SHAYKH TAJU‘L-ADAB AND THE ZUMRA AL-ADABIYYA MOVEMENT

SHAYKH TAJU‘L-ADAB AND THE ZUMRA AL-ADABIYYA MOVEMENT

MUHAMMAD JUM‘A ALABI (or AL-LABIB) , known as Alfa Taj al-Adab

He was Jum’ah 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 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 teaching in Yoruba land.

Among his students are: Shaikh Zakariyya b. Busairi, Yahya Qalansuwi, Muzamilu from Agbaji and Muhammad Kamaludin who later continued the work of his teacher and upgraded the school to a modern taste.

Tajul Adab had many prose and poetry works in Arabic. He had composed didactic poem on sarf (morphology) and his magnum-opus is known as Shagrab or ‘Adid.

He died in 1922. He is mentioned in Lam'hatul baluri of Shaikh Adam Abdullah Al-Ilory.

By: Ibrahim Sulaiman Al-Gamawi

In the article titled;Brief History of Selected Arabic Poets among the 'Ulamah in Yoruba Land

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