1181: Fatima al-Fihriya
Founded the University of Al Quaraouiyine in 859 AD, Which was the World’s First University
Born: c.800 AD, Present-day Kairouan (or Qayrawan), Tunisia
Died: c. 878-880 AD, Present-day Fes, Morrocco
Full Name: Fatima bint Muhammad al-Fihriya al-Qurashiyya
Also Spelled: Fatima al-Fihri
Fatima was born into a wealthy family. Her father was a well-educated merchant who encouraged his children’s desire to learn and educate themselves further. Fatima herself was well versed in the Islamic traditions of fiqh (or jurisprudence) and hadith (or Islamic traditions based on the prophet Muhammed’s life).
Very little is known of Fatima’s life. What is known is that she moved to present-day Morocco as a child. She outlived her father, her brother, and her husband, which ensured she amassed a wealthy, personal fortune. Instead of keeping it for her own betterment, Fatima decided to share it with the world.
When Fatima opened the University of Al Quaraouiyine, it focused heavily on Islamic theology and functioned as a mosque as well as a college. The courses offered by the school were free and expanded beyond just Islamic theology to also include science, math, geography, rhetoric, grammar, philosophy, poetry, logic, and more. The university was also the first in the world to bestow degrees or diplomas on students who graduated from their studies.
Both UNESCO and the Guinness Book of World Records have recognized Al Quaraouiyine as the world’s first university that is continually operated. The college has been bestowing diplomas for over a thousand years!
Two of the more famous graduates from the university are the Muslim scholars Ibn Khaldun and Ibn Rushd. The university is still open and operational to this day and is said to have one the oldest libraries in the world. Among the artifacts on display in the university library are Fatima’s own diploma*, as well as a copy of the Qur’an from the 9th century AD and an Arabic version of the Gospel from the 12th century AD.
Fatima's sister, Maryam, built the Al-Andalusiyyin Mosque that same year.
Interesting Side Note: According to multiple sources I read, there is no question that Fatima was a real historical figure who founded the university and mosque. However, Wikipedia actually says something different. I know we are not supposed to trust Wikipedia as a source, but when there is a figure, such as Fatima, from whom such little biographical information is known I like to check the Wiki profile just to see what it says.
According to Wikipedia, the first written reference or source documentation of Fatima’s life comes from the fourteenth century, over five hundred years after Fatima supposedly lived and died, and so for this reason some scholars and historians doubt she actually existed. Wikipedia also says Fatima did not have a brother (which one other source I found disagrees with), and Wiki also states Fatima’s family was not wealthy when she was born, but rather gained wealth a few years after Fatima was born.
Several historians have spoken out against Fatima and her sister Maryam’s existence. They say it is very odd that two women, who happened to be sisters, would found two of the oldest and most prestigious mosques in Moroccan history. According to these historians, the story of Fatima and Maryam is more likely a legend than an actual historical truth.
The Wikipedia article goes on further to describe a foundational carving discovered during renovations in the 20th century. Supposedly, while the university was being renovated, this inscription was re-discovered after having been covered by plaster for many centuries. The newly found inscription is written in the same Kufic script that dates to the time the mosque was founded, and according to the inscription, the mosque was founded by a man named Dawud ibn Idris.
There is also zero factual evidence that Fatima founded the library connected to the mosque and university (according to Wikipedia). The article states, “The lack of historical sources and consultation with historians by commentators, including think-tanks, NGOs, social scientists, journalists, and bloggers, has resulted in numerous "sourceless, baseless" iterations of the Fatima story. As the story is useful to present-day discourses about women and sciences in Islamic history, Morris concludes that the speculation repeated by modern writers "says more about the current value of Fatima as a political symbol than about the historical person herself."” Yikes.
So, who is correct here? Do we believe the numerous articles that state Fatima was a real, pious, and devout woman who oversaw the construction of the world’s first university? Or do we believe the Wikipedia sources that claim Fatima and her sister Mariam are nothing more than legends?
Normally I would immediately discount Wikipedia because of the fact that its, well, Wikipedia. However, given the time period Fatima purportedly lived, and the fact that there is very little in the way of surviving source materials for her at all, let alone during her own time period, I think we should all take this story with at least a little grain of salt, and hope better documentation appears in the future.
*Only one of the multiple online sources state Fatima’s diploma is hanging in the library and considering at least one other source states there are zero paper documents or sources that survive from Fatima’s lifetime, I have no way of proving the diploma exists, let alone hangs in the library. I also highly doubt I will be visiting Morocco anytime soon to look for myself. If any of you happen to be in the neighborhood and can put that piece of the mystery to rest, let me know!
Sources:
https://teachmideast.org/articles/fatima-al-fihri/
https://www.dw.com/en/fatima-al-fihri-founder-of-the-worlds-oldest-university/a-53371150