Hasan Husni Abd al-Wahhab
- Died
- 1388 AH
- Born in
- Tunis
Hasan Husni Abd al-Wahhab (1301–1388 AH / 1884–1968 CE) was a Tunisian historian, scholar, and man of letters .
Lineage and Early Life
He was Hasan Husni ibn Salih ibn Abd al-Wahhab ibn Yusuf al-Samadihi . Both his birth and death took place in Tunis . His father, Salih ibn Abd al-Wahhab (d. 1322 AH / 1904 CE), was an official and translator who held a deep interest in Tunisian history and fostered this passion in his son .
Education and Public Career
Abd al-Wahhab received his early schooling in Mahdia, followed by studies at a French school in Tunis and then at the Sadiqiya School (al-Madrasa al-Sadiqiyya) in the capital . He subsequently traveled to France to study at the École des Sciences Politiques (School of Political Sciences) in Paris .
Following his father's death in 1322 AH, he entered administrative service . He was appointed governor (‘āmil) of Mahdia from 1341 to 1353 AH with the military rank of amīr liwā’ (brigadier general), and later served as governor of Nabeul until 1358 AH . From 1359 to 1362 AH (1943 CE), he presided over the administration of religious endowments (al-awqāf) with the rank of amīr umarā’ .
Scholarly Standing and Contributions
Abd al-Wahhab was widely recognized as a leading authority on Tunisian and North African history, literature, and Islamic heritage . Among his major writings is Kitab al-Umr fi al-musannafat wa-al-mu'allifin al-Tunisiyyin ("The Book of a Lifetime on Tunisian Writings and Authors"), a comprehensive biographical and bibliographical reference on Tunisian scholarship . He also authored Khulasat tarikh Tunis ("Summary History of Tunisia") and compiled al-Muntakhabat al-Tunisiyya ("Tunisian Selections") . In addition to his writings, he amassed an extensive private collection of Arabic manuscripts in Tunis, which became a vital repository referenced in catalogues and studies of Islamic heritage .
Answer updated
List of Works
al-Imam al-Maziri is a biographical and historical monograph dedicated to the life, scholarly standing, and intellectual context of the Maliki jurist al-Imam al-Maziri (d. 536 AH / 1141 CE), set alongside an overview of religious scholarship and Islamic jurisprudence in Ifriqiya.