الرحلةThe Journey

شهاب الدين القرافي

al-Qarafi (RH)

Shihab al-Din al-Qarafi

626–684 AH · 1228–1285 CE

Fiqh Maliki

Maliki jurist of Cairo, celebrated for his works on legal distinctions and principles.

Al-Qarafi studied with al-'Izz ibn 'Abd al-Salam and became the leading Maliki scholar of Mamluk Egypt, teaching in the main colleges of Cairo. He was known for wide learning that reached into theology, Arabic and the sciences.

His al-Furuq (Anwar al-Buruq fi Anwa' al-Furuq) explains hundreds of fine distinctions between legal rules and the principles behind them, and al-Dhakhirah is a large encyclopaedia of Maliki law. His work on the difference between a judge's ruling and a mufti's opinion is still cited in discussions of law today.

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Life journey

  1. 1228 CE Cairo (al-Qahira) القاهرة
    Died 1285 CE · 684 AH
    Of Berber origin, born in Egypt; the name comes from the Qarafa cemetery district of Cairo.

Teachers

Key works

  • al-Furuq الفروق
    The Distinctions
    Hundreds of distinctions between legal rules and their principles.

Places in their life

The courtyard of al-Azhar, Cairo
The courtyard of al-Azhar, Cairo
Photo: CumaliOnal, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Sources

  • Ibn Farhun, al-Dibaj al-Mudhahhab
  • Sherman Jackson, Islamic Law and the State: The Constitutional Jurisprudence of Shihab al-Din al-Qarafi (1996)
Draft, awaiting scholarly review.