Fatima bint Muhammad ibn Ahmad al-Samarqandi () was a twelfth-century
Muslim
Muslims ( ar, المسلمون, , ) are people who adhere to Islam, a monotheistic religion belonging to the Abrahamic tradition. They consider the Quran, the foundational religious text of Islam, to be the verbatim word of the God of Abrah ...
scholar and jurist.
Biography
Early life
Fatima was born to Muhammad ibn Ahmad al-Samarqandi, a preeminent
Hanafi jurist who took active part in his daughter’s education. He authored the book ''
Tuhfat al-Fuqaha'''.
Marriage and career
She married
'Ala' al-Din al-Kasani
'Ala' al-Din al-Kasani ( ar, علاء الدين الكاساني), known as Al-Kasani or al-Kashani, was a 12th Century Sunni Muslim Jurist who became an influential figure of the Hanafi school of Sunni jurisprudence, which has remained the mo ...
, a student of her father and an expert of
fiqh. Fatima’s dowry was Al-Kasani’s book, ''
Bada'i' al-Sana'i'
Bada'i' as-Sana'i' fi Tartib ash-Shara'i' (''Unseen artistry in the arrangement of the religious-legal regulations'')( ar, بـدائـع الـصـنـائـع فـي تـرتـيـب الـشـرائـع) is a classical manual of fiqh for the ...
'' ''(The Most Marvellous of Beneficial Things)'', a commentary that he wrote on her father’s book, ''
Tuhfat al-Fuqaha'''. Her father was so impressed by the book that he accepted it as her dowry on behalf of Ala over the kings that had asked for her hand and offered more.
When her husband had any doubts and erred in issuing a
fatwa
A fatwā ( ; ar, فتوى; plural ''fatāwā'' ) is a legal ruling on a point of Islamic law (''sharia'') given by a qualified '' Faqih'' (Islamic jurist) in response to a question posed by a private individual, judge or government. A jurist i ...
, she would inform him the correct judgment and explain the reason for the mistake. Although al-Kasani was a competent jurist, Fatima corrected and edited his legal opinions.
Fatima al-Samarqandi was a personal counselor of
Nur ad-Din, the mentor of
Saladin.
Legacy
According to researcher Hoda Gamal, she is credited with establishing the tradition of setting up voluntary iftars for male fuqaha.
See also
*
List of female Muslim scholars
This article is an incomplete list of female scholars of Islam. A traditionally-trained female scholar is referred to as ''ʿālimah'' or '' Shaykha''. The inclusion of women in university settings has increased the presence of women scholars and ...
*
List of Hanafis
*
List of Ash'aris and Maturidis
References
{{Authority control
Hanafis
Maturidis
People from Samarkand
Uzbekistani Muslims
Women scholars of the medieval Islamic world
12th-century women
12th-century Muslim scholars of Islam
1185 deaths
Year of birth unknown