al-Qadi Iyad

Abu al-Fadl Iyad ibn Musa ibn Iyad al-Yahsubi al-Sabti (476-544 AH / 1083-1149 CE), commonly known as al-Qadi Iyad, was a Maliki jurist, hadith scholar, and judge from Ceuta (as-Sabta, in modern Morocco). He is one of the most revered scholars in the Maliki tradition and a celebrated figure across the broader Muslim world.

Al-Qadi Iyad studied in Ceuta, Cordoba, and other Andalusian cities under leading Maliki scholars of his time, becoming the foremost religious authority in the western Islamic world. He served as a judge in Ceuta and later in Granada. He was known for his piety, his scholarly rigor, and his eloquence.

His most celebrated work is ash-Shifa' bi-Ta'rif Huquq al-Mustafa (The Cure by the Recognition of the Rights of the Chosen One), a comprehensive work on the status, rights, and attributes of the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ. This work, universally known simply as ash-Shifa', became one of the most beloved books in Islamic literature, read across all legal schools and regions of the Muslim world. Its detailed documentation of the Prophet's ﷺ attributes and the obligations Muslims have toward him made it a standard reference in this genre.

He also authored Tartib al-Madarik wa Taqrib al-Masalik li-Ma'rifat A'lam Madhhab Malik (a comprehensive biographical dictionary of Maliki scholars), Mashariq al-Anwar (on hadith terminology), Ikmal al-Mu'allim bi-Fawa'id Muslim (a commentary on Sahih Muslim), and other works.

Al-Qadi Iyad passed away in Marrakesh in 544 AH. His ash-Shifa' remains among the most widely read and beloved books in the Islamic world.