Kukho, kumphetho weNtlango yeSahara, isixeko esithi igama laso lalikade lenza abarhwebi bangcangcazele lulindelo aze izifundiswa zihambe iinyanga zinqumla iintlabathi ezitshisayo ukusifikelela. ITimbuktu ayiyontsomi. Sisixeko sokwenene, kwelaseMali langoku, kwaye kangangeenkulungwane yayilelinye lawona maziko abalulekileyo emfundo yamaSilamsi nempucuko ihlabathi elakha lawazi.
Isixeko Esazalwa Ngurhwebo
ITimbuktu yasekwa malunga nenkulungwane yesihlanu AH (inkulungwane ye-11 CE) ngabahambi baseTuareg njengendawo yokuhlala yexeshana kufuphi negophe elikhulu loMlambo iNiger. Indawo yayo — kwindibaniselwano phakathi kweSahara neSahel echumileyo, edibanisa i-Afrika eMantla nobutyebi baseNtshona yeSudan — ngokukhawuleza yayiguqula yaba lelinye lawona manqaku abaluleke kakhulu ngokwezicwangciso kwilizwekazi.
Ngethuba leTimbuktu kwadlula ezinye zezona mpahla zixatyisiweyo zehlabathi lamandulo:
- Igolide — eyayimbiwa kubukhosi baseMali naseSonghai, yayihamba isiya emantla ngeTimbuktu ukuya kwihlabathi laseMedithera, isenza isixeko sifane engqondweni yaseYurophu nobutyebi obungenakucingelwa.
- Ityuwa — ebalulekileyo kubomi nasekulondolozeni, yayivela emazantsi isuka kwiimigodi yaseSahara yaseTaghaza, itshintshiselwana negolide phantse ngobunzima obulinganayo.
- Ulwazi — mhlawumbi eyona mpahla ixabisekileyo kunazo zonke, yayihamba kuzo zonke iindawo ngezifundiswa, imibhalo, nabafundi abenza iTimbuktu ikhaya labo.
Ixesha Legolide: Isixeko Sokukhanya
Incopho yobukrelekrele beTimbuktu yeza kwiinkulungwane ze-14 neze-15 CE. Phantsi kwenkxaso yoBukhosi baseMali — ngokukodwa emva kohambo olungcwele lukaSultan Mansa Musa oludumileyo olusinga eMakkah ngo-1324, apho weza nezifundiswa nabakhi ababuyela eNtshona ye-Afrika — iTimbuktu yaguqulwa yaba sisixeko sokwenene semfundo.
Kwincopho yayo, isixeko sasinezikolo zeQuran ezimalunga ne-200 ezazinika imfundo esisiseko yamaSilamsi, ngelixa iMasjid yaseSankore yayisebenza njengeyunivesithi etsala izifundiswa ezivela kulo lonke elamaSilamsi — ukusuka eMaghreb, eYiputa, eAndalusia, nangaphaya. Kwincopho yayo, iTimbuktu iqikelelwa ukuba yayinabafundi abangama-25,000 kubemi abamalunga ne-100,000 — enye yezona ndawo zinabafundi abaninzi naphi na emhlabeni ngelo xesha.
Eli lifa lalingelotyhefu. Lalisisiqhamo soluntu olwaluwathathele ingqalelo amazwi oMprofeti ﷺ:
"Ukufuna ulwazi luxanduva phezu kwawo onke amaSilamsi."
(Sunan Ibn Majah, 224)
Imibhalo: Ilifa Elibhaliweyo Lase-Afrika
Mhlawumbi owona mphikiso unamandla kuyo nayiphi na ingcinga yexesha elidlulileyo lase-Afrika "elingabhalwanga" bubutyebi obulondolozwe kumathala eencwadi eTimbuktu. Imibhalo engaphezu kwe-300,000 — ebhalwe ngesiArabhu nangeelwimi zase-Afrika zasekhaya — isaphila kwiingqokelela zabucala nezikawonke-wonke zesixeko. Imixholo yayo yanaba kubo bonke ububanzi bolwazi lwamaSilamsi nolomntu:
- Iinzululwazi zeQuran, i-tafsir, ne-fiqh (umthetho wamaSilamsi)
- IHadith ne-usul al-fiqh (imigaqo yomthetho wamaSilamsi)
- Imbali, ubomi babantu, nemvelaphi
- Amayeza, inzululwazi yeenkwenkwezi, imathematika, nefilosofi
- Imibongo, uncwadi, nolwimi
Le mibhalo bubungqina obungqongqo bempucuko ekrelekrele, ebhalayo eyayibandakanya lonke uphando lomntu — kwaye yakwenza oko kwiinkulungwane phambi kokuba inkoliso yaseYurophu ifumane olo lwazi lunye.
Phakathi kwezona zifundiswa zikhulu zeTimbuktu yayinguAhmad Baba al-Timbukti (1556–1627), igqwetha lesikolo saseMaliki elabhala imisebenzi engaphezu kwamashumi amane laza laqatshelwa kulo lonke elamaSilamsi ngobufundi balo. Ekugxothweni kwakhe ngenkani esiya eMarrakesh, wakhalaza ukuba washiya ngasemva iincwadi ezingama-1,600 zakhe eTimbuktu — nokuba oku kwakukokona kuncinci kunabo bonke izalamane zakhe. Amathala eencwadi eTimbuktu ayengekhona owodwa. Ayeyinto eqhelekileyo.
I-Islam e-Afrika: Ayizange Ingeniswe, Koko Yakhuliswa
Oko iTimbuktu ikubonisayo ngaphezu kwako konke kukuba i-Islam eNtshona ye-Afrika yayingekhona nje inkolo eyaziswa ngabarhwebi bamaArabhu — yayiyimpucuko amaSilamsi ase-Afrika ayakhayo, ayiphuhlisayo, aza ayibuyisela ehlabathini. Isixeko simele umbono weQuran woluntu oluzinikele elwazini nasekucamngceni:
"Yithi: Ngaba abo baziyo balingana nabo bangaziyo? Ngabo banengqiqo kuphela abaya kucaphukela."
(Surah Az-Zumar, 39:9)
Kwaye isixeko sasimela umzekelo wokuphila kunye phakathi kwezithethe zasekhaya neemfundiso zamaSilamsi — sihlanganisa iintlanga ezahlukeneyo zase-Afrika kubandakanya abantu baseTuareg, baseSonghai, nabaseFula kuluntu olunye oluchumileyo olumanyaniswe kukholo nemfundo.
ITimbuktu Namhlanje
Isixeko sijongene nemingeni enzulu kwiinkulungwane zamva nje — uhlaselo lwaseMorocco ngo-1591 lwaphazamisa iinkqubo zaso zezifundiswa, kwaye ulawulo lwamathanga lwabeka bucala ilifa laso. Kutshanje, ngexesha lokuthinjwa ngamagqolo ngo-2012, imibhalo engenakubuyiselwa yasongelwa ngentshabalalo enenjongo. Kwesinye sezona zenzo zenkalipho zokulondoloza inkcubeko kwimbali yanamhlanje, izifundiswa zaseMali zabeka ubomi bazo emngciphekweni ukurhweba amakhulukhulu amawaka amaxwebhu asiwa kwindawo ekhuselekileyo eBamako. Imibhalo yasinda.
ITimbuktu namhlanje yiNdawo yeLifa leHlabathi leUNESCO. IiMasjid zayo ezintathu ezinkulu — iDjinguereber, iSankore, neSidi Yahia — zisemi njengoko zazimi iinkulungwane. Ibali layo lisabaliswa.
Umfuziselo Wamaxesha Ethu
ITimbuktu ayiyonto yamandulo. Sisikhumbuzo — sokuba i-Afrika isoloko ililizwe lobufundi, lokukhanya, nempucuko yamaSilamsi. Ithetha kuwo wonke umSilamsi wase-Afrika owakhokelelwa ekukholelweni ukuba ilifa lakhe likude nesela-Islam, ize ithi ngokucacileyo: ookhokho benu babephakathi kwabathwali beetotshi bolu kholo.
Izifundiswa zeTimbuktu azizange nje zifunde ngokufuna ulwazi — zakha izixeko ezipheleleyo ngalo. Wanga uAllah angalilondoloza ilifa labo, alivuselele ezintliziyweni zenzala yabo, aze asikelele i-Ummah yamaSilamsi ase-Afrika ngezifundiswa eziqhubela phambili eso sithethe seenkulungwane sokuzinikela emfundweni naku-Allah.