The Life of Fātimah as-Samarqandiy / فَاطِمَةُ السَّمَرْقَنْدِيُّ

Fātimah as-Samarqandiy / فَاطِمَةُ السَّمَرْقَنْدِيُّ was born in the 12th century CE (roughly 540-550 AH) in Samarqand (modern-day Uzbekistān). Her exact date of birth is unknown. She was a muftiyah. 

Samarqand at a Glance 

Samarqand is an important city. It is the third-largest city in Uzbekistān. It has always been a major city historically because it sits on the Silk Route which goes from east to west. 

According to UNESCO, Samarqand was a very prominent city at the crossroads of culture. It has been inhabited for more than 40,000 years. 

Since it was on the silk route, a lot of trade happening meant there were a lot of different cultures and items from the east to the west. There was religious diversity since it existed for 40,000 years, it was home to all sorts of religions, including Islām, Zoroastrianism, Hinduism, Judaism, and Christianity. This was during ‘Abbāsid rule and Islām spread to this area during the ‘Abbāsid rule. After the ‘Abbāsids spread Islām here, it became a dominant religion in Samarqand. 

One of the ‘Abbāsid rulers captured these two Chinese spies and from these prisoners, they learned the technique of making paper. The first paper mill was established in Samarqand. Before that, they used to write on animal skins, etc. 

Just like how the Mongols destroyed Baghdād, so too was Samarqand. They were coming from up north downwards and whatever came in their pathway they destroyed. In 1080 CE, the Mongols had destroyed Samarqand. After rebuilding, Timur (known as “Tamerlane” by orientalists) made this city his capital in 1360 CE and it became a hub of culture and diversity again.

Samarqand was the seat of renowned scholars, Islāmic sciences, art and culture. In all this rich culture of ‘ilm was Fātimah as-Samarqandiy and she can be called a remarkable scholar of her time.

The Life of Fātimah as-Samarqandiy

She was born 500 years after the demise of Nabiy Muhammad صلى الله عليه وسلم. She was born and raised in a pious household. Her father was a famous scholar and muftī of Hanafiy fiqh in Samarqand. His name was Muhammad ibn Ahmad as-Samarqandiy. He was known for his piety. He had devoted his entire life to learning the Dīn and teaching it to people. 

Due to her father’s massive halaqahs, she became exposed to ‘ilm from a very early age. She was constantly in its presence due to these halaqahs. Fātimah did not sit with the males but in the house absorbing all that was happening. She picked up a lot of fiqh through this. She was familiar with Islāmic jurisprudence, Qur’ān and Hadīth. When her father saw she was very keen and good at it, he sent her to other scholars to learn Qur’ān, Hadīth and fiqh. From a very young age, she learnt Hanafiy fiqh under the tutelage of her father. 

Anytime a person would bring their mas’alah to her father, he would make her sit with him so when he responded she knew how to respond and give fatāwā. He made her listen from a very young age. Fātimah possessed such precise memory that her father would consult her opinion before giving a fatwā and they both shared signatures i.e. her father put her name next to his at the end of the fatwā, endorsing her. 

When she reached the age of marriage, she had many nice proposals for her from the rich, wealthy and powerful. However, her father considered what he wanted for his daughter. He had written a book called Tuhfah tul-Fuqahā’ and one of his students, Abū Bakr ibn Mas’ūd al-Kasāniy, wrote a commentary on it called Badā’i us-Sanā’i. When Abū Bakr ibn Mas’ūd al-Kasāniy presented the commentary to his teacher, Muhammad ibn Ahmad thought to give his daughter’s hand in marriage to him. Disregarding all the other proposals, he married Fātimah to Abū Bakr. Her mahr became the dedication of his 8-volume book Badā’i us-Sanā’i. 

Thus, she married her father’s student. She lived with her father and her husband in the same house and they became a trio in issuing fatāwā in Samarqand. Whenever a mas’alah came to them, all three discussed the ruling(s) and signed their names at the end of the answer. 

After the death of her father, Fātimah and her husband moved away to Aleppo, Syria and they had a house next to the Umayyad Masjid. She taught in the Umayyad Masjid in Aleppo. She continued teaching along with her husband. Her husband used to teach outside and she used to teach inside her home. Once while her husband was teaching outside, she overheard him teaching and making a mistake. She corrected him from inside the house and he gladly fixed the mistake.

Like in Samarqand, she and her husband also became popular in the Shām area.

Talents

• She had a very precise memory of fiqh, Qur’ān and Hadīth and gave fatāwā. People accepted her fatāwā, which shows she was accepted as an authority. 
• She was a calligrapher. She hand-wrote every fatwā herself and signed the fatāwā in beautiful handwriting. She was an artist of her time. 
• She was known for being charitable. Once in Ramadhān, she felt the need to donate so she took out her bracelets/bangles and donated them towards sponsoring the fuqahā’ of her time. She was known for her generosity and taking care of fuqahā’. The tradition of sponsoring students/scholars of ‘ilm came from her. 
• She was a counsellor. Aleppo was close to Damascus, so she and her husband were a private/personal counsellor to Nūr ud-Dīn Zengi and Salāh ud-Dīn al-Ayyūbiy. 

Her Demise

Perhaps due to homesickness, she wanted to move/live in Samarqand again but Nūr ud-Dīn Zengi pointed out how they could leave them when there was turmoil in Damascus and a lack of knowledge in Damascus. Samarqand already had many scholars, so Nūr ud-Dīn insisted they stay back. He managed to convince them. However, shortly after this, she passed away. Thus, her grave is in Aleppo. Her cause of death is unknown. Her estimated date of death is 1185 AH. 

Aboo Bakr al-Kasāniy continued to teach and learn after her. Every evening after ‘Asr, he used to visit her grave and cry. Her husband long after her and carried on her legacy of giving fatāwā. 

Her fatāwā are buried in libraries or they may have been destroyed due to wars or destroyed due to arrogance or ignorance of people due to her being a woman. Allāh knows best. Even when she moved to Damascus, people did not want to give her any credit because she was a female but later when they found out she was the daughter of a famous shaykh and saw her ‘ilm/work, they started accepting her and her husband.

(May Allāh The Exalted have mercy on all of them) رحمهم الله تعالى

Note from the author: I have shared my notes on what was taught to me by my reputable teachers as a student of the deen (religion) Islam. All thanks to Allah, the Most High. Any mistake, misuse, or misinterpretation of the teachings would be entirely due to my lack of knowledge. If you have any questions or concerns about these notes, please feel free to leave a comment below or reach me privately through my blog here or @hadithexplained on Twitter.