Imam Sahnun

Abd al-Salam ibn Said, known as Imam Sahnun (776–854 CE), was born in Kairouan into an Arab Tanukhid family. He traveled to Egypt and Medina, studying directly under the primary companions of Imam Malik ibn Anas, including Ibn al-Qasim.

Upon returning to Kairouan, Sahnun compiled Al-Mudawwana al-Kubra (The Great Compendium), a monumental sixteen-volume legal treatise organizing hundreds of legal questions and authentic responsa of the Maliki school. Appointed Grand Qadi of Ifriqiya in 848 CE by the Aghlabid Emir, Sahnun enforced incorruptible judicial independence, refusing any royal interference. The Mudawwana became the foundational legal code across North and West Africa.