Kamal al-Din Ibn Talha

كمال الدين ابن طلحة

1186 CE · 582 AH – c. August 1254 CE · Rajab 652 AH

Aleppo

The wandering mufti and author of al-Iqd al-Farid (b. 582, d. Rajab 652 Aleppo) — in 648 his patent as vizier was drawn up; he bore the office two days, slipped away in a cotton gown leaving every dinar behind, and was never traced; earlier qadi of Nisibis and khatib of Damascus, and a versifier against astrologers' decrees 1.

Depth

At a glance

Roles
Scholar · Jurist · Vizier
Era
The Crusades, Ayyubids and Mamluks
Region
Levant & Iraq · Persia & Central Asia
Review
Draft Completeness 1/5 · Help complete it

Life in time

11501175120012251250127513001325 c. c. c. c. c.
The Buyid, Fatimid and Seljuk Era · The Crusades, Ayyubids and Mamluks · The Mongol and Post-Mongol Era Contemporaries: Abu al-Abbas al-Qurti · Abu al-Hajjaj al-Biyasi · Al-Baydawi, Abd Allah ibn Umar · al-Kamal al-Darir · Shams al-Din al-Khasruwshahi

In space

Aleppo

Map: Natural Earth, public domain · places and route from the graph

Place in the story

    sunni-shafii (transmitted)

    Roles are dated and sourced; the museum describes the act and attributes the judgement.

    Overview

    Kamal al-Din Ibn Talha, the travelling mufti, author of al-'Iqd al-farid, one of the great dignitaries and leaders; he heard al-Mu'ayyad and Zaynab al-Sha'riyya at Nishapur, read fiqh and mastered fiqh, usul and khilaf, and wrote chancery prose for kings. 1

    The flight of the vizierate

    In 648 his patent of vizierate was written; he declined and it was not accepted from him, so he held it two days, then slipped away secretly, leaving the wealth and all that was, donned a cotton garment and went — and none knew where. He had held the judgeship of Nisibis, then the khitaba of Damascus, then renounced the world, made the hajj, stayed briefly at Damascus and walked to Aleppo where he died in Rajab. His works include al-Durr al-munazzam on God's greatest name, and verses refuting the astrologers' judgment. 1

    Connections

    Explore the connections

    Died in
    Aleppo

    People and things also explored

    the Ayyubid shuffle — al-Adil to Aleppo, al-Aziz to Egypt· Al-Farabi at Sayf al-Dawla's court· al-Malik al-Ṣāliḥ moved to Aleppo — Saʿd al-Dīn Kumashtakīn seizes the regency· The exchange of Aleppo, from Mosul to Sinjar· Battle of Azaz· Byzantine capture of Aleppo· Conquest of Aleppo (15 AH)· Death of al-Malik al-Zahir of Aleppo

    Sources

    1. Shadharat al-Dhahab — Ibn al-Imad al-Hanbali , p. 267-268
    Cite this page

    islam.museum contributors. “Kamal al-Din Ibn Talha”. islam.museum, https://islam.museum/en/person/kamal-al-din-ibn-talha/. CC BY-SA 4.0. Last updated 2026-10-21.

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    Wing

    People

    Prophets, companions, scholars, rulers, scientists, poets, travelers: women and men who shaped the story.
    Related

    the Ayyubid shuffle — al-Adil to Aleppo, al-Aziz to Egypt

    Saladin moved his brother al-Adil from Egypt to govern Aleppo, and set his son al-Malik al-Aziz Uthman over Egypt in his place.