Sahnun: Difference between revisions

Sahnun ibn Sa'id ibn Habib at-Tanukhi (c. 776-7 - 854-5) (160 AH - 240 AH ) was a jurist in the Maliki school from Qayrawan in modern-day Tunisia.

His original name was 'Abd al Salam. 'Sahnun' was a title given to him, meaning a type of sharp bird; this referred to his quickness of mind. His father was a soldier from Homs in Syria. The family claimed descent from Tanukh, a tribe from the south of the Arabian peninsula.

In his youth Sahnun studied under the scholars of Qayrawan and Tunis; in particular he learned from `Ali bin Ziyad, who had learned from Imam Malik. In 178 AH he traveled to Egypt to study under other pupils of Malik, who died before Sahnun had the financial means to reach him. Later on he continued to Medina and studied under other prominent scholars, returning to North Africa in 191 AH.

At the age of 74 Sahnun was appointed Qadi (judge) of North Africa by the emir Muhammad ibn al-Aghlab, who ruled on behalf of the 'Abbasid Caliph. He had refused the appointment for a year, only accepting after the emir swore to give him a free hand in matters of justice, even if this involved prosecuting members of the emir's family and court. Upon accepting the appointment, he was said to have told his daugher Khadija, "Today your father has been slain without a knife." He was known to be scrupulous in his judgments and courteous towards litigants and witnesses, but strict towards the men surrounding the emir; he refused to allow them to send representatives on their behalf in litigation, and refused a request from the emir not to interfere in their illegal ventures.

Sahnun died in Rajab of 240 in the Hejira calendar. The men surrounding the emir famously refused to join his funeral prayer, due to his harshness against them; nonetheless the people of Qayrawan were greatly upset by his passing.

Sahnun was known for his strong orthodoxy, even to the point of refusing to pray behind a Mu'tazilite imam. He excluded heretical sects from the mosque, including the Ibadi, Mu'tazilites and others.

Sahnun's greatest contribution to Muslim scholarship was al Mudawwana, a compendium of the legal opinions of the school of Medina as stated by Imam Malik, after the death of the Imam. The compilation and revision process involved four mujtahid imams of the Maliki school: Asad ibn al Furat (d.213 AH), Ibn al-Ashab (d.204); 'Abdu'r-Rahman ibn Qasim al-'Utaqi (d.191 AH), and Sahnun himself. It is referred to as "al Umm", or "the Mother", of the Maliki school. Sahnun's revision and transmission of the Mudawwana was the major factor in the spread of the Maliki school across the West of the Muslim world.

"Everything I see is disliked
except planting the spear in the shade of the horse,
And standing in the darkness,
guarding people at the furthest outpost."

"If someone does not act by his knowledge, his knowledge does not benefit him."

"By Allah, I have been tested by this qadiship and by the rulers. By Allah, I will not eat a morsel for them nor drink a drink for them nor wear a garment for them nor ride an animal for them nor take a gift from them. I go to them and I speak to them harshly regarding what entails action and wherein lies salvation."

• Excerpt from Qadi `Iyad's Tartib al Madarik