Abū Marwān ʿAbd al-Malik ibn Ḥabīb al-Sulami () (180–238
AH) (796–853 CE) also known as Ibn Habib, was a
Andalusian polymath
A polymath or polyhistor is an individual whose knowledge spans many different subjects, known to draw on complex bodies of knowledge to solve specific problems. Polymaths often prefer a specific context in which to explain their knowledge, ...
of the 9th century. His interests included medicine,
fiqh
''Fiqh'' (; ) is the term for Islamic jurisprudence.[Fiqh](_blank)
Encyclopædia Britannica ''Fiqh'' is of ...
, history, grammar, and genealogy and he was reportedly the first to write a book on medicine in
al-Andalus
Al-Andalus () was the Muslim-ruled area of the Iberian Peninsula. The name refers to the different Muslim states that controlled these territories at various times between 711 and 1492. At its greatest geographical extent, it occupied most o ...
. By virtue of his exceptional knowledge he became known as ''the scholar of Spain''.
Biography
Ibn Habib was born in Hisn Wāt (identified with modern-day town of
Huetor Vega) a village near the city of
Granada
Granada ( ; ) is the capital city of the province of Granada, in the autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of Andalusia, Spain. Granada is located at the foot of the Sierra Nevada (Spain), Sierra Nevada mountains, at the confluence ...
in the year 790. He claimed descent from the Arab tribe of
Banu Sulaym
The Banu Sulaym () is an Arab tribe that dominated part of the Hejaz in the pre-Islamic era. They maintained close ties with the Quraysh of Mecca and the inhabitants of Medina, and fought in a number of battles against the Islamic prophet Muha ...
, hence he took the ''
nisba al-Sulami''.
His father was ''attar'' (; 'druggist or perfumer'), likewise, Ibn Habib worked as a druggist alongside his father.
He first studied in
Elvira and then moved to continue his studies in the city of
Cordoba, which at the time, was the capital of the Umayyad
Emirate of Cordoba.
In the year 822/3, Ibn Habib went on to perform the Hajj to Mecca with the financial support of his father. After performing the pilgrimage he stayed to study the Maliki school of fiqh in
Medina
Medina, officially al-Madinah al-Munawwarah (, ), also known as Taybah () and known in pre-Islamic times as Yathrib (), is the capital of Medina Province (Saudi Arabia), Medina Province in the Hejaz region of western Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, ...
and Egypt,
there he studied under
Ibn Abd al-Hakam and
Abdallāh ibn al-Mubarak. Ibn Habib died after an illness in 853
and was buried in the Umm Salama cemetery in Cordoba. He left two sons: Muhammad and Ubaid Allah and an unnamed daughter.
Works
* al-Wadiha (; Compendium of Maliki Law)
* Gharib al-hadith ()
* ''Tafsīr al-Muwaṭṭaʾ'' (; Explanation of the Muwatta')
* ''Hurub al-Islam'' (; ''Wars of Islam'')
* Adab al-Nisa' (; ''Ethics of Women'' )
* ''As-Samāʿ'' (; ''The Sky'')
* ''Tabaqat al-Fuqaha' wa Tabi'in'' ('; ''Classes of the Fuqaha and Tabi'un'')
* ''Al-Taʾrīkh'' (; ''Chronicles'')
* ''Kitāb al-Waraʿ'' (; ''Book of Piety'')
* ''Waṣf al-Firdaws'' (; ''Description of Heaven'')
* ''Mukhtaṣar fī al-ṭibb'' (; ''Compendium on Medicine'')
See also
*
List of pre-modern Arab scientists and scholars
Arab scientists and scholars from the Muslim World, including Al-Andalus (Spain), who lived from Ancient history, antiquity up until the beginning of the Modern era, modern age, include the following. The list consists primarily of scholars durin ...
*
Medicine in the medieval Islamic world
In the history of medicine, "Islamic medicine", also known as "Arabian medicine" is the Science in the medieval Islamic world, science of medicine developed in the Middle East, and usually written in Arabic language, Arabic, the ''lingua franca ...
External links
Treatment with Herbs (free online book) العلاج بالأعشاب — عبد الملك بن حبيب (ت ٢٣٨)
References
{{Authority control
796 births
853 deaths
9th-century Arab people
People from the Emirate of Córdoba
9th-century historians from al-Andalus
9th-century physicians
Maliki scholars from al-Andalus
People from the Province of Granada