Stories from Morocco : Story of a forgotten Moroccan genius
If officials want to humiliate someone, let them name a public administration or institution after him.
How many educational institutions in Morocco bear the name "Abu Shaib Al-Dakkali"? At least there are four major cities, each of which has an institution with this name. Well, one of them, and we will not mention the city out of embarrassment and respect for the family of the great scholar Abu Shaib Al-Dakkali, passersby urinate exactly thirty centimeters away from its wall. And the scene is often repeated after seven in the evening, because an alley adjacent to the institution's wall is completely immersed in darkness.
Who is Abu Shuaib Al-Dakkali anyway? This man was born in Dakala, and his family and teachers noticed early on that he was an extraordinary child. Before he turned 13, in the year 1891 to be exact, he memorized the Quran and mastered the poetry that summarizes the rules of grammar. While his reputation spread in his hometown of Dakala, news reached him about the Moroccan Sultan at the time, Moulay Hassan I, announcing a competition for demonstrating a text in which students from all over Morocco would participate. Abu Shuaib Al-Dakkali left his village in Dakala towards the royal palace in Marrakech on foot, with two of his companions, he embarked on a journey that lasted more than two days.
At that time, the Moroccan minister, a prominent intellectual, and one of the leading scholars of Morocco, Si El-Masfwi, oversaw the examination of the participating students. Abu Shaib Al-Dakkali, who was just 13 years old, emerged victorious, outperforming older Moroccan students. When the Sultan honored him, he revealed that he had memorized the entire Quran with all seven recitations. The Sultan decided to test him himself by giving him a sentence to analyze, and indeed, Al-Dakkali succeeded in answering it.
It is narrated that Ad-Dakkali, as a child, felt that some of those present in the Sultan's circle envied him for his alertness and intelligence. He took the opportunity to stand before the Sultan of Morocco to mention a Quranic verse in which God threatens the wrongdoers with punishment, which impressed the Sultan. He was granted an additional prize above the prize set for the exam, joined the Qarawiyin, and was ordered to receive a monthly salary for the duration of his pursuit of knowledge. The Sultan sealed his decision with the phrase: "Doubled for Abu Shaib for his young age and abundant knowledge."
As for his journey to Egypt, it truly deserves to be portrayed in the form of a historical film. In the year 1896, at the age of 18, he joined Al-Azhar in Cairo, after completing his studies in Morocco, moving between Souss, Rif, and Fez.
At Al-Azhar, Al-Dakkali underwent a unique experience and received knowledge from the leading scholars of the university at that time. He swiftly transitioned from being a student to a teacher, which made him eligible to participate in a competitive exam at Al-Azhar. This exam determined who would have the opportunity to travel to Mecca for teaching, as per the request of the Amir of Mecca at that time.
The Al-Azhar scholars protested against the victory of "a Moroccan Bedouin and farmer," as they described Abu Shaib Al-Dakkali, and demanded a re-examination. Al-Dakkali won for the second time, and it was decided that he would travel to the holy land to assume the position.
Al-Dakali lived in Mecca for 11 years, during which he married a woman from the noblest Meccan families, and taught lessons until he had a major dispute with one of the new princes of Mecca, following an intense debate, so he decided to leave it in 1907, and at the same time, a letter came to him from the palace. Al-Maliki, and at that time, Mawla Abdel Hafid, the Sultan of Morocco, summoned him there, and held a large reception for him in the heart of the city of Fez upon his arrival there, bringing with him his Meccan wife, who had settled with him in Morocco, in order for him to chair the major scholarly councils in Fez. From there he moved to Marrakesh to work in the judiciary and teach lessons at the Ben Youssef Mosque,
He became a son-in-law with the family of the Pasha al-Galawi when he married his two sons to their daughters, and he continued his academic path until he served as Minister of Justice during the reign of Mawla Youssef. He was famous at that time for having issued a court ruling against the powerful Pasha of Marrakesh. He also moved on to give scientific lessons at the Royal Palace in Rabat and settled there as well. Until he was confined to his bed due to illness, Mohammed V visited him in 1937, the year in which he died, leaving a great mark on the Moroccan scientific scene.
Finally, a great scholar was destined to have Moroccan schools bearing his name, adjacent to an alley with no lighting.