Muhammad Ibn 'Ali Al-Senussi
Founder of the Senussi dynasty
SuccessorPrince Muhammad
Born1787
Mostaganem, Ottoman Algeria
Died1859
Jaghbub, Libya, Ottoman Tripolitania
HouseSenussi
FatherAli as-Senussi
ReligionIslam

Muhammad ibn Ali as-Senussi (Arabic: محمد بن علي السنوسي; in full Muḥammad ibn ʿAlī al-Sanūsī al-Mujāhirī al-Ḥasanī al-Idrīsī) (1787–1859) was an Algerian Muslim theologian and leader who founded the Senussi mystical order in 1837. His militant mystical movement proved very significant and helped Libya to win its freedom from Italy on 10 February 1947. Omar Mukhtar was one of the most significant leaders of the Senussi military campaign launched by Muhammad ibn Ali as-Senussi. Al-Sanūsī's grandson Idrīs I ruled as king of Libya from 1951 to 1969.[1]

Life

Al-Senussi was born in al-Wasita near Mostaganem, Algeria,[2] and was named al-Senussi after a venerated Muslim teacher. He was an Algerian Walad Sidi Abdallah tribesman who claimed descent from the Islamic prophet Muhammad.[3][4][5] The family takes its name from a religious Sheikh named Sanussi who lived in Tlemcen during the 13th century.

Unable to cross Algeria because of the French occupation, the beginning, the centre of Imam Mohammed Ali El Senussi's call was Jebel Akhdar and he built a mosque in Bayda of Cyrenaica and named it after himself, then he moved to Jaghbub in Cyrenaica from where the mosques spread to the remaining cities of Barqa and Tripoli.[6]

Muhammad
ibn Ali
as-Senussi
Muhammad
as-Sharif
as-Senussi
Muhammad al-Mahdi
bin Muhammad
as-Senussi
Ahmed
as-Sharif
as-Senussi		Muhammad
al-Abid
as-Senussi
Muhammad
ar-Reda		King Idris I
of Libya		Queen Fatimah
as-Sharif		az-Zubayr
bin Ahmad
as-Sharif		Abdullah bin
Muhammad al-
Abid as-Senussi
Hasan
as-Senussi		Ahmed
as-Senussi
(member
of NTC)		Idris bin
Abdullah
as-Senussi
(claimant)
Mohammed
as-Senussi

See also

References

Notes

  1. ^ "Al-Sanūsī | Islamic religious leader". Encyclopedia Britannica. Retrieved 2018-08-10.
  2. ^ Shillington, Kevin (2005) "Libya: Muhammad Al-Sanusi (c.1787–1859) and the Sanusiyya" Encyclopedia of African History Fitzroy Dearborn, New York, p. 830-831, ISBN 1-57958-245-1
  3. ^ Juan Eduardo Campo (2009). Encyclopedia of Islam. Infobase Publishing. p. 443. ISBN 978-1-4381-2696-8.
  4. ^ Paolo Sensini (2016). Sowing Chaos Libya in the Wake of Humanitarian Intervention. SCB Distributors. p. 15. ISBN 978-0-9860853-8-3.
  5. ^ MARTIN, B. G. (1992). "A FUTURE SANUSI CALIPHATE? MUHAMMAD ʿALI AL-SANUSI AND HIS "DURAR AL-SANIYA"". Journal of Asian History. 26 (2): 160–168. ISSN 0021-910X. JSTOR 41930867.
  6. ^ The Senussi Family Archived 2012-12-26 at the Wayback Machine Retrieved 1 October 2011.
Muhammad ibn Ali al-Sanusi Senussi dynastyBorn: 1787 Religious titles Preceded byNone Chief of the Senussi order 1843–1859 Succeeded byMuhammad al-Mahdi as-Senussi
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