At a glance
- Roles
- Jurist · judge · Scholar
- Era
- Abbasid Fragmentation
- Region
- Levant & Iraq · Persia & Central Asia
- Review
- Draft Completeness 2/5 · Help complete it
Life in time
Summary
Abu al-Saʾib ʿUtba ibn ʿUbayd Allah ibn Musa al-Hamadhani (264–350 AH), chief judge of Baghdad under the caliphs al-Mustakfi and al-Muti. 1
From asceticism to judgeship
His father, ʿUbayd Allah, was a merchant of quiet piety who led the people of Hamadhan in prayer in their mosque for more than thirty years. Abu al-Saʾib grew up seeking knowledge. At first the science of Sufism and an inclination toward the ascetics dominated him. Then he left his town, met scholars, devoted himself to understanding the Qur'an and the books of hadith, and studied jurisprudence in the Shafiʿi school. 2
Appointments
His travels brought him to the notice of the amir Abu al-Qasim ibn Abi al-Saj, who appointed him judge of Maragha. He then took charge of all of Azerbaijan along with Maragha, and then of Hamadhan. He returned to Baghdad and held important offices in Kufa, Diyar Mudar, al-Ahwaz, the imamate of al-Jabal and part of al-Sawad, until he was appointed chief judge in Rajab 338 AH. He died in Rabiʿ II 350 AH and was buried in his house in Suq Yahya. 3
People and things also explored
Ahliyya (legal capacity: to have rights and duties, and to act; its stages from the womb to full maturity, and what impairs it)· Democracy and the Sharia — compatibility and conflict· Fatwa on the satellite channels — its benefit and harm· Secularism and Islam — conflict or concord· Stoning (rajm) as a penalty for zina· Allusion to a proposal during the waiting period· Aman (safe-conduct granted to enemies in war)· Amana (trust, deposit and what is entrusted)
Sources
- al-Muntazam fi Tarikh al-Muluk wa'l-Umam — Ibn al-Jawzi , j.7 p.9-11
- al-Muntazam fi Tarikh al-Muluk wa'l-Umam — Ibn al-Jawzi , j.7 p.9-10
- al-Muntazam fi Tarikh al-Muluk wa'l-Umam — Ibn al-Jawzi , j.7 p.10
Cite this page
islam.museum contributors. “Abu'l-Sa'ib 'Utba al-Hamadhani”. islam.museum, https://islam.museum/en/person/abu-al-saib-utba-hamadhani/. CC BY-SA 4.0. Last updated 2026-10-21.