The Mug Shot that Spoke His Legacy

By: Ahmad Musa Jibril

We go back in history to 1!" #here a young boy o$ a poor household #as born in a
to#n controlled by the %thmany &hila$a' This young man #as brought under the care
and tutelage o$ one o$ the Shuyookh in his home to#n #hen he #as at the ripe age o$ 1!
a$ter the death o$ his $ather'
He e(entually de(eloped a li$estyle o$ not sleeping more than ) hours e(ery night in
order to get up to pray to Allah at the last third o$ the night and recite *ur+an until $a,r'
He memori-ed the *ur+an .as all kno#ledgeable people begin their li(es/ e(entually0 and
#as kno#n to ha(e $inished his re(isions in its entirety e(ery se(en days0 regardless o$
the su$$erings he encountered in his li$e'
His courage and #isdom #as pronounced0 and #as an e1ample $or people to $ollo#'
This #as e(ident on one o$ his cara(an trails to Sudan as a young man' A lion had
deterred the people $rom entering a particular path' 2ara(ans #ere (eered else #here $or
$ear o$ this lion' To distract this lion0 people #ould resort gi(ing it one o$ their camels0 a
most pri-ed possession0 so they could pass sa$ely' He learned o$ this lion during the
,ourney0 #here upon he conse3uently took it upon himsel$ to $ace this crisis head on'
%nlike other men in the cara(an #ho #ere dumbstruck by the situation0 he carried his
shot gun0 rode his horse and #ent a$ter the lion' He came back #ith the lion+s head
much to e(eryone+s surprise and due gratitude' This earned him the name 4Lion o$
2yrenaica'5
An upbringing o$ courage and upright religiosity had a massi(e e$$ect on him' His
character #ould not only change the course o$ his tribe0 country and people0 but also the
#orld o$ Muslims in the 6ost 2olonial 7ra'
8n his t#enties he #as kno#n $or his maturity beyond his years as #ell as his #isdom0 $or
he continued to sol(e tribal disputes' His people listened to him and took his regardless
o$ (illage or region he $ound himsel$ in' His manners #ere kno#n to be great0 $or he #as
elo3uent0 balanced in his speech0 and appealing to those #ho listened' This uni3ueness
helped him unite the tribes0 and later on gather armies to $end o$$ the coloni-ers'
His thirties #as marked by da#n o$ the 2olonial 7ra0 as it began to spread its cancer to
the rest o$ the #orld' At the time #hen the #orld #as being ra(aged by 7uropean
nations0 this man stood $irm $or 8slam and $aced coloni-ers #ith his (alor' He $ought
$iercely against the 9rench #ith a group called Banu Sanus0 #ho #ould later be kno#n as
the Sanusies' 9or a brie$ moment0 they also $ought the British0 #ho #ere marked by
greed and attempted to con3uer their land'
As part o$ a global $east on the so:called less ci(ili-ed nations0 8taly ,oined the 7uropean
nations in causing ha(oc in the southern part o$ the hemisphere by coloni-ing ;orth
A$rica' 8t #as during this time0 this man0 in his $i$ties0 gathered his $orces in the $ace o$
an in(asion attack against Libya0 his homeland'
To paci$y his resistance army0 the 8talians o$$ered him high ranking positions and #ealth'
8n return0 they demanded that he surrendered and $ollo#ed their 2olonial decree' He
responded in a $amous 3uote saying0 48+m not a s#eet bite o$ a meal anyone can s#allo#'
;o matter ho# long they try to change my belie$ and opinion0 Allah is going to let them
do#n'5
They then o$$ered him to lea(e his to#n to li(e closer to the ruling party complete #ith
a monthly salary0 but he again re$used by saying0 4;o0 8 #ill not lea(e my country until 8
meet my lord' <eath is closer to me than anything0 8+m #aiting $or it by the minute'5
This man0 #hose se(enty more years o$ age had not pre(ented him $rom $ighting0 #as
the soul o$ his people+s resistance against hopeless odds' He ga(e his people hope against
an army thousands more than his o#n0 e3uipped #ith more modern #eapons0 airplanes
and armoury #hile he and his men star(ed in the mountains #ith nothing on their backs
but their ri$les and horses' A$ter his $irm position0 as the %mmah is al#ays in need o$
such legends to lead the people0 people gathered around him' He success$ully began to
strike the 8talians #here it hurt' He hit $irmly0 s#i$tly0 and harshly those #ho thought
occupying Muslim lands0 oppressing0 imprisoning0 and torturing Muslims0 #as going be
e$$ortless'
Another man in his nineties named Abu &arayyim0 $rom the Jalu oasis0 had $ought #ith
him in the deep south' Hunger and disease e(entually decimated his people' The 8talians
soon stepped up operations by burning and pillaging (illages' Women0 children and the
elderly #ere not spared' <uring their #eakest point0 people #ere gathered and placed in
concentration camps'
The Sanusi0 Muhammad a-:=a#ay0 #ho once $ought #ith him against the 9rench0
attempted to persuade him to retreat to 7gypt #ith the rest o$ those #ho $ought against
the 9rench' But0 this man re$used to turn his back on the enemy kno#ing #ell that his
chances are dim against a $orce that #as s#elling by the minute'
When asked #hy he continued the $ight0 he stated that he $ought $or his religion0 and he
sought no other than to get the occupiers o$ his lands' As to $ighting0 he said that #as a
$ard 0 regardless o$ the outcome as (ictory comes $rom Allah' He used to re$use any
peace talks #ith the coloni-ers saying #e ha(e nothing but to $ight the occupying
enemies o$ Allah'
A$ter countless battles0 he #as #ounded and captured ali(e' He and his men de$ended
themsel(es until he and one o$ his companions #ere le$t' At last his horse #as shot dead
under him0 causing him to $all to the ground' He #as shackled and brought to a city
called Sulu30 #here the 8talian military post #as established'
This man belie(ed Jihad #as ordained upon e(ery able Muslim #hile his homeland #as
occupied by the coloni-ers' With his $aith0 heroism and courage he earned the respect o$
e(en his enemies'
The military o$$icer #ho interrogated him said0 4When he came to my o$$ice 8 imagined
to see someone like the thousand o$ murabiteen #ho 8 met in the desert #ars' His hands
#ere shackeled0 he had broken bones caused by $ighting0 dragging himsel$ barely able to
#alk' He #as a man not like normal men e(en though the a$$ect that he #as
apprehended had sho#n upon him' He stood in my o$$ice as #e asked him and he
ans#ered in a calm clear collecti(e (oice' When he gathered to lea(e0 the brightness o$
his $ace like a sunshine ama-ed me and shook my heart' My lips shi(ered to#ards the
end o$ the con(ersation #hereby 8 ordered him back to his cell to stand be$ore a court in
the e(ening'5
He #as a legend #ho #as $irm in his religion at a time #hen the leaders o$ his country
emigrated .as they do today / to surrender to the 8talians' The biggest scholars o$ his
time $rom the Sanusies0 #ho pre(iously $ought #ith him against the 9rench and British0
did not come to his aid in time' 8nstead0 many o$ them became loyal to the 8talians by
gi(ing them Muslim lands in e1change $or clemency0 montly salaries0 and $ree ta1ation
$rom the latter' Such is true $or Muslims today'
>n the contrary0 this man took out his *ur+an0 held it0 he ga(e an oath to Allah that he
#ould not stop $ighting the occupying oppressors e(en i$ it meant $ighting them alone
until (ictory had been attained or he becomes a martyr' 8n the last t#enty years o$ his li$e0
he led and personally $ought in 1??? battles'
When the 8talian general made him a $inal o$$er to make him their puppet and be allo#ed
to li(e like the other leaders o$ his people0 he ans#ered0 48 shall not cease to $ight against
thee and thy people until either you lea(e my country or 8 lea(e my li$e' And 8 s#ear by
Him #ho kno#s #haht is in men+s hearts that i$ my ands #ere not bound this (ery
moment0 8 #ould $ight you #ith my bare hands0 old and broken as 8 am''5
8t #as then that the 8talian general laughed and ordered him to be hung a$ter a $rontal
sa(ing $ace act o$ a mock trial' 7(en be$ore the court #as in session a hanging rope
outside the court house had already been prepared $or him'
His hanging took place be$ore hundreds o$ tribes in 1@)1' With the intent to scare the
Muslims0 the 8talians did not succeed in doing this' The opposite had taken place' His
hanging shook the entire Muslim #orld0 and numerous resistances took place speci$ically
in ;orth A$rica'
May Allah raise his position in paradise'
The 8talians took pictures o$ him in shackles0 surrounded by smiling 8talian generals0 and
those #ho e1pressed happiness $or his hanging' They did not reali-e that it is those
shackles and rope hanging around his neck in the hands o$ his enemies $ighting $or the
sake o$ Allah that is the en(y o$ e(ery true Muslim'
The man0 #hose mug shot spoke his legacy0 is none other than >mar AlMukhtar0 #hose
legacy #ill li(e until the day o$ ,udgement0 inshallah' With his blood0 he dre# the stories
o$ (ictory0 he became a legend o$ the legends0 and a guide $or those #ho #anted to li(e
in honor at a time o$ humiliation'
The surrendered modernists and disbelie(ing scholars o$ his time #ere not imprisoned
nor hung' They died a normal death0 possibly e(en in lu1ury and #ealth0 under the
protection o$ the occupying 8talians' Ho#e(er0 they died and their named died #ith
them' And0 ,ahannam is the abode o$ those #ho ally themsel(es #ith the ku$$ar
coloni-ers o(er the Muslims' >mar AlMukhtar li(ed0 and $ought hard in the days o$ his
li$e' He #as shackled0 imprisoned0 then hung' But his legacy li(es on and paradise0
inshallah0 is the resort o$ the martyrs'
>mar AlMukhtar #as attached to Allah0 depending on Him0 and accepting that #hich
Allah had #ritten upon him' He asked Allah to become a martyr and this #hat he has
attained0 inshAllah'
Ahmad Jibril
Written in the one third end o$ the night o$ oct 1"0 "??A:1?:1"