Ahmad Baba al Massufi
Encyclopedia
Ahmad Baba al-Massufi al-Tinbukti, full name Abu al-Abbas Ahmad ibn Ahmad al-Takruri Al-Massufi al-Timbukti (October 26, 1556 – 1627), (also known as Ahmed Baba Es Sudane or Ahmed Baba the black) was a medieval West African writer, scholar, and political provocateur in the area then known as the Western Sudan
. Throughout his life, he wrote more than 40 books and is often noted as having been Timbuktu
’s greatest scholar. He died in 1627.
to the teacher, Ahmad bin al-Hajj Ahmad bin Umar bin Muhammed Aqit. He moved to Timbuktu
at an early age, to study with his father and with a scholar known as Mohammed Bagayogo
(sometimes spelled Baghayu'u); there are no other records of his activity until 1594, when he was deported to Morocco, where he remained until 1608 over accusations of sedition.
The only public library in Timbuktu, the Ahmed Baba Institute (which stores over 18,000 manuscripts) is named in his honor.
Sudan (region)
The Sudan is the name given to a geographic region to the south of the Sahara, stretching from Western to Eastern Africa. The name derives from the Arabic bilâd as-sûdân or "land of the Blacks"...
. Throughout his life, he wrote more than 40 books and is often noted as having been Timbuktu
Timbuktu
Timbuktu , formerly also spelled Timbuctoo, is a town in the West African nation of Mali situated north of the River Niger on the southern edge of the Sahara Desert. The town is the capital of the Timbuktu Region, one of the eight administrative regions of Mali...
’s greatest scholar. He died in 1627.
Biography
Ahmad Baba was born on October 26, 1556 in AraouaneAraouane
Araouane or Arawan is a small village in the Malian Sahara, lying north of Timbuktu on the caravan route to Taoudenni. The village once served as an entrepôt in the trans-Saharan trade....
to the teacher, Ahmad bin al-Hajj Ahmad bin Umar bin Muhammed Aqit. He moved to Timbuktu
Timbuktu
Timbuktu , formerly also spelled Timbuctoo, is a town in the West African nation of Mali situated north of the River Niger on the southern edge of the Sahara Desert. The town is the capital of the Timbuktu Region, one of the eight administrative regions of Mali...
at an early age, to study with his father and with a scholar known as Mohammed Bagayogo
Mohammed Bagayogo
Mohammed Bagayogo Es Sudane Al Wangari Al Timbukti was an eminent scholar from Timbuktu, Mali. He was the Sheik and professor of highly esteemed scholar, Ahmed Baba and teacher at the University of Sankore, one of three philosophical schools in Mali during West Africa's golden age ; the other two...
(sometimes spelled Baghayu'u); there are no other records of his activity until 1594, when he was deported to Morocco, where he remained until 1608 over accusations of sedition.
Legacy
A fair amount of the work he was noted for was written while he was in Morocco, including his biography of Muhammad Abd al-Karim al-Maghili, a scholar and jurist responsible for much of the traditional religious law of the area. The biography was translated by M.A. Cherbonneau in 1855, and became one of the principal texts for study of the legal history of the Western Sudan. Ahmad Baba's surviving works remain the best sources for the study of al-Maghili and the generation that succeeded him. Ahmad Baba was considered the Mujjadid (reviver of religion) of the century.The only public library in Timbuktu, the Ahmed Baba Institute (which stores over 18,000 manuscripts) is named in his honor.