`Ali Yahya Mu`ammar was born in the village of
Tekvit near Nalut city in the Libyan
region of Jabal Nafusa, in 1919. He grew up in a middle-class family, his family devoted to religious values,
which is why the culture of Jabal Nafusa had a serious impact on him.
He memorised surahs of the Qur'an at
a young age in his village and learned reading and writing rules from Shaykh Abdullah b.
Mas'ud al-Baruni al-Kabawi in 1924. He was then enrolled in primary school established by the Italian Colonial Government
in 1925. His teacher there was Isa b. Yahya al-Baruni and his level of
intelligence and logical capabilities were evident even then. His teachers began to
treat him with special attention from an early
age.
Meanwhile, he read various disciplines, especially fiqh, together with formal training from Shaykh Ramadan b. Yahya al-Jarbi in his spare time. Shaykh. Ramadan was a student of Shaykh Muhammad b. Yusuf Atfayyish, a prominent scholar in the region. Shaykh Ramadan returned to the Island of Djerba in 1927, where he continued his education by attending his teacher Ramadan's circle in the same year. During this time, he trained for a little over a year in Djerba. Then he moved to the University of Zaitune in the capital of Tunisia. He trained in various branches of science, especially akaid and filth, under important scholars such as Shaykh Muhammad b. Salih as-Samini. Training at the University of Zaitune had a serious impact on him as he not only educated himself he also developed his sense of morality and civilisation.
`Ali Yahya Mu`ammar moved to Algeria during the next
period of his life and became a student of Shaykh Bayyud Ibrahim in 1937. He did many things connected with education and training, staying
seven years in Algeria. Firstly, he studied
many sciences, especially tafsir (the exegesis of Qur'an) under Shaykh Bayyud. He took part in the Scientific Reformist Movement (al-Harakat
al-Ilmiyya al-Islahiyya), led by
Shaykh Bayyud. Moreover, he entered
the Institute of Life (Ma'had al-Hayat), which
had been founded by Shaykh Bayyud. He participated in some social and cultural
activities as well as courses there.
He also participated in the activities of the Youth Association (Jam'iyyat al-Shabab). He presented at conferences and recited poems, participating in many social activities. He
published several articles and poems
in Arabic newspapers in the Youth magazine. He exhibited two plays, Zu
Kar (The pitch owner) and Muhsin in
this period. While here he worked as
a student and as a teacher at the same time. The period he spent with his teacher Shaykh Bayyud in Algeria was
during the period of French colonisation
between 1937 and 1943, when he benefited from the knowledge, culture and
experiences of his teacher.
He returned to Nalut
in Libya in 1944, and began to put make serious inroads in the field of culture and education. Firstly, he gave lessons
at elementary school, then high
school level. He conducted public conversations in mosques outside the
official structures and established good communication with the public. In addition, he learned the skills of management by
establishing an institute for
teachers there. Meanwhile, he was appointed public inspector to oversee the education system in Libya's eastern
regions.' He started working at the
Ministry of Education in the capital of Tripoli in 1968 and he continued this mission until 1980. He worked in the Centre
for Educational Research as well as
dealing with education policy, a process that enabled him to apply his ideas. He contributed substantially to the
educational life of the country by working at all levels of the education system.
`Ali Yahya Mu`ammar sought to upgrade the intellectual and moral level of young people in the latter period of his life in his country. He ran courses and conducted conversations with young people in different places, especially mosques. At this point, he also published several books and magazines. He died at the end of a busy life at 27 Safer 1400 on 15 January 1980.
Besides useful activities, he was
also a prolific writer during his working and scientific life and had a versatile
personality, training many students with his knowledge and culture. He addressed the minds and
hearts of people with an effective and attractive method, penetrating their inner world. He
left behind various investigations and works, including deep and comprehensive
analyses of his own in various fields such as history, Islamic thought,
jurisprudence and literature. These studies are shown below:
· al-Ibadiyya fi Mawkib al-Ta’rikh
I: Nash 'at al-Madhhab al-Ibadi: This
study is one of the most important of its kind and deals with the emergence and
historical development of Ibadism.
· al-Ibadiyya fi Mawkib
al-Ta’rikh II: al-Ibadiyya fi Libya, deals with the spread
and historical development of Ibadism in Libya, the activities of the first Ibadi groups in North Africa,
traditional institutions, the geographical
regions where Ibadites live in Libya today and some current problems.
· Ibadiyya fi Mawkib
al-Ta’rikh III: al-Ibadiyya fi Tunis, deals with the spread and historical
development of Ibadism in Tunisia and their traditional institutions.
· al- Ibadiyya
fi Mawkib al-Ta’rikh IV: al-Ibadiyya fi l-Jaza’ir, deals with the spread of Ibadism in Algeria, the Rustami state
and activities, Ibadi sub-sects, traditional
institutions, prominent personalities who grew up there and the geographical regions where Ibadites
live in Algeria today.
· al-Ibadiyva bayn al-Firaq
al-Islamiyya inda Kuttab al-Maqalat fil- Qadim wa-l-Hadith: 'Ali Yahya Mu'ammar argued here that Ibadism had been described wrongly in
both classical and contemporary sources. He surveys the information about Ibadis found in
the studies of contemporary authors like Ali Mustafa al-Ghurabi, Muhammad Abu Zahra, Abd al-Qadir Shayba, Yahya
Huwaydi, Izz al-Din at-Tanuhi and Ibrahim Muhammad Abd al-Baqi, outside of the studies of
classical authors like Ash'ari, Baghdadi, Ibn Hazm, Shahrastani and Isfarayani.
·
al-lbadiyya Madhhabun Islamiyyun Mu`tadilun: This study is his last work, so presents his latter
opinions and deals with the historical development of Ibadism, the geographical regions where
Ibadites live today, the relationship between Ibadism and Kharidjite, the belief system of Ibadism and various religious,
political and juridical views.
·
Samr Usratin Muslimatin: This study describes the religious basis of Ibadism in a fictitional
style. In the study, which means `the night conversation of a Muslim family', he dealt with such
issues as faith in God, Tavhid (Monotheism), the belief in prophets and books, the hereafter, chance and predestination.
·
al-Fatat al-Libiyya
wa-Mashakil al-Hayat.
·
al-Islam wa-l-Qiyam al-Insaniyya.
·
Falastin bayn
al-Muhajirin wa-l-Ansar.
`Ali Yahya Mu`ammar also wrote short books and treatises
such as Ajwiba wa fatawa (Answers and Fatwas), Ahkam
Salat al-Jumu'a (The Provisions of the Friday Prayer), Ahkam al-Safar fi l-Islam (The
Provisions of Travel in Islam), Bahth fi Hukm al-Tadhin (Research on the
Provision of Smoking), Muslim Lakinnahu Yahliqu wa Yadhinu, (With Participation of Shaykh Bayyud), al-Mithaq
al-Ghaliz (The Exact Promise), al-Aqanim
al-Thalatha aw Aliha min al-Halwa (The Main Idols from halvah, sweet) ile al-Amr bi l-Ma’ruf wa-l-Nahy an al-Munkar (Commanding
the right and Forbidding the wrong). Moreover, he also wrote commentaries on
works entitled Kitab al-Sawm (Fast)
and Kitab al-Nikah (Marriage) of Abu
Zakariyya al-Jannawuni. He also wrote many
articles and studies published in Arabic magazines such as Majallat al-Shabdb (Youth magazine), Majallat
al-Muslimin, Majallat al-Adhhar, al-Risala, al-Usbu al-Siyasi, al-Muallim (Teacher).
His correspondence and letters
with his teachers and students such as Shaykh Bayyud, Shaykh Abu’l-Yaqzan,
Shaykh Adun Sharifi and Amr Khalifa al-Nami are also known. For a recent
history of Ibadism, these correspondences are of significant value.
Reference:
Ibadism in The Studies of `Ali Yahya Mu`ammar, By:
Harun Yildiz.
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