Al-Qadi al-Amir Saad al-Din Ibrahim bin Abd al-Razzaq bin Ghurab al-Qibti al-Iskandarani al-Masry, Saad al-Din bin Alam al-Din bin Shams al-Din (Egyptian Arabic: القاضي الأمير سعد الدين إبراهيم بن عبد الرزاق بن غراب القبطي الاسكندراني المصري، سعد الدين بن علم الدين بن شمس الدين, Coptic: Ⲡⲓⲣⲉϥϯϩⲁⲡ ⲡⲓϫⲱϫ Ⲥⲁⲇ Ⲉⲗⲇⲓⲛ Ⲉⲃⲣⲏϩⲓⲙ ⲥⲉⲛⲀⲃⲧ Ⲉⲗⲣⲍⲏⲕ ⲥⲉⲛⲄⲟⲣⲏⲃ ⲡⲣⲉⲙⲛⲕⲩⲡⲧⲓ ⲡⲣⲉⲙⲛⲣⲁⲕⲱϯ ⲡⲣⲉⲙⲛⲭⲏⲙⲓ, Ⲥⲁⲇ Ⲉⲗⲇⲓⲛ ⲥⲉⲛⲀⲗⲙ Ⲉⲗⲇⲓⲛ ⲥⲉⲛϢⲉⲙⲥ Ⲉⲗⲇⲓⲛ) (1378 AD – 10 March 1406 AD | 780 AH – 19 Ramadan 808 AH), commonly known as Saad al-Din bin Ghurab, was Amir al-Umara (the Prince of Princes) in the Mamluk Sultanate of Egypt and its de facto ruler starting from 1399, following the death of Sultan al-Zahir Barquq.
He played a significant role in mitigating the effects of the famine that struck Egypt during the era of Sultan an-Nasir Faraj by distributing bread, clothing and food, and spending money on charitable activities.
Abd al-Razzaq died in 784 AH / 1382 AD, leaving two young sons: Majid, the eldest, and Ibrahim, who was four years old at the time.
Ibrahim was the scholar's closest associate in Egypt, and due to their close relationship, Ibn Khaldun was highly respected and held a prominent status in the state.
"[1][2][3][4] When Jamal al-Din Mahmoud began working in Alexandria, he noticed Ibrahim bin Abd al-Razzaq, who was a young child under the age of ten, writing under the supervision of his older brother Majid.
When the epidemic persisted for months and the senior emirs were unable to continue burying the dead, Ibn Ghurab insisted on taking on the task, even at the cost of his own wealth.
It was said, “Ibn Ghurab has cut [his expenses] (فصل ابن غراب),” as he set up a washbasin in his house and had porters bring deceased individuals from the streets to his door, where he took care of their affairs.
This act earned him favor and a high rank with the Sultan, who granted him the title of Amir Mia Muqadam Alaf (أمير مائة مقدم ألف).
As al-Maqrizi remarked, “How many times he mutilated a throne, gored a ram, leveled lofty mountains, and uprooted countries from their solid foundations.”[1][2][3] Ibn Ghurab was distinctive among his predecessors and successors in the Egyptian state for holding four of the most important court positions in the Sultanate: Supervisor of Special (Nazir al-Khas, ناظر الخاص), Supervisor of the Armies (Nazir al-Guyush, ناظر الجيوش), and Secret Writer (Katib al-Sir, كاتب السر).
He was the second person in the history of the Egyptian Mamluk state to combine these first three positions, a feat not repeated until the era of historian Ibn Taghribirdi.
His achievements underscore his exceptional capabilities, a level of success typically reserved for those with many decades of experience, despite his untimely death at the age of twenty-eight.
Faraj carried his coffin on his shoulder and intended to continue to his final resting place, but was persuaded by the emirs to return to the citadel due to the long distance between the prayer area and his burial site outside Bab al-Mahrouq.
It is said that throughout his tenure, from the moment he assumed his positions until his death, not a single Mamluk of the Sultan, whether old or young, approached him in need without receiving melted sugar to drink from him.
"[1][2][3]Senior historians such as al-Maqrizi, Ibn Hajar, and Al-Ayni noted that Emir Saad al-Din Ibrahim bin Ghurab was on the verge of becoming a sultan, not merely the de facto ruler, but he died before achieving this status.