Author's Bio
Qutb al-A’imma, Sheikh Muhammad bin Yusuf Atfayyish al-Yazgani (1237-1332 AH/ 1818 – 1914 CE)
His full name is Muhammad (or Imhammad) bin Yusuf bin Issa bin Salih bin
Abdur-Rahman bin Issa bin Ismail bin Muhammad bin Abdul-Aziz bin Bakeer
al-Hafsi Atfayyish. He is the most renowned Ibadhi scholar in Islamic Maghreb
in modern times.The Ibadhis know Sheikh Atfayyish more by the nickname "al-Qutb",
a title that has become synonymous with his name. Reports indicate that Sheikh
Nur ad-Din al-Salimi, the scholar who renewed knowledge in Oman, was the first
to call him "Qutb al-A’imma” (Leader of Imams).
Lineage:
He descends from a family of famous scholars from Bani Yazgan, from the clan of Al BaMuhammad, and his lineage ends with Omar Bin Hafs al-Hintati, from the Hafsid dynasty in Tunis (625-983 AH / 1229-1574 CE). In some of his books, Sheikh Atfayyish ends his lineage to Abu Hafs Omar bin al-Khattab.
His father was a notable of his time who practiced trade in northern Algeria and then in Mzab.
His mother was Lady Mama Setti bint al-Haj Said bin Addoun from the clan
of Al Yaddar of Bani Yazgan. She was one of the best women of her time.
Birth:
He was born in the ancient city of Ghardaïa, in the northern desert of
Algeria where his father moved. He lived his early childhood there. At the age
of four, his father passed away before he joined the learning Halaqahs1.
His father always wished him to be one of the scholars of his time, as he often
mentioned this to his friends. He left him an orphan under sponsorship of his
mother who exerted relentless efforts to raise her son and achieve the envisaged
hopes.
Family:
Qutb Atfayyish had three brothers: Mousa and Issa who were merchants, and Ibrahim, who was a scholar and his sheikh. His two sisters died in Ghardaïa when he was still young.
Soon after his father's
demise, his mother took him back to his hometown in Bani Yazgan. He received
adequate care and affection throughout his life from his mother.
Education:
In 224 AH / 1823 CE, his
mother enrolled him in a Qur’anic kuttab2 where he memorized
the Noble Qur'an before he was nine years old. He was a voracious reader and
writer and had an urgent desire to attend scholars' councils and halaqahs.
Allah gave him the opportunity to attend many such halaqahs of the
prominent scholars in Mzab, including:
1) His elder brother Ibrahim bin Yusuf after
his return from his blessed journey to seek knowledge in Oman, Egypt, and
Morocco. He learnt most of the principles of disciplines, which he excelled,
such as grammar and fiqh (jurisprudence).
2) Sheikh al-Haj Muhammad bin Issa Azbar
after he returned from Oman. He attended his lessons at the Bani Yazgan Mosque.
3) Sheikh al-Haj Said Yusuf Wenten in Bani Yazgan.
He learnt the principles of logic from him.
4) Sheikh Sulaiman bin Issa Addoun. He attended
his lessons at the Bani Yazgan Mosque.
5) Sheikh Baba bin Younis in the ancient
mosque in Ghardaïa. He also studied with him in a cave in Mount Morque.
6)
Sheikh al-Haj Ahmad bin Dawood Amaiz.
In his
spare time, he used to go to libraries to read voraciously. When he began to
study any discipline with a sheikh, he would complete it alone and ask to move
to a profounder book thereon.
Marriage:
Al-Qutb married three women and
were his wives at the same time. He had nine children. His marriage is one of
the schools that contributed to his formation. His
three wives were the daughters of scholars related to knowledge and books,
which were rare at that time.
Struggle
for knowledge and serving the Sharia:
Through
his continuous autodidact formation, al-Qutb soon opened multiple fronts
to uphold the word of Allah: spreading and teaching knowledge, serving and supporting
Sharia, and fighting bida'a (baseless innovation in religion) and vices,
with all sincerity, dedication, and steadfastness.
Specifically,
his scientific and practical chef-d'oeuvre include:
1- Teaching
and spreading knowledge:
Al-Qutb opened his house before he reached the age of twenty
and continued to do so until he passed away. Students flocked to his halaqahs
from all the villages of Wadi Mzab, Ouargla, Djerba, and Nafusa Mountains.
His lessons continued throughout the week, from the
morning to noon, except on Friday, and then he resumed lessons after afternoon.
He used to assign a discipline to each student to read
the relevant textbook in front of him during the class and then al-Qutb explains
and comments to the attendees. He never felt bored of repetition and
clarification until students understand. His student Sheikh Ibrahim bin Bakeer
said, “In the first half of the day in the mosque and the school, he combined
many disciplines in classes.” He was prolific, patient, and devoted to knowledge.
Sometimes, he taught eleven different lessons per day and often relied on the
books he wrote. Otherwise, he chose a book in that discipline or authors one
therein.
He used the local barbaric language for teaching when
necessary. He did not hold his disciples accountable for absence or
belatedness. If he saw them tired, he used to relieve them in such a way to
make them active and focused. He paid special attention to his students
’questions; he wrote them down and considered their answers by reference to the
sources, even during the class.
He was a man of knowledge, research, investigation,
and writing.
The number of his students was in dozens, the most
famous of them are:
From Mzab: Ibrahim Atfayyish,
Abu Ishaq, the Cairene investigating scholar, and Ibrahim bin Issa Abu Al-Yaqzan,
the pioneer of the Arab press in Algeria
From Libya: preacher Suleiman
Pasha al-Barony, the mujahid (Muslim fighter) by the sword and the pen.
From Tunisia: historian Said
bin Taaret
From Medina: Ahmad Al-Rifa'i.
This is in addition to many
others who became Sheikhs later.
2- Fatwa:
The Sheikh dedicated the evening period every day to
answer the fiqhi (juristic) questions and the inquiries addressed to him
from inside and outside Mzab, and from inside and outside Algeria, such as Oman,
Libya, Tunisia, Zanzibar, and even Istanbul and Egypt.
When he got old, he appointed scribers to write the
answers, including Sheikh Haj Suleiman Mutahari, Sheikh Hammou Babah, and Mousa
mentioned above, may Allah have mercy on them.
3- Preaching
and Counseling:
Al-Qutb joined al-Azabah halaqah in the Bani Yazgan
Mosque at the time of Sheikh Haj Suleiman bin Issa Addoun and assumed the
various tasks of the halaqah until he became its sheikh succeeding his
Sheikh Haj Muhammad Azbar, who died in 1872 CE-1296 AH. He taught lessons in
the mosque after the Morning Prayer until sunrise according to the usual
practice. He used to motivate people, spread Islamic teachings, and fight bida'a
and social ills. In this way, he was able to rectify society and steer it
to the path of the Noble Qur’an, the Prophetic Sunnah, and the Seerah (biography)
of the righteous predecessors.
4- Authorship:
During this diligent work, al-Qutb, may Allah
have mercy on him, devoted the most part of his time to writing. He is a knight
of pen and writing as well as a pioneer of knowledge and education. He only
left contemplation to investigate, and research to authorship and annotation,
because he was aware that “mind goes away while its effect remains, and
knowledge fades away while its books remain,” as al-Jahiz said.
He took advantage of the nighttime for authorship,
when voices subsided and movements calmed.
Sheikh Abu Al-Yaqzan, one of his students, said, “He
did not write a book after another, but rather wrote several books in different
disciplines at the same time. When he felt bored with one discipline, he sought
comfort in another, and so on until he ends.”
He used to write while at home or travelling and in
the time of distress and prosperity to preserve his precious time. However,
this did not cause him to miss observing the five congregational daily prayers
in the mosque and he urged his disciples to do so.
As for the last day of the week, Friday, he spent its
day in his orchard sometimes. In the last decade of his life, he added Thursday
to provide more time and effort for authorship.
5- His
Scientific Stature:
Thanks to its able autodidact attitude, strong
self-determination, sincere resolve, and intense loyalty, and broad ambition, al-Qutb
managed to reach the degree of Ijtihad3 while he did not
exceed sixty years of age. He mentioned this himself in his book Shamil
al-Asl wa al-Fari'e (Comprehensive of Origin and Branch).
In one of his books, he referred to this meaning, “I
used to practice Ijtihad by syllogism after my Imam and my statements
were almost always right, praise be to Allah, and then I moved from this degree
to the one above it, praise be to Allah.”
Sheikh Abu Al-Yaqzan said, “He discussed the issues
with the scholars of the Haram and they testified to his knowledge
excellence", implying Sheikh Zaini Dahlan, Sheikh Hasbi Allah al-Shafi’i,
Sheikh Ibrahim Haqqi al-Hanafi, and Sheikh Eleesh al-Maliki.
Sheikh Muhammad Abdou al-Masry knew the stature of al-Qutb
and respected him highly as stated in some correspondence between them.
6- His
Correspondence and Trips:
Al-Qutb did not leave of his town Mzab except when he
traveled to the Holy Sites to perform Hajj for two times, the last of which was
in the beginning of the century. On his way, he visited on some cosmopolitans
famous of knowledge, such as Al-Zaitouna Mosque in Tunis and Al-Azhar Mosque in
Egypt. He gave lessons in the Mosque of the Prophet in al-Madina.
He used to have local visits in the fall and spring to
El Guerrara, Berriane, and Ouargla to spread knowledge and establish creed
among the public who were not in direct contact with him and his workplace
given the scarcity of means of communication at the time.
He was fond of knowledge correspondence with scholars
and kings of his time, and with his supporters in Algeria, France, London,
Egypt, Hejaz, Zanzibar, Oman, Bahrain, Turkey, Nafusa Mountains, Libya,
Tunisia, and the Far West.
Some of the dignitaries of his time visited him, such
as Suleiman bin Nasser al-Lamki, Prince of Darul-Salam in Zanzibar in 1900 CE,
and the leader Suleiman al-Barony Pasha who was a student of the Sheikh in his
youth.
7- His
death:
After this tremendous work and bitter fight against
ignorance and vice, al-Qutb died in the dawn of Saturday, Rabi` Al-Thani
23, 1332 AH / March 21, 1914 CE, at the age of 96 years following a slight
illness and a fever for some days. His death was the source of grief for his
friends and enemies and the throne of knowledge and religion shook for such
loss and absence. Preachers and poets have been competing in mentioning his great
merits and exploits.
His mausoleum is in the tomb of Ba Muhammad Bibi in
Bani Yazgan.
May Allah shower him with his mercy and make him dwell
in paradise with "those Allah has blessed: the messengers, the truthful,
those who bear witness to the truth, and the righteous- what excellent
companions these are!" Amen!
8- His
Legacy:
We mention the following as part of the knowledge and
practical legacy of al-Qutb
A) In
teaching:
His populated halaqahs graduated sheikhs and
imams, preachers and masters, and judges and mujahedeen, who received knowledge
from him directly or through his students. They came from Algeria,
Tunisia, Libya, Oman, and Zanzibar. It is rare to find another sheikh who had
such number of variegated students and scholars who delivered the message and
continued the knowledge march after him, as was the case with al-Qutb.
B) On
authorship:
Al-Qutb wrote in many Sharia disciplines, language and
history, medicine and logic, mathematics, philosophy and astronomy, ethics, and
even agriculture and poetry.
His student Abu Al-Yaqzan described him saying, “He only
knew to teach a discipline or write books.” He wrote in Bani Yazgan, El Guerrara,
Ouargla, Berriane, Hejaz, and on the vessel on his voyage to Hajj.
Some of them counted his works and found them to
exceed three hundred: small, medium, and large. They are usually an explanation
of a summary, a summary of an expanded book, or an annotation on a previous
explanation.
As for letters, responses, answers, and fatwas, they
would be in the hundreds. If collected, they would form useful encyclopedias. Through
these, he reached all parts of the world at that time.
As for the titles of his books, some of them are known
while others are lost. Some are printed while others are manuscripts.
His works covered various branches of knowledge,
including, but not limited to:
A) On the
Tafsir (interpretation) of the Qur’an, it has three tafsir
books:
- Taysir al-Tafsir (Facilitating Tafsir): It is the last and most important of his tafsir books. He wrote it in his maturity.
- Da'i
al-'Amal li-Yawm al-Amal (Reason for Work for the Day of Hope): he did not complete this tafsir.
He started from the last Surah (Chapter) and reached Surah ar-Rahman.
It is still in a huge manuscript.
- Hamyan al-Zad to Dar al-Miaad (Soul Nutrition to the Day of Resurrection): it is in 13 volumes. He began authoring it while he was twenty-four years old.
B)
On Tajweed (Intonation):
- Jami'e
Harf Warsh (Warsh
Style of Recitation).
C)
On Prophetic Hadith:
- Tarteeb
al-Tarteeb (Rearrangement
of the Arrangement): It is a rearrangement of Musnad al-Rabi' bin Habib after
the arrangement by Abu Ya'qub Yusuf al-Warjalani.
- Jami’e
al-Shaml fe Ahadith Khatim al-Rusul (Comprehensive of the Prophetic Traditions of the
Seal of the Messengers).
- Wafaa
al-Dhamanah bi-Adaa al-Amanah (Guarantee for Fulfilling Trust).
D) On
Prophetic Seerah:
- Al-Seerah
al-Jami'ah min al-Mojizaat al-Lamia'ah (Comprehensive Biography of Glorious Miracles)
- Sharh
Noniyat al-Madeeh (Explaining
the Praise Poem ending in letter (noon) (, a poem by Ibn Wannan al-Maghribi in praise of Prophet Muhammad
(SAWS).
E)
Tawheed (Monotheism), Kalam (Theology),
and philosophy:
- Sharh
Aqeedat al-Tawheed (Explanation
of Monotheism Creed) by Hafs Amri bin Jamee'.
- Al-Qawl
al-Mateen
(Strong Saying), an explanation of the introduction of Sheikh Tebughouren bin
Issa al-Malshouti.
- Al-Hujjah
fe Bayan al-Mahujjah fe al-Tawheed bela Taqleed (Proof in explaining the
argument in Tawheed without imitation).
F)
On Usul (Fundamentals) of
Fiqh:
- Sharh
Mokhtasar al-Adl wa al-Insaf (Explanation of Summary of Justice and Fairness) by
Abu Ya'qub al-Warjalani.
- Shamil
al-Asl wa al-Fari'e (Comprehensive
of Origin and Branch).
G) On
Fiqh: he
wrote his most works in this field
- Sharh
Kitab al-Neel wa Shifaa al-Aleel (Explanation of the Book Nile and Healing of the Sick)
by Sheikh Abdul Aziz al-Thumaini, a Fiqhi encyclopedia of Islamic doctrines
where he compares the various opinions with an open spirit, and decides what he
sees more appropriate due to argument and evidence.
- Al-Thahab
al-Khalis (Pure
Gold).
During
this long period of his career, al-Qutb gathered a library full of accredited
references and sources in the various disciplines of Sharia and Arabic language
that attest to his ability, open mind, and broad horizon.
9- His Personality:
Various characteristics have come
together to distinguish the personality of al-Qutb Atfayyish of which we
mention the following:
Powerful intelligence, strong
memory, work continuity, courage, dedication to knowledge and its service in
obedience to Allah, extreme enthusiasm for Islam, generosity.
The space here does not allow us to elaborate on these merits of al-Qutb, may Allah have mercy on him.
_________________________________
1 A halaqah in Islamic
terminology is a religious gathering or meeting for the study of Islam and the
Quran. Generally, one or more primary speakers present the designated topic of
the halaqah while others sit around them and listen.
2 A kuttab is an Arabic word
meaning elementary school. However, the kuttab was primarily used for teaching
children in reading, writing, grammar, and Islamic studies, such as Qira'at,
other practical and theoretical subjects were often taught.
3 Process of legal reasoning and
hermeneutics through which the jurist-mujtahid derives or rationalizes law
based on the Qur'an and the Sunnah.
Compiled
and prepared by: Basma
Said Al-Ghammari.
ALL
RIGHTS ARE RESERVED
References:
- Taysir
al-Tafsir, by: Sheikh
Muhammad Atfayyish
- Qutb
al-A’imma, Allama
Muhammad bin Yusuf Atfayyish, by: Bakeer bin Said Aeusht.
- https://alsaidia.com/node/38
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