Daily Times

The story begins in a town which was controlled by the Ottoman Caliphate in 1862 where a boy in a poor household was born. He was none other than Umar Mukhtar. His father died when he was just 16 years old and then brought under shuyookh tutelage and care. He was not like a normal youth as he was developed with exceptional skills and daily routine. He never slept more than 3 hours so that he may recite Quran till Fajr. He used to revise the whole Quran after every seven regardless of any difficulties he encountered. His character was exemplary with courage and wisdom qualities were so much pronounced that they must be followed by today’s youth. Once he was travelling with the caravan and a lion interrupted that journey when every person was feared and this man took out his gun and chased Lion on horse. When he came back, everyone was just amazed with gratitude as head of the lion was in his hands. After then he earned the name “Lion of Cyrenaica”.

His character did not bring change to a specific tribe or specific country but the whole Muslim community. Only at the age of twenties, he used to solve the issues of tribes due to uniqueness in his speech balance, eloquence, and manners which united all the people of belonging area. In his thirties, when the world became severely victim of the European nation’s ravage, this man remained firm against the fictitious brutality and flag of Islam was rising with dignity. He fought for a short period with British and also with French who were called Banu Sanus, latterly known as sanusies.

Keeping his success in view, Italians offered him the most prestigious position and wealth and asked for surrender in return but he rejected with a famous saying, “I’m not a sweet bite of a meal anyone can swallow. No matter however long they struggle to vary my belief and opinion, Allah is going to let them down.”

After it, he was again offered to join the ruling party with a salary but he again refused to do so with beautiful words to remember that were “No, I will not leave my country until I meet my lord. Death is closer to me than anything, I’m waiting for it by the minute.”

His seventy years struggle was just to stand against any injustice with Islam so he made his army strongest which had nothing but the horses and rifles and used to live in mountains. They were fighting against the army which was fully equipped with modern weapons, armoury, and airplanes. And this man with his were starving but never bow before them. His passion and determination become a source to gather Ummah who were looking for a leader like him and he started hitting Italians harshly, swiftly and firmly where they were creating hurdles for Muslim’s existence.

Keeping his success in view, Italians offered him the most prestigious position and wealth and asked for surrender in return but he rejected with a famous saying, ‘I’m not a sweet bite of a meal anyone can swallow. No matter however long they struggle to vary my belief and opinion, Allah is going to let them down’

When he was asked to leave the fight and solve issues on peace tables but he refused any proposal of colonizers and considered battle in the way of Allah as only the right option regardless of outcomes and consequences. He was captured alive with several wounds on his body after countless battles. He and his every soldier fought till the last breath of a last army men. His horse was shot dead which injured him as he fell down and then brought to Suluq city in a military Italian post. The investigation officer who received him shared historical remarks about the reception of this man as “When he came to my office I imagined to see someone like the thousands of murabiteen WHO I met within the desert wars. His hands were bound, he had broken bones caused by fighting, dragging himself barely able to walk. He was a person not like traditional men even supposing the effect that he was understood had shown upon him. He stood in my workplace as we tend to asked him and he answered in an exceedingly calm clear collective voice. When he gathered to go away, the brightness of his face like a sunshine amazed me and shook my heart. My lips shivered towards the top of the spoken language whereby I ordered him back to his cell to square before a court within the evening.”

Many other dignitaries of his army who were known as greatest scholars of sanusies surrendered before Italians just for the sake of monthly salaries, tax relaxation, and clemency exchange. But he never expected from people but only from his God. Instead, he took an oath of Quran that he would never stop fighting against any form of tyranny that can damage the Muslim community. This was the passion that led him to fight more than 1000 battles in the last twenty years of his life.

When he was captured and hanged in 1931 before hundreds of tribes just to scare Muslims, numerous incidents of Muslim resistance were seen in South Africa and that was the success of Umar Mukhtar to build only a fear of Allah in faith of Muslims. His name will be remembered as a great Jihadist in history of Muslims and his victories and struggle for his religion would never be wasted.

The writer can be reached at ammarsaleem797@gmail.com