Al-Qāḍī al-Nuʿmān’s Legal Legacy in the Cairo Geniza

When you think you have uncovered the secrets trapped in the trove of the Cairo Geniza, new discoveries continue to be made which fascinate the researchers and the conservators alike.One such discovery was the recent surfacing of two folios from a Fatimid legal manual entitled the Kitb al-Iqtir, penned in Ifrqiya by the chief Fatimid jurist of the 10th-century, al-Q al-Numn (d.974).Both fragments are from the as-yet unconserved and undigitized part of the Jacques Mosseri Genizah Collection (Mosseri IX2.24 + Mosseri Xa 3.43), and are presently housed at the Cambridge University Libraries.The first folio, Mosseri IXa 2.24, is measured 9.2 cm x 15.8 cm, with the maximum length measuring 12.9 cm.The folio is a section from the chapter on warfare (bb al-jihd), and discusses three issues chiefly:1) Apostasy and Heresy: The punishment for apostasy (irtidd) and heresy (zandaqa).2) Moral Agency and Defense: The section on banditry distinguishes between those who defend property (and are martyred) and those who do not, showing a practical understanding of legal permissibility without enforcing obligation.3) Children's Religion: Assigning children the religious status of the mother if the father has apostatized.