Abdul-Rahman al-Tha'alibi () (1384 CE/785 AH – 15 March 1479 CE/875 AH) was an Algerian Islamic scholar,

Imam Imam (; , '; : , ') is an Islamic leadership position. For Sunni Islam, Sunni Muslims, Imam is most commonly used as the title of a prayer leader of a mosque. In this context, imams may lead Salah, Islamic prayers, serve as community leaders, ...

and

Sufi Sufism ( or ) is a mysticism, mystic body of religious practice found within Islam which is characterized by a focus on Islamic Tazkiyah, purification, spirituality, ritualism, and Asceticism#Islam, asceticism. Practitioners of Sufism are r ...

wali The term ''wali'' is most commonly used by Muslims to refer to a saint, or literally a "friend of God".John Renard, ''Friends of God: Islamic Images of Piety, Commitment, and Servanthood'' (Berkeley: University of California Press, 2008); John ...

. Born near the town of Isser (86 km south east of

Algiers Algiers is the capital city of Algeria as well as the capital of the Algiers Province; it extends over many Communes of Algeria, communes without having its own separate governing body. With 2,988,145 residents in 2008Census 14 April 2008: Offi ...

), 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 (; ; ) is a form of Islamic worship in which phrases or prayers are repeatedly recited for the purpose of remembering God. It plays a central role in Sufism, and each Sufi order typically adopts a specific ''dhikr'', accompanied by specific ...

Allah Allah ( ; , ) is an Arabic term for God, specifically the God in Abrahamic religions, God of Abraham. Outside of the Middle East, it is principally associated with God in Islam, Islam (in which it is also considered the proper name), althoug ...

, 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 Boumerdès (, Kabyle language, Kabyle: Tanebḍit n Bumerdas) is a provinces of Algeria, province (''wilaya'') of northern Algeria, located in the Kabylia region, between Algiers and Tizi-Ouzou, with its capital at the coastal city of Boumerdès ...

into a pious family with a lineage going back to

Ja'far ibn Abi Talib Jaʿfar ibn Abī Ṭālib ( September 629), also known as ''Jaʿfar aṭ-Ṭayyār'' (), was a companion and cousin of the Islamic prophet Muhammad, and an elder brother of Ali. Early life Ja'far was the third son of Abu Talib ibn Abd al-Mutt ...

. His Arab

Maqil The Banu Ma'qil () is an Arab nomadic tribe that originated in South Arabia. The tribe emigrated to the Maghreb region of North Africa with the Banu Hilal and Banu Sulaym tribes in the 11th century. They mainly settled in and around the Saharan ...

lian 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 broken up by Abu Hammu II, the Sultan of the

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

. 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

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 Tunis (, ') is the capital city, capital and largest city of Tunisia. The greater metropolitan area of Tunis, often referred to as "Grand Tunis", has about 2,700,000 inhabitants. , it is the third-largest city in the Maghreb region (after Casabl ...

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

sheikh Sheikh ( , , , , ''shuyūkh'' ) is an honorific title in the Arabic language, literally meaning "elder (administrative title), elder". It commonly designates a tribal chief or a Muslim ulama, scholar. Though this title generally refers to me ...

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

Sufism Sufism ( or ) is a mysticism, mystic body of religious practice found within Islam which is characterized by a focus on Islamic Tazkiyah, purification, spirituality, ritualism, and Asceticism#Islam, asceticism. Practitioners of Sufism are r ...

and

tafsir Tafsir ( ; ) refers to an exegesis, or commentary, of the Quran. An author of a ''tafsir'' is a ' (; plural: ). A Quranic ''tafsir'' attempts to provide elucidation, explanation, interpretation, context or commentary for clear understanding ...

.Then traveled to

Cairo Cairo ( ; , ) is the Capital city, capital and largest city of Egypt and the Cairo Governorate, being home to more than 10 million people. It is also part of the List of urban agglomerations in Africa, largest urban agglomeration in Africa, L ...

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

Bursa Bursa () 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 Marmara Region, Bursa is one of the industrial centers of the country. Most of ...

Turkey Turkey, officially the Republic of Türkiye, is a country mainly located in Anatolia in West Asia, with a relatively small part called East Thrace in Southeast Europe. It borders the Black Sea to the north; Georgia (country), Georgia, Armen ...

. He returned to

Tunisia Tunisia, officially the Republic of Tunisia, is a country in the Maghreb region of North Africa. It is bordered by Algeria to the west and southwest, Libya to the southeast, and the Mediterranean Sea to the north and east. Tunisia also shares m ...

.From Tunisia at the age of 32, Abdul-Rahman went to perform

Hajj Hajj (; ; also spelled Hadj, Haj or Haji) is an annual Islamic pilgrimage to Mecca, Saudi Arabia, the holiest city for Muslims. Hajj is a mandatory religious duty for capable Muslims that must be carried out at least once in their lifetim ...

Mecca Mecca, officially Makkah al-Mukarramah, is the capital of Mecca Province in the Hejaz region of western Saudi Arabia; it is the Holiest sites in Islam, holiest city in Islam. It is inland from Jeddah on the Red Sea, in a narrow valley above ...

, then returned to his native Algeria. He taught in the

Djamaa el Kebir Djamaa el Kebir (), also known as the Great Mosque of Algiers (), is a historic mosque in Algiers, Algeria. It is located within the Casbah of Algiers, Casbah (old city), near the city's harbor. Dating to 1097, it is one of the few remaining exam ...

mosque until he died on the Friday of 23rd of Ramadan 875 AH, the 15th of March 1479 and was buried in Thaalibia Cemetery next to his sheikh Abi Djamaa Al Maknassi in the

Casbah of Algiers The Casbah of Algiers, commonly referred to as the Casbah (Arabic: القصبة, Al-qaṣabah, meaning "citadel"), corresponds to the old town or Medina quarter, medina of Algiers, the capital of Algeria. It is a historic district that has been l ...

Disciples

Abdul-Rahman taught several

murid In Sufism, a (Arabic ) is a novice committed to spiritual enlightenment by (traversing a path) under a spiritual guide, who may take the title , or . A or Sufi follower only becomes a when he makes a pledge () to a . The equivalent Pers ...

s 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: * A socio-political or established or existing order, e.g. World order, Ancien Regime, Pax Britannica * Categorization, the process in which ideas and objects are recognized, differentiated, and understood ...

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.

Legacy

He left a legacy of more than 100 books, of 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:

Tlemcen Tlemcen (; ) is the second-largest city in northwestern Algeria after Oran and is the capital of Tlemcen Province. The city has developed leather, carpet, and textile industries, which it exports through the port of Rachgoun. It had a population of ...

and Fez. The city of

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

Qur'an The Quran, also romanized Qur'an or Koran, is the central religious text of Islam, believed by Muslims to be a revelation directly from God ('' Allāh''). It is organized in 114 chapters (, ) which consist of individual verses ('). Besides ...

hadith Hadith is the Arabic word for a 'report' or an 'account f an event and refers to the Islamic oral tradition of anecdotes containing the purported words, actions, and the silent approvals of the Islamic prophet Muhammad or his immediate circle ...

, 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.

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 (philosophy), interpretation of a text. The term is traditionally applied to the interpretation of Bible, Biblical works. In modern us ...
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 Sharia, Sharī'ah, Shari'a, or Shariah () is a body of religious law that forms a part of the Islamic tradition based on scriptures of Islam, particularly the Qur'an and hadith. In Islamic terminology ''sharīʿah'' refers to immutable, intan ...
(
fiqh ''Fiqh'' (; ) is the term for Islamic jurisprudence.Fiqh
Encyclopædia Britannica ''Fiqh'' is of ...
)

#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 Hadith is the Arabic word for a 'report' or an 'account f an event and refers to the Islamic oral tradition of anecdotes containing the purported words, actions, and the silent approvals of the Islamic prophet Muhammad or his immediate circle ...

#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 ( or ) is a mysticism, mystic body of religious practice found within Islam which is characterized by a focus on Islamic Tazkiyah, purification, spirituality, ritualism, and Asceticism#Islam, asceticism. Practitioners of Sufism are 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'' (, , pl. , ) is an Islamic term of Arabic origin that means "creed". It is also called Islamic creed or Islamic theology. ''Aqidah'' goes beyond concise statements of faith and may not be part of an ordinary Muslim's religious ins ...
)

#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, ( , plural: ' ) is a prayer of invocation, supplication or request, asking help or assistance from God. Duʿāʾ is an integral aspect of Islamic worship and spirituality, serving as a direct line of communication betwe ...
)

#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 1384 births 1479 deaths Arab scholars 14th-century Arab people 15th-century Arab people Algerian Sufis Algerian Maliki scholars Asharis

Birth and Lineage

Biography

Disciples

Zawiya

Legacy

Works

Hadith Hadith is the Arabic word for a 'report' or an 'account f an event and refers to the Islamic oral tradition of anecdotes containing the purported words, actions, and the silent approvals of the Islamic prophet Muhammad or his immediate circle ...

Sufism Sufism ( or ) is a mysticism, mystic body of religious practice found within Islam which is characterized by a focus on Islamic Tazkiyah, purification, spirituality, ritualism, and Asceticism#Islam, asceticism. Practitioners of Sufism are r ...

Theology (Aqida ''Aqidah'' (, , pl. , ) is an Islamic term of Arabic origin that means "creed". It is also called Islamic creed or Islamic theology. ''Aqidah'' goes beyond concise statements of faith and may not be part of an ordinary Muslim's religious ins ...)

Morals (al-wa'z)

Sira and History

Arabic Language

Prayers and litanies (Dua In Islam, ( , plural: ' ) is a prayer of invocation, supplication or request, asking help or assistance from God. Duʿāʾ is an integral aspect of Islamic worship and spirituality, serving as a direct line of communication betwe ...)

See also

External links

References

Theology (
Aqida ''Aqidah'' (, , pl. , ) is an Islamic term of Arabic origin that means "creed". It is also called Islamic creed or Islamic theology. ''Aqidah'' goes beyond concise statements of faith and may not be part of an ordinary Muslim's religious ins ...
)

Prayers and litanies (
Dua In Islam, ( , plural: ' ) is a prayer of invocation, supplication or request, asking help or assistance from God. Duʿāʾ is an integral aspect of Islamic worship and spirituality, serving as a direct line of communication betwe ...
)