Ibn Hazm of Cordoba, علي بن أحمد بن سعيد بن حزم الأندلسي

Ibn Hazm of Cordoba, علي بن أحمد بن سعيد بن حزم الأندلسي, is most celebrated for his seminal work, 'The Ring of the Dove.' Rich in both scope and depth, his writings continue to be revered and extensively quoted, resonating within the Arab world and permeating diverse global cultures. He was a Vizier in Cordoba, following in the footsteps of his father, who also held the same esteemed position. Coming from a wealthy family that had long been loyal to the Umayyads since their time in Damascus, who supported Abdulrahman I upon his reclaim of Alandalus from the Abbasids. His family's prominence was reflected in their residence, which was situated directly across from Almansur’s (de facto ruler) palace in Cordoba, signifying their high status in Alandalus. He relinquished his viziership to dedicate himself to his interests; he was a true polymath who wrote extensively on a wide array of subjects. His son recounted that his father authored 400 books, collectively spanning some 80,000 pages. Regrettably, much like the fates of many scholars from Alandalus, his extensive works largely didn't survive. He was widely recognized in Alandalus for his sharp critiques, particularly targeting the dominant Maliki school, and he often challenged jurists throughout the Islamic world. He rejected allegorical interpretations, favoring instead a meticulous analysis rooted in grammar and syntax when reading the Qur'an and sunna. He upheld the view that true understanding could only be achieved through empirical evidence, dismissing deductive reasoning as inadequate for resolving legal and theological questions. He changed his views from following the Shafi’i doctrine to the Athahiri and in fact revised it and rewrote it. His relentless critiques of esteemed jurists led to numerous conflicts, resulting in his exile to his village in Huelva and the burning of much of his work. Fortunately, he distributed copies of his work to his students. Despite all of that, he remained a highly respected figure in his time and in history. Esteemed scholars and historians such as Ibn Khaldun, Ibn Saed Alandalusi, Ibn Hayyan, and Ibn Bashkawal frequently cited his works. Ibn Hazm was celebrated for his quick and witty creation of poetic verses, a skill that, alongside his extraordinary memory, earned him widespread admiration. Most interestingly, his contributions to genealogy remain a cornerstone of scholarly reference. Despite being of Persian descent, he became the foremost authority on Arab genealogy, an achievement that is somewhat unexpected. He passionately discussed the science of genealogy in his writings, emphasizing its significance in Islam and generally and criticizing those who ignore it as ignorant. He shared an instance from his time as a vizier, where he awarded an inheritance to a man unaware of his rightful claim and only because he was knowledgable of his tribe branches. His book primarily catalogs Arab tribes, lineage, and their migrations, covering 90% of its content, while the remainder details the minorities in Alandalus, like the Amazigh (Berber) and Jewish families. Despite the common orientalist narrative that portrays Arabs as a ruling minority imposing their culture on a predominantly non-Arab population, this perspective is both biased and illogical. A minority could not exert such profound and lasting influence on language, architecture, administration, and culture. Furthermore, primary sources from the Alandalus period clearly contradict this view. This illustrates the saying that "history is written by the victors." It highlights the crucial importance of documenting one's own history and presence. If Alandalus authors had not recorded their realities, we might never have realized the inaccuracies of the orientalist narrative. This lesson is still relevant today, as we observe how narratives can be distorted.