`Ali Yahya Mu`ammar: His Life and Scientific Personality

 

`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.