Tunisia's Sheikh Mohammed El Fadhel Ben Achour

2012-03-24, 9:33 am

Sheikh Mohammed El Fadhel Ben Achour

Tunisia's Sheikh Mohammed El Fadhel Ben Achour

By Iman Zayat

-Tunis-

Sheikh Mohammed El Fadhel Ben Achour passed away on the 20th of April,
1970, that is forty years ago. He was the Mufti of the Republic and the
Dean of Ezzaytouna Faculty of Theology and Religious Sciences.

Born on the 16th of October, 1909, Sheikh Mohammed El Fadhel Ben Achour
began learning Koran and Arabic when he was about three years old. He
also studied French at age of nine to finally join up Ezzaytouna in 1922
where he was unswervingly registered as a second term student.

In 1928, the Sheikh obtained the first Ezzaytouna Diploma of the end of
secondary studies, called the Attatoui Certificate by then.

In 1931, he enrolled at the Faculty of Arts in Algiers as a
non-registered student. After that, he succeeded in going up the various
ranks of Ezzaytouna lecturers. In 1932, he passed the exam of the
teachers of second degree; and, in 1935, he also passed the exam of the
primary schoolteachers.

Soon after, Sheik Ben Achour became the Director of the Khaldounia then
he filled in the position of the Director of the Institute of Islamic
Research, annexed to Khaldounia. He also became a member of the Academy
of Arab Language in Cairo.

He served, successively, as a Malakite Mufti in 1953, a Judge at the
Court of Charaa in 1956. Following Tunisia's independence, he served as
President then as First President of the room of the Appeal Court. In
1961, he served as a Dean at the Faculty of Charia and Theology. In
1962, he was named by late the President of the Republic, Habib
Bourguiba, First Mufti of the Tunisian Republic, a position he filled in
till his passing away.

Sheik Mohammed El Fadhel Ben Achour is the author of many books,
notably, (The Literary and Intellectual Movement in Tunisia), ED. Arab
League, Cairo, 1956 and Beit El Hekma 2009, “The Authors of the Islamic
Thought in the Arab the Maghreb), ED. Bookshop Ennajah, Tunis, 1965,
“Koranic Interpretation and Authors, ED. Eastern House of Books, Tunis,
1966, “The Foundations of the Literary Renaissance in Tunisia, ED.
Bookshop Ennajah, Tunis, 1968, “Biographies of Celebrities”, ED.
Tunisian House of Edition, Tunis, 1970, “Flashes of Thought ", two
volumes, ED. Arab House of Book, Tunis, 1982.

On the religious scene, Sheikh El Fadhel Ben Achour will always remain
the greatest Tunisian religious personality to support in 1956 the Code
of Personal Status, a true legal revolution in the field of women's
rights in an Islamic country