Sheikh Ali Warsame

Sheikh Ali Warsame Hassan (, ) was a Somali Islamic cleric, preacher, and scholar of Dawah, credited with being one of the first scholars to introduce the Salafi Da'wah to Somalis. He was among the most prominent of Somali scholars.

A founder and emir of Al-Ittihad Al-Islamiya, he later broke ties with the group, becoming a leading figure of Jama'at al-I'tisam (''Ictisaam'') in 1996, a reformist, non-militant group.

Biography

Sheikh Ali Warsame was born in 1939/1940 in the outskirts of Ainabo, in the Sarar region of Somaliland. Born to a pastoral family, he spent his childhood in the countryside and raised camels for his family. His father Warsame Hassan died when he was young. Sheikh Ali Warsame belongs to the Habar Je'lo clan of the wider Isaaq clan-family.

He moved to Burao to study in 1954, then Hargeisa, and later on went to study in Dire Dawa, Ethiopia in 1958, where he completed his memorization of the Quran and began studying Islamic sciences, including fiqh (jurisprudence) and Arabic grammar.

In 1961, after Somalia's independence he returned to Burao and joined the Egyptian Institute, which was later named the Gamal Abdel Nasser School in Burao.

Preaching

In 1969, he enrolled at the Islamic University of Madinah in Saudi Arabia, where he pursued his Master's degree. During his studies in Saudi universities, Sheikh Ali Warsame developed a Salafi religious vision and began his preaching activities, and frequently engaged in debates with Sufis in various forums and mosques.

During the late 1970s, he joined the Al-Islah (Reform) movement, which was established at the time. However, he soon left the movement for reasons he mentioned:

However, the Al-Islah movement rejected the idea of merging, leading Ali Warsame to withdraw from Al-Islah and join the Islamic Unity Youth group in Somaliland. He became its deputy president and later its president.

Sheikh Ali Warsame returned to Somalia in 1980 and began spreading da'wah in Burao. The sheikh was one of the first scholars to introduce the Salafi Da'wah to Somalia, advocating a return to the practices of early Muslims or the ''salaf'', and became a pivotal figure in the Islamic revival movement. Due to this he was imprisoned several times by the then ruling regime led by Siad Barre. Sheikh Ali Warsame subsequently fled to Saudi Arabia in 1986 after the revolutionary government issued an arrest warrant.

Involvement in AIAI and al-I'tisam

In 1983/1984, he played a crucial role in the merger of the mainly northern-dominated Wahdat al-Shabaab (Islamic Unity Youth) that he led and the southern-dominated Al-Jamaa Al-Islamiya (The Islamic Group), leading to the formation of the Al-Itihaad Al-Islami organization, where he was appointed as leader, with his brother-in-law Hassan Dahir Aweys as deputy. He was at the time considered a consensus figure accepted by both the northern and southern Somali communities:

Al-Ittihaad Al-Islami played a significant role in spreading the Islamic da'wah, educating the youth, and establishing Quranic schools and religious books until the collapse of the socialist government in 1991. Sheikh Abdulkadir Nur Farah stated:

He later on left the organization in 1992 and returned to Burao. He went on become a leading figure of Jama'at al-I'tisam (''Ictisaam'') in 1996, which adopted a reformist, non-militant approach, focusing on preaching without resorting to warfare.

Teaching and Mentorship

Sheikh Cali Warsame was a respected educator, and upon his return to Burao he continued teaching Islamic jurisprudence and Hadith sciences. He served as a senior lecturer at Najaah University in Burao and was actively involved in teaching Islamic sciences at several universities and continued to deliver religious lectures until his death.

Throughout his career, he mentored numerous students who later became prominent Islamic scholars, including his son Dr Hassan Sheikh Ali Warsame.

Opposition to Extremism

When Al-Shabaab emerged in Somalia, Sheikh Cali Warsame was among the scholars who vehemently opposed their ideology. According to state media, he met with Ahmed Godane, the leader of Al-Shabaab, to debate extremist ideologies. In 2009, Sheikh Cali participated in a council of scholars that engaged with Al-Shabaab leaders, advocating for reconciliation and dialogue between Somalia's transitional government and Al-Shabaab.

Death

Sheikh Ali Warsame died on 28 May 2022 in Jordan aged 83. His body was flown to Hargeisa, Somaliland, where he was buried.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Warsame, Sheikh Ali
Somalian educators
2022 deaths
1940 births
Somalian Sunni Muslim scholars of Islam
Somalilander Sunni Muslims
Islamic University of Madinah alumni
Articles containing Somali-language text
People from Burao