Al-Bayhani The Great Herald and Thinker [Archives:2001/33/Culture]

Farouq Al-Kamali
Yemen Times
Taiz
Al Seed Institution For Culture & Science in Taiz Governorate organized a Symposium devoted for the life of Sheik Mohammed Saleem Al- Bayhani the great Yemeni herald and thinker. The Symposium, is a good initiative by Al Saeed Institution was entitled “Kai La Nansahoom” (Let us not forget them ). It aims at reminding people on their great ancestors who were unique thinkers and heralds. During the symposium a number of intellectuals and university lecturers presented several valuable work-papers as focussed on the intellectual life of Al- Bayhani and the role he played to fight colonization as a member of the national liberals movement as well as spreading the real concepts of Islam.
Al-Awi Abdullah Taher- a historian and lecturer at Aden University has spoken about Al- Bayhani’s birth and life dominated by national struggling and serving one’s religion as saying that : Sheik Mohammed Bin Salem Al-Bayhani was born in Al-Kasab City of Bayhan district in Shabwa Governorate on the 22 of Rajab 1326 A.H. 1908 A.D. He was taught Qura’an and the concepts of Islam by his father the jurist astronomer Salem Bin Houseen Al- Bayhani and other jurists in the city. Then he migrated to Tareem of Hadhramout Governorate in 1339 A.H. and continued studding the Qura’an and religious sciences with the help of the senior scholars of Hadhramout. After four years the great Herald Al- Bayhani returned to his birthplace then made Aden his destination to get the opportunity to meet its scholars. At that time Aden was still under the British colonization. Al- Bayhani settled at Sheik Othman town. In collaboration with Sheik Ahmed Al-Abadi he established ” the Islamic-Arabian Reforming Club”. The club enabled Al-Bayhani to travel to Al-Azhar Al-Shareef (a great religious educational institutions) in Egypt where he was granted both a national and international certificates. In 1362 A.H. Al-Bayhani returned hometown with all enthusiasm and hope to spread the real Islamic culture which was nearly missed in Aden due to the scarcity of the Islamic scholars there. In Aden Governorate Al-Bayhani established ‘The Islamic scientific Institute’ which was inaugurated in September 1957. The institute was teaching the Islamic sciences, Arabic language, and History. The distinguished pupils have been sent to Al-Azhar Al-Shareef in Egypt. Al-Bayhani composed around 11 publications in Science, Islamic concepts, social reforms, fighting heterodoxy and mosques care.
Abdullkareem Kaseem a journalist and researcher said that the good opportunities Al-Bayhani got during his study with the help of the great Yemeni scholars in Aden and Hadhramout then at Al-Azhar Al-Shareef, his membership at the Yemeni liberals Movement and national struggling against the British colonization left clear foot prints on his Intellectual formation and reforming criteria. His stay at Al-Azhar Al-Shareef with its senior scholars made his concepts very close to the Islamic Revival School founded by Jammal Adeen Al-Afghani, Mohammed Abdu, Rasheed Radh, AbdullRahman Al-Kwakibi and others. Mohammed Muhmmoud Al-Zubaeeri and AL-Bayhani are considered a pioneering Arab intellectuals during their study in Cairo they laid the corner stone of the Yemeni opposing front in 1940.
Hisham Bin Ali, the Deputy Minister of Culture has spoken about the political life of Al-Bayhani as saying that the Great herald Mohammed Bin Salem Al-Bayhani returned home while colonization was reaching its climax and immediately realized his responsibilities towards his nation and religion and found no way but to struggle against imperialism in addition to his duties in spreading the concepts of Islam. Al-Bayhani was associated to Aden and its citizens and made one of its jurists and thinkers who seemed to be forgotten by history. After independence in 1967 Al-Bayhani witnessed the turning out towards communism in the South part of Yemen when religion was commented and the jurists been attacked. AT that time The Islamic Scientific Institution was shut down. Al-Bayhani then decided to to migrate to Taiz where he spent the rest of his life.
Regarding Al-Bayhani’s life in Taiz Dr. Ahmed Haeel Saeed Ana’am said that due to the annoyances the religious scholars have been suffering out in Aden Al-Bayhani arrived in Taiz where he was greatly welcomed by the late Haeel Saeed Ana’am and Judge Abdull-Rahman Al-Aryani Chairman of the Republican Council and Sheik Mohammed Ali Othman member of the Council. So Al0Bayhani settled in Taiz where he used to meet the citizens and the mosques orators to guide them the right way towards Islam which calls for tolerance, mercy, love brotherhood and fighting heretics. Al-Bayhani left for Mecca to perform the Haj (pilgrimage )- He returned to Taiz after but the disease attacked him without mercy, the physicians could not aid him to recover. The late met his doom at the dawn of Friday on the 13th of February 1972. ” In commemoration of Al-Bayhani my father constructed Al-Bayhani mosque in Taiz, the Charitable Society of the late Haeel Saeed Ana’am also made the maintenance works of Al-Bayhani institute in Aden Governorate which was closed for a long time
Al-Bayhani Opinions
regarding the women labor Al-Bayhani believes religion does not forbid women to work in the field of politics and participate general affairs either interior or exterior concerned by the government and the leaders no mater what the topic is let it be war, economic, negotiations or exchanging interests if this participation is conducted in the frame of Islam concepts in a way that is not harming her femininity. Al-Bayhani confirmed the right of the woman in learning and working ” I am so proud of the patience of the female here who are fighting poverty by sewing and working on other handicrafts ” Al-Bayhani said .


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