Abu 'Abd Allah Muhammad ibn 'Abd Allah ibn Masarra ibn Najih al-Jabali (883–931) was an Andalusian Muslim

ascetic Asceticism is a lifestyle characterized by abstinence from worldly pleasures through self-discipline, self-imposed poverty, and simple living, often for the purpose of pursuing spiritual goals. Ascetics may withdraw from the world for their pra ...

and scholar. He is considered one of the first

Sufis Sufism ( or ) is a mystic body of religious practice found within Islam which is characterized by a focus on Islamic purification, spirituality, ritualism, and asceticism. Practitioners of Sufism are referred to as "Sufis" (from , ), and ...

as well as one of the first

philosophers Philosophy ('love of wisdom' in Ancient Greek) is a systematic study of general and fundamental questions concerning topics like existence, reason, knowledge, value, mind, and language. It is a rational and critical inquiry that reflects on ...

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 ...

. Ibn Masarra was born in

Córdoba Córdoba most commonly refers to: * Córdoba, Spain, a major city in southern Spain and formerly the imperial capital of Islamic Spain * Córdoba, Argentina, the second largest city in Argentina and the capital of Córdoba Province Córdoba or Cord ...

in 883.Michael Ebstein, ''Mysticism and Philosophy in al-Andalus: Ibn Masarra, Ibn al-ʿArabī and the Ismāʿīlī Tradition'' (Brill, 2014), pp. 8–9. He is believed to have been Muwallad. In his youth, he travelled to

Kairouan Kairouan (, ), also spelled El Qayrawān or Kairwan ( , ), is the capital of the Kairouan Governorate in Tunisia and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The city was founded by the Umayyads around 670, in the period of Caliph Mu'awiya (reigned 661� ...

and

Mecca Mecca, officially Makkah al-Mukarramah, is the capital of Mecca Province in the Hejaz region of western Saudi Arabia; it is the Holiest sites in Islam, holiest city in Islam. It is inland from Jeddah on the Red Sea, in a narrow valley above ...

before settling in the

Sierra Morena The Sierra Morena is one of the main systems of mountain ranges in Spain. It stretches for 450 kilometres from east to west across the south of the Iberian Peninsula, forming the southern border of the ''Meseta Central'' plateau and providi ...

near his home town. This is the origin of his nickname, ''al-Jabali'' ('the mountain-dweller'). After his death in 931, his followers were accused of heresy and forced to publicly recant his teachings by the

Umayyad The Umayyad Caliphate or Umayyad Empire (, ; ) was the second caliphate established after the death of the Islamic prophet Muhammad and was ruled by the Umayyad dynasty. Uthman ibn Affan, the third of the Rashidun caliphs, was also a membe ...

authorities. In at least one case, his books were burnt.

References

Sources

*Arnaldez, R. (1979) ''The Encyclopaedia of Islam,'' iii, pp. 868 - 872, Leiden: Brill. . * Asín Palacios, M. (1972) The Mystical Philosophy of Ibn Masarra and His Followers, trans. E.H. Douglas and H.W. Yoder, Leiden: Brill. *Asín Palacios, M. (in Spanish, 1914)
Abenmassarra y su escuela : origenes de la filosofia Hispano-Musulmana.
' Madrid: Imprenta Iberica. *Chopra, R.M., "SUFISM", 2016, Anuradha Prakashan, New Delhi. . *Rossi, Caterina A. ''Il trono - Ibn Masarrah di Cordoba (883-931), il proto-filosofo arabo d'Andalusia'', 2012, Moro Editore *Seyyed Hossein Nasr, Oliver Leaman, ''History of Islamic philosophy'', Routledge, 1996, Chapter 20, p. 277-29

retrieved on 23-07-2010

External links

Ibn-Masarra
at ''muslimphilosophy.com'' 883 births 931 deaths 9th-century people from al-Andalus 10th-century writers from al-Andalus People from Córdoba, Spain Medieval Islamic philosophers Sufis from al-Andalus Scholars from the Caliphate of Córdoba Philosophers from al-Andalus 10th-century Spanish philosophers Muwallads Maliki scholars from al-Andalus {{Al-Andalus-bio-stub