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Emir Abdelkader, a Saint Among the Princes. His life story is so inspiring, I encourage everyone to check my blog and read it. it is a long read but you’ll love it.  

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Emir Abdelkader, a Saint among the Princes

The year 1827 came with the great battle of Navarino. A naval battle between the Ottoman navy together with the Egyptian navy, against the allied forces of Britain, France and Russia, during the Greek war of independence. The Ottoman’s days of dominating the Mediterranean sea came to an end since the allied forces decisively defeated the Ottoman and the Egyptian forces resulting almost complete destruction of the Algerian navy which was an essential force of the Ottoman navy since the Algerian coast was the naval base of the Ottoman Empire. 

Algeria, a country with a vast area and strategic location, and a province of the Ottoman Empire since the days of Barbarossa, is now without a defence force. Because the stray herd has to be devoured by the wolves, France marched toward the Algerian coasts, in an attempt of conquest. The French forces were faced by a resistance led by the forces of Hussein Dey, the ruler of the Ottoman Regency of Algiers. But the French troops were able to settle in the coast of Sidi Fredj after defeating the Algerian forces in an unequal battle known as the battle of Stawali, to set the sails for colonialism that lasted for one hundred and thirty-two years (1830 - 1962).

Let us answer one question; why France? It is because France always saw itself as the protector of Catholicism and the fact that the crusades started from France and not from Rome is enough as proof. And Algeria was known as “the Land of Islam and Jihad”. So the conquest was motivated by religious tendencies, in fact, some historians considered it a crusade. Now, Let us respond to the people who claim that France invaded Algeria to create a civilization. Algeria was a civilized Ottoman Regency. It was rich economically, in fact, France was borrowing money and grain such as wheat from Algeria. France was not able to pay its debts, and after a contentious meeting on 29 April 1827 in which the French consul refused to provide satisfactory answers, the dey struck the consul with his fly-whisk. And later, the incident became known as “the fan affair”, and it was one of the indirect causes of the conquest. The population of Algeria was highly educated, as the German traveller Wilhelm Schimmer/Shimbra -who visited Algeria in 1831 1832- said: “I have deliberately searched for one Arab in Algeria who is illiterate, but I couldn’t find any, while I found people who were not able to read or write in southern Europe where it is hard to find someone who can read or write.”

Eradicating the Islamic civilization and the Islamic values and morals was a major gaol for France in Algeria. Out of one hundred and twelve mosques in Algiers - the capital city of Algeria - only five left. The rest were turned into warehouses and stables. Strict orders were given to the France soldiers by General Thomas Robert Bugeaud, to take all the books that they found in the mosques and libraries, and transfer them to France to translate the content. After the battle of Stawali, the France soldiers immediately spread into the city and broke into houses to loot gold and booty. Women ears were cut off by the knife in order to take their golden earrings. And even worse crimes were committed. Algerian women tattooing their hands and heads was a famous trend. Because Christians in that time were disgusted by tattoos, so it was the only solution to protect Algerian women from getting raped. Rivers of blood, oppression and injustice, soon overflowed the whole Algerian land. During these atrocities, a hero emerged, he is Emir Abdelkader El Djezairi. Who later would be known as “Saint among the Princes, the Prince among the Saints”.

Born in the sixth of September 1808 near the town of Mascara. Raised in a religious household. His father, Muhyi al-Din, was a muqaddam in a religious institution, which means he has been authorised by his/her guide (Sheikh, master, teacher) to assist in teaching the path to other students. Abdelkader the boy, received a traditional education in theology, legal theory and grammar; it was said that he could read and write by the age of five. By the age of fourteen, he was able to memorise the Quran by heart, thereby receiving the title of Hafiz. By the age of seventeen, he set out to the Hajj, the Muslim pilgrimage and took the road to Mecca. He returned to his homeland a few months before the French invasion.

The invaders have come. Abdelkader with his knowledge of the book and the wisdom he acquired from his father and his teachers knew that the time of Jihad has come. The twenty-two years old youngsters with his big determination to fight the oppressors united the tribes under his leadership and established an Islamic state. Created an army, and declared war on France. Note: The Islamic state he established was on the path of Quran and Sunnah, it was for spreading peace and justice while fighting the oppressors. It was not by any means a state of spreading fear and hatred. Five years passed since the establishment of the Islamic state and the declaration of the war, France has endured great loses. The French officials came to an agreement that its the time to end the nightmare of Abdelkader, and they agreed to go into a mighty battle against him, and they agreed that this one must be the last one. 28 June 1835, General Camille Alphonse Trézel headed with his mighty army of two thousand and five hundred soldiers equipped with cannons and ammunition to the fight the army of Abdelkader. The two armies met in a place called Macta in the west of Algeria. The French troops were defeated. the loss of almost one thousand soldiers, among them the dead and the injured, declared the victory of Abdelkader.

His victory in the battle of Macta made him honoured among the tribes, and his state was recognised by France. Abdelkader became known as Emir which means the Prince. Later, he established a capital which he named Smala, it didn’t have any specific location, because it was a mobile capital, it followed him where he moves since he was always chased by the French army. Smala was capital of thirty thousand population, among them were women, children, old people and servants. Abdelkader also had his own library with him, which contained thirty thousand books. Later in 1843, France, launched an expedition under the lead of Henry d’Orleans, Duke of Aumale, against the capital while Emir Abdelkader was absent in Morocco. The expedition succeeded and the capital was destroyed.

Even after Emir Abdelkader’s loss of his capital, it seemed that France couldn’t defeat him for good. He came back from Morocco and fought France again causing great damages to the French army until France had to make a peace treaty with him, and he agreed to the treaty.

The peace treaty was soon broken because France never intended to keep Emir Abdelkader alive and free. General Thomas Robert Bugeaud implemented the Scorched-earth policy to force Emir Abdelkader to surrender, and he did. The prince was imprisoned in France and after few years he was called by Napoleon III and was honoured by him and he was asked to take France as a second home but Emir Abdelkader refused, so he was released with the condition of not going back to Algeria. Emir Abdelkader headed to Constantinople the capital of the Ottoman Islamic state and the modern day Istanbul. He was welcomed and honoured by the Ottoman Caliphate. A short time later, Emir Abdelkader asked the Caliphate to let him travel to Damascus and live there. The Caliphate gave him permission to do so and he lived there until his death in 1883.

“I will enter your mountains, I will burn your villages and your harvests, I will cut down your fruit trees.” ـــ General Bugeaud.

In Damascus the Prince was already famous, so he immediately was considered as one of the leaders of the society there. He was a political and religious leader as well as author and a poet. While Emir Abdelkader was in Damascus, civil strife broke out between the Muslims and the Christians. Mighty atrocities were committed by the Muslims in Damascus. The truth was on the side of the Christians, and Emir Abdelkader chose to be on the side of truth. He protected the Christians and fought with them, he hid many of them including political leaders, monks both men and women in his palace, but when their number got bigger - reached ten thousand and five hundred - he sent them to the city castle. By these heroic acts, he was considered as a hero for humanity, a man who stood against the oppressors whoever they were, Christians or Muslims. He became an embodiment of the verse “O you who have believed, be persistently standing firm for Allah, witnesses in justice, and do not let the enmity and hatred of a people prevent you from being just. Be just; that is nearer to righteousness. And fear Allah; indeed, Allah is acquainted with what you do”. The noble Quran (5:8).

“Saint among the Princes, the Princes among the Saints”.

Note: This is a very summarised story of Emir Abdelkader, I've written it from what I remember from primary school and middle school history lessons since I am from Algeria and the life of this great hero is in our educational curriculum. I backed up my background knowledge with researches I've done about his life and adventures and his death, but you may find more information about Emir Abdelkader if you do your own researches. However, I think this article is enough to at least give you an idea about a hero of truth that may inspire you and affect your life in a positive way. Peace!