يعقوب بن كلس
يعقوب بن كلس
c. 930 CE · 318 AH – c. 991 CE · 380 AH
Wazir of the Fatimid al-Aziz; a Baghdad Jew by birth who claimed descent from Aaron — or, some said, from al-Samaw'al b. Adiya of the famous faithfulness — who learned secretarial craft at Bab al-Qazz, reached Egypt in 331 and rose from stewarding Kafur al-Ikhshidi's house to countersigning every dinar in his diwans; converted on 18 Sha'ban 356, fled Ibn al-Furat's purge to al-Mu'izz in the Maghreb, and per Ibn Zulaq was the first vizier of the Fatimid state in Egypt, taking office 18 Ramadan 368 1. He kept a Friday-night majlis where he read his own compositions to judges, jurists, qurra' and grammarians, staffed his house with Qur'an and hadith copyists, wrote a fiqh compendium from what he heard of al-Mu'izz and al-Aziz, and the Cairene quarter al-Waziriyya inside Bab Sa'ada is said to be named for his retainers 2. He died of a stroke on 5 Dhu al-Hijja 380 — shrouded in fifty cloths, mourned by a hundred poets, with al-Aziz himself riding uncanopied to pray over him 3.
At a glance
- Roles
- Vizier
- Era
- The Buyid, Fatimid and Seljuk Era
- Region
- Egypt & Nile · Levant & Iraq
- Review
- Draft Completeness 2/5 · Help complete it
Life in time
Overview
Abu al-Faraj Ya'qub ibn Yusuf ibn Ibrahim ibn Killis, vizier of al-Aziz Nizar ibn al-Mu'izz, lord of Egypt 4.
Origins
He was a Jew in origin, and it is said that he claimed to be of the descendants of Harun ibn Imran. He was born in Baghdad by the gate of al-Qazz in the year 318 AH 4 5.
His father sent him to Egypt in the year 331 AH, and he attached himself to the intimates of Kafur al-Ikhshidi, then Kafur seated him in his chancery. He became a Muslim in the year 356 AH 4.
The vizierate
When Kafur died, he was seized, and he paid money until he was released, then he joined al-Mu'izz. Ibn Khallikan transmits from Ibn Zulaq that he was the first to serve as vizier of the Fatimid state in Egypt. He was appointed vizier of al-Aziz in the year 368 AH 6.
He loved the people of learning, and arranged a council every Friday night where he read his works to the people. In his house were men who copied Qur'ans, books of hadith, jurisprudence and literature 2.
Death
He died on Sunday night, the fifth of Dhu al-Hijja in the year 380 AH. al-Aziz went out, prayed over him, wept, and attended his burial 3.
Connections
- Related to
- Al-Azhar Mosque
People and things also explored
Sources
- Wafayat al-A'yan wa-Anba' Abna' al-Zaman — Ibn Khallikan, p. 27-29
- Wafayat al-A'yan wa-Anba' Abna' al-Zaman — Ibn Khallikan, p. 29-30
- Wafayat al-A'yan wa-Anba' Abna' al-Zaman — Ibn Khallikan, p. 33-34
- Wafayat al-A'yan wa-Anba' Abna' al-Zaman — Ibn Khallikan, p. 27-28
- Wafayat al-A'yan wa-Anba' Abna' al-Zaman — Ibn Khallikan, p. 34
- Wafayat al-A'yan wa-Anba' Abna' al-Zaman — Ibn Khallikan, p. 28-29
Cite this page
islam.museum contributors. “يعقوب بن كلس”. islam.museum, https://islam.museum/en/person/yaqub-ibn-killis/. CC BY-SA 4.0. Accessed 2026-10-17.