Abu Al-‘Abbas Ahmad Ibn Muhammad Ibn Shuy’ab Al-Jaznai is a great Riffian Moroccan scholar from Taza. He excelled in various fields, from the Arabic language to medicine, through philosophy and mathematics.
He was born and raised in the city of Taza, in a family of the “Igzennayen” tribe, whose members are found mainly around Taza, and to a lesser extent not far from Nador.
Training and initiating himself in the Islamic sciences with local men of letters, his interest and his immense potential very quickly led him to move to the imperial capital Fes, where the leading authorities in every field, religious or secular, were then to be found.
There, several scholars took him on as a student. Among them we can cite the illustrious scholar Ibn Ajrum, whose work on grammar remains to this day a reference in many universities throughout the world. Under him, he studied grammar and the grammatical school of Al-Kufa.
He also took his science of hadith in the gatherings of Muhammad Ibn Rushayd, a leading figure of hadith in his time.
He likewise traveled to Ifirqya to deepen his knowledge of medicine.
The historian at the royal court, Isma’il Ibn Al-Ahmar (from an Andalusi family established in Fes), describes him in prose as having shone in language, poetry, algebra, as well as Maliki fiqh.
He says of him: " [...] despite being of Amazigh origin, he handles (Arabic) as the Arab Bedouins would, and uses surprising Arabic terms (or tools)."
Ibn Khaldoun also speaks of him as having reached an impressive level in the Arabic language, to such an extent that for him, he had attained “imamate” in Arabic prose and poetry.
His reputation for excellence reached the court of the Marinid Sultan of Morocco: Abu Sa’id Ibn Ya’qoub. He remained at the sovereign’s side as a physician and for his skills in Arabic.
He joined his Lord in 1348 (749 of the Hijra), after a life devoted to knowledge and to the service of Allah. Today, the physician’s quarter is dedicated to him in his city of Taza.
- « المنار المنيف في التعريف بعلماء الريف» by Toufiq Al-Ghalbzouri.
- «التعريف» by Ibn Khaldoun.
- «أعلامالمغرب والأندلس في القرن الثامن » by Isma’il Ibn Al-Ahmar.
