THE EARLY YEARS

OF OMAR AL MUKHTAR

Omar al-Mukhtar Muhammad bin Farhat al-Manifi, was born in 1858, in the small village of Zawiyat Zanzur (also Zawiyat Janzur) a small coastal village in Cyrenaica, in the eastern Libyan district of Butnan, which is bordered by the Mediterranean to the north, and Egypt to the East 1.

Omar came from humble beginnings: his family supported themselves by agricultural means and stock raising. From a very young age, Omar was taught the importance of industriousness, perseverance, and the overwhelming need for community spirit. The cultural surroundings of his childhood had much to do with shaping his personality.

Omar al Mukhtar's father, Mukhtar Ghayth, was a well liked and prominent religious figure in their village and belonged to the clan of Farhat, which was part of the Braidan section of the Al-Minifa tribe, a bedouin tribe of eastern Libya2. The Al-Minifa are regarded as part of the Ashraf tribe: one whose family claims lineage traced to the Quraish tribe, of the Prophet Muhammad.

Map of Zawiyat Zanzur

Map of Zawiyat Zanzur. Wikimedia Commons.

As a religious leader, Mukhtar Ghayth instilled the necessity of applying Islamic principles and showing empathy and equality to all. His teachings were to lay the foundation for Omar's unwavering commitment to justice and resistance, against oppression. This, together with the old bedouin traditions of bravery, loyalty and honour, which were still influential in his village, would stay with him throughout his lifetime3.

Omar’s mother, Aisha bint Moharib, also played  an important role in Omar’s early childhood. She encouraged his compassion, and strength and supported him throughout his early life, enabling him to face challenges with resilience and strength4.

Omar's early years were difficult, plagued by the limited resources, experienced by many, who resided in the challenging, arid environment. This was compounded by the untimely death of his father and mother whilst making, what was at the time, the dangerous journey to Mecca to perform Hajj, which led to the impoverishment, of the young Omar5.

Omar and his brother Muhammed were adopted as youths by a close friend of his father, Hussein Gharianih, a venerated scholar6. Omar also became good friends with Hussein’s nephew, Sharif all-Ghariani , who was himself an Islamic scholar and Imam of the Senussi order, well-respected for his knowledge of the Quran and often called upon to mediate disputes which arose between the local tribes7.

Having always shown a distinct desire to learn, and a remarkable intellectual curiosity, Omar was sent to study under Sheikh Budiya, at the Islamic school of Shaykh Abd al-Qadir, which was, at that time, a prominent Islamic education centre of the Senussi order (Arabic: al Tariqa al -Sanusiyya). The Senussis were a leading political-religious Sufi order, with significant influence in Libya and the Sudan, having been founded in Mecca in 1837 by the Algerian religious leader, Muhammad ibn Ali al-Sanusi (the Grand Sanussi). It was under Sheikh Budiya’s tutelage, that Omar studied Arabic, acquiring basic literacy skills and developing his love and understanding of Islamic teachings8.

Schools such as Sheikh Budiya’s were known as “Kuttabs” (meaning “author” in Arabic), or “Makatib” (singular: “Maktab”) (meaning “office” in Arabic) and comprised of a form of elementary school, which was popular in the Islamic world, in which a Sheikh teaches a group of students sat before him, usually on the floor.

KUTTAB Topkapı Palace Museum Library,

Miniature Painting of a Kuttab. Topkapı Palace Museum Library, via Wikimedia Commons

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/ef/Ottoman_miniature_painters.jpg

Until the 20th century, when more modern forms of educational institutions were formed across the Islamic region, kuttabs  were the most prevalent form of educational institution in much of the Islamic world and certainly remained so in Libya, throughout the early 19th and late 20th century. The Kuttabs were essential in providing religious education and teaching the Arabic language and literature, to young Libyan students, such as Omar9. 

After completing his studies under Sheikh Budiya, Omar went on to study at the Senussi Islamic University at Jaghbub, Cyrenaica: the centre for the Senussi movement10.

Kuttab in the famous Sabil Muhammad Ali Pasha Cairo, Sailko, Creative Commons. 3.0 ia Wikimedia Commons

FOOTNOTES.

  1. “Omar Al-Mukhtar.” Dictionary of African Biography. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2012. pg. 360–360.

  2. Ibid.,

  3. Wright, John. Libya: A Modern History. Oxon: Routledge, 2022.

  4. “Omar Al-Mukhtar.” Encyclopedia.com, March 14, 2024. https://www.encyclopedia.com/history/encyclopedias-almanacs-transcripts-and-maps/omar-al-mukhtar.

  5. “Omar Al-Mukhtar.” Dictionary of African Biography. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2012. pg. 360–360.

  6. “Omar Mukhtar .” Alchetron.com, November 23, 2023. https://alchetron.com/Omar-Mukhtar.

  7. “Omar Al-Mukhtar”. Wikipedia.com. May 10, 2024. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Omar_al-Mukhtar

  8. “Omar Al-Mukhtar.” Dictionary of African Biography. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2012. pg. 360–360.

  9. Vandewalle, Dirk J. Libya Since Independence: Oil and State-building. London: I.B. Tauris Publ, 1998.

  10. “Remembering Omar Al-Mukhtar (20 August 1862 – 16 September 1931).” Middle East Monitor, September 16, 2021.

    https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20210916-remembering-omar-al-mukhtar-20-august-1862-16-september-1931/.