Ibn 'Arafa | |
|---|---|
| Personal life | |
| Born | 716 AH[1] |
| Died | 803 AH[1] |
| Religious life | |
| Religion | Islam |
| Denomination | Sunni |
| Jurisprudence | Maliki[1] |
| Creed | Ashari[2] |
| Muslim leader | |
Influenced by | |
Ibn 'Arafa (Arabic:ابن عرفة), born Mohammed ibn Mohammed ibn Arafa al-Warghammi, in 1316 inTunis and died in 1401 in the same city, was aTunisianImam, the most illustrious representative ofMalikiIslam to theHafsid period.[3][1]
Of Berber origin from south-eastern Tunisia,[1] he had knowledge oflaw, ofgrammar, ofrhetoric, ofmathematics, and ofmedicine that enabled him to lead the prestigiousAl-Zaytuna Mosque and theUniversity of Ez-Zitouna for several years.
Staunch defender of Maliki Islam, he did not hesitate to come into direct conflict with severalSufi of his time as theesoteric and religious practices he witnessed were beyond the precepts of Islam and the understanding of the faithful. He also had conflicts withIbn Khaldun who he suspected had non-religious motives. Khaldun, in turn, accused Ibn Arafa of being jealous of his popularity.
As a theologian, Ibn Arafa was a strict and pure Maliki, and a powerful figure especially in Tunisia. He was also the author of numerous books on law,theology, andlogic. Such books are stored at Zaytuna, in Tunisia.
At his death in 1401, he was buried in Djellaz Cemetery located in the oldmedina of Tunis, which has been preserved as the oldest historical monument of the state.[4]
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