Abdellah Guennoun ( ʻAbd Allāh Gannūn; 16 September 1908 – 9 July 1989) was an influential Moroccan writer, historian, essayist, poet, academic, administrator, journalist, and ''

faqīh A ''faqīh'' (: ''fuqahāʾ'', ; : ‏‎) is an Islamic jurist, an expert in ''fiqh'', or Islamic jurisprudence and Islamic law. Definition Islamic jurisprudence or ''fiqh'' is the human understanding of Sharia, which is believed ...

'' who was born in

Fes Fez () or Fes (; ) is a city in northern inland Morocco and the capital of the Fez-Meknes administrative region. It is one of the largest cities in Morocco, with a population of 1.256 million, according to the 2024 census. Located to the nort ...

and died in

Tangier Tangier ( ; , , ) is a city in northwestern Morocco, on the coasts of the Mediterranean Sea and the Atlantic Ocean. The city is the capital city, capital of the Tanger-Tetouan-Al Hoceima region, as well as the Tangier-Assilah Prefecture of Moroc ...

. He was one of the leaders of the ''

Nahda The Nahda (, meaning 'the Awakening'), also referred to as the Arab Awakening or Arab Enlightenment, was a cultural movement that flourished in Arabs, Arab-populated regions of the Ottoman Empire, notably in Egypt, Lebanon, Syria, and Tunisia, ...

'' movement in Morocco, and served as the general secretary of the League of Moroccan Religious Scholars (). He is known for writing '' an-Nubūgh al-Maghribī fī al-adab al-ʻArabī'' (, ''Moroccan Intellect in Arabic Literature''), a three-volume anthology of

Moroccan literature Moroccan literature are the written and Oral tradition, oral works of Moroccan culture. These works have been produced and shared by people who lived in Morocco and the historical states that have existed partially or entirely within the geograp ...

Arabic Arabic (, , or , ) is a Central Semitic languages, Central Semitic language of the Afroasiatic languages, Afroasiatic language family spoken primarily in the Arab world. The International Organization for Standardization (ISO) assigns lang ...

that was banned by the French Protectorate. Guennoun also served as a member of a number of linguistic, educational, and Islamic academies and organizations in places such as

Rabat Rabat (, also , ; ) is the Capital (political), capital city of Morocco and the List of cities in Morocco, country's seventh-largest city with an urban population of approximately 580,000 (2014) and a metropolitan population of over 1.2 million. ...

Cairo Cairo ( ; , ) is the Capital city, capital and largest city of Egypt and the Cairo Governorate, being home to more than 10 million people. It is also part of the List of urban agglomerations in Africa, largest urban agglomeration in Africa, L ...

Damascus Damascus ( , ; ) is the capital and List of largest cities in the Levant region by population, largest city of Syria. It is the oldest capital in the world and, according to some, the fourth Holiest sites in Islam, holiest city in Islam. Kno ...

Baghdad Baghdad ( or ; , ) is the capital and List of largest cities of Iraq, largest city of Iraq, located along the Tigris in the central part of the country. With a population exceeding 7 million, it ranks among the List of largest cities in the A ...

, and

Amman Amman ( , ; , ) is the capital and the largest city of Jordan, and the country's economic, political, and cultural center. With a population of four million as of 2021, Amman is Jordan's primate city and is the largest city in the Levant ...

Early life

Abdallah Guennoun was born in Fes in 1908 to a family of noble

Idrissid The Idrisid dynasty or Idrisids ( ') were an Arab Muslim dynasty from 788 to 974, ruling most of present-day Morocco and parts of present-day western Algeria. Named after the founder, Idris I, the Idrisids were an Alid dynasty descended from Muha ...

lineage long associated with knowledge. His family moved from Fes to Tangier in 1914. He had a traditional Islamic education, memorizing the

Quran The Quran, also Romanization, romanized Qur'an or Koran, is the central religious text of Islam, believed by Muslims to be a Waḥy, revelation directly from God in Islam, God (''Allah, Allāh''). It is organized in 114 chapters (, ) which ...

and some

Hadith Hadith is the Arabic word for a 'report' or an 'account f an event and refers to the Islamic oral tradition of anecdotes containing the purported words, actions, and the silent approvals of the Islamic prophet Muhammad or his immediate circle ...

. With access to international books in Tangier, he also taught himself

Spanish Spanish might refer to: * Items from or related to Spain: **Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain **Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many countries in the Americas **Spanish cuisine **Spanish history **Spanish culture ...

and

French French may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to France ** French language, which originated in France ** French people, a nation and ethnic group ** French cuisine, cooking traditions and practices Arts and media * The French (band), ...

Career

Guennoun began his writing career early; he published in the newspaper '' Idhar al-Haqq'' () in 1927 when he was 20 years old. He also wrote for publications such as the Egyptian literary magazine ''

Arrissalah ''Arrissalah'' ( ''Ar-Risala'': the message, or ''Ar-Risala Magazine'') was an Arabic-language weekly cultural magazine for literature, science, and art published in Cairo from 1933 to 1953. It has been described as "the most important intell ...

.'' He became active and influential in the flourishing intellectual and cultural scene in Tetuan, and he published many of his works there. As part of this intellectual circle in Tetuan, he was involved in the first nationalist publication in Morocco, '' as-Salaam'', which published its first issue October 1933. Guennoun was well-connected, associated with

Said Hajji Said Hajji (in Arabic: سعيد حجي) (Salé, 29 February 1912 – 2 March 1942) was a Moroccan journalist and thinker. He was known as the founder of the "Moroccan Nationalist Press". and was one of the first Moroccan journalists during the F ...

in the French area,

Mohammed Daoud Mohammed Daoud (also Muḥammad Dāwūd) (1901-1984) was a Moroccan writer and historian. He was a major nationalist in northern Morocco Morocco, officially the Kingdom of Morocco, is a country in the Maghreb region of North Africa. It ha ...

in the Spanish area, and

Shakib Arslan Shakib Arslan (; 25 December 1869 – 9 December 1946) was a Lebanese writer, poet, historian, politician, and Emir in Lebanon. A prolific writer, he produced some 20 books and 2,000 articles, as well as two collections of poetry and a "prodigi ...

in the ''

Mashriq The Mashriq (; ), also known as the Arab Mashriq (), sometimes spelled Mashreq or Mashrek, is a term used by Arabs to refer to the eastern part of the Arab world, as opposed to the Maghreb (western) region, and located in West Asia and easter ...

''. Guennoun became involved with the Moroccan Action Committee in 1934. He opened the first of the Moroccan free schools in Tangier, the Free Abdallah Guennoun School (), and worked as a teacher in 1936. He was the editor in-chief of a monthly Islamic publication called ''Lisaan ad-Din'' () in the 1940s and published a number of articles. He also served as the general secretary of ''al-Mithaq'', a journal put out by the faculty of al-Qarawiyyin University. He refused the support

Mohammed Ben Aarafa Mohammed Ben Aarafa (), or Ben Arafa (1886 – 17 July 1976), was a paternal first cousin once removed of Sultan Mohammed V of Morocco; he was put on the throne by the French after they exiled Mohammed V to French-ruled Madagascar in August 195 ...

, the

puppet monarch A puppet ruler is someone who holds a title of political authority, but is loyal to or controlled by outside persons or groups. When a foreign government wields such outside control, the puppet ruler's territory is referred to as a puppet state. I ...

chosen by France to replace Muhammad V, whom France had exiled. Guennoun was, among other members of the Mococcan Nationalist Movement () including

Allal al-Fassi Muhammad Allal al-Fassi () (January 10, 1910 – May 13, 1974) was a Moroccan revolutionary, politician, writer, poet, Pan-Arabist and Islamic scholar. Early life and exile He was born in Fes and studied at the University of al-Qarawiyyin. He ...

Abdelkhalek Torres Abdelkhalek Torres (; 1910 – May 27, 1970) was a Moroccan journalist and nationalist leader based in Tetouan, Morocco during the Spanish protectorate of Morocco The Spanish protectorate in Morocco was established on 27 November 1912 by a ...

, Abdallah Ibrahim, a member of a generation of Moroccan intellectuals brought together the political and the cultural, and who criticized the reform movement in the country, arguing that there can be "no reform without independence."Abdellah Guennoun taught and later assisted him in the creation of (, "''Read''"), the first series of Arabic textbooks for children in Morocco, published in 1956, 1957, and 1958.

''an-Nubūgh al-Maghribī''

In 1937, he published '' an-Nubūgh al-Maghribī fī al-adab al-ʻArabī'' (, ''Moroccan Intellect in Arabic Literature''), his three-volume anthology of

. This anthology indexed and contextualized major Moroccan works of literature written in

, and led to the development of a Moroccan literary canon. Affirming both Morocco's contributions to

Arabic literature Arabic literature ( / ALA-LC: ''al-Adab al-‘Arabī'') is the writing, both as prose and poetry, produced by writers in the Arabic language. The Arabic word used for literature is ''Adab (Islam), Adab'', which comes from a meaning of etiquett ...

and the long tradition of Arabic literature in Morocco, ''an-Nubūgh al-Maghribī'' was seen as a nationalist reaction to colonialism. It was banned by the authorities of the French Protectorate, and could not be brought into the area under French colonial control, nor could it be sold, displayed, or distributed there. Spain, however, was receptive of the work; ''an-Nubūgh al-Maghribī'' was translated into Spanish and Abdallah Guennoun was granted an honorary doctorate from a university in Madrid. He held a number of different positions. In 1937, he was made director of the Khalifi Institute (), then professor at the High Institute of Religion () and the College of Theology in Tetuan (). He held the office of Minister of Justice in the Khalifi government from 1954 to 1956. He became a member of the

Arab Academy of Damascus The Arab Academy of Damascus () is the oldest academy regulating the Arabic language, established in 1918 during the reign of Faisal I of Syria. It is based in al-Adiliyah Madrasa, and is modeled on the language academies of Europe, and founded w ...

in 1956, the Academy of the Arabic Language in Cairo in 1961, the League of Moroccan Religious Scholars, the al-Quds Scientific Commission () in 1973, the

Muslim World League The Muslim World League (MWL; ) is an international Islamic non-governmental organization based in Mecca, Saudi Arabia that promotes what it calls the true message of Islam by advancing moderate values. The NGO has been funded by the Saudi gov ...

in Mecca as a founding member in 1974, the

Jordan Academy of Arabic The Jordan Academy of Arabic () is one of the Arabic language regulators based in Amman, Jordan. Besides the Jordan Academy of Arabic, there are 10 other Arabic language and literature regulators in the world. It has been set up to start by 192 ...

in 1978, the

Iraqi Academy of Sciences Iraqi or Iraqis (in plural) means from Iraq, a country in the Middle East, and may refer to: * Iraqi people or Iraqis, people from Iraq or of Iraqi descent * A citizen of Iraq, see demographics of Iraq * Iraqi or Araghi (), someone or something of, ...

in 1979, and the Academy of the Kingdom of Morocco in 1980. In 1981, he founded '' al-Ihyaa''' ( ''The Revival''), a journal published by the Association of Moroccan Academics focusing on Islamic theological sciences and thought from an open, critical perspective.

Death

Abdallah Guennoun died on 9 July 1989, aged 80, in Tangier.

Notable works

Abdallah Guennoun's works include poetry, literary fiction, and history. Some of his most notable works include: * '' an-Nubūgh al-Maghribī fī al-adab al-ʻArabī'' (, ''Moroccan Intellect in Arabic Literature''), 1st ed. al-Matba'a al-Mehdia. 1937; 2nd ed. Dar al-Kitab al-Lubnani. 1961; 1st ed. Dar al-Kutub al-Ilmiyah. 2014. * ''Umarāʼunā al-Shuʻarāʼ'' ( ''Our Poet Princes''). 1941. * ''al-Qudwat ul-Samiya lil-Nashi'at il-Islamiya'' (). 1945 * ''Wahat al-Fikr'' ( ''The Oasis of Thought'')''.'' 1948. * ''Dīwān Malik Gharnaṭah Yusuf al-Thalith'' ( ''The Poetry of Yusuf III, King of Granada''). 1958. * '' Aḥādīth ʻan al-Adab al-Maghribī al-Ḥadīth'' ( ''On Modern Moroccan Literature''). 1964. * ''Mafāhīm Islāmīyah'' ( ''Islamic Concepts''). 1964. * ''al-Muntakhab min Shiʻr Ibn Zākūr'' ( ''A Selection of the Poetry of Ibn Zakur''). 1966. * ''Luqmān al-Ḥakīm'' ( ''Luqman the Wise''). 1969. * ''Adab al-Fuqahāʼ'' ( ''Literature of the Theologians''). 1970. * ''Naẓrah fī Munjid al-Adab wa-al-ʻUlum'' (). 1972. * ''al-Taʻāshīb'' (). 1975. * '' Dhikrayāt Mashāhīr Rijāl al-Maghrib'' ()''.'' 2010.

Legacy

Abdellah Guennoun's personal library, which he donated in 1985 to the City of

, has been housed since his death in the former building of the

Moroccan Debt Administration The Moroccan Debt Administration (), formally known as the ''Contrôle de la dette'' from 1904 to 1910 and after that as the ''Administration du Contrôle de la dette publique mahghzénienne'' (referring to the Moroccan monarchy as the Makhzen), ...

Notes

References

*''Memoirs of important Men of Morocco'': Ibn Battuta, Rabat:Islamic Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation, 1996 *''Dhikrayat Mashahir Rijal al-Maghrib'': Ahmad Zarruq, 1954 *Mohammed Tozy, Zakya Daoud, ''Abdallah Guennoun ou le dernier des Lettrés''. LAMALIF (188), 1987:05, 13-16 *Rom Landau, ''Portrait of Tangier'', ed. Hale, 1952, chapter 30: "Guennoun" *CHAYBI, Ahmed. ''Al-Dirâsa al `adabiyya fî al-Magrib: Al-ustâdh `Abd`allâh Kanűn numudhadj'', Tánger: Madrasa al-Malik Fahd al-Uliyâ li-l-Tardjuma, 1991. *HABABI, Fatima al-Djamiya al. ''Abd allâh Kanűn'', Mohammedia: Mat:ba`a Fadhâla, 1991. *HABABI, Fatima al-Djamiya al. ''Abd allâh Kanűn'', Casablanca: Mu`asasas Űnâ, 1997.

External links

*Afrique info (in French

(retrieved Feb. 13, 2009) *Tangier.free.fr (in French

(retrieved Feb. 13, 2009) {{DEFAULTSORT:Guennoun, Abdallah Moroccan writers Moroccan essayists Moroccan male writers Male essayists 1908 births 1989 deaths Writers from Fez, Morocco 20th-century Moroccan historians Members of the Academy of the Kingdom of Morocco Moroccan academics Moroccan scholars 20th-century essayists