Ben Badis

Albelhamid Ben Badis (Arab: عبدالحميدبنباديس), born the April 16th 1889 with 16:00 (and recorded Thursday December 5th 1889, with the register of the civil statue) with Constantine, city in the North-East of the Algeria, was an emblematic figure of the movement Réformiste Musulman in Algeria. Albelhamid Ben Badis was the son of a family of old town middle-class, of which he asserted the origins Berbères going back to the Zirides, founded Moslem dynasty at the 10th century by Bologhine ibn Ziri.

Ben Badis founded in 1931 the Association of the oulémas Moslem Algerian. It is in the monthly magazine Al-Chihab that it published, of 1925 until its death, its ideas reformists which related to as well the field Religieux as Politique. It is deceased the April 16th 1940 with Constantine.

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Biography

Its education

Ben Badis grew in a pious entourage, with the result that he learned the Coran at the thirteen years age.

Very young person, it is placed under the tutorship of Hamdân Lounissi. That Ci marked durably the youth of Ben Badis, so that he had never forgotten his council: “science for the love learns from science, not for the duty”. Hamdân Lounissi also made him promise never not to become civil servant on behalf of the France (colonial State in this time there). It was also known to have always defended the rights of the Moslem inhabitants of Constantine.

With the Zitouna mosque

In 1908, Ben Badis decides to begin its first voyage for science towards the Mosquée Zitouna of Tunis which was in this time a great center of science.

With the Mosque Zitouna, its horizon starts to increase. It meets there many scientists who influenced his personality and his orientation. Among them, Sheik Mohamed Al Nakhli who enraciné in him the ideology of the reform, as it showed him the good method to include/understand the Coran. There was also Sheik Mohamed Al Taher Ben Achour who guided it towards the love of the Arab Langue and the tasting of its splendor. As for the Sheik Al Bachir Safer, it pushed Ben Badis to be been interested in the History and the contemporary problems of the Moslems, like finding a solution to push back Western colonialism and its after-effects.

After its return in Algeria, it starts at once to teach with the mosque Djamaa Al Kabir with Constantine. But those which were opposed to the movement Moslem Réformiste, wanted to prohibit it, which pushed it from new, but towards the the Middle East this time.

In Médine

After having achieved the pilgrimage with the Mecque and Médine, Ben Badis remained three months there to give courses to the Masjid annabaoui.

He will meet there thereafter his friend and one of the partisans of the movement Moslem Réformiste, Sheik Bachir Al Ibrahimi. This meeting will be the starting point of the reform in Algérie, since both met and lengthily discussed in order to develop a clear plan of reform. Sheik Hussein Hindi Ahmed Al, residing him also at Médine, advised to him to turn over in Algérie which needed him.

On the road of the return, Ben Badis visits the Syria and the Mosquée Al-Azhar of Egypt where it met many scientists and literature.

Its return in Algeria

In 1913, Ben Badis turns over in Algérie and settles with Constantine where it starts his work of teaching. He starts by giving courses to the mosque, with small then with large. Thereafter, it starts to develop the idea to found the Association of the oulémas Moslem Algerian.

In 1936, Ben Badis takes part in the foundation of the " Algerian Moslem Congress " (CMA). This last is dislocated during the summer 1937.

The same year, Ben Badis returns to the head of the Association of the oulémas Moslem Algerian.

It would have to be stressed that one of major concerns, during this period of the life of Abdelhamid Ben Badis, was the fight against the repression which fell down on the Algerian patriots and the denunciation of fascistic propaganda and the intrigues anti-semites. All that, it did it as a practitioner his work daily as a journalist.

The April 16th 1940, Ben Badis dies in his birthplace Constantine. It was buried in the presence of 20.000 people. Its funerals took the aspect of a gigantic humanistic demonstration, anticolonialist and democratic, same principles which carried out the life of this large Algerian hero.

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