Ibn Abi Zayd al-Qayrawani

Abdullah ibn Abi Zayd al-Nafzawi al-Qayrawani (310–386 AH / 922–996 CE), called 'the Small Malik' (Malik al-Saghir) by his contemporaries, was the undisputed leader of the Maliki school in his generation. His al-Risalah fi al-Fiqh al-Maliki is one of the most famous and widely-studied primers of Islamic law in history. Written as a comprehensive introduction to Maliki fiqh, from personal purification to commercial transactions, it is still memorized and taught in Maliki-dominant regions today. His Mukhtasar al-Mudawwana is an abridgment of the foundational Maliki text. Based in Qayrawan (modern Tunisia), he headed the Maliki scholarly establishment of the Islamic West.