The date of the entry of the Maliki school into Libya

Abstract

The History of the Maliki School's Introduction to Libya
The first time the Arab conquerors set foot in Libya after the conquest of Egypt was on the Libyan lands, which are part of "Afriqiya," the lands of the Greater Maghreb, extending from Barqa to Tangier in the west. When the leadership was entrusted to Uqba ibn Nafi in the year 50 AH, he founded the city of Kairouan, which became a scholarly center attracting students from all over Africa, including Libya. Intellectual life in Africa began with the teaching of the Qur’an, Hadith, jurisprudence, interpretation, and the Arabic language. There is no doubt that those who spread these sciences were the Companions of the Messenger of God, peace and blessings be upon him, as historians mentioned that during the period of the Islamic conquest, Africa was entered by twenty-nine Companions of the Messenger of God, peace and blessings be upon him, including those who witnessed al-Aqaba, Badr, and the Pledge of Ridwan, and prayed towards the two qiblas. Historians mention that when Uqba ibn Nafi’ returned the second time, he had with him twenty-five Companions. Ibn Adhari said that they were eighteen Companions, and that Uqba ibn Nafi’ gathered the most prominent of his Companions and the great leaders and went around Kairouan while supplicating and saying: “O God, fill it with knowledge and jurisprudence, and populate it with the obedient and the worshippers, and make it a source of honor for your religion and a source of humiliation for those who disbelieve in you, and make Islam victorious through it, and protect it from the tyrants of the earth.”2 Likewise, the young Companions and the great Followers, students of the Companions, passed through the Libyan cities. There is no doubt that The Companions and their followers were the first to plant seeds of Islam in Libya. Islam became more firmly established in Africa during the reign of Caliph Umar ibn Abd al-Aziz, when he sent an educational mission of ten jurists there.
Before discussing the introduction of the Maliki school of thought to Africa, we note that historians almost unanimously agree that the Berbers of Africa converted to Islam during the reign of Ismail ibn Abi al-Muhajir, whom Umar ibn Abd al-Aziz appointed governor of Africa in 100 AH (100 AH).
However, the efforts of Ibn Abi al-Muhajir were an extension of those who preceded him, the soldiers of the conquest who spread the language and religion. The Islamic conquest differed from other previous conquests, such as the Phoenician and Roman occupations, for "the conquest was built on the culture of the conquest itself." 1 Uqba ibn Nafi’ founded Kairouan in the year 50 AH and made it the capital of the Islamic state and a center for spreading Islam. Hassan ibn Thabit (74-85 AH) also founded the city of Tunis and distributed jurists throughout the cities of Morocco to teach the Berbers (Islam and jurisprudence). He established brotherhood between the Berbers and the Arabs, and the Berbers joined the Arab army alongside the Muslim Arabs. 2 Musa ibn Nusayr also sent teachers to the lands of the Far Maghreb to teach the Berbers. He converted the churches there into mosques, making them beacons of knowledge for teaching people religion and the Arabic language. He also established the mosques of Tlemcen and Agmat Helena, turning them into centers for teaching Islamic sciences. The character and piety that distinguished Ismail ibn Abi al-Muhajir had a significant impact on al-Burairi’s conversion to Islam during the reign of Ismail ibn Abi al-Muhajir. 3 This led historians to assert that al-Burairi’s conversion during the reign of Ismail ibn Abi al-Muhajir was a Kharijite apostasy and the spread of discord in Africa. Sources indicate that the Berbers of Africa apostatized more than twelve times, from Tripoli to Tangier. However, the reality is that Islam was firmly established in the Berbers’ hearts during the reign of Musa ibn Nusayr, and after his conquest of Andalusia, Islam was consolidated during the reign of Ismail ibn Abdullah ibn Abi al-Muhajir (100 AH/101 AH), that is, at the beginning of the second century AH. The doctrine of the Salaf was the dominant one in Africa until the appearance of the Kharijites in the second century AH. Islam during the Islamic conquests, which was in turn instilled by the Companions and their followers who came to Africa with the Islamic army, was simple and devoid of complexity. However, the political and intellectual events in the Levant spread to the Maghreb, contributing to the oppression of workers and social injustice during the Umayyad era. They mistreated the people and excommunicated those who converted to Islam and those who did not. This resulted in the emergence of heretical Kharijite sects, such as the Sufriyya and others. The Sufriyya were able to establish a Kharijite emirate in the city of Salamajah in 140 AH under the leadership of the Banu Wasul or Banu Medwar. Likewise, the followers of the Ibadi sect succeeded in declaring their imamate in Tripoli in 140 AH and seized Kairouan in 141 AH, remaining there until the Abbasid state was able to eliminate their state in Tripoli. The Ibadis then moved to the central Maghreb and established the Rustamid state in Tahert. Their rule lasted for approximately 130 years until they were eliminated by Abu Abdullah al-Shi'i in 296 AH. These doctrines remained embraced by the Berbers until the end of the second century. However, the emergence of Sunni doctrines in the Levant, and the departure of Moroccan students and their return as jurists embracing Sunni doctrines, had a significant impact on the Berbers' understanding of true Islam.