Muhammad bin Ali al-Senussi was among the elite who were influenced by the condition of Muslims in that era. He studied their circumstances, and then reformist attempts were made. He emerged as a thinker calling for reform and renewal, and he was instrumental in founding the Senussi movement, which was an application of his reformist ideas. This movement played a role in the awakening of Muslims in North Africa and other parts, and in the spread of Islam in some parts of Black Africa. Al-Senussi lived a long life, moving between several parts of the Islamic world. The history of his life sheds light on his personality and shows the factors that influenced the formation of that personality, as well as how the Senussi movement emerged and its extent during his time. Therefore, we begin by studying this history.

Place of Birth Muhammad bin Ali al-Senussi was born in the town of Mustaghanim on the banks of the Wadi Shelif, near the town of Mascara, where his family resided. Shakib Arslan says that this family is from the Qays tribe, and the number of inhabitants in the region where his family resides is still around two hundred thousand people, most of them in the province of Oran, near the Shelif River. The family's headquarters is still there to this day, if we exclude the branch descended from Al-Senussi's son, who lives in Libya.

Nikola Ziadeh mentioned that during his visit to Mustaghanim, he was taken to...

Shakib Arslan: "The Present of the Islamic World," by His Highness Prince Shakib Arslan, translated by...