Mukhtar al-Kunti
| Sidi al-Mukhtar ibn Ahmad al-Kunti | |
|---|---|
| Born | 1729 |
| Died | 1811 |
| Nationality | Timbuktu |
| Occupation | Cleric |
| Known for | Qadiriyya leader |
Sidi al-Mukhtar ibn Ahmad al-Kunti (1729-1811) was a leading Muslim cleric in the Western Sudan who played an important role in promoting the spread of Islam among the black people of West Africa in the nineteenth century.
Al-Mukhtar ibn Ahmad al-Kunti was born in 1729 in the Erg Oralla region to the north of Mabroûk, Mali. His family belonged to the Zawāyā, a group of tribes that had abandoned violence and self-defense in favor of a peaceful life of religious devotions and herding, paying tribute to the warrior groups to avoid molestation. He was a member of the influential Kunta clerical tribe, originally Saharan Berbers from southern Morocco (region around Akka) who had acted as spokesmen for their fellow Berbers in dealings with the Beni Ḥassān Arabs. Many of the Kunta moved east to the region north of Timbuktu and became salt merchants. The Kunta adopted the teachings of Muhammad al-Maghili, a noted cleric around 1500 CE who was said to have introduced the Qadiriyya order of Sufis to the region.
Al-Mukhtar's father died when he was ten. Other members of his family assisted in his education, as did members of the Kel al-Suq and Kel Hurma families. His main teacher was Shaykh Sidi Ali bin al-Najib of Araouane, a leading Qadiriyya cleric. For a period he was caretaker of the tomb near Oualata of Sidi Ahmad al-Kunti (aka al-Bakka'i Bu Dam'a, Arabic: سيدي أحمد الكنتي البكاي بودمعة), a Kunta saint who had died in 1515. Between 1754 and 1757 he studied in Morocco. He married a distant cousin on his return.
Al-Mukhtar succeeded Sidi Ali as Shaykh when he died. He made his base at Azawad, about 250 miles (400 km) to the northeast of Timbuktu. From Azawad he mediated in tribal disputes, particularly between the Kunta and the Barabish. Al-Mukhtar al-Kunti had outstanding leadership abilities in addition to his scholarship and spiritual qualities. Starting in 1757, already recognized as the leader of the Kunta and soon by all the other Qadiri shaykhs, he became increasingly involved in resolving disputes among the Tuareg people of the region.
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