Ahmad Baba al-Timbukti

Ahmad Baba ibn Ahmad ibn Ahmad al-Timbukti al-Sudani al-Sanhaji (963–1036 AH / 1556–1627 CE) was the most famous scholar of Timbuktu and one of the greatest African Islamic scholars of his era. He was born into a scholarly family that had produced generations of Islamic scholars. When the Moroccan Sa'dian army invaded Timbuktu (1591 CE), he was taken captive to Marrakesh where he continued to teach and write. He authored over 40 works, most notably Nayl al-Ibtihaj bi-Tatriz al-Dibaj, a biographical dictionary of Maliki scholars. He was a master of hadith, fiqh, and Maliki jurisprudence, and his work preserves invaluable knowledge about the Timbuktu scholarly tradition.