Ibn al-Rumiyyah stands as one of the most distinguished figures of Andalusian civilization—an exceptional scholar who combined the sciences of Hadith with the study of botany and medicinal herbs. Through his vast experience and extensive travels, he shaped a rare scientific school that blended narration, exploration, and empirical discovery.
Known as Abu al-‘Abbas Ahmad ibn Muhammad ibn Mufarrij al-Umayyī by loyalty, al-Ishbīlī, he earned renown as a masterful scholar, a trustworthy Hadith narrator, and a skilled botanist whose deep understanding of plants and their properties set him apart. His life story reflects the flourishing intellectual spirit of sixth-century al-Andalus, where the pursuit of knowledge intertwined with a passion for inquiry, travel, and the search for truth.
His Early Life and Education in Seville
Ibn al-Rumiyyah was born in the year 561 AH in the city of Seville, a flourishing center of knowledge and literature in the western Islamic world. Amid its vibrant neighborhoods, lush gardens, and rich natural landscapes, his eyes opened to two intertwined realms:
the world of religious sciences and Hadith, which shaped the intellectual awakening of the era, and the world of botany and medicinal herbs, which thrived in al-Andalus with its abundant and diverse vegetation.
He received his early education at the hands of Andalusian scholars and Hadith masters. Yet Ibn al-Rumiyyah was not content with theoretical learning alone; from an early age, signs of a unique scientific inclination began to appear:
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A meticulous passion for identifying plants and studying their properties.
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A strong desire for travel in pursuit of Hadith and authentic narration.
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A clear ambition to compare the flora of al-Andalus with that of the Eastern lands.
These combined tendencies turned him, in his youth, into a seeker of knowledge who refused to remain confined to what his surroundings offered. Instead, he aspired to explore, compare, and discover everything new that the broader world of science could reveal.
The Motives Behind His Journey: Knowledge Completed Only Through Travel
For Ibn al-Rumiyyah, travel was neither a luxury nor a personal adventure—it was a fundamental scientific method.
He believed that the science of Hadith could only be perfected by hearing narrations directly from their authoritative transmitters, just as true knowledge of plants could only be attained through firsthand observation in their natural habitats.
Driven by this conviction, he embarked on his earliest journeys across the cities of al-Andalus:
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Visiting its scholars and Hadith narrators,
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Meeting its herbalists and botanists,
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Collecting samples of the region’s diverse plant life.
Yet the boundaries of al-Andalus were too narrow for his ambition. He longed for lands where plant environments varied and where distinguished scholars of Hadith were abundant. And so, his path extended beyond the western horizon toward the heart of the Islamic East.
In the year 613 AH, Ibn al-Rumiyyah reached Egypt, a land that stood at the crossroads of civilizations and served as a beacon for students and scholars from every corner of the Islamic world.
He remained there for a considerable period, immersing himself in the study of Hadith under the guidance of its leading scholars, while also encountering plants and herbs unlike any he had seen in al-Andalus.
Egypt marked a pivotal phase in his scientific and intellectual journey for several reasons:
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Its richly diverse environments—from the Nile Delta to Upper Egypt and the surrounding deserts.
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Its renowned medical and pharmaceutical centers in Cairo and Alexandria.
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The flourishing of Hadith scholarship that had continued since the Fatimid era and expanded under the Ayyubids.
From Egypt, a new chapter of exploration unfolded—one that would lead him deeper into the East and further enrich his knowledge of both narration and nature.
His Scientific Travels Through the Levant, Iraq, and the Hijaz
After completing his stay in Egypt, Ibn al-Rumiyyah continued his journey eastward toward:
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The Levant,
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Iraq,
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and the Hijaz.
His travels through these lands lasted two full years, during which he moved between gatherings of Hadith scholars, vast botanical fields, valleys rich with herbs, and regions famed for medicinal plants across the Eastern Islamic world.
During this phase of his exploration:
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He collected dozens of botanical samples from diverse climates and terrains.
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He recorded precise scientific notes on plant forms, natural habitats, and varying properties.
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He heard numerous Hadiths from scholars renowned for accuracy, mastery, and transmission integrity.
By the time he returned to Egypt, Ibn al-Rumiyyah had gained unmatched fame, becoming one of the era’s most knowledgeable authorities in botany, pharmacology, and Hadith scholarship.
The reputation of Ibn al-Rumiyyah soon reached Sultan al-‘Adil Abu Bakr ibn Ayyub, a ruler known for valuing knowledge and honoring scholars.
When Ibn al-Rumiyyah arrived in Alexandria, news of his expertise reached the Sultan, who immediately sent for him and summoned him to Cairo.
There, the Sultan received him with the respect befitting great scholars, honored him generously, and granted him a fixed stipend to reside in Egypt as part of the scholarly elite of the Ayyubid court.
Yet despite such recognition, Ibn al-Rumiyyah declined to settle permanently. With humility and sincerity, he responded:
“I left my homeland only to perform the pilgrimage to the House of God, then return to my family.”
He neither sought positions nor pursued wealth—remaining faithful to the purpose of his journey: pursuing authentic narration, spiritual devotion, and scientific discovery.
Compounding the “Great Theriac” — His Most Esteemed Medical Task
During his residence in Cairo, Ibn al-Rumiyyah undertook a significant scientific task:
the preparation and composition of the Great Theriac—a complex medicinal compound widely used to counteract poisons and severe ailments.
Only the most skilled and knowledgeable experts in herbs and pharmacology were entrusted with creating this remedy. His involvement in preparing it shows the immense confidence that physicians and rulers placed in his botanical and medical expertise.
His Return to al-Andalus and His Passing
After performing the pilgrimage and completing his travels through the Hijaz, Ibn al-Rumiyyah returned to al-Andalus and settled once again in his birthplace, Seville. He remained there until his death in the end of Rabi‘ al-Thani, 637 AH.
He returned to his homeland carrying with him:
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Vast knowledge,
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Extensive field experience,
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And a distinguished reputation among scholars, physicians, and Hadith narrators.
In truth, he became one of the most remarkable figures who successfully united the sciences of narration with the sciences of life and nature.
The Works of Ibn al-Rumiyyah — A Rich Scientific Legacy
Ibn al-Rumiyyah left behind an impressive intellectual heritage that spanned botany, pharmacology, and Hadith scholarship. Among his most significant works:
First: In Botany and Pharmacology
1. Explanation of the Materia Medica in Dioscorides’ Book
One of his most important contributions, in which he meticulously explained the text of Dioscorides and enriched it with insights drawn from firsthand observation and experimentation.
2. Galen’s Remedies
A detailed study presenting various medicines, their properties, and their medicinal effects.
3. The Botanical Journey
A book documenting his observations of plants across al-Andalus and the Eastern Islamic world.
4. Al-Mustadrakah (The Supplement)
A work in which he added plants and herbs not mentioned by earlier scholars.
5. The Composition of Medicines
One of the earliest texts to weave together the principles of pharmacology and the study of medicinal plants.
6. The Book of Herb Names Arranged Alphabetically
A unique and pioneering reference that systematized plant names, making the study and identification of herbs far easier for researchers and practitioners.
Second: In the Science of Hadith
1. Nazm al-Darari fima Tafarrada bihi Muslim ‘ala al-Bukhari
A precise analytical study of Hadith and the methodological differences between two major canonical collections.
2. Mukhtasar al-Kamil
An abridgment of a well-known Hadith and literature compendium.
3. Tawhīn Turuq Hadith al-Arba‘īn
A critical examination of the transmission routes of the Forty Hadith.
4. Fihrist
A catalog in which he recorded the names of his teachers and the narrations he transmitted from both al-Andalus and the Eastern regions.
These works collectively reveal a truly encyclopedic mind—a scholar capable of harmonizing religion, medicine, natural science, and rigorous observation into a unified intellectual vision.
Scholars’ Opinions of Him — The Testimony of Ibn Abi Usaybi‘ah
Ibn al-Rumiyyah was honored with an extensive biographical entry in Ibn Abi Usaybi‘ah’s celebrated work ‘Uyūn al-Anbā’ fī Ṭabaqāt al-Aṭibbā’. In it, the great historian writes:
“He is Abu al-‘Abbas Ahmad ibn Muhammad ibn Mufarrij al-Nabbātī, known as Ibn al-Rumiyyah…
A master of botany, deeply versed in the identification of medicinal plants, their properties, benefits, varying characteristics, and diverse habitats…
A man of great virtue, renowned for his piety, and precise in matters of medicine.”
Ibn Abi Usaybi‘ah continues, noting that Ibn al-Rumiyyah observed plants in Egypt, the Levant, and Iraq that did not exist in the Maghrib, that Sultan al-‘Adil honored him and recognized his expertise, and that he personally compounded the Great Theriac, a task entrusted only to the most knowledgeable masters of pharmacology.
This testimony stands among the highest forms of scholarly validation, coming from one of the most distinguished historians of medicine in the Islamic world.
Ibn al-Rumiyyah’s Scientific Standing
Ibn al-Rumiyyah distinguished himself through several qualities that placed him alongside the greatest scholars of the Islamic world:
1. A Scholar and a Traveler
His journeys were not for leisure, but a method of practical inquiry driven by observation, comparison, and direct experience.
2. Encyclopedic in Knowledge
He masterfully combined multiple disciplines—medicine, botany, pharmacology, and Hadith—creating a rare scientific synthesis.
3. A Precise Researcher
He was renowned for his meticulous descriptions of plants, their habitats, and the subtle differences between species.
4. A Comparative Methodologist
He conducted scientific comparisons between the flora of the East and West with a degree of accuracy that was exceptional for his era.
His Influence on Scientific Heritage
Ibn al-Rumiyyah represents a pivotal link in the history of Arabic pharmacy and botany, for several important reasons:
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He relied on direct, firsthand observation of plants in their natural environments.
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He introduced new species to al-Andalus that had never been documented there before.
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He corrected numerous errors in the works of Greek and Roman authors through practical verification.
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He established botanical terminology that later became a key reference for scholars in the Maghrib and beyond.
His contributions were not limited to natural sciences; he also left a lasting impact on Hadith studies, particularly in transmission accuracy and documentation of scholarly chains.
A Legacy That Endures
Ibn al-Rumiyyah remains one of al-Andalus’ most distinguished scholars—an exceptional figure who united religious scholarship with natural science, and blended narration with experimentation, and Hadith with medicine.
His long journey between al-Andalus and the Eastern Islamic world shaped him into a true polymath, a creative author, and a rare intellectual presence in the history of Islamic civilization.
Studying his life reveals the essence of the Arab-Islamic intellectual spirit—one that placed travel, inquiry, and empirical observation at the core of building authentic and enduring knowledge.
The Arabic version of the article