Ibn Jama'ah

Badr ad-Din Muhammad ibn Ibrahim ibn Sa'd Allah ibn Jama'ah al-Kinani al-Hamawi (639-733 AH / 1241-1333 CE) was a prominent Shafi'i jurist who served as the chief judge (qadi al-qudat) of Egypt and Syria multiple times during the Mamluk period. Born in Hama, Syria, he studied in Damascus and Cairo under the leading scholars of his time and became one of the foremost judicial and scholarly figures of the Mamluk sultanate.

Ibn Jama'ah served as qadi al-qudat (Chief Justice) of Egypt and Syria on multiple occasions, a position that made him the highest judicial authority in the most powerful Muslim state of his era. His tenure in these positions brought him into proximity with the political and social upheavals of the Mamluk period. He was known for his combination of scholarly authority and political astuteness.

His most important work is Tadhkirat as-Sami' wal-Mutakallim fi Adab al-Alim wal-Muta'allim (The Reminder for the Listener and the Speaker on the Conduct of the Scholar and the Student), a classic work on the ethics and protocol of Islamic scholarship and education — covering the conduct of teachers, students, and the proper relationship between them. This work remains a standard reference in traditional Islamic education.

He also authored Tahrir al-Ahkam fi Tadbir Ahl al-Islam, a work on Islamic governance, and various works in Shafi'i jurisprudence. Ibn Jama'ah passed away in Cairo in 733 AH. His Tadhkirat as-Sami' is his most enduring contribution and continues to be read as a guide to proper scholarly conduct in Islamic education.