Ma'ruf bin Abdul Ghani al Rusafi (1875–1945) (Arabic: معروف الرصافي) was a poet, educationist and literary scholar from Iraq. He is considered by many as a controversial figure in modern Iraqi literature due to his advocacy of freedom and opposition to imperialism and is known as a poet of freedom.
Birth and early life in Baghdad
Maruf al Rusafi is known to have born in 1875 (his birth date has also been reported as 1 January 1877) at Al Rusafa in Baghdad in Iraq in a family of meagre financial means. His father, Abdul Gani, hailing from the Jibara tribe of Kurdish area, died while he was a child and was brought up by his mother, Fathima who was of Turkish ancestry. His early schooling was at the local Madrasa. Aspiring for a military career he joined Al Rushdiyya Military School in Baghdad, but had to leave after three years, having failed the grade. He continued his studies in Religion and Linguistics under an Arabic scholar, Shaikh Mahmud Shukri al Alusi and stayed there for twelve years where he had the opportunity to learn Sufism, Linguistics, Islamic principles and general sciences. After the completion of his studies, Rusafi started working as a teacher of Arabic at an elementary school run by one of his teachers, in Al Rashdiyya, and later, in 1902, moved to a secondary school in Baghdad.
Life in Turkey and Syria
Al Rusafi left for Turkey of the post Young Turk Revolution, in 1908, and started working in Istanbul as an Arabic lecturer at the Royal College. He worked at a local newspaper, Sabil al Rashad and is known to have led an active social life. In 1912, he became a member of the Turkish Chamber of Deputies, representing Al Muthanna district of Iraq and was re-elected in 1914. After the fall of the Ottoman Empire in 1918, Al Rusafi left Istanbul for Syria as the British authorities in Iraq prevented the return of Iraqis from Turkey. He settled in Damascus in 1919 and started teaching there, but only for a short time of less than one year. The local government of Syria, under Amir Faisal who was the son of the Sherif of Mecca, was also reluctant to accept Rusafi due to Rusafi's opposition of the Arab Congress of 1913 held in Paris and the revolt of 1916 initiated by the Sherif of Mecca.
Brief stay in Jerusalem
The British local government under Gilbert Clayton reportedly in an attempt to keep Al Rusafi away from Iraq, offered him a job at the Teachers' Training College (Dar al-Mu’allimin), through Muhammad Kurd Ali, an acquaintant of Al Rusafi who went on to become the president of the Arab Academy of Damascus. Ma'ruf al Rusafi reached Jerusalem in 1920 and resumed his career as a teacher of Arabic literature at the training college. During his stay in Jerusalem, Rusafi had the opportunity to associate himself with such literary figures as Issaf Nashashibi, the principal of the training college and in whose name, Issaf Nashashibi Center for Culture and Literature was established in 1982, Adil Jabr, the assistant director of education, Khalil al-Sakakini, an Arab nationalist and Nakhlah Zuraiq, an Arabic faculty member at the English College in Jerusalem. The association also provided Rusafi with opportunity to recite his poems at the gatherings and pursue his literary career.
In 1920, when Sir Herbert Samuel, a British Jewish diplomat, was appointed the High Commissioner of Palestine, he made a declaration at the Palestine Arab Congress held at Haifa that a higher college of Arab studies would be established in Jerusalem, a promise never fulfilled. Rusafi, who was also an attendee at the Congress, later wrote in praise of the declaration, an act which is reported to have placed him in disfavour of the Arab nationalists and his students. Though Rusafi tried to pacify the situation by publishing an explanation in the local daily, Mir’at ash-Sharq, his efforts were not successful. A month after the controversy, when the supporters of Talib Pasha al Naqiq, a candidate at the Iraqi elections of 1921, decided to launch a newspaper, Rusafi is reported to have been invited to head the publication. Rusafi left Jerusalem in March 1921, ending his stay of 18 months there.