Sidi Mahrez
Tunisian wali
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Sidi Mahrez ben Khalaf or Abu Mohamed Mahrez ben Khalaf ben Zayn (Arabic: سيدي محرز بن خلف; 951–1022) was a Tunisian Wali, scholar of the Maliki school of jurisprudence and a Qadi. He is considered to be the patron-saint of the city of Tunis.
Sidi Mahrez ben Khalaf سيدي محرز بن خلف | |
|---|---|
Mosque and Mausoleum of Sidi Mahrez in 1899 | |
| Personal life | |
| Born | 951 |
| Died | 1022 Tunis |
| Resting place | Sidi Mahrez Mausoleum |
| Religious life | |
| Religion | Islam |
| Denomination | Sunni |
| Jurisprudence | Maliki |
| Creed | Ash'ari |
| Muslim leader | |
Influenced by
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Influenced | |
Life
He was born in Ariana to a father of Arab origin who traced his lineage to Abu Bakr.[1] He studied in Kairouan and then in Fatimid-Egypt and became a teacher of Maliki jurisprudence upon his return. At the age of 57, he left his home-town (Ariana) and went into seclusion in Carthage. In c. 1014 he settled in Tunis, in a house in Bab Souika, which would become his mausoleum and later the Sidi Mahrez Mosque.[2]
He proposed to his teacher Ibn Abi Zayd al-Qayrawani (922 – 996 CE) to write a aqidah and fiqh education book, and his proposal was concretised under the title Risala fiqhiya.[3]