30 Facts About Lalla Zaynab

Lalla Zaynab was born around 1862, a daughter of Muhammad bin Abi al-Qasim, founder and Shaykh of the Rahmaniyya zawiya of El Hamel in Algeria.

Lalla Zaynab was a Sufi Muslim, and a member of a family who claimed to be direct descendants of Muhammad.

Lalla Zaynab lived during a time where the mainstream social order in Algeria oppressed people based on their class, gender and racial characteristics.

Hence, Lalla Zaynab's rise was accompanied by an increase in meddling of the affairs of succession by the French colonial administration.

Lalla Zaynab enjoyed a close relationship with her father the Shaykh.

Lalla Zaynab spent most of her time in the oasis and grew up in the harim.

Lalla Zaynab was personally educated by her father, which allowed her to accumulate great prestige among his followers due to her formidable knowledge.

Lalla Zaynab stayed informed about the political and financial decisions taken by her father, and she acted as a confidant regarding these matters.

Only the French knew of this document, and Lalla Zaynab remained uninformed on all the matters of succession.

However, Lalla Zaynab refused to acknowledge her cousin's spiritual and moral authority on two grounds.

Second, Lalla Zaynab claimed that the nomination letter written by her father in 1897 claiming Muhammad b al Hajj Muhammad to be the rightful successor was of doubtful authenticity or perhaps coerced, and written by her father when 'his faculties were waning.

Lalla Zaynab was seen to have inherited the Baraka of her father, and so was accepted by the majority of the community as the rightful leader.

Lalla Zaynab took bold actions in her struggle against her cousin.

Lalla Zaynab wrote letters to Rahmaniyya notables across the region to denounce her cousin.

Lalla Zaynab provided an ultimatum: all notables who chose to take her cousin's side in this conflict would find the door to Zaynab and her Zawiya closed to them.

Lalla Zaynab reverted to intellectual and judicial measures, as she knew that resorting to force would end in her losing the battle.

Lalla Zaynab would refer back to the stability maintained during her father's rule, and argued that her succession would be logical in order to preserve this stability for the future.

Lalla Zaynab wrote to the authorities, dispelling Lakhdar's claims, and demonstrating an intimate knowledge of all of her father's financial dealings.

Lalla Zaynab intervened and stated that the practice had no founding in either Islamic or French law, and instead offered her own oath on a saintly tomb since the ex-wives were not party to the conflict.

However, the rivalry over the spiritual succession continued, with Lalla Zaynab taking refuge in her father's tomb.

Lalla Zaynab would continue to lead the followers for the next seven years, with the French forces admitting in 1899 that the Zawiya prospered under her leadership.

Lalla Zaynab travelled throughout the local area; shrines were created by the local people at each of the places she stopped to pray.

Eberhardt would later say that she felt "rejuvenated" each time she met with Lalla Zaynab, and formed a friendship that would concern the authorities.

Lalla Zaynab died of a prolonged disease on 19 November 1904.

Lalla Zaynab was placed in a mausoleum alongside her father, with the tomb becoming a place of pilgrimage.

Lalla Zaynab left a strong legacy in the hearts of the El Hamel people for many years to come.

Lalla Zaynab was succeeded by her cousin, Muhammad B Al Hajj Muhammad, who wasted El Hamel's resources, and reverted the cultural struggle which Zaynab and her father fought to maintain.

Isabelle Eberhardt, who had travelled to the zawiya and befriended Lalla Zaynab, described her as a woman of great simplicity.

Lalla Zaynab is approaching her fifties, in the black pupils of her very gentle gaze, the flame of intelligence burns, as if veiled by great sadness.

Lalla Zaynab is a woman of about thirty with an emaciated face, an ascetic thinness, with intelligent and gentle eyes.