History of Islam in Tunisia:

History of Islam in Tunisia

In the middle of the seventh century AD, Christianity faced significant challenges in North Africa, including present-day Tunisia, after the Umayyad Caliphate, which ruled from Damascus between 661-750, took control of the newly established Islamic state. The first attempts by Muslims to enter the land of Tunisia occurred in 647 CE, known as the Battle of Al-Adbalah, led by commanders named Abdullah, resulting in the death of the Byzantine ruler. The second campaign took place in 661 CE and ended with the conquest of the city of Bizerte. The third campaign, led by Uqba ibn Nafi, was decisive, entering the Roman African province in 670 CE and establishing the Umayyad state in Damascus. He founded the city of Kairouan, which became the first Islamic city in Africa and their base for spreading the Islamic religion in North Africa, becoming a center for intellectual and religious radiance for many centuries. Despite the gradual advance of Muslim Arab armies in African territories, some Berbers fiercely resisted. The Garamantes tribe, led by their “priestess” (known by Arabs as such), continuously attacked Muslim armies. In 696, the priestess defeated the Arab forces in Taba (modern-day Algeria), but she eventually met her demise. After her death, the priestess became a legend and a national heroine celebrated in Tunisia to this day.

Christianity faced significant challenges in North Africa, including present-day Tunisia, after the Umayyad Caliphate, which ruled from Damascus between 661-750, took control of the newly established Islamic state. The main resistance to Muslim Arab armies consisted of Berber forces, often led by Christians under the leadership of Kusaila. However, in the end, the Berbers were defeated, and Kusaila was captured. In 698, Umayyad commander Hasan ibn al-Nu’man entered Carthage, an strategically important city, and it fell into the hands of Muslim conquerors after a siege. The Islamic forces demolished its walls, burned it, and used its marble and structures to expand the city of Tunis. Islam was then firmly established in the region after significant resistance from the Berbers. The Arabization of the region occurred later with the migration of Arab families and tribes, particularly the Banu Hilal and Banu Sulaym tribes from southern Arabia and the Arabian Gulf. The establishment of the Zaytuna Mosque in Tunis in 737, built by Ubayd Allah ibn al-Habhab, further contributed to the spread of Arab-Islamic culture in the region and the dissemination of the Maliki school of thought.

State of the Aghlabids :

The Aghlabid period in Africa is considered one of its most glorious historical periods since the introduction of Islam. Its founder, Ibrahim ibn al-Aghlab (184 AH / 800 CE), established its independence, making Africa autonomous (self-governing) from the caliphate, with its relationship limited to general matters like the appointment of governors. The rule in Africa became hereditary during this period, lasting for over a century from 184 AH / 800 CE to 296 AH / 909 CE. This era witnessed relative political stability in African lands, with Sunni Islam and its scholars playing a significant role in establishing and maintaining this stability. Scholars, assisted by Aghlabid rulers, successfully expelled the Kharijites from African lands and solidified the foundations of the Maliki school of thought.

The establishment of the Aghlabid state made Africa and its people a distinctive and unique entity, differing significantly from other countries in the Maghreb region.

The Aghlabids paid equal attention to religious establishments as they did to military and civilian structures. They built walls and towers for cities, especially those along the coast. Notable constructions included the Shipbuilding House in Tunis and the Arms Manufacturing House in Sousse, both crucial to the history of Islamic maritime power, particularly in the Mediterranean. These facilities played a decisive role in the conquest of Sicily in 827 CE.

Fatimid State

Abdullah al-Shi’a, with the help of some Berber tribes, including the Kutama tribe, managed to seize control of most of North Africa within seven years. The Kutama tribe responded to his call and embraced the Isma’ili Shi’a doctrine. Despite attempts, Ziyadat Allah al-Aghlabi’s armies failed to stop Abdullah al-Shi’a’s advance. Ziyadat Allah found himself unable to preserve the rule of his ancestors and chose to flee to Egypt, carrying with him whatever wealth and equipment he could. He left from Raqada (Kairouan), making the city easily accessible to Abu Abdullah al-Shi’a. Araba ibn Yusuf, one of his commanders, entered the city without a fight in 909 CE.

The end of the Aghlabid rule marked the official establishment of the first Shi’a state in the Islamic world by Ubayd Allah ibn al-Husayn al-Mahdi (873-934 CE), the founder of the Fatimid dynasty. The Fatimid state was the only Shi’a state to rule over Muslims similar to the Umayyad and Abbasid caliphates. The period of Ubayd Allah al-Mahdi was foundational, establishing and consolidating the principles after the preparatory period led by the missionary Abu Abdullah al-Shi’a. The Fatimids made Mahdia the capital of the Fatimid Caliphate in 308 AH / 920 CE. Their rule in Tunisia lasted for 64 years, during which the country experienced significant prosperity. In 969, the Fatimids successfully conquered Egypt, relocating their capital there in 973 CE.

When the Fatimids moved to Egypt, they appointed an Amazigh prince, Buluggin ibn Ziri ibn Manadz as the ruler of Africa. Buluggin managed to quell neighboring tribal revolts on the borders of the country, strengthening his rule and retaining the vast territories inherited from the Fatimids. In 1045, the Sanhaja king, al-Mu’izz ibn Badi, declared his deviation from the Fatimid Caliphate in Cairo and allegiance to the Abbasid Caliphate in Baghdad. This angered the Fatimid Caliph al-Mustansir Billah, who, with the consent of his minister Abu Muhammad al-Hasan al-Yazuri, ordered the Bedouin tribes stationed in Upper Egypt to march towards Tunisia. This incursion led to the fragmentation of the Sanhaja state and the destruction of its capital after it was subjected to looting and plunder. Subsequently, the country was divided into several emirates.

Islamic Tunisian Figures

Abi Zaid al-Qayrawani:

Ibn Abi Zaid al-Qayrawani, also known as Abdullah Abu Muhammad ibn Abdul Rahman Abi Zaid al-Qayrawani, was born in Kairouan, Tunisia, in the year 310 AH / 922 CE. He was a prominent figure in the Maliki school of thought, often referred to as “Malik al-Asghar” (Malik the Younger). He served as the leader of the Maliki community in his time, and his most famous work is the book “Al-Risala.” He passed away in the year 386 AH / 996 CE. Ibn Abi Zaid al-Qayrawani is recognized as one of the leading scholars of the Maliki school, earning scholarly acclaim. He was a knowledgeable imam, a compiler of the Maliki doctrine, and an explainer of its principles. His extensive knowledge, memorization, and written works testify to his scholarly prowess.

The judge Ibn al-Yayyad said about him: “He was the leader of the Maliki community in his time, their role model, the compiler of the Maliki doctrine, and an explainer of its principles. He had extensive knowledge, excellent memory, and his writings bear witness to that. His eloquent tongue expressed clarity and knowledge in what he said. He summarized the doctrine, and his authored works spread throughout the lands.”

Ibn Huyyun:

Abu Hanifa al-Nu’man ibn Abdullah ibn Muhammad ibn Mansur (died in 363 AH / 974 CE) was an Ismaili jurist from Kairouan, a pillar of the Fatimid call, and the founder of the Fatimid Ismaili judicial and legal system. He is known as the legislator of Ismailism. Nu’man studied Ismailism at an early age and began his legal career with Ubayd Allah al-Mahdi, continuing under the Fatimid Caliphs, al-Qa’im, al-Mansur, and al-Mu’izz li-Din Allah. During the reign of the third Caliph, al-Mansur bi-Allah, he was appointed as a judge for the Mansuriyya, reaching the highest ranks during the rule of the fourth Fatimid Caliph, al-Mu’izz li-Din Allah, who elevated him to the position of Chief Judge and Inviter of Inviters. Al-Qadi al-Nu’man was prolific in his production, with over 40 authored works. Among his significant works is the book “Al-Majalis wal-Musayarat,” where he described the lives of the Fatimid Caliphs in the Maghreb, and the book “Dua’im al-Islam,” a fundamental work in Ismaili jurisprudence.

Al-Faqih al-Darjini:

Ahmad ibn Saeed ibn Sulaiman ibn Ali ibn Yakhlef al-Darjini (Abu al-Abbas), who passed away in 670 AH / 1271 CE, was a jurist, historian, and poet, serving as an exemplary imam in his time. He is considered one of the most famous scholars in Darjini in the Jrid region, southern Tunisia, and one of the five scholars in his genealogical series, all of whom were Nahrawan scholars. Al-Faqih al-Darjini received his initial education in Darjini, then traveled to Warjalane in 616 AH / 1219 CE, where he studied under Sheikh Abu Sahil Yahya ibn Ibrahim ibn Sulaiman for several years. He later returned to his hometown, Darjini.

In addition to his jurisprudential knowledge, linguistic and rhetorical abilities, and poetry, he was a meticulous historian. Al-Faqih al-Darjini did not just transmit what his predecessors had written about the Ibadiyya, but innovated a new approach to writing the Ibadiyya biography. He adopted the layers approach in his famous work, “Tabaqat al-Mashaikh bil-Maghrib,” consisting of two parts. Each layer represents fifty years, starting with the second layer (50-100 AH / 670-718 CE). He did not write about the first layer, as he believed it was well-known and needed no additions. Abu al-Qasim al-Baradi came later, around two centuries (810 AH / 1407 CE), to write “Al-Jawahir al-Muntakha fi ma Akhalla bihi Kitab al-Tabaqat.” The purpose of al-Faqih al-Darjini in compiling this book was to clarify that this Islamic religion was transmitted to them through continuous transmission, generation after generation, and layer after layer.