Abd al-Latif Sultani
- Died
- 1404 AH
- Born in
- -
Abd al-Latif Sultani (d. 1404 AH / 1984 CE) was an Algerian Islamic scholar, preacher, and activist associated with the reformist movement of the Association of Algerian Muslim Ulema .
Early Life and Education
Abd al-Latif ibn Ali al-Sultani was raised as an orphan under French colonial rule in Algeria, never knowing his father, Shaykh Ali ibn al-Sultani, who had also been dedicated to Islamic learning and teaching . Sultani began his education by studying the Arabic language and Islamic religious sciences locally before traveling to Tunis in 1348 AH to enroll at the Ez-Zitouna Mosque . During his time in Tunisia, he engaged with its scholarly circles and documented his observations regarding the political marginalization of the Islamic leader Abd al-Aziz al-Tha'alibi .
Reformist Career and Teaching
Upon returning to Algeria, Sultani joined the reformist movement led by the Association of Algerian Muslim Ulema, actively supporting its founder Abd al-Hamid ibn Badis and subsequently its second president, Muhammad al-Bashir al-Ibrahimi . He spent an extended period in Constantine, where he taught in mosques, preached, and provided fatwas; his extensive knowledge of the Maliki school of jurisprudence made him a prominent authority for local imams and the public alike . In his later years, he conducted lessons and led religious activities at the Abd al-Hamid Mosque in the Kouba district of Algiers .
In his writings, Sultani addressed contemporary ideological and religious themes. In al-Mazdakiya Hiya Asl al-Ishtirakiya ("Mazdakism Is the Origin of Socialism," 1394 AH / 1974 CE), he argued against socialist and communist doctrines, linking them to ancient Persian Mazdakism and warning against attempts to reconcile them with Islam . He also authored Siham al-Islam ("The Shares of Islam," 1400 AH / 1980 CE), centered on essential obligations and moral duties in Islam, and Fi Sabil al-Aqida al-Islamiyya ("In the Path of the Islamic Creed," 1402 AH / 1982 CE) .
Imprisonment and Death
Sultani suffered the loss of his son, Taha, who died abroad in an accident while studying in the United States . In his final days, Sultani was subjected to confinement and died under house arrest in his residence on 11 Rajab 1404 AH (13 April 1984 CE) . His funeral attracted a massive public gathering commemorated in elegies by his contemporary, the Algerian scholar Ahmad Sahnoun .
Answer updated
List of Works
al-Mazdakiya Hiya Asl al-Ishtirakiya (Mazdakism Is the Origin of Socialism) is a polemical and religious work that argues that modern socialism and communism are doctrinal extensions of the ancient Persian philosophy of Mazdakism.
Fi Sabil al-Aqida al-Islamiyya (In the Path of the Islamic Creed) is a book dedicated to exploring the Islamic creed and highlighting historical models of steadfastness in faith.
Siham al-Islam (The Shares of Islam) is an Islamic treatise expounding the fundamental duties, pillars, and moral obligations of the Islamic faith.