Abu Abdallah Muhammad ibn Ali al-Mazari

Abu Abdallah al-Mazari was born in Mazara del Vallo in Arab Sicily. Fleeing the Norman conquest of the island, his family settled in the coastal ribat city of Monastir in Tunisia. Recognized as the undisputed absolute mujtahid of his age, al-Mazari was also an accomplished practicing physician who refused fees for medical consultations.

He authored Al-Mu'lim bi-Fawa'id Muslim, the very first commentary written on the Hadith collection Sahih Muslim, which served as the foundational model for later commentaries by Qadi Iyad and Imam al-Nawawi. His shrine in Monastir has been venerated for nine centuries.