Najm al-Din Abu'l-Barakat Muhammad ibn al-Muwaffaq ibn Sa'id ibn Ali ibn al-Hasan ibn Abdallah al-Khabushani was a Shafi'i jurist ( faqih) of Persian origin who was active in Egypt.

According to Ibn Khallikan, he was born on 13 Rajab 510 AH (21 November 1116) in the environs of Khabushan (modern Quchan). ^[1] He studied jurisprudence under Muhammad ibn Yahya al-Janzi. ^[1] He settled in Fustat, Egypt, then ruled by the Isma'ili Shi'a Fatimid Caliphate. There he lived as an ascetic. ^[2] When Saladin became vizier of the Fatimid Caliphate, Najm al-Din rose in his favour and became his close friend and advisor. ^{[1] [2]} He was among the chief proponents of a juridical opinion that urged Saladin to depose and even execute the last Fatimid caliph, al-Adid, on account of his heretical beliefs and those of his family. ^{[3] [2]}

On Najm al-Din's advice, Saladin opened a Shafi'i law college in the area of al-Qarafah, next to the tomb of the school's founder, al-Shafi'i. When the building was completed in 1176/7, Najm al-Din became the college's first director. ^{[1] [2]} His fame exceeded Egypt and reached even al-Andalus, as the Andalusi traveller Ibn Jubayr went to receive his blessing during his visit to Fustat. ^[4] Najm al-Din died on 12 Dhu'l-Qa'dah 587 AH (1 December 1191) and was buried at the foot of the tomb of al-Shafi'i. ^[1]

References

Sources

• Ibn Khallikan (1843). Ibn Khallikan's Biographical Dictionary, Translated from the Arabic. Vol. II. Translated by Baron Mac Guckin de Slane. Paris: Oriental Translation Fund of Great Britain and Ireland. OCLC  832287342.
• Lev, Yaacov (1999). Saladin in Egypt. Leiden: Brill. ISBN  90-04-11221-9.