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 The following
is a partial list of the scholars of Timbuktu. They’re so
many of them that we decided to give a brief account of only a few:
All the scholars of Timbuktu shared the following divine qualities:
they combined the practice of the commands of the Holy Scriptures
with the science of the purification of the heart and the soul.
In other words, through the practice of Tassawuf or purification
of the heart from of all evil characteristics, they were able to
walk in the footsteps of God's prophets. As a result, they have
experienced spiritual states and divine insights not accessible
by ordinary worshipers with blind hearts. They adhered to righteousness,
piety, self-denial, truth, devotional worships, God's conciousness,
excellence of character, spiritual tranquility, eminence, and sincerity
in all their actions. They were Maliki scholars and followed the
Tarika or spiritual path of the Qaadiriya. The founder of this inner
spiritual order is Sheik Abd Al Qaadir Al Gaylani. He was a descendent
of Prophet Mohammed (pbuh). . He followed in the path of love and
sincerity of the Messenger of God and achieved the highest degree
of nearness to God.
Modibo Mohammed Al Kaburi
He was a Fulani, a Jurist and Judge. He was fortunate to be a companion
to many righteous scholars of the Sankore University. He was the
scholar who developed the curriculum of Sankore. He was also known
for his pious and devotional character.
Al Qadi Al Hajj
He was an eminent Jurist from Walata. God blessed Al Qadi with the
function of Chief Judge of Timbuktu. He ordered the people of Timbuktu
to recite half of a "hizb"or part of the Qur'an after
noon and evening prayers.
Abu Abdallah And Ag Mohammed ibn Mohammed ibn Uthman
He was a Tuareg Jurist and had a wealth of knowledge. He was a virtuous
and righteous man. He was descended from Ahmed Baba es Sudane. He
was appointed Judge of Timbuktu.
Sheik Sidi Abu Al Barakaat Mahmud ibn Umar ibn Aqit
He was also known as Sheik Al Islam Abu Al Barakaat. He was the
Supreme Judge of Timbuktu, Imam and the Dean of Sankore University.
He was firm, pious, humble, modest, and had an excellent mastery
of the Arabic language.
Al Moctar Ag Mohammed ibn Utman
He is known as An-Nahawi, meaning the grammarian. He was brilliant
and was endowed by Allah with knowledge in all Islamic branches.
Abd Arahman Ag Mohammed ibn Utman
the name Ag, usually referred to "son of"-a common name
among Tuareg scholars. Abd Arahman was a learned professor; he was
gentle, and possessed Taqwa or God's concisouness.
Abu Al Abbas Ahmad Buryu ibn And Ag Mohammed ibn Utman
Humble, he yearned for the hereafter; Abu Al Abbas was not only
pious, he was a great source of knowledge. Most scholars of Sankore
benefited from his abundant wealth of knowledge.
Abu Abdallah And Ag Mohammed ibn Al Moctar 'n-Nawahi
He was appointed as the Imam and Dean of Sankore by the Qadi Mahmud.
Like his father An-Nawahi, he was known for his excellent command
of the Arabic language. Every year during the month of Ramadan,
he gave captivating and fascinating commentaries of the "Kitab
Ashiffa" of Qadi Iyad. The Ashiffa is a spiritual biography
of the Prophet Mohammed (pbuh).
Al Moctar ibn Mohammed ibn Al Moctar 'n-Nawahi ibn and
Ag Mohammed
He was a Jurist, he loved singing the praises of the Messenger of
God; he spent a great deal of his wealth for the "Festivities
of Maulid" or the birthday of the Prophet.
Ahmed Baba Es Sudane
Descendent of Umar ibn Mohammed Aqit the Tuareg. He liked to be
called Ahmed Baba, the black. At an early age, he dedicated his
time to learning until he surpassed all his peers and contemporaries.
He was the matchless Jurist, scholar and Imam of his time. His reputation
spread all over Sub-Sahara Africa and North Africa. The Jurists
of Timbuktu sought his advise in matters pertaining to legal decisions.
He was a storehouse of Islamic knowledge. He firmly stood on truth
in face of the Amirs and Kings. He had a library of 1600 manuscripts
that was plundered during the Moroccan invasion of Timbuktu. He
was deported to Fez in 1593. He authored 60 books (more than Shakespeare
had written). He was called “Standard of Standards”
by the Moroccans. He was also the student of the eminent black scholar
Mohammed Bagayogo. He wrote excellent books on theology, grammar,
history and Jurisprudence.
Mohammed Bagayogo Es Sudane Al Wangari Al Timbukti
His ancestors were the black scholars Wangari of the blessed city
of Jenne. He was the Sheik and professor of Ahmed Baba Es Sudan.
He was born in Timbuktu. He did all his studies in Timbuktu. He
was one of the most eminent professors of both Sidi Yahya and Sankore
Universities. He was without doubt a veritable Doctor of Islamic
Sciences. This was confirmed when he stopped in Cairo on his way
to Mecca. The scholars of Al Azhar University conferred on him the
title of Doctor. He was a Jurist well versed in all branches of
Islamic knowledge. He had a very busy schedule and loved imparting
knowledge to people with great patience. He would loan his books
to his students and friends and would not ask for them back. He
was sincere in his intentions and actions. He loved people and people
loved him. He was given the position of the supreme Judge of Timbuktu,
which he kindly declined for fear of being unjust toward people.
He lectured in all the Universities of the city. He wrote his own
personal copies of the Holy Qur'an which are today with his descendent
Baba Muhmud Hassay the actual Imam of Sidi Yahya Masjid. He possessed
absolute mastery in the areas of Jurisprudence, Arabic Grammar,
Prophetic Traditions, Logic, etc. He imparted knowledge to his students
as well as received knowledge from them. He was humble and accepted
truth wherever it came from.
The Professors and Imams of Jingaray Ber:
Jingaray Ber was built by Mansa Musa in 1325. This Masjid or University
is 700 years old. Every Friday 9,000 people pray in this blessed
Mosque. Among the list of eminent Scholars and Imams of the University
of Jingare Ber are: Kaatib Musa, Sidi Abd Allah Al Balbali, Sidi
Abu Al Kassim Tuwaati, Sidi Mansur Al Fezani, Ibrahim z-Zulfi, Ahmad
the father of Nana Surgu (meaning the father of Nana the Tuareg
woman), Sidi Ali Al Jazuli, Siddiq ibn Mohammed Ta'alla, Uthman
ibn Al Hassan ibn Al Hajj at Tishiti, Mohammed Gididu al Fulani,
Imam Ahmad ibn Imam Saddiq, Abd Arahman ibn Sayeed, Baba Alpha and
Abderahman Ben Assuyut, the actual Imam.
The Professors and Imams of Sankore University:
As we said earlier, the Sankore Masjid was first built by Mandika
people around the 12th century. It is located in the northeast district
of Timbuktu. A Wangara or Mandika woman financed Sankore University
making it the leading center of learning in West Africa at that
time. The Moors and the Tuareg Sanhaja settled in the Sankore district
around the 13th century. They contributed significantly to the intellectual
life of the city. Sankore became very famous in the history of the
University of Timbuktu. Among the scholars of Sankore are: Abu Al
Baraaka, Mohammed Bagayogo, Ahmed Baba, And Ag Mohammed, Al Aqib
ibn Faqi Muhmud, Abu Bakr ibn Ahmad Biru, Abd Arahman ibn Faqi Mahmud,
Mohammed ibn Mohammed Kara and the actual Imam.
The Professors and Imams of Sidi Yahya University:
The Masjid of Sidi Yahya was built by Mohammed Naddi, one of the
governors of the city appointed by the Mandika Dynasty. Mohammed
Naddi was a friend of the Saint Sidi Yahya Al Andulusi. Sidi Yahya
was the first Imam, scholar, professor, and saint of this Masjid.
After him, there were: Mohammed Bagayogo, Saddiq, Mohammed Ben Al
Wangari, Mohammed Ben Sayeed, Mohammed Ben Ahmadu, Ahmadu Ben Abdallah,
Saleh Ben Mohammed, Salmay Al Wangari, Bagno Wangari, Baba Wangari,
Ahmadu Bagno, Baba Alpha Umar, Al Imam Ahmadu, and the existing
Imam Baba Mahmud Hassay, may Allah bless them for their valuable
contributions. |
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