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SHAYKH TAJULTAJUL-ADAB AND THE ADABIYYA GROUP

In the Pict
Picture: Sitting (Shaykh Taju
Tajul-Adab).
Adab) Standing - from the right; (Shaykh Kamaldeen Muhammad
Tukur (youngest),
(youngest), Shaykh Taju
Tajul-Mumin, Shaykh Yusuf Agbaji)

MUHAMMAD JUMA ALABI (or ALAL-LABIB), called Taj alal-Adab, b. 1885, d. 1923.
{A Celebrated Preacher and Qadiri Sufi, and Founder of the Islamic Movement alal-Zumra alal-Adabiyya}

Son of the Imam Imale Abd alal-Qadir (Ile Masingba, Balogun Ajikobi Ward), he was a
celebrated preacher and Qadiri Sufi, and founder of the Islamic movement alal-Zumra alalAdabiyya which combined Sufism
Sufism with educational activities. He seems to have claimed direct
inspirational access to Arabic and Islamic knowledge (Ilm Ladunii). He undertook preaching
tours all over Yorubaland and was particularly
particularly successful in Abeokuta,
Abeokuta, where he died in 1923.
He had begun to modernize his school in Ilorin shortly before his death, an initiative that was
continued by several of his students, Several Islamic movements and education societies in
Ilorin and elsewhere
elsewhere in Yorubaland lay claim to Taj alal-Adab as their source of legitimation.
Some of his publications/writings are; DURAR ALAL-MURJAN (Urjuza of 290 verses on
Morphology (Sarf)),
(Sarf)), which begins with bismi ll--ilahi thumma hamdihi abtadi *** salatuhu
ahmadi.... KITAB FI NASIHAT ALsalamuhu lili--ahmadi
AL-IKHWAN
IKHWAN KITAB ALAL-SHAGRAB
(A cryptic poem on Adab
Adab/Ethics
dab/Ethics directed against Ibadan scholars who had spurned him),
which begins with addid inshad al
al--arabi *** al
al--adab al
al--muaddabi QASEEDAT
RAIYYA (Verses on arabic grammar
al--ilmi wal
wal-grammar/nahw),
mmar/nahw), which begins with a-laa yaa murid al
wal--hajri *** taallam ulu
uluum
al--nahwi tarwaa al
al--manaabira. SUBUL ALfiqhi wal
um al
AL-NAJAAT
(Waz (Admonition)
(Admonition) poem).
poem). TASHIL ALAL-HISAB (Urjuzaa on arithmetic), which begins
with qaala
qaala muhammadun huwa
huwa ll-labiibuu *** ibn alal-imaam alal-hadarii alal-adiibii.
adiibii.
Excerpts from the Book/Compendium:

Arabic Literature of Africa, Volume 2: The Writings of Central Sudanic Africa (1995)...Compiled by: Prof. John O. Hunwick
(Chapter 11); Ilorin and Nupe in the 19th & 20th Centuries (pgs. 466466-471).by Stefan Reichmuth and Razaq D. Abubakre
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SHAYKH TAJULTAJUL-ADAB AND THE ZUMRA ALAL-ADABIYYA MOVEMENT

In the Pict
Picture: Sitting (Shaykh Taju
Tajul-Adab).
Adab) Standing - from the right; (Shaykh Kamaldeen Muhammad
Muhammad
Tukur (youngest), Shaykh Taju
Tajul-Mumin, Shaykh Yusuf
Yusuf Agbaji)

MUHAMMAD JUMA
JUMA ALABI (or ALAL-LABIB) , known as Alfa Taj alal-Adab
He was Jumah b. Abdul Quadri b, Salih born in Ilorin in 1885. His father was a deputy to the
then Imam Fulani. He started his education from his father's compound. Thereafter, he
suddenly left his native town seeking for knowledge and did not
not return until after ten years.
He was the first scholar to introduce syllabus system, prescribed text books periodising in
learning in the field of Arabic
Arabic teaching in Yoruba land.
Among his students
students are: Shaikh Zakariyya b. Busairi, Yahya
Yahya Qalansuwi, Muzamilu from
upgraded
d
Agbaji and Muhammad Kamaludin who later continued the work of his teacher and upgrade
the school to a modern taste.
Tajul Adab had many prose and poetry works in Arabic. He had composed
composed didactic poem on
sarf (morphology) and his magnummagnum-opus is known as Shagrab or Adid.
He died in 1922. He is mentioned in Lam'hatul baluri of Shaikh Adam Abdullah AlAl-Ilory.
By: Ibrahim Sulaiman AlAl-Gamawi
In the article titled;
Selected
titled;Brief History of Se
lected Arabic Poets among the 'Ulamah in Yoruba Land
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