الشيخ امحمد بن يوسف أطفيَّش القُطب حياته ورحلاته الحجازية

Abstract

Sheikh Mahammad ibn Youssef Tfeyech's trips are among the most remarkable Algerian Hijazi trips, due to the scientific, cultural and social aspects that accompany them, and most particularly that the person of interest is a great scholar whose reputation preceded him for his contributions in most all scientific areas during this era...

He went twice on a pilgrimage; the first pilgrimage was about 1290 AH/1873 AD and the second in 1303 AH/1886 AD. He recorded the events of his second pilgrimage in a poem called “Hijazi Poem” in about 232 verses where he described the details of his sacred journey in exquisite poetry way that reflects a great deal of etiquette and taste which grants this poem an important literary and historical value.

However, in his first pilgrimage, he stayed for a whole year, attempting to teach and learn by some prominent scholars in the territory of “Hijaz”. Simultaneously, he hardly strived to project some of Maghreb knowledge to Hijazi scholars and learners through establishing many scientific and intellectual activities either with scientific debates or through giving some religious lectures. During his journey, he also tried to establish a fraternal and scientific atmosphere with Mashreqi scholars by writing and exchanging many books and correspondences. During this pilgrimage he met with different significant scholars and thinkers while he contributed in organizing and sending different scientific missions towards and from Mashreq which consolidated the bonds of fraternity and complementarity between the two sides of Islamic World. Besides, he has done many scientific trips inside the Algerian territories as a reformer and educators for decades.

On the whole, Sheikh Tfeyech’s trips have been regarded as examples of scientific and cultural communication between Muslims in Mashreq and Maghreb, while reflecting virtuous aspects of the scholars' ethics, as well as vivid images of Muslims lifestyle in this important historical period in the history of Algeria and the Islamic world. The local community of Sheikh Tfeyech has benefited a great deal from the experiences of this reverent scholar through his pilgrimages in addition to his scientific and educational trips while he enlightened the paths of his followers in both M’zab and its surroundings.