Abu Bakr al-Turtushi facts for kids

Abu Bakr Muhammad at-Turtushi (Arabic: ابو بكر محمد بن الولid الطرطوشي‎) was an important thinker from Al-Andalus (which is now Spain) in the 11th and 12th centuries. He was born in 1059 CE and passed away in 1126 CE. People often called him At-Turtushi. He was known for his ideas about how leaders should govern.

His most famous book, Kitāb Sirāj al-Mulūk, which means The Lamp of Kings, was a very important work about political ideas in the medieval Islamic world. At-Turtushi was also a skilled jurist, meaning he was an expert in Islamic law, following the Maliki school of thought.

His Life and Journeys

Abu Bakr was born in a city called Tortosa in 1059. This was in the northern part of Al-Andalus, near the Ebro Delta. At that time, Al-Andalus was divided into many smaller kingdoms called taifas.

He began his studies in Zaragoza, where he learned from a famous scholar named Abu al-Walid al-Baji. While in Spain, he also studied the writings of Ibn Hazm, another brilliant scholar who wrote about many different subjects, including philosophy and politics.

At-Turtushi loved to learn, so he traveled far and wide to meet different scholars across the Muslim world. He went as far east as Baghdad. On his way, he visited cities like Damascus, Aleppo, and Cairo. He eventually settled in Alexandria, which was part of the Fatimid Caliphate in Egypt. There, he taught at a special school called a madrassa.

At-Turtushi had strong disagreements with the Ismaili way of thinking that the Fatimid rulers in Egypt followed. He also gave a religious opinion, called a fatwa, to Yusuf Ibn Tashfin. Yusuf Ibn Tashfin was the ruler of the Almoravid empire, which included Muslim Spain. This fatwa allowed Yusuf Ibn Tashfin to take control of the divided Taifa kingdoms in Spain.

His most famous book, Siraj al-Muluk (The Lamp of Kings), is a key text about how kings and leaders should rule.

See also

In Spanish: Al-Turtusí para niños

• List of Ash'aris and Maturidis