Seerah al-Qadi al-Nu'man — Abu Hanifa al-Nu'man ibn Muhammad ibn Mansur ibn Hayyun (909-974 CE): The Greatest Fatimid Jurist and Theologian, Author of Da'a'im al-Islam (The Pillars of Islam — the Ismaili Legal Code Still Used in Dawoodi Bohra and Other Tayyibi Communities), Asas al-Ta'wil (Foundation of Ta'wil), and Ikhtilaf Usul al-Madhahib, Chief Qadi Under Four Fatimid Imams, and the Most Influential Figure in Ismaili Jurisprudence

Seerah al-Qadi al-Nu'man (سِيرَةُ القَاضِي النُّعمَان; full name: Abu Hanifa al-Nu'man ibn Muhammad ibn Mansur ibn Ahmad ibn Hayyun al-Tamimi al-Maghribi; born approximately 296 AH / 909 CE, likely in the Maghrib [North Africa]; died 363 AH / 974 CE in Cairo; he served as Chief Qadi [Qadi al-Qudah] of the Fatimid Caliphate under four consecutive Imams: al-Mahdi, al-Qa'im, al-Mansur, and al-Mu'izz; he is the most important jurist in Ismaili history; early life and conversion: al-Nu'man was originally a Maliki jurist; he converted to Ismailism and entered the service of the Fatimid Imam-Caliph al-Mahdi in Tunisia; his ascent was rapid — he became the Fatimid court's most trusted scholar; the Da'a'im al-Islam [دَعَائِمُ الإِسلَام — The Pillars of Islam]: written under the guidance of Imam al-Mu'izz; the two volumes [kitab al-tawhid / kitab al-'aql] cover the full range of Islamic legal subjects from the Ismaili perspective; volume 1: ibadat [worship — purity, prayer, alms, fasting, pilgrimage, jihad]; volume 2: mu'amalat [transactions and social relations — marriage, commerce, inheritance, criminal law]; the Da'a'im is the foundation of Ismaili/Tayyibi fiqh; it is the legal code followed by the Dawoodi Bohra, Sulaimani, Hafizi, and other Tayyibi communities to this day; the Da'a'im draws on Quranic evidence, Prophetic hadith, and the teachings of Imam 'Ali and the subsequent Imams [ahadith al-a'imma]; al-Nu'man's distinctive jurisprudential method: unlike Sunni jurisprudence which uses qiyas [analogical reasoning] as a formal legal tool, al-Nu'man rejected qiyas in favor of: [1] Quranic text; [2] Prophetic sunnah; [3] the authoritative interpretations of the Imam [ta'wil al-imam]; the Imam's living authority replaces analogical reasoning — the Imam's word is itself the authoritative source; this is what distinguishes Ismaili jurisprudence from all Sunni madhhabs; major works beyond the Da'a'im: [1] Asas al-Ta'wil [أَسَاسُ التَّأوِيل — The Foundation of Ta'wil]: a major work on Ismaili ta'wil; treats the ta'wil of prophets, revelation, and the Imam's role as the esoteric interpreter; [2] Ikhtilaf Usul al-Madhahib [اختِلَافُ أُصُولِ المَذَاهِب — The Differences Among the Roots of the Madhabs]: a polemical work criticizing Sunni jurisprudence's reliance on qiyas, ra'y [personal opinion], and ijma' [consensus] as legal sources; argues that these methods produce contradictions because they lack the living Imam's authority; [3] Iftitah al-Da'wa [اِفتِتَاحُ الدَّعوَة — The Opening of the Da'wa]: history of the early Fatimid da'wa in the Maghrib; a primary source for early Fatimid history; [4] Ta'wil al-Da'a'im [تَأوِيلُ الدَّعَائِم — The Ta'wil of the Pillars]: the esoteric interpretation of the Da'a'im's zahiri rulings; [5] Sharh al-Akhbar [شَرحُ الأَخبَار — Explanation of Reports]: a comprehensive hadith collection and commentary in three volumes; al-Nu'man and the Sessions of Wisdom [Majalis al-Hikma]: under al-Mu'izz, al-Nu'man led the Friday lectures known as majalis al-hikma [sessions of wisdom] at the Fatimid court in Cairo; these sessions transmitted Ismaili theology and ta'wil to the Fatimid elite; al-Nu'man's legacy: the Da'a'im al-Islam remains the authoritative legal text for Tayyibi Ismaili communities globally; the Dawoodi Bohra follow it as their primary fiqh reference under the authority of the Da'i al-Mutlaq; al-Nu'man is to Ismaili jurisprudence what al-Shaybani is to the Hanafi school — the systematizer who gave the tradition its enduring legal form; the Institute of Ismaili Studies has produced critical editions and translations of his major works) is Ismailism's most important jurist.