The life and times of Sheikh Ibrahim Mukhtar Ahmed Omar

The life and times of Sheikh Ibrahim Mukhtar Ahmed Omar:

Sheikh Ibrahim Mukhtar Ahmed Omar was born in Eritrea in 1909 in a village close to the coast of the Red Sea. His father was a respected scholar who received his Islamic education locally as well as in Yemen and Hejaz (Saudi Arabia). Sheikh Ibrahim Mukhtar received his preliminary education from his learned father. Shortly after the death of his father, Sheikh Ibrahim Mukhtar, at the age of 15, left his village to go to Khartoum, the capital of Sudan. There, he was enrolled as a student in the Umdurman institute. After spending two years at the institute, he left Sudan for Cairo, Egypt where he was accepted as a student at Al-Azhar Al-Shareef University.

He did not limit himself to just the formal classes in Al-Azhar, but went beyond, privately educating himself by studying under many prominent scholars. He also conducted exhaustive personal research by exploring the resource rich libraries of Cairo, and, subsequently, reading and analyzing many valuable manuscripts and books. He successfully received the degree of Alyimia from Al-Azhar in 1937. He then spent three more years in extensive study, specializing in the science of the Principles of Islamic Jurisprudence (Usul Al-Fiqh). Ater receiving his Aliymia degree, Sheikh Ibrahim Mukhtar worked in different capacities. He worked as a teacher, a lawyer, and an editor with a publishing company. In Egypt he authored a number of books. He also reviewed, commented on, and published a number of classical books. One such book about the principles of Islamic jurisprudence, authored by Sadr Alshariah, is currently used as a prescribed text at Al-Azhar. He also authored a number of anti-colonial articles in a newspaper known for its anti-colonial views.

In 1939 he was informed by the Italian Embassy in Cairo about an offer to appoint him as the Mufti of Eritrea (based on requests made by local Muslim leaders in Eritrea). The Sheikh initially refused to accept the offer, but, due to intense and relentless pressure, reluctantly accepted and left Egypt for Eritrea in April 1940. He arrived in the capital of Eritrea, Asmara, and took charge of his responsibilities as a Mufti and Qadi Al-Quddat (Grand Judge). Later on, he was also assigned various additional responsibilities, such as the Chair of the Islamic Eritrean Waqaf (endowment) Council, the Chair of the Council of Eritrean scholars (Jabhat Al-Ulama), and others. The Mufti spent about thirty years as a key figure in Eritrea where he served as a spiritual leader, an educator, an author, a jurist, and a conciliator. He reformed the Sharia courts and established a formal and modern court system with formal rules and proper procedures. He established a selection criterion for the appointment of qualified and competent judges (Qadis). He organized national conferences for judges (Qadis) to discuss issues and to pass resolutions.

He organized and expanded the waqf (endowment) system with large sections of real estate all over the country and established a solid and well-managed system of governance and record keeping to be managed by a representative body. He initiated and encouraged the establishment of schools. During his time, wealthy businessmen under his direction established many schools. He established the largest Islamic library in the country, donating more than 3,000 books from his own personal collection. During his time as a mufti, more than thirty mosques were built throughout the country. He authored close to fifty major and minor books in different subjects including Islamic sciences, history, genealogy, and the national affairs of Eritrea, which were all authored in the Arabic language.

During the British mandate and the political struggle to determine the future of Eritrea, he didn’t join any of the many competing political parties. However, his inclination was towards the independence block, in particular the Al-Rabita. In all his communications with United Nations envoys, politicians, and officials, he firmly demanded that the aspirations and rights of the people of Eritrea be fully respected and considered. He argued strongly in favor of recognizing Arabic and Tigriniya as the official languages of the country. After the passing of the Federal resolution by the United Nations and the establishment of a federation between Eritrea and Ethiopia, he consistently demanded the full implementation of all the provisions in the resolution and respect for the constitution. He vehemently resisted any attempts to undermine either the United Nations’resolution or the constitution.

After the illegal annexation of Eritrea by the Ethiopian regime and the emergence of the Eritrean armed struggle, the Mufti came under increased pressure to succumb to the will of the Emperor and his government. The Mufti protested against the sectarian and discriminatory practices of the government and objected to all interference in the religious affairs of Muslims. He protested against the indiscriminate killing and destruction of villages and towns by government forces in various regions of the country. He resisted government pressure to issue fatwas condemning the Eritrean rebels (who were mostly active in Muslim dominant areas) as criminals and as outcasts from Islam (kaffir). Instead, he called for negotiations to resolve the conflict and fairly address the grievances and the root causes of the conflict.
Source : http://www.mukhtar.ca/

More on him also in this note: http://www.academia.edu/2641447/_Ibrahim_al-Mukhtar_Ahmad_Umar_2012_