Muslims from al-Andalus in the madrasas of late Fāṭimid and Aiyūbid Egypt

Abstract

This article describes the role of Muslims from al-Andalus in the early development and the subsequent pedagogical function of the madrasas (Islamic colleges of law) in Egypt from the late Fāṭimid period (495-567/1101-1171) to the end of the Aiyūbid era (567-648/1101-1250). This role is connected with the riḥla, the travel of Andalusīs to the Islamic East for the sake of learning. This article begins with a brief overview of the status of the law schools {madhhabs) in Egypt under the Fāṭimids. This is followed by an account of Andalusîs in the madrasa movement in Alexandria under Fāṭimid rule and then in the spread of this institution to Fuṣtāt, Cairo and elsewhere in Egypt under Saladin and his Aiyūbid successors. The presence of Andalusīs in all the leading Mālikī madrasas highlights their contribution to orthodoxy in general in Egypt and to its Mālikī community in particular.