Nizamiyya of Baghdad

Nizamiyya of Baghdad
Arabic: المدرسة النظامية في بغداد
TypeNizamiyya (madrasa)
Active1065 (1065)–around 1258 (destroyed during the Sack of Baghdad)
FounderNizam al-Mulk
HeadAhmad Ghazali (approx. 12th century)
Academic staff
Abu Ishaq al-Shirazi; al-Ghazali; Ibn al-Sabbagh; al-Kiya al-Harrasi; others
Studentsapproximately 3,000 (circa 1096)
Location
Baghdad, Abbasid Caliphate (modern-day Iraq)
CampusUrban, lecture halls and arcaded courtyards, library
CurriculumIslamic law (Shafi‘i), theology (Ash‘ari), literature, arithmetic; later expanded to include history, mathematics, physical sciences, music
Notable alumni/affiliatesIbn Tumart; Muhammad al-Shahrastani; Baha ad-Din ibn Shaddad; Imad ad-Din al-Isfahani; Saadi Shirazi

The Nizamiyya of Baghdad[1][a] or the Baghdad Nizamiyya,[2] also known as the Nizamian college of Baghdad[3] (Arabic: المدرسة النظامية في بغداد, romanized: al-Madrasa n-Niẓāmiyya fī Baġdād, lit. 'the Nizamian school in Baghdad'), was one of the first Nizamiyyas,[4] established in 1065 in Baghdad. The Nizamiyya of Baghdad was considered among the most important and prestigious educational institutions of the Abbasid era, alongside the Mustansiriyya Madrasa. It has been described as the "largest university of the Medieval world."[5] The Nizamiyya school was completely Shafi'i. One of its requirements was that all teachers, preachers, and librarians be Shafi'i in jurisprudence and Ash'ari in theology. This school was home to prominent Shafi'i jurists including Abu Ishaq al-Shirazi, Ibn al-Sabbagh, Abu Sa'ad al-Mutawalli, Abu Hamid al-Ghazali, and al-Kiya al-Harrasi.[6][7]

In July 1091, Nizam al-Mulk appointed the 33-year-old al-Ghazali as a professor of the school.[8] Offering free education,[9] Ibn Tumart, founder of the Berber Almohad dynasty, reputedly attended the school and studied under al-Kiya al-Harrasi.[10][11] Nizam al-Mulk's son-in-law Muqatil ibn Atiyah was also employed by the school. In 1096, when al-Ghazali left the Nizamiyya, it housed 3,000 students.[12] In 1116, Muhammad al-Shahrastani taught at the Nizamiyya.[13] In the 1170s, statesman Baha ad-Din ibn Shaddad taught at the Nizamiyya, before he moved on to teach in Mosul, while Imad ad-Din al-Isfahani studied there in the late 12th century. Others affiliated with the Nizamiyya of Baghdad include Asad Mayhani, Ayn al-Quzat Hamadani and al-Janzi.

The Persian poet Saadi Shirazi studied at the Nizamiyya during the early 13th century, when he set out on a journey. He was also among those who witnessed first-hand accounts of its destruction by Mongol Ilkhanate invaders led by Hulagu during the Sack of Baghdad in 1258. He recalls his days of studies at the Nizamiyya of Baghdad: "A fellow-student at Nizamiah displayed malevolence towards me, and I informed my tutor, saying 'Whenever I give more proper answers than he, the envious fellow becomes offended.' The professor replied, 'The envy of thy friend is not agreeable to thee, but I know not who told thee that back-biting was commendable. If he seek perdition through the path of envy, thou wilt join him by the path of slander.'"

The curriculum initially focused on religious studies, Islamic law, Arabic literature, and arithmetic, and later extended to history, mathematics, the physical sciences, and music.[14]

See also

Notes

  1. ^ Less commonly al-Nizamiyya of Baghdad.

References

  1. ^ The Princeton Encyclopedia of Islamic Political Thought. 2013. p. 394.
  2. ^ The Princeton Encyclopedia of Islamic Political Thought. 2013. p. 394.
  3. ^ Biographical Notices of Persian Poets. 1846. p. 7.
  4. ^ Al-Ahram Weekly | Baghdad Supplement | They came to Baghdad : Its famous names Archived 2007-04-17 at the Wayback Machine
  5. ^ Kerski, Joseph J. (17 October 2016). Interpreting Our World - 100 Discoveries That Revolutionized Geography. Bloomsbury Publishing. ISBN 9798216104148.
  6. ^ al-Bayati, Tahir (8 September 2014). English in a simplified way. AuthorHouse. ISBN 9781491857649.
  7. ^ Youssef Al-Hazimari. "The biography of Imam Abu Ishaq al-Shirazi". Muhammadiya Association of Scholars (al-Rabita al-Muhammadiyya lil-'Ulamā' in Morocco).{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: deprecated archival service (link)
  8. ^ Ghazali
  9. ^ Black, A. A History of Islamic Political Thought – From the Prophet to the Present. Cambridge: Edinburgh University Press, 2001.
  10. ^ "Welcome | Religious Studies" (PDF).
  11. ^ Sharīf, Wilyam (2010). The Dearest Quest: A Biography of Ibn Tumart. Lulu Press. pp. 66–67. ISBN 9781445278254.
  12. ^ "Fastupdate sheet". www.ghazali.org. Retrieved 2017-09-13.
  13. ^ "Shahrastani". www.muslimphilosophy.com. Retrieved 18 March 2023.
  14. ^ B.G. Massialas & S.A. Jarrar (1987), "Conflicts in education in the Arab world: The present challenge", Arab Studies Quarterly: "Subjects such as history, mathematics, physical sciences, and music were added to the curriculum of Al-Nizamiyah at a later time."

Bibliography

  • Makdisi, George: "Madrasa and University in the Middle Ages", Studia Islamica, No. 32 (1970), pp. 255–264


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