Saʿīd bin Jubayr is a legendary figure from the first century of Islam. He is renowned as a scholar of the Qurʾān who famously rebelled against the governor of Iraq, al-Hajjāj. His altercation with al-Hajjāj and his subsequent beheading earned him admiration in multiple factions of Islam. These aspects of his life in combination with his African descent and supposed prowess in chess, create an intricate character who lived in a time for which contemporary historical sources
are largely absent.

Saʿīd b. Jubayr: An African scholar and rebel in Early Islam focuses on Ibn Jubayr as he has been presented in Western scholarship of Islam from the middle of the nineteenth century up until today. In the various academic debates, the
remarkable facets of his life and work have been part of arguments or illustrations, frequently in comparison with other notable figures of his time.

Despite the paucity of historical and archaeological evidence, the discussions in Arabic and Islamic studies as well as in additional fields, such as African studies and chess history, demonstrate the importance of Ibn Jubayr in today’s scholarship and the different ways in which he continues to intrigue those who are exposed to his exceptional story.

"This fascinating figure from Early Islam finally receives the interdisciplinary attention he deserves."
— Dr. Johan Weststeijn

Alex de Voogt is a professor at Drew University, Madison, NJ. He has studied Africa and the Middle East through the history and archaeology of board games and writing systems with a focus on how cultural traits and ideas transfer from one cultural group to another. He is the author of A Question of Excellence: A Century of African Masters (AWP).