Abu Bakr Muhammad ibn al-Walid al-Turtushi | |
|---|---|
| Personal life | |
| Born | 1059 CE (451 AH) Tortosa,Taifa of Tortosa |
| Died | 1126 CE (520 AH) Alexandria,Fatimid Caliphate |
| Era | Fatimid Caliphate |
| Region | Al-Andalus andEgypt |
| Main interest(s) | FiqhPolitical Theory |
| Notable work(s) | Siraj al-Muluk fi Suluk al-Muluk (The Lamp of Kings for the Qualities of Kingmanship) |
| Other names | al-Turtushi |
| Religious life | |
| Religion | Islam |
| Jurisprudence | Maliki[1] |
| Creed | Ash'ari |
| Muslim leader | |
Influenced | |
'Abu Bakr Muhammad al-Turtushi (Arabic:ابو بكر محمد بن الوليد الطرطوشي) (1059 – 1126 CE; 451AH – 520 AH ), better known asal-Turtushi was one of the most prominentAndalusian political philosophers of the twelfth century. His book Kitāb Sirāj al-Mulūk (The Lamp of Kings) was one of the most important works of political theory to be produced in the medieval Islamic world. Al-Turtushi was also an accomplished jurist in theMaliki school.
ِAbu Bakr was born inTortosa in 1059 in the northern region ofAl-Andalus at theEbro Delta, at a time when the region had become increasingly fragmented and was divided into varioustaifa kingdoms. He first traveled toZaragoza, where he became a student underAbu al-Walid al-Baji, a famous scholar and poet. While in Spain, he also familiarised himself with the philosophical and political treatises of the Andalusian polymathIbn Hazm.
He travelled for knowledge, seeking to educate himself from various scholars in different part of the Muslim world and went as far east asBaghdad. On his way he also stopped atDamascus,Aleppo,Cairo, andAlexandria. He eventually settled inFatimid Alexandria, where he taught at amadrassa. Al-Turtushi strongly opposed theIsmaili ideology of theFatimid dynasty in Egypt. He also issued afatwa forYusuf Ibn Tashfin, theAlmoravid ruler of al-Andulus (Muslim Spain) that allowed him to invade Spain and depose of the dividedTaifa kingdoms. His most famous work wasSiraj al-Muluk (سراج الملوك) (The Lamp of Kings) an important treatise on political theory.[2]
