Abd al-Rahman al-Afriqi
- Died
- 1377 AH
- Born in
- -
Abd al-Rahman ibn Yusuf al-Afriqi (1326–1377 AH / c. 1908–1957 CE) was a West African hadith scholar and educator based in Medina and Riyadh, known for his leadership of Dar al-Hadith in Medina and his theological critique of the Tijaniyya order .
Origin and Education
He was born in 1326 AH (c. 1908 CE) in the village of Fafa in Mali, West Africa, into a local ruling family . He traveled to the Hijaz and settled in Medina, where he attached himself to his teacher Shaykh Sa'id . When Dar al-Hadith was founded in Medina in 1350 AH by Ahmad ibn Muhammad al-Dihlawi, he enrolled at the school and studied the canonical hadith collections, hadith terminology, jurisprudence, legal theory, and auxiliary disciplines . He also regularly attended study circles in the Prophet's Mosque .
Teaching and Career
Al-Afriqi was appointed supervisor (nazir) and director of Dar al-Hadith in Medina . He later moved to Riyadh, where he taught hadith and hadith terminology at the Riyadh Scientific Institute (Ma'had al-Riyad al-'Ilmi) during the years 1372–1373 AH . His prominent students included Umar ibn Muhammad Fallatah, who accompanied him extensively and succeeded him in administering Dar al-Hadith, and Abd al-Muhsin al-Abbad .
Scholarly Contribution and Death
Al-Afriqi adhered to the creed and methodology of the early generations (salaf) and was dedicated to hadith scholarship . He authored al-Anwar al-Rahmaniyya li-Hidayat al-Firqa al-Tijaniyya (The Merciful Lights for the Guidance of the Tijani Sect), a concise treatise written to refute doctrines and practices associated with the Tijani Sufi order, referencing specific citations from its core texts .
He died in 1377 AH (1957 CE); another report dates his death to 1376 AH .
Answer updated
List of Works
al-Anwar al-Rahmaniyya li-Hidayat al-Firqa al-Tijaniyya (The Merciful Lights for the Guidance of the Tijani Sect) is a theological treatise and critical polemic examining and refuting the doctrines and practices of the Tijaniyya Sufi order from a Sunni perspective.