directly upon Tartib al-Madarik, most notably Ibn Farhun (d. 799 AH / 1396 CE) in his al-Dibaj al-Mudhahhab, which carried the biographical coverage forward through the eighth century AH .
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