Sayf al-Din al-Amidi
1156 CE–1233 CE · Baghdad
Sayf al-Din al-Amidi (Ali ibn Abi Ali al-Amidi) was a Sunni theologian and legal theorist, remembered above all for systematizing kalam — speculative or "dialectical" theology — in close engagement with the philosophy of Avicenna (Ibn Sina). Born in 551 AH / 1156 CE in Amid (modern Diyarbakir), he is reported to have first studied under Hanbali teachers, then, after moving to Baghdad, to have aligned himself with the Shafi'i school of law and with Ash'ari theology, while also immersing himself in philosophy and logic.
His command of the "rational sciences" brought fame but also suspicion. As a professor in Egypt (attested from 592 AH / 1195-6 CE), he was accused of heresy by opponents who distrusted philosophy. He fled to Hama (615/1218-9) to serve the Ayyubid ruler al-Malik al-Mansur, then was called to Damascus (617/1220-1) to head the Aziziyya madrasa. After 626/1229 a later Ayyubid, al-Malik al-Ashraf, removed him from that chair, reportedly for teaching "the philosophy and sciences of the Ancients." He died in Damascus in Safar 631 / November 1233.
His two most influential books are Abkar al-afkar fi usul al-din, a large work of theology, and al-Ihkam fi usul al-ahkam, on the principles of jurisprudence (usul al-fiqh). Whether his rationalist method made him a renewer of Ash'ari thought or a figure too close to falsafa (Greek-derived philosophy) was debated in his lifetime and after — a judgment that depends on the school assessing him.
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BaghdadIraq
What they did here
In Baghdad he deepened his study of law and theology and is reported to have aligned himself with the Shafi'i school and Ash'ari kalam, while also taking up philosophy and logic. The Encyclopaedia of Islam states he 'passed into the ranks of the Shafi'ites' here; the exact years are not fixed in the sources.
About Baghdad
Major Mizrahi center; home of Yosef Hayyim (Ben Ish Chai).
Across the traditions, in Baghdad at the same time
In the same place & time
Sages whose lives overlapped with Sayf al-Din al-Amidi’s in the same cities, drawn from their recorded journeys.
Across the traditions
The world in their lifetime
Thinkers, teachers, and rulers whose lives overlapped with Sayf al-Din al-Amidi’s — a glimpse of the wider world they lived in. Drawn purely from recorded birth and death years.
Islamic world
- Ibn al-Jawzi· 1116 CE–1201 CE
- Ibn Rushd· 1126 CE–1198 CE
- al-Marghinani· 1135 CE–1197 CE
- Al-Jazari· 1136 CE–1206 CE
- Nizami Ganjavi· 1141 CE–1209 CE
- Mu'in al-Din Chishti· 1142 CE–1236 CE
- al-Shatibi (al-Qasim ibn Firruh)· 1144 CE–1194 CE
- Abu Hafs Umar al-Suhrawardi· 1145 CE–1234 CE
- Shihab al-Din Umar al-Suhrawardi· 1145 CE–1234 CE
- Attar of Nishapur· 1145 CE–1221 CE
- Najm al-Din Kubra· 1145 CE–1221 CE
- Abd al-Ghani al-Maqdisi· 1146 CE–1203 CE
- Ibn Qudama· 1147 CE–1223 CE
- Fakhr al-Din al-Razi· 1149 CE–1210 CE
- al-Suhrawardi al-Maqtul· 1154 CE–1191 CE
- al-Amidi· 1156 CE–1233 CE
- Ibn al-Athir· 1160 CE–1233 CE
- Ibn Arabi· 1165 CE–1240 CE
- Yaqut al-Hamawi· 1179 CE–1229 CE
- Ibn al-Farid· 1181 CE–1235 CE
- Ibn al-Salah al-Shahrazuri· 1181 CE–1245 CE
- al-Mundhiri· 1185 CE–1258 CE
- Abu al-Hasan al-Shadhili· 1196 CE–1258 CE
- Ibn al-Baytar· 1197 CE–1248 CE
Christian world
Jewish world
Buddhist world
Scientists
Luminaries & Explorers world
Rulers world
- Genghis Khan· 1162 CE–1227 CE
- Az-Zahir Ghazi· 1172 CE–1216 CE
- Al-Afdal ibn Salah ad-Din· 1169 CE–1225 CE
- al-Nasir· 1158 CE–1225 CE
- Iltutmish· –1236 CE
- Al-Mu'azzam Isa· 1176 CE–1227 CE
- Razia Sultana· –1240 CE
- Isaac II Angelos· 1156 CE–1204 CE
- Prithviraj Chauhan· 1166 CE–1192 CE
- Ögedei Khan· 1186 CE–1241 CE
- Muhammad of Ghor· 1144 CE–1206 CE
- Qutb ud-Din Aibak· –1210 CE
- Minamoto no Yoritomo· 1147 CE–1199 CE
- Ghiyath ad-Din Muhammad· 1140 CE–1203 CE
Works
No works attributed in the corpus yet.