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Ibn 'Abbad al-Rundi

ابن عباد الرندي

between 1332 and 1333 CE · 733 AH – 1390 CE · Rajab 792 AH

Ronda → Fez

Muhammad ibn Ibrahim al-Nafzi al-Rundi, known as Ibn 'Abbad, an Andalusian Maliki Sufi of the Shadhili way, born in Ronda in 733 AH, a pupil of Ibn 'Ashir at Salé, imam and preacher of the Qarawiyyin mosque in Fez for fifteen years, who died in Fez in Rajab 792 AH; the first commentator on the Hikam of Ibn 'Ata' Allah 1 2 3 4.

Depth

At a glance

Roles
Scholar · writer
Counted among
Sunni (Maliki) · Sufi
Era
The Crusades, Ayyubids and Mamluks
Region
al-Andalus & Europe · Maghreb

Life in time

10001100120013001400150016001700 c. c.
The Buyid, Fatimid and Seljuk Era · The Crusades, Ayyubids and Mamluks · The Gunpowder Empires · The Mongol and Post-Mongol Era Contemporaries: Abd al-Mun'im ibn al-Faras al-Andalusi (Abu Muhammad, Maliki jurist) · Abd al-Rahim al-Iraqi · Ibn Ubaydan al-Ba'li (Abd al-Rahman ibn Mahmud) · Abd Allah ibn Yusuf ibn Ridwan al-Malaqi · Abu al-Khayr al-'Ala'i al-Muqaddisi

In space

RondaFez

Map: Natural Earth, public domain · places and route from the graph

Spirituality and Sufism

Summary

Ibn 'Abbad al-Nafzi al-Rundi was an Andalusian Sufi of the eighth century AH whom Muhammad 'Abd al-Maqsud Haykal, summarising Abu al-Wafa al-Taftazani's study, describes as the representative of the Shadhili school in al-Andalus, whose teaching influenced the Sufism of East and West. 5 His biographers give his name as Muhammad ibn Ibrahim ibn Abi Bakr ibn 'Abd Allah ibn Malik ibn Ibrahim ibn Muhammad ibn Ibrahim ibn Yahya, known as Ibn 'Abbad, of Himyarite lineage and from Ronda. 1

Upbringing and studies

Ibn 'Abbad was born in Ronda in southern al-Andalus in 733 AH into an old family; he memorised the Qur'an with his father by the age of seven, learned the language sciences from his maternal uncle, studied at Ronda with the jurist and preacher Abu al-Hasan 'Ali ibn al-Hasan al-Rundi, and then travelled in the Maghrib, staying in Tlemcen and Fez. 1 He belonged to the Maliki school, reading al-Tahdhib and the Mukhtasar of Ibn al-Hajib in law, the Muwatta' and Sahih Muslim in hadith, and al-Juwayni's al-Irshad and Ibn al-Hajib's creed in theology. 6

Taking the path

He then turned to Sufism; of his going to Shaykh Ibn 'Ashir and his companions at Salé he is reported to have said, "I sought them to find safety with them". 6 He studied with Ahmad ibn 'Umar ibn Muhammad ibn 'Ashir (d. 763 AH); Haykal thinks his attachment to the Shadhili way came late, when companions asked him to comment on Ibn 'Ata' Allah's Hikam, so that it came not through initiation and chain but through studying them. 2 Haykal credits the preservation of the Shadhili heritage to Ibn 'Ata' Allah, who collected the sayings of al-Shadhili and al-Mursi, and to Ibn 'Abbad, whose commentary spread their views in the Maghrib and al-Andalus. 7

Private life and office

His biographers say he never married and served himself; Haykal quotes al-Taftazani that this was a personal choice and that many Shadhili shaykhs married. 7 8 He was no secluded recluse: he was imam and preacher of the Qarawiyyin mosque in Fez for fifteen years until his death, esteemed by the sultan. 3

Death and pupils

His biographers agree that he died in Rajab 792 AH; Abu Zakariyya al-Sarraj specifies Friday 3 Rajab after the afternoon prayer. 3 His tomb in Fez is still visited. 9 Among his pupils were Yahya al-Sarraj (d. 805 AH) and Ibn al-Sakkak (d. 818 AH), both buried with him. 9

Works

First among them is Ghayth al-Mawahib al-'Aliyya bi-Sharh al-Hikam al-'Ata'iyya; he is also said to have versified the Hikam; he wrote the Greater Epistles, dedicated to Yahya al-Sarraj, the Lesser Epistles, Tahqiq al-'Alama fi Ahkam al-Imama, a collection of sermons, prayers arranged on the Beautiful Names, answers on questions of the sciences, epistles on Qut al-Qulub, and Fath al-Tuhfa wa-Ida'at al-Sharfa on hadith. 10 4 11

Connections

Explore the connections

Born in
Ronda
Died in
Fez
Buried in
Fez

People and things also explored

al-Qarawiyyin mosque· Zellij (Maghrebi tile mosaic)· Ibn Battuta returns to Fez· The Malian giraffe embassy to Fez (762 AH)· The Marinid division between Fez and Marrakesh (776 AH)· Abd al-Aziz al-Dabbagh· Abd al-Hafid of Morocco· Abd al-Haqq II al-Marinid

Sources

  1. Ibn 'Ata' Allah al-Iskandari, al-Hikam al-'Ata'iyya, with the commentary of Ibn 'Abbad al-Nafzi al-Rundi, selected and studied by Muhammad 'Abd al-Maqsud Haykal (Ahram Centre for Translation and Publishing, Taqrib al-Turath 2, Cairo, 1408 AH / 1988) , p. 28
  2. Ibn 'Ata' Allah al-Iskandari, al-Hikam al-'Ata'iyya, with the commentary of Ibn 'Abbad al-Nafzi al-Rundi, selected and studied by Muhammad 'Abd al-Maqsud Haykal (Ahram Centre for Translation and Publishing, Taqrib al-Turath 2, Cairo, 1408 AH / 1988) , p. 30
  3. Ibn 'Ata' Allah al-Iskandari, al-Hikam al-'Ata'iyya, with the commentary of Ibn 'Abbad al-Nafzi al-Rundi, selected and studied by Muhammad 'Abd al-Maqsud Haykal (Ahram Centre for Translation and Publishing, Taqrib al-Turath 2, Cairo, 1408 AH / 1988) , p. 33
  4. Ibn 'Ata' Allah al-Iskandari, al-Hikam al-'Ata'iyya, with the commentary of Ibn 'Abbad al-Nafzi al-Rundi, selected and studied by Muhammad 'Abd al-Maqsud Haykal (Ahram Centre for Translation and Publishing, Taqrib al-Turath 2, Cairo, 1408 AH / 1988) , p. 36
  5. Ibn 'Ata' Allah al-Iskandari, al-Hikam al-'Ata'iyya, with the commentary of Ibn 'Abbad al-Nafzi al-Rundi, selected and studied by Muhammad 'Abd al-Maqsud Haykal (Ahram Centre for Translation and Publishing, Taqrib al-Turath 2, Cairo, 1408 AH / 1988) , p. 27
  6. Ibn 'Ata' Allah al-Iskandari, al-Hikam al-'Ata'iyya, with the commentary of Ibn 'Abbad al-Nafzi al-Rundi, selected and studied by Muhammad 'Abd al-Maqsud Haykal (Ahram Centre for Translation and Publishing, Taqrib al-Turath 2, Cairo, 1408 AH / 1988) , p. 29
  7. Ibn 'Ata' Allah al-Iskandari, al-Hikam al-'Ata'iyya, with the commentary of Ibn 'Abbad al-Nafzi al-Rundi, selected and studied by Muhammad 'Abd al-Maqsud Haykal (Ahram Centre for Translation and Publishing, Taqrib al-Turath 2, Cairo, 1408 AH / 1988) , p. 31
  8. Ibn 'Ata' Allah al-Iskandari, al-Hikam al-'Ata'iyya, with the commentary of Ibn 'Abbad al-Nafzi al-Rundi, selected and studied by Muhammad 'Abd al-Maqsud Haykal (Ahram Centre for Translation and Publishing, Taqrib al-Turath 2, Cairo, 1408 AH / 1988) , p. 32
  9. Ibn 'Ata' Allah al-Iskandari, al-Hikam al-'Ata'iyya, with the commentary of Ibn 'Abbad al-Nafzi al-Rundi, selected and studied by Muhammad 'Abd al-Maqsud Haykal (Ahram Centre for Translation and Publishing, Taqrib al-Turath 2, Cairo, 1408 AH / 1988) , p. 34
  10. Ibn 'Ata' Allah al-Iskandari, al-Hikam al-'Ata'iyya, with the commentary of Ibn 'Abbad al-Nafzi al-Rundi, selected and studied by Muhammad 'Abd al-Maqsud Haykal (Ahram Centre for Translation and Publishing, Taqrib al-Turath 2, Cairo, 1408 AH / 1988) , p. 35
  11. Ibn 'Ata' Allah al-Iskandari, al-Hikam al-'Ata'iyya, with the commentary of Ibn 'Abbad al-Nafzi al-Rundi, selected and studied by Muhammad 'Abd al-Maqsud Haykal (Ahram Centre for Translation and Publishing, Taqrib al-Turath 2, Cairo, 1408 AH / 1988) , p. 37
Cite this page

islam.museum contributors. “Ibn 'Abbad al-Rundi”. islam.museum, https://islam.museum/en/person/ibn-abbad-al-rundi/. CC BY-SA 4.0. Last updated 2026-11-04.

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