Mubarak al-Mili
- Died
- 1364 AH
- Born in
- -
Mubarak al-Mili (c. 1316–1364 AH / 1898–1945 CE) was an Algerian historian, educator, and reformist scholar who served as a prominent founding member of the Association of Algerian Muslim Scholars and authored the historical survey Tarikh al-Jazair fi al-Qadim wa al-Hadith.
Early Life and Education
Mubarak ibn Muhammad Ibrahimi al-Mili (also recorded as Mubarak ibn Muhammad ibn Mubarak al-Hilali al-Mili) was born around 1316 AH (1898 CE) in Duwar Awlad Mubarak, near El Milia in the Constantine region. Raised in the countryside, he was orphaned in early childhood following the deaths of his father, Muhammad, and his mother, Turkiya bint Ahmad ibn Farhat Hamroush. He was initially placed under the guardianship of his grandfather Rabih, and subsequently raised by his uncles Allawa and Ahmad.
He began his education in El Milia and Mila, memorizing the Quran and undertaking foundational Islamic studies under Shaykh Muhammad ibn Ma'nasar al-Mili. He subsequently relocated to Constantine to study under Abd al-Hamid Ibn Badis at the Green Mosque (al-Jami' al-Akhdar), where he embraced reformist Salafi thought. Encouraged by Ibn Badis, he traveled to Tunis to enroll at the University of al-Zaytuna, studying under scholars such as Muhammad al-Nakhli al-Qayrawani, Muhammad al-Sadiq al-Nayfar, Muhammad al-Tahir ibn Ashur, Belhassan al-Najjar, and Muhammad ibn al-Qadi. He graduated with the tatwi' degree (attestation of completion) around 1922 or 1924 CE before returning to Algeria.
Teaching, Reformist Activism, and Offices
Upon returning to Constantine, al-Mili assisted Ibn Badis in teaching for several months before relocating in late 1342 AH (c. 1923–1926 CE) to Laghouat. In Laghouat, he led an active educational mission for several years, directing Madrasat al-Shabiba, establishing a local welfare society (al-Jam'iyya al-Khayriyya), delivering regular public lectures, and organizing study missions sending local students to al-Zaytuna. He also conducted outreach journeys to nearby towns, including Djelfa, Bou Saada, and Aflou.
When the Association of Algerian Muslim Scholars was established in 1931, al-Mili was elected to its administrative council and appointed as its treasurer. After French administrative pressure compelled him to leave Laghouat and Bou Saada, he returned to Mila around 1933, where he established Madrasat al-Hayat, the Reform Club (Nadi al-Islah), and a mosque where he served as preacher. In Mila, he encountered opposition from colonial administrators and local Sufi leadership. Around 1935, he took over the chief editorship of the Association’s weekly newspaper, al-Basa'ir, continuing in the post until the paper was suspended in 1939. He also contributed articles to reformist journals such as al-Shihab, occasionally writing under the pen name "Baydawi". Following the death of Ibn Badis in 1940, al-Mili reportedly assumed teaching responsibilities at the Green Mosque in Constantine.
Scholarly Contribution and Standing
Al-Mili’s intellectual activity focused on historical documentation, theological reform, and the promotion of Arabic education. In his two-volume history Tarikh al-Jazair fi al-Qadim wa al-Hadith, he sought to present an integrated Arabic account of Algeria's past from antiquity onward; Ibn Badis praised the first volume upon its appearance, noting that it gave complete form to Algerian history in Arabic. In theology, he published Risalat al-Shirk wa Mazahiruhu, a work targeting religious innovations and superstitious practices, which was formally endorsed by the administrative council of the Association under Larbi Tebessi.
Due to his analytical writing style and systematic argumentation, al-Mili was referred to by contemporaries as the "philosopher of the reform movement." Reformist figures including Muhammad al-Bashir al-Ibrahimi and Ahmad Tawfiq al-Madani praised his sharpness of intellect, clarity of logic, and dedication to national and religious revival.
Illness and Death
Al-Mili suffered from diabetes in his later years, which undermined his health and required him to seek medical treatment in France. He died on February 9, 1945 CE (1364 AH) at approximately forty-seven years of age.
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List of Works
Risalat al-Shirk wa Mazahiruhu (Treatise on Polytheism and Its Manifestations) is a theological and reformist work addressing Islamic monotheism, the definition and origins of polytheism, and its historical and contemporary manifestations.
Tarikh al-Jazair fi al-Qadim wa al-Hadith (The History of Algeria in Ancient and Modern Times) is an Arabic historical work documenting the history of Algeria from prehistoric antiquity through the medieval Islamic dynasties up to the sixteenth century.