For those who are interested in the French article about Qadi Numan, the great Ismaili jurist during the Fatimid period, that appears in the Recent News section. The following is a raw, unedited and computer generated translation. It gives a sense of what it is about. That he was a great judge who served 4 caliphs, he respected pluralism etc. It also discusses the background to the rise of the Fatimids.
The Big Mosque of Mahdia http://www.realites.com.tn/index1.php?m ... 2&a=detail Realité Online, Tunisia 24-04-2004
The big Tunisian magistrates: II/ CADHI NOOMAN (896-974) - L’exception chiite. By Master Sami Mahbouli
After s’être delayed on the role of l’imam Sahnoun in l’affirmation of the malékisme in Tunisia, a non one less prestigious magistrate, Cadhi Nooman, deserves evoked d’être.
This eminent lawyer of the 10th century served four successive monarchs, finding nénanmoins the time to compose a group of twenty d’ouvrages. Thanks to this legs, the historians gleaned precious information on the alone dynasty chiite that reigned in Tunisia: the Fatimides.
L’antagonisme between Sunnites and Chiites n’était not perceived by Cadhi Nooman as irréductible, so well qu’il will consecrate patient efforts to reconcile the principles peculiar to cex two big families of l’Islam.
L’Imam... unexpected
How imagine an alone instant qu’un missionary chiite d’origine yéménite would be able to sweep an old dynasty of 100 years.
According Abou Abdallah chooses to follow the pélerins of the berber tribe Kutama in their fief of the central Maghreb, any does not doubt itself that this fearsome preacher stroke the project insencé d’installer on the holds court l’Ifrikia Obeid Allah, a descendant d’Ali, the gendre of the Prophet Mohammed. What of controversies on exact l’origine of Obeid Allah; the most excessive ones some do even a Jew of which the father s’appellerait Mimoun Ben Dissan.
Abou Abdallah claims from itself l’Ismaëlisme, a sect chiite minority diverting from 7th descendant of Ali and Fatima, l’imam Ismaël, these days this belief exists in countries druze and among the faithful ones of l’Agha Khan.
Some mounds to l’oppression of the strength abasside, the Ismaëliens, to l’instar of the other Chiites, take refuge themselves in the clandestinité.
Of Koufa in Iraq, excited missionaries shed themselves in the Arabic World for there to announce the coming of redemptive Mahdi.
Thanks to the valeureux warriors Kutamas, Abou Abdallah launches a military campaign squarely cœur of the Maghreb; l’émirat aghlabite, sure of his power, not s’émeut hardly of the gesticulations of this excited one. Some years later, Abou Abdallah crushes the armies aghlabites to Arbous. For Zyadat Allah Ibn Aghlab, l’heure d’un humiliating exile in Egypt rang.
Abou Abdllah triumphantly returns to Kairouan and s’installe March 25 909 to the Palace of Rakkada. Obeid Allah Mahdi henceforth can leave Sijilmassa where it found refuge to regain Kairouan where Abou Abdallah offers him a kingdom. His first gesture will be d’assassiner Abou Abdallah and his brother Abou Abbès, as for more better to mean l’indivisibilité of his strength.
Thus begins this qu’on could qualify «l’exception chiite», to know a period of more one than 60 years during which the strength in Tunisia, does exceptional in countries deeply sunnite, belongs to a dynasty chiite. Cadhi Nooman holds in this unique historic parenthesis a place of first plan.
One is unaware of almost all of the birth of Abou Hanifa Nooman. One s’accorde to say qu’il was born in 896 to Kairouan in an obtained family to the Chiisme before same l’arrivée of the Fatimides. Well that very minority, the Chiisme always existed in Ifrikiaa, old name of the Tunisia. The missionaries chiites such as Abou Sofiane and Halwani foamed the Maghreb as early as the 9È century.
Formed by the Ulémas of Kairouan, Abou Hanifa Nooman enters in 924 in l’administration fatimide and exactly to the Diwan of the letters. Modest D’apparence, this function has l’avantage to familiarize it to the mysteries of the strength.
It is necessary to await the third Caliph fatimide, Mansour, to see Cadhi Nooman to kiss the judiciary. His judicial apprenticeship is done to Tripoli, then province of l’Ifrikia. It next is recalled to Mansouria, the new capital founded by the Caliph Mansour to proximity of Mahdia.
His nomination as Big Cadhi () the surprise himself: the here to the summit of the judicial hierarchy and by there even one of the higher dignitaries of the Course fatimide.
The granting of the Big Cadhi are considerable: it in charge of designating the judges in all the provinces of the vast empire fatimide and notably in Arabic Sicile since the environment of the 9ÉME century. To this title, it is empowered to check l’activité of the governors and to punish to the need all the abuses of the local strength. In contrast to the period aghlabite. But the strength fatimide assigns to Cadhi Nooman an essential mission: to be the doctrinaire one system fatimide.
Its knowledge in right chiite some do the most brilliant propagandist of faith ismaélienne. These works stretch to broadcast the principles chiites and notably to popularize them in works within reach of all: The book of the Dinar, true doctrine treaty chiite some is a perfect example.
This task n’est not of all rest for the Tunisian population remains very attached to the sunnisme and in particular to the malékisme and sees with suspicion l’action prosélyte conducted by Cadhi Nooman. The scholars malékites of clung ones to Kairouan to l’enseignement of l’Imam Sahnoun, fight this qu’ils judge a pure hérésie with the weapons of l’esprit but sometimes equally to the price of their life. The martyrs of the cause sunnite are numerous; Ibn Abi Zid, big scholar kairouanais of the 10ÉME century, itself done l’écho of the exactions committed by the chiites: Ibn Khairoun, Ibn Houdhail, Abou Jaafar Maafir are among the victims the more known of this religious intolerance.
This hostility does not disarm for as much Cadhi Nooman of which the work d’initiation to the dogmas of the chiisme continues to the taste of the preach on friday and in its books. It becomes one of the undisputed masters of the science of the specific Batin to the Chiites to know the research of the hidden direction of the versets of the Koran.
Cadhi Nooman will put as much d’ardeur in the placement some places dune justice respected. It will return its decisions d’abord in the patio of the palace of Mansouria. But the crowd that presses itself on the markets of the palace ends up to indispose the future Caliph Moez; a court spacieux will be erected outside of the royal Palace.
The competence field of Cadhi Nooman recovers the questions touching on the successions and to the right of the family usually. On the other hand the questions that raise Awkaf or of Beit Al Poorly are excluded from his ray d’intervention.
Cadi Nooman establishes, besides, the function of the judge of the souks, in charge of watching to the good functioning of the markets, to the prices of the commodities and to the respect of the municipal regulations.
D’un not at all of definite view, the judge chiite does not differ any his counterpart sunnite: it is deprived assistants and of all pomp; it applies equally a simplified procedure in the treatment of the matters. Alone notorious differences: his role regarding prosélytisme nonexistent religious with the judge sunnite and his statute of official d’Etat.
It is necessary to keep himself to take for cash l’oppression exercised by the Chiites on the Sunnites during the reign Fatimide: she often was exaggerated by the Tunisian historians, according to Farhat Dachraoui, considering their aversion of the Chiisme. In any case Cadhi Nooman n’a never accused summer d’user of the constraint in religious matter.
Conscious of l’enracinement of the malékisme in north african earth, it veillera to preserve to the religious sunnites all their weight, in particular to Kairouan where the Cadhi always will be chosen among the Sunnites.
L’hagiographe of the Kings
Behind the big magistrate hides himself a historian refined; in fact, thanks to the numerous works that we will leave Cadhi Nooman, dynasty fatimide more better is known.
From the viewpoint of the chronic historic one, Cadhi Nooman consecrates long developments to l’insurrection d’Abou Yazid; this Berber of the tribe zénète, obscure master d’école to Tozeur, his natal city, goes during more dune decade to give shivers to the Fatimides; perched on a donkey, it sows l’épouvante through the country; it besieges Mahdia during months and pillages the principal Tunisia cities. Well that Kharijite, tendency Nakara, Abou Yazid is supported by the in a hurry Sunnites to rid in power hérétiques. The exactions and the horrors that commit the men d’Abou Yazid finish by him to alienate the sympathy of the masses sunnites. In 947, it falls in battle and his stuffed one with straw body will be exposed on the walls of Mahdia. L’insurrection lived and the kharijisme will be almost éradiqué of the Tunisia.
In this fight against Abou Yazid, a berber tribe all devoted one to the masters of Mahdia begins replacing the one of the Kutamas in the cœur of the fatimides: the Sanhajas.
Mansour, the victorious caliph, n’a more nothing to fear to l’intérieur of its borders; the time of the conquest can begin…
Cadhi Nooman relates us abundantly the expansionist gesture of the Fatimides. Conquest thirst of the 4th Caliph fatimide, Moez, that starts his reign in 953, is seizing.
Cadhi Nooman does not conceal an admiration without limit for this conquering doubled d’un man of letters.
To no moment l’histoire the Tunisia transcended so clearly his geography. Moez Secure Din Allah El Fatimi will reign without divides Fès to Damask.
Cadhi Nooman delivers us precious considerations on the rivalry that opposes the Caliph Moez to the Caliphs of Baghdad and of Cordoue. In fact, the caliph Moez posts his contempt for those qu’il judges usurpers. In so as descending Prophet and of Fatma his girl, it estimates qu’il is the alone worthy one to guide l’Umma.
This rivalry will take quickly a belligerent turn: Moez attacks on earth and sea the Andalusian ones: the harbor d’Alméria is destroyed by the floats fatimide, the slaves of the Andalusian ones to Morocco are annihilated.
The Caliph of Cordoue will not be done for lack of react while attacking the Tunisian coasts and notably Tabarka and Sousse. To l’Est, the armies of Moez threaten l’Egypte and the slaves of the Abassides, the Ichkidiens.
For as much, The Caliph Moez not dédaigne the holy war and undoes definitively the Byzantine ones in Sicile and in Calabre; Taormine, last Christian bastion in Sicile, falls and is baptized Moezia in l’honneur of the Caliph Moez.
The Caliph Moez will equally lend strong hand to Arabic dynasty of the Balouti in Crète and that the Byzantine ones want to oust l’île.
But l’Egypte is the earth the more coveted one by the Caliph fatimide. Moez understood that the Chiisme always will be considered as a hérésie in north african earth and qu’il would be necessary to transfer itself sooner or later to the Machrek. C’est of the less l’avis of Abdallah Laroui, the Moroccan thinker, in his work devoted to l’histoire of the Maghreb.
El Jawhar El Sikilli will realize the dream of Moez in 969: the troops fatimides returns to Fustat and jostle the guard Ichkidienne. Three years later the caliph El Moez leaves definitively the Tunisia for s’installer to the Cairo than his faithful lieutenant has just been founded.
The buckle is curled: the Fatimides rejoin their earth d’élection and leave l’Ifrikia to the Sanhajites.
Cadhi Nooman accompanies the Caliph Moez to the Cairo; it there will occupy the highest judicial function and organizes the functioning of the justice in Egypt. His œuvre of codification of the right chiite is a precious tool to organize economical and social life in the newly conquered earths.
In 974, Cadhi Nooman s’éteint to the Cairo, but during two centuries its descendants will succeed themselves at the head of the judiciary fatimide.
His life during, Cadhi Nooman will have proved that the fidelity to the monarch n’est not incompatible with a worthy justice. In this respect, it draft abundantly in its works of the difficulties of the judicial function and holds forth on the qualities of the exemplary judge: integrity and competence.
In final, Cadhi Nooman is enough known but to my insufficiently recognized direction; this Tunisian d’exception, whatever its religious convictions, is assuredly an of our more intellectual important figures.