Abdul-Rahman al-Tha'alibi ( ar, أبو زيد عـبـد الـرحـمـن بن مـخـلـوف الـثـعـالـبـي, Abū Zayd ‘Abd al-Raḥmān ibn Makhlūf ath-Tha‘ālibī) (1384 CE/785 AH – 1479 CE/875 AH), was an

Arab The Arabs (singular: Arab; singular ar, عَرَبِيٌّ, DIN 31635: , , plural ar, عَرَب, DIN 31635: , Arabic pronunciation: ), also known as the Arab people, are an ethnic group mainly inhabiting the Arab world in Western Asia, ...

Scholar A scholar is a person who pursues academic and intellectual activities, particularly academics who apply their intellectualism into expertise in an area of study. A scholar can also be an academic, who works as a professor, teacher, or researche ...

Imam Imam (; ar, إمام '; plural: ') is an Islamic leadership position. For Sunni Muslims, Imam is most commonly used as the title of a worship leader of a mosque. In this context, imams may lead Islamic worship services, lead prayers, ser ...

and

Sufi Sufism ( ar, ''aṣ-ṣūfiyya''), also known as Tasawwuf ( ''at-taṣawwuf''), is a mystic body of religious practice, found mainly within Sunni Islam but also within Shia Islam, which is characterized by a focus on Islamic spirituality, ...

wali. He was born near the town of Isser 86 km south east of

Algiers Algiers ( ; ar, الجزائر, al-Jazāʾir; ber, Dzayer, script=Latn; french: Alger, ) is the capital and largest city of Algeria. The city's population at the 2008 Census was 2,988,145Census 14 April 2008: Office National des Statistiques ...

. He was raised in a very spiritual environment with high Islamic values and ethics. He had great interpersonal skills and devoted his entire life in service of the most deprived, to dhikr of

Allah Allah (; ar, الله, translit=Allāh, ) is the common Arabic word for God. In the English language, the word generally refers to God in Islam. The word is thought to be derived by contraction from '' al- ilāh'', which means "the god", an ...

, and to writing of over 100 books and treatises. He has become a symbol of

, which has become known as the "city of sidi Abder Rahman."

Birth and Lineage

Abdul-Rahman al-Tha'alibi was born in the year 1384 CE/785 AH in Isser in modern-day Boumerdès Province into a pious family with a lineage going back to Ja'far ibn Abi Talib. His Arab Maqillian Bedouin tribe, the Tha'aliba, had long dominated several regions of Algeria from 1204 CE to 1515 CE. In 1378 CE, their nomadic dominance had been brooken up by

Abu Hammu II Abu Hammu II () (died 1389) was a Zayyanid Sultan of the Kingdom of Tlemcen in Algeria in the 14th century. Also known as Abu Hammu Musa II he first came to power in Tlemcen and surrounding area with the expulsion of the Merinids in 1359. The f ...

, the Sultan of the

Kingdom of Tlemcen The Kingdom of Tlemcen or Zayyanid Kingdom of Tlemcen ( ar, الزيانيون) was a Berber kingdom in what is now the northwest of Algeria. Its territory stretched from Tlemcen to the Chelif bend and Algiers, and at its zenith reached Sijilm ...

. His full lineage is Abu Zaid Abdul Rahman bin Muhammad bin Makhlouf bin Talha bin Amer bin Noufal bin Amer bin Mussour bin Muhammad bin Saba'a bin Makki bin Thalabah bin Musa bin Saeed bin Mufaddal bin Abdul Bar bin Fisi bin Hilal bin Amer bin Hassan bin Muhammad bin Ja'far ibn Abi Talib.

Biography

When 15 years old, Abdul-Rahman, with his father Mohamed Ben Makhlouf, went to Morocco for studies where he met the Muslim scholar Mohamed Ibn Marzoug Al Adrissi. In 1392, he made another trip to Bejaia (200 km east of

) seeking knowledge where his father died. He stayed in Bejaia for 7 years studying Islamic sciences. There he learned from disciples of Abdurrahman El-Waghlissi (d. 1383 CE), such as Abû al-Husayn al-Mangalâtî. Then 24 years old, he travelled to

Tunis ''Tounsi'' french: Tunisois , population_note = , population_urban = , population_metro = 2658816 , population_density_km2 = , timezone1 = CET , utc_offset1 ...

in 1406 where he stayed for eight years. He met the

sheikh Sheikh (pronounced or ; ar, شيخ ' , mostly pronounced , plural ' )—also transliterated sheekh, sheyikh, shaykh, shayk, shekh, shaik and Shaikh, shak—is an honorific title in the Arabic language. It commonly designates a chief of a ...

s Mohammed Ibn Khalf al-Ubay and Abû al-Mahdi al-Ghabrînî (d. 1413 CE) who introduced him to

Sufism Sufism ( ar, ''aṣ-ṣūfiyya''), also known as Tasawwuf ( ''at-taṣawwuf''), is a mystic body of religious practice, found mainly within Sunni Islam but also within Shia Islam, which is characterized by a focus on Islamic spirituality, r ...

and

tafsir Tafsir ( ar, تفسير, tafsīr ) refers to exegesis, usually of the Quran. An author of a ''tafsir'' is a ' ( ar, مُفسّر; plural: ar, مفسّرون, mufassirūn). A Quranic ''tafsir'' attempts to provide elucidation, explanation, in ...

. He then traveled to

Cairo Cairo ( ; ar, القاهرة, al-Qāhirah, ) is the capital of Egypt and its largest city, home to 10 million people. It is also part of the largest urban agglomeration in Africa, the Arab world and the Middle East: The Greater Cairo metro ...

in 1414 where he stayed with Walî Eddîn al-'Irâqî (d. 1422 CE). Then he traveled to

Bursa ( grc-gre, Προῦσα, Proûsa, Latin: Prusa, ota, بورسه, Arabic:بورصة) is a city in northwestern Turkey and the administrative center of Bursa Province. The fourth-most populous city in Turkey and second-most populous in the ...

Turkey Turkey ( tr, Türkiye ), officially the Republic of Türkiye ( tr, Türkiye Cumhuriyeti, links=no ), is a list of transcontinental countries, transcontinental country located mainly on the Anatolia, Anatolian Peninsula in Western Asia, with ...

, where he was well received and a shrine was erected in his honour which remains an endowment for this saintly man. He returned to

Tunisia ) , image_map = Tunisia location (orthographic projection).svg , map_caption = Location of Tunisia in northern Africa , image_map2 = , capital = Tunis , largest_city = capital , ...

once again, where he always received a warm welcome. Here he wrote: "I noticed in those times, by the grace of God, there was no one in Tunisia who could be higher than me in the sciences of hadith ('ilm al-hadith). If I happened to speak, everyone listened to me attentively and accepted what I reported to them, out of modesty on their part and because they were people who knew how to recognize the truth. Some Moroccans once confessed to me: 'seeing you coming from the last of the East, by the grace of God, some saw in you the sign of tradition (ayat al-hadith).' And despite that, whenever I heard of an assembly where hadith were taught, I hastened to attend. May God make this act done only to satisfy Him, and may He keep us from vanity and ostentation." From Tunisia at the age of 32, Abdul-Rahman went to perform

Hajj The Hajj (; ar, حَجّ '; sometimes also spelled Hadj, Hadji or Haj in English) is an annual Islamic pilgrimage to Mecca, Saudi Arabia, the holiest city for Muslims. Hajj is a mandatory religious duty for Muslims that must be carried ...

Mecca Mecca (; officially Makkah al-Mukarramah, commonly shortened to Makkah ()) is a city and administrative center of the Mecca Province of Saudi Arabia, and the Holiest sites in Islam, holiest city in Islam. It is inland from Jeddah on the Red ...

, ending his initial travels in search of knowledge. After the Hajj he returned to his native Algeria after 20 years. It is said that while walking the streets of the

Casbah of Algiers The Casbah ( ar, قصبة, ''qaṣba'', meaning citadel) is the citadel of Algiers in Algeria and the traditional quarter clustered around it. In 1992, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) proclaimed ' ...

, he heard a young man recite verse 34:15 of the

Qur'an The Quran (, ; Standard Arabic: , Quranic Arabic: , , 'the recitation'), also romanized Qur'an or Koran, is the central religious text of Islam, believed by Muslims to be a revelation from God. It is organized in 114 chapters (pl.: , sing. ...

: ''"...Eat from the provisions of your Lord and be grateful to Him. A good land ave you and a forgiving Lord."'' He said "this is a beautiful omen!" And he resolved to settle there permanently in Algiers for the rest of his life. He was entrusted the title of Supreme Magistracy (

qadi A qāḍī ( ar, قاضي, Qāḍī; otherwise transliterated as qazi, cadi, kadi, or kazi) is the magistrate or judge of a '' sharīʿa'' court, who also exercises extrajudicial functions such as mediation, guardianship over orphans and mino ...

) by the authorities, but he preferred to abandon all honors and devote himself to asceticism and

. He said "there are signs which show that if someone's love for the prophet of God is sincere, then it is necessary for them to give up the pleasures of this low world, to choose poverty, and to live it." He also said that one night he saw a dream of the prophet

Muhammad Muhammad ( ar, مُحَمَّد; 570 – 8 June 632 Common Era, CE) was an Arab religious, social, and political leader and the founder of Islam. According to Muhammad in Islam, Islamic doctrine, he was a prophet Divine inspiration, di ...

standing and offering food to the poor. He gave a large part of it to Abd al-Rahman al-Tha'alibi and then said, "when the prophet gives food to someone, shouldn't he immediately vomit it up?" He replied, "should I vomit?" The prophet bowed down and said "this is not what I meant!" After this dream which left him perplexed, he came to understand its interpretation that he was simply commanded to "devote himself into initiating people into the path of God." He taught in the

Djamaa el Kebir Djamaa el Kebir ( ar, الجامع الكبير, translit=djama' el-kebir), also known as the Great Mosque of Algiers (), is a historic mosque in Algiers, Algeria. It is located within the Casbah (old city), near the city's harbor. Dating to 1097, ...

mosque until he died on the Friday of 23rd of Ramadan 875 AH, the 15th of March 1479 after dedicating 95 years of his life to serve Islam and Muslims. His

funeral A funeral is a ceremony connected with the final disposition of a corpse, such as a burial or cremation, with the attendant observances. Funerary customs comprise the complex of beliefs and practices used by a culture to remember and respect th ...

was attended by many prominent scholars and political leaders, including

Ahmad Zarruq Ahmad Zarruq () also known as Imam az-Zarrūq ash Shadhili (Aḥmad ibn Aḥmad ibn Muḥammad ibn ‘Īsa) (1442–1493 CE) was a 15th-century Moroccan Shadhili Sufi, jurist and saint from Fes. He is considered one of the most prominent and acco ...

and Ahmed Zouaoui. He was buried in Thaalibia Cemetery next to his sheikh Abi Djamaa Al Maknassi in the

Disciples

Abdul-Rahman taught several murids and tolbas in

, as:

Zawiya

The '' zawiya'' contains his tomb, though it is a misnomer since it does not contain any Sufi

order Order, ORDER or Orders may refer to: * Categorization, the process in which ideas and objects are recognized, differentiated, and understood * Heterarchy, a system of organization wherein the elements have the potential to be ranked a number of d ...

in the building. Currently the location houses the tombs of several Algerian historical figures. The first construction dates to 1611 CE and has gone through several changes and additions since, with little left of the original today. In 1696 Dey al-Hadj Ahmed al-Euldji decided to turn it into a funeral mosque. More tombs have been added over the years. Today the mausoleum is often visited by locals of Algiers, especially on Fridays and

religious holidays Religion is usually defined as a social-cultural system of designated behaviors and practices, morals, beliefs, worldviews, texts, sanctified places, prophecies, ethics, or organizations, that generally relates humanity to supernatural, tran ...

Legacy

He left a legacy of more than 100 books, among which the most important was ''Al Jawahir Al hassān fi Tafsir Al Koran'' (''the fine pearls in the exegesis of the Koran''). In his lifetime (1384-1479 CE) the region was split into three states whose legal schools stood out:

Tunis ''Tounsi'' french: Tunisois , population_note = , population_urban = , population_metro = 2658816 , population_density_km2 = , timezone1 = CET , utc_offset1 ...

Tlemcen Tlemcen (; ar, تلمسان, translit=Tilimsān) is the second-largest city in northwestern Algeria after Oran, and capital of the Tlemcen Province. The city has developed leather, carpet, and textile industries, which it exports through the por ...

and

Fez Fez most often refers to: * Fez (hat), a type of felt hat commonly worn in the Ottoman Empire * Fez, Morocco (or Fes), the second largest city of Morocco Fez or FEZ may also refer to: Media * ''Fez'' (Frank Stella), a 1964 painting by the moder ...

. The city of

offered little in comparison in terms of religious and cultural pull. It had very few religious schools for teaching the

hadith Ḥadīth ( or ; ar, حديث, , , , , , , literally "talk" or "discourse") or Athar ( ar, أثر, , literally "remnant"/"effect") refers to what the majority of Muslims believe to be a record of the words, actions, and the silent approval ...

, and legal texts. Economically it also waned in comparison to other cities in the region. Abd al-Rahman al-Tha'alibi's founding of the ''Tha'alibiyya'' school attracted many students from all over the world. Families moved into the surrounding area which turned into a place of religious education and training. From then on, Algiers became known as "The city of Sidi Abd al-Rahman." He is not to be confused with

Ahmad ibn Muhammad al-Thalabi Al-Tha''ʿ''labi (''Abū Isḥāḳ Aḥmad ibn Muḥammad ibn Ibrāhīm al-Nīsābūrī al-Thaʿlabī'' ; died November 1035) was an eleventh-century Islamic scholar of Persian origin. He was accorded a high rank by Sunni scholars. In ''Tabaqa ...

Works

His works cover nearly every aspect of the Islamic sciences.

Exegesis Exegesis ( ; from the Ancient Greek, Greek , from , "to lead out") is a critical explanation or interpretation (logic), interpretation of a text. The term is traditionally applied to the interpretation of Bible, Biblical works. In modern usage, ...
and Qur'anic sciences (al-tafsîr wa al-qirâ'ât)

#The brilliant jewels in the exegesis of the Koran ( al-Djawâhir al-hisân fî tafsîr al-qor'ân ) #The stories of the Koran ( Nafâ'is al-murdjân fî qasas al-Qur'an ) #The precious gold in the strange verses of the noble Koran ( al-Dhahab al-ibrîz fî gharîb al-qor'ân al-'azîz ) #The chosen sources ( al-mukhtâr mina al-djawâmi ' )

Islamic Law (
fiqh ''Fiqh'' (; ar, فقه ) is Islamic jurisprudence. Muhammad-> Companions-> Followers-> Fiqh. The commands and prohibitions chosen by God were revealed through the agency of the Prophet in both the Quran and the Sunnah (words, deeds, and ...
)

#The Book of Rites (Al-djâmi 'fi ahqâm el' ibadat ) #The great compilation (al-Djâmi 'al-kabîr) #The Garden of Lights ( Rawdat al-anwâr ) #The Garden of Lights and the Walk of the Righteous (Rawdat al-anwâr wa nuzhat al-akhyâr) #Commentary of Ibn Hadjeb's breviary (Charh mukhtassar IbnHadjeb) #Commentary of Ibn Khalîl's breviary (Charh mukhtasr sidi Khalil). #Commentary by Ibn Haroun (Char Ibn Haroun) #Commentary on the main questions of Mudawwana (Charh 'uyûn masâ'il al-mudawwana)

Hadith Ḥadīth ( or ; ar, حديث, , , , , , , literally "talk" or "discourse") or Athar ( ar, أثر, , literally "remnant"/"effect") refers to what the majority of Muslims believe to be a record of the words, actions, and the silent approval ...

#The selected sources ( al-Mukhtâr mina al-djawâmi ') #The Forty Hadiths of Morality (al-Arba'în hadith fî al-wa'z) #Commentary on the wisdoms of Ibn Arafa (Charh ghurar ibn 'Arafa)

Sufism Sufism ( ar, ''aṣ-ṣūfiyya''), also known as Tasawwuf ( ''at-taṣawwuf''), is a mystic body of religious practice, found mainly within Sunni Islam but also within Shia Islam, which is characterized by a focus on Islamic spirituality, r ...

#Truths about Sufism ( Haqâ'iq fi al-tasawwuf ) #The Gardens of the Pious ( Ryyâd al-sâlihîn ) #The gardens of the company in the science of subtleties and the journey of people of truth (Riyyâd al-uns fî 'ilm al-daqâ'iq wa siyar ahl al-haqâ'iq) #The direction of the traveler (Irchâd al-sâlik)

Theology (
Aqida ''Aqidah'' ( (), plural ''ʿaqāʾid'', also rendered ''ʿaqīda'', ''aqeeda'', etc.) is an Islamic term of Arabic origin that literally means " creed". It is also called Islamic creed and Islamic theology. ''Aqidah'' go beyond concise stat ...
)

#The noble sciences in the states of the other world ( al-'ulûm al-fâkhira fî al-nazar fî ahwâl al-âkhira ) #The Book of Dreams ( Kitâb al-marâ'î )

Morals (al-wa'z)

#The Direction for the Interest of the People (al-Irchâd limâ fîhi min masâlih al-'ibâd) #The compilation of wisdoms (Djâmi 'al fawâ'id). #The book of advice (Kitâb al-nasâ'ih)

Sira and History

#The lights in the signs and miracles of the chosen Prophet ( al-anwâr fi ayât wa mu'djizât al-nabî al-mukhtâr ) #The summary of the stories of the nations (Djâmi 'al himam fî akhbâr al-umam) #The journey to Allah (al-rihla ilâ Allah)

Arabic Language

#The embellishment of the brothers in the conjugation of verses from the Koran (Tuhfat al-ikhwân fî i'râb ây al-qor'ân). #The lexicon and its summary (al-fahrast wa mukhtasarihâ)

Prayers and litanies (
Dua In Islam, ( ar, دعاء , plural: ' ) is a prayer of invocation, supplication or request, even asking help or assistance from God. Role in Islam Muslims regard this as a profound act of worship. Muhammad is reported to have said ...
)

#The precious jewel (al-durr al-fâ'iq). #The very precious oath (al-'aqd al-nafîs) #The compilation of benefits (djâmi 'al-khayrât).

External links

French and Arabic resource on the scholarZawiya Sidi Abd al-Rahman

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Abd al-Rahman al-Thaalibi Muftis of Algiers Algerian Sufi saints Asharism in Algeria People from Isser People from Isser District People from Boumerdès Province 1384 births Algerian people 1479 deaths Deaths in Algeria Arab scholars 14th-century Arabs 15th-century Arabs Algerian Sufis Algerian Maliki scholars Asharis

Birth and Lineage

Biography

Disciples

Zawiya

Legacy

Works

Islamic Law (fiqh ''Fiqh'' (; ar, فقه ) is Islamic jurisprudence. Muhammad-> Companions-> Followers-> Fiqh. The commands and prohibitions chosen by God were revealed through the agency of the Prophet in both the Quran and the Sunnah (words, deeds, and ...)

Hadith Ḥadīth ( or ; ar, حديث, , , , , , , literally "talk" or "discourse") or Athar ( ar, أثر, , literally "remnant"/"effect") refers to what the majority of Muslims believe to be a record of the words, actions, and the silent approval ...

Sufism Sufism ( ar, ''aṣ-ṣūfiyya''), also known as Tasawwuf ( ''at-taṣawwuf''), is a mystic body of religious practice, found mainly within Sunni Islam but also within Shia Islam, which is characterized by a focus on Islamic spirituality, r ...

Theology (Aqida ''Aqidah'' ( (), plural ''ʿaqāʾid'', also rendered ''ʿaqīda'', ''aqeeda'', etc.) is an Islamic term of Arabic origin that literally means " creed". It is also called Islamic creed and Islamic theology. ''Aqidah'' go beyond concise stat ...)

Morals (al-wa'z)

Sira and History

Arabic Language

Prayers and litanies (Dua In Islam, ( ar, دعاء , plural: ' ) is a prayer of invocation, supplication or request, even asking help or assistance from God. Role in Islam Muslims regard this as a profound act of worship. Muhammad is reported to have said ...)

See also

External links

References

Islamic Law (
fiqh ''Fiqh'' (; ar, فقه ) is Islamic jurisprudence. Muhammad-> Companions-> Followers-> Fiqh. The commands and prohibitions chosen by God were revealed through the agency of the Prophet in both the Quran and the Sunnah (words, deeds, and ...
)

Theology (
Aqida ''Aqidah'' ( (), plural ''ʿaqāʾid'', also rendered ''ʿaqīda'', ''aqeeda'', etc.) is an Islamic term of Arabic origin that literally means " creed". It is also called Islamic creed and Islamic theology. ''Aqidah'' go beyond concise stat ...
)

Prayers and litanies (
Dua In Islam, ( ar, دعاء , plural: ' ) is a prayer of invocation, supplication or request, even asking help or assistance from God. Role in Islam Muslims regard this as a profound act of worship. Muhammad is reported to have said ...
)