Abd al-Rahman al-Tha'alibi should not be confused with Thaalibia (disambiguation).
| Religion: | Islam |
| Honorific Prefix: | English: {{Nastaliq|Algerian Sufi saint |
| Abd al-Raḥmān ibn Makhlūf ath-Tha‘ālibī | |
| Birth Date: | 1384 CE/785 AH |
| Birth Place: | Isser |
| Death Date: | Friday, 23rd of Ramadan, 1479 CE/875 AH |
| Death Place: | Algiers |
| Resting Place: | Thaalibia Cemetery, Bab El Oued |
| Region: | Algeria |
| Denomination: | Sunni |
| Jurisprudence: | Maliki |
| Main Interests: | kalam Sufism Aqida Tafsir |
| Works: | Al Jawahir Al Hissane fi Tafsir Al Koran (the fine pearls in the exegesis of the Koran) and Haqaiq at-Tawhid (Realities of Oneness) |
| Influences: | Mohamed Ibn Marzoug Al Adrissi Abi Djamaa Al Maknassi Al-Ghazali |
Abdul-Rahman al-Tha'alibi (Arabic: 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 Scholar, Imam and Sufi wali. He was born near the town of Isser 86 km south east of Algiers. He was raised in a very spiritual environment with high Islamic values and ethics.[1] He had great interpersonal skills and devoted his entire life in service of the most deprived, to dhikr of Allah, and to writing of over 100 books and treatises.
He has become a symbol of Algiers, which has become known as the "city of sidi Abder Rahman."
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,[2] [3] [4] 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.
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.
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 Algiers) 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 in 1406 where he stayed for eight years. He met the sheikhs Mohammed Ibn Khalf al-Ubay and Abû al-Mahdi al-Ghabrînî (d. 1413 CE) who introduced him to Sufism and tafsir.
He then traveled to Cairo in 1414 where he stayed with Walî Eddîn al-'Irâqî (d. 1422 CE). Then he traveled to Bursa in Turkey. He returned to Tunisia.
From Tunisia at the age of 32, Abdul-Rahman went to perform Hajj to Mecca, then returned to his native Algeria.
He taught in the Djamaa el Kebir mosque until he died on the Friday of 23rd of Ramadan 875 AH, the 15th of March 1479 snd was buried in Thaalibia Cemetery next to his sheikh Abi Djamaa Al Maknassi in the Casbah of Algiers.[5]
Abdul-Rahman taught several murids and tolbas in Algiers, as:
The zawiya contains his tomb, though it is a misnomer since it does not contain any Sufi order 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.[6]
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, Tlemcen and Fez. The city of Algiers offered little in comparison in terms of religious and cultural pull. It had very few religious schools for teaching the Qur'an, hadith, 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."[5]
He is not to be confused with Ahmad ibn Muhammad al-Thalabi.
His works cover nearly every aspect of the Islamic sciences.[7]