Ibrahim ibn Musa al-Shatibi was born around 720 AH/1320 CE; his family traced its origins to the city of Shatiba (Xàtiva) in eastern al-Andalus, though he was born and raised in Granada, then capital of the Nasrid kingdom. He studied Quranic recitation, Arabic, and Maliki jurisprudence and its methodology under leading scholars of Granada, later teaching and issuing legal opinions there himself.
Al-Shatibi is renowned for his innovative work in legal theory through his masterwork «Al-Muwafaqat fi Usul al-Shari'a» (Reconciliation of the Fundamentals of Islamic Law), in which he systematically founded the theory of the «maqasid al-shari'a» (higher objectives of law), arguing that Islamic rulings aim to preserve religion, life, intellect, lineage, and property, and that scripture must be understood in light of these overarching purposes rather than literalism alone.
His Legacy
Al-Shatibi faced some controversy in his lifetime over his rulings on religious innovation (bid'a), and died in Granada in 790 AH/1388 CE. His «Al-Muwafaqat» remained relatively obscure for centuries until it was rediscovered and printed in the modern era, becoming the foundational reference for the science of maqasid al-shari'a that underpins much of contemporary Islamic legal reform thought.
