The foremost Ismaili jurist and founder of Fatimid Ismaili jurisprudence, Abu Hanifa al-Nu鈥榤an b. Muhammad al-Tamimi, better known as聽al-Qadi al-Nu鈥榤an, was born around 290 AH/ 903 CE into a learned family in聽QayrawanSee Kairouan, in North Africa. Very little is known about his family, childhood and education. His father Abu 鈥楢bdullah Muhammad b. Mansur b. Ahmad b. Hayyun, was evidently a convert to Ismaili聽Shi鈥榠sm聽from Maliki Sunnism, the prevalent Sunni school of law in聽IfriqiyaMediaeval Muslim name for modern-day Tunisia; also the area where the Fatimids founded their state in the early tenth century..
Educated as an Ismaili, in 313 AH/ 925 CE al-Nu鈥榤an entered the service of 鈥楢bdullah al-Mahdi (d. 322 AH/ 934 CE), the Ismaili聽Imam聽who had founded the Fatimid聽caliphate聽in聽Ifriqiya聽in 297 AH/ 909 CE. He served the first four Fatimid imam-caliphs in different capacities, such as the keeper of the palace library, and judge of Tripoli and Mansuriyya, the new capital from 337 AH/ 948 CE under the Fatimid Imam-caliph al-Mansur.
Al-Nu鈥榤an鈥檚 advancement under the聽Fatimids聽culminated in his appointment in 337 AH/ 948 CE by Imam-caliph al-Mansur to the position of chief judge (qadi al-qudat) of the Fatimid state. The fourth Fatimid Imam-caliph al-Mu鈥榠zz confirmed al-Nu鈥榤an in that post, and in 343 AH/ 954 CE also entrusted him with the grievances proceedings (mazalim) throughout the Fatimid聽caliphateThe Muslim political institution or state centred around the caliph, which came to an end, historically, in 1924 with the disappearance of the Ottoman Empire..
In addition, he was authorised by Imam-caliph al-Mu鈥榠zz to hold the 鈥榮essions of wisdom鈥 (majalis al-hikma) every Friday in the royal palace to instruct Ismaili audiences in the esoteric Ismaili sciences, known as聽hikma, as well as the聽ta鈥檞il聽or esoteric interpretations of the聽Qur鈥檃n聽and the commandments of the Islamic law. Al-Qadi al-Nu鈥榤an accompanied Imam-caliph al-Mu鈥榠zz to Egypt in 362 AH/ 973 CE and died in Cairo, the new Fatimid capital, on the last day of Jumada II 363 AH/ 27 March 974 CE; his funeral prayer was led by Imam-caliph al-Mu鈥檌zz himself.
Author
Dr Farhad Daftary
Co-Director and Head of the Department of Academic Research and Publications
An authority in Shi’i studies, with special reference to its Ismaili tradition, Dr. Daftary has published and lectured widely in these fields of Islamic studies. In 2011 a Festschrift entitled聽Fortresses of the Intellect聽was produced to honour Dr. Daftary by a number of his colleagues and peers.
