Kukhona, onqenqemeni logwadule iSahara, idolobha elake lenza abathengisi bathuthumele ngokulangazelela nezazi zihambe izinyanga zidabula isihlabathi esishisayo ukuze zifike kulo. I-Timbuktu akuyona inganekwane. Yidolobha langempela, eMali yanamuhla, futhi amakhulu eminyaka laliyenye yezikhungo ezibaluleke kakhulu zemfundo nempucuko yamaSilamu umhlaba owake wazazi.
Idolobha Elazalwa Ekuhwebeni
ITimbuktu yamiswa cishe ngekhulu lesi-5 le-AH (ikhulu le-11 le-CE) ngabazulane bamaTuareg njengekamu lesikhathi eduze nokugoba okukhulu koMfula iNiger. Indawo yayo — emahlanganweni endlela phakathi kweSahara neSahel evundile, ixhumanisa iNyakatho Afrika nengcebo yeNtshonalanga Sudan — yayiguqula ngokushesha yaba ngelinye lamaphuzu abaluleke kakhulu ngokwesu kuleli zwekazi.
Kwadlula eTimbuktu ezinye zezimpahla ezazithandwa kakhulu zezwe lasendulo:
- Igolide — elimbiwa emibusweni yaseMali neSonghai, lalihamba liye enyakatho lidabula eTimbuktu liye ezweni laseMedithera, lenza idolobha lifaniswe ekucabangeni kwabaseYurophu nengcebo engacabangeki.
- Usawoti — obalulekile empilweni nasekulondolozweni, weza uvela eningizimu uvela ezimayini zaseSahara zaseTaghaza, ushintshaniswa negolide ngesisindo esicishe silingane.
- Ulwazi — mhlawumbe yiyona mpahla eyigugu kunazo zonke, eyayigeleza kuzo zonke izindlela ngezazi, imibhalo, nabafundi abenza iTimbuktu ikhaya labo.
Inkathi Yegolide: Idolobha Lokukhanya
Isicongo sengqondo seTimbuktu safika ngamakhulu e-14 ne-15 e-CE. Ngaphansi kokwesekwa koMbuso waseMali — ikakhulukazi ngemva kohambo olungumlando luka-Sultan Mansa Musa oluya eMakkah ngo-1324, lapho aletha khona izazi nabakhi babuyela eNtshonalanga Afrika — iTimbuktu yaguqulwa yaba yidolobha leqiniso lemfundo.
Esicongweni sayo, idolobha lalinezikole zeQuran ezicishe zibe ngu-200 ezazinikeza imfundo eyisisekelo yamaSilamu, kuyilapho i-Masjid yaseSankore yayisebenza njengenyuvesi edonsela izazi zivela kuwo wonke umhlaba wamaSilamu — zivela eMaghreb, eGibhithe, e-Andalusia, nangaphesheya. Esicongweni sayo, iTimbuktu kuqagelwa ukuthi yayinabafundi abangu-25,000 phakathi kwesibalo sabantu esiyizinkulungwane ezingu-100 — okunye kokugxila okuphakeme kunakho konke komsebenzi wezazi noma yikuphi emhlabeni ngaleso sikhathi.
Leli fa lalingenzeki nje ngengozi. Laliyisithelo somphakathi owawuthathele enhliziyweni amazwi kaMprofethi ﷺ:
"Ukufuna ulwazi kuyisibopho kuwo wonke umSilamu."
(Sunan Ibn Majah, 224)
Imibhalo: Ifa Elibhaliwe Lase-Afrika
Mhlawumbe impendulo enamandla kakhulu kunoma yimuphi umbono "wesikhathi sasendulo se-Afrika esingabhaliwe" yingcebo elondolozwe emitapweni yolwazi yaseTimbuktu. Ngaphezu kwemibhalo engu-300,000 — ebhalwe ngesi-Arabhu nangezilimi zase-Afrika zendawo — isaphila eqoqweni langasese nelomphakathi ledolobha. Izihloko zayo zibanzi njengabo bonke ububanzi bolwazi lwamaSilamu nolwesintu:
- Isayensi yeQuran, i-tafsir, ne-fiqh (umthetho wamaSilamu)
- IHadith ne-usul al-fiqh (izimiso zomthetho wamaSilamu)
- Umlando, ukubhalwa kwempilo, nozalo
- Imithi, isayensi yezinkanyezi, izibalo, nefilosofi
- Izinkondlo, izincwadi, nesayensi yolimi
Le mibhalo iwubufakazi obuqondile bempucuko ethuthukile, ebhalayo eyabandakanyeka kuwo wonke ububanzi bophenyo lwesintu — futhi yakwenza lokho amakhulu eminyaka ngaphambi kokuba iningi laseYurophu likwazi ukufinyelela kulo lolu lwazi.
Phakathi kwezazi ezinkulu zaseTimbuktu kwakukhona u-Ahmad Baba al-Timbukti (1556–1627), umqondisi-mthetho wesikole samaMaliki owabhala imisebenzi engaphezu kwengamashumi amane futhi owahlonishwa kuwo wonke umhlaba wamaSilamu ngobuchwepheshe bakhe. Lapho ephoqelelwa ukudingiswa eMarrakesh, wakhala ukuthi washiya ngemuva izincwadi zakhe ezingu-1,600 eTimbuktu — nokuthi lokhu kwakungokuncane kunoma yimuphi wezihlobo zakhe. Imitapo yolwazi yaseTimbuktu yayingesona isimangaliso. Yayiyinto evamile.
AmaSilamu E-Afrika: Awangeniswanga, Kodwa Akhuliswa
Lokho iTimbuktu ekukhombisayo ngaphezu kwakho konke ukuthi amaSilamu eNtshonalanga Afrika ayengeyona nje inkolo eyalethwa abathengisi bama-Arabhu — kwakuyimpucuko amaSilamu ase-Afrika ayakha, ayithuthukisa, ayinikela emhlabeni. Idolobha lifanekisela umbono weQuran womphakathi ozinikele olwazini nasekuzindleni:
"Yithi: Ngabe labo abaziyo bayalingana nalabo abangaziyo? Yilabo kuphela abanokuqonda abayothatha isexwayiso."
(Surah Az-Zumar, 39:9)
Futhi idolobha lalifanekisela isibonelo sokuphilisana phakathi kwamasiko endawo nezimfundiso zamaSilamu — lihlanganisa izinhlanga ezahlukene zase-Afrika kufaka phakathi abantu bamaTuareg, amaSonghai, nabantu bamaFula emphakathini owodwa ochumayo ohlanganiswe ukholo nemfundo.
ITimbuktu Namuhla
Idolobha libhekane nezinselelo ezijulile emakhulwini eminyaka adlule — ukuhlasela kwamaMorocco ngo-1591 kwaphazamisa amanethiwekhi alo ezazi, futhi ukubusa kwamakholoni kwacwasa ifa lalo. Muva nje, ngesikhathi sokuthathwa kwabashokobezi ngo-2012, imibhalo engenakubuyiselwa yasongelwa ngokubhujiswa ngamabomu. Kwesinye sezenzo ezinesibindi kakhulu zokulondoloza amasiko emlandweni wanamuhla, izazi zaseMali zabeka izimpilo zazo engcupheni ukuze zishunqe amakhulu ezinkulungwane zamadokhumenti ziwayise endaweni ephephile eBamako. Imibhalo yasinda.
ITimbuktu namuhla yiNdawo Yefa Lomhlaba ye-UNESCO. Ama-masjid ayo amathathu amakhulu — iDjinguereber, iSankore, neSidi Yahia — asamile njengoba ake ama amakhulu eminyaka. Indaba yayo isaxoxwa.
Uphawu Lwezikhathi Zethu
ITimbuktu akusona isidikiselo. Siyisikhumbuzo — sokuthi i-Afrika ihlale iyizwe lobuchwepheshe, lokukhanya, nempucuko yamaSilamu. Sikhuluma kuwo wonke umSilamu wase-Afrika oholelwe ekukholweni ukuthi ifa lakhe lisemaceleni amaSilamu, futhi sithi ngokucacile: okhokho bakho babephakathi kwabaphethe izibani zalolu kholo.
Izazi zaseTimbuktu azizange nje zifunde ngokufuna ulwazi — zakha amadolobha aphelele azungeza lona. Sengathi u-Allah angalondoloza ifa lazo, alivuselele ezinhliziyweni zenzalo yazo, abusise umMmah wamaSilamu wase-Afrika ngezazi eziqhubekisela phambili lowo mkhuba weminyaka eminingi wokuzinikela emfundweni naku-Allah.