{{Infobox military person | name = Muhend Amezyan Ahaddad | image = File:4629cac6.jpg | caption = Aziz, son of Cheikh El Haddad | native_name = ⵎⵓⵀⵏⴷ ⴰⵎⵣⵢⴰⵏ ⴰⵀⴰⴷⴷⴰⴷ | nickname = Cheikh El Haddad | birth_date = <!--{{birth date and age|YYYY|MM|DD}} or {{birth date|YYYY|MM|DD}} if dead-->30 November 1790 | birth_place = Seddouk | death_date = <!--{{death date and age|dYYYY|dMM|dDD|YYYY|MM|DD}}-->29 April 1873 | death_place = Constantine, Algeria | burial_coordinates = <!--{{coord|LAT|LONG|display=inline,title}}--> | allegiance = 23px Kingdom of Ait Abbas | branch_label = <!--"Branch" or "Service"--> | service_years = 1871 | known_for = Commander in the Mokrani Revolt | battles = Mokrani Revolt{{Surrender}} | children = 2 }}
'''Muhand Amezyan Aheddad''' (30 November 1790, Seddouk - 29 April 1873, Constantine), also known as '''Cheikh El Haddad''', was a prominent leader in the 1871 uprising in Algeria.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Baṭṭāsh |first=ʻAlī |url=https://archive.wikiwix.com/cache/index2.php?url=https://www.worldcat.org/oclc/697036672#federation=archive.wikiwix.com&tab=url |title=Aperçu historique sur la Kabylie : la vie de Cheikh El Haddad et l'insurrection de 1871 |date=2010 |publisher=Editions El-amel |isbn=978-9947-30-048-0 |location=[Algiers?]}}</ref> He collaborated closely with Cheikh El Mokrani and Boumezrag El Mokrani during this period.<ref>{{Cite web |last=bba |first=wilaya de |date=2001-08-01 |title=le site officiel de la wilaya de Bordj Bou Arreridj |url=https://archive.wikiwix.com/cache/index2.php?url=http://www.bibans-info.gov.dz/#federation=archive.wikiwix.com&tab=url |access-date=2023-12-25 |website=archive.wikiwix.com |language=fr}}</ref>
== Personal life == The family of Cheikh El Haddad relocated from the Ait Mansour tribe (now in the commune of Akfadou) to settle in Ighil Imoula, situated in the Soummam Valley, and subsequently in Seddouk.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |title=Transfert des ossements du Cheikh Aheddad et de son fils Aziz ce jeudi {{!}} El Watan |url=https://archive.wikiwix.com/cache/index2.php?url=https://www.elwatan.com/archives/bejaia-archives/transfert-des-ossements-du-cheikh-aheddad-et-de-son-fils-aziz-ce-jeudi-30-06-2009#& |access-date=2023-12-25 |website=archive.wikiwix.com}}</ref>
The surname "El Haddad" originated from his grandfather, who was a blacksmith. His father, Abi Ali Al-Haddad, established the zawiya of Seddouk, where Muhand Amezyan received instruction in linguistic and religious studies. Later, he continued his education in Islamic theology under the guidance of several esteemed scholars.<ref name=":0" />
Cheikh El Haddad underwent initial training under Cheikh Al-Rabia Benmouhoub in Ighil Imoula, followed by further education with Cheikh Arab Nath Irathen in Kabylie. He pursued additional studies at the zawiya of Bounouh in Aït-Smail, established by the founder of the Rahmaniyya, Sidi M'hamed Bou Qobrine. Subsequently, he assumed a teaching role at his father's zawiya in Seddouk and authored several works, including one titled "Al-Taqyid al-Mubarek," focusing on Sufism.<ref name=":1">{{Cite web |title=convert |url=https://archive.wikiwix.com/cache/index2.php?url=http://univ-bejaia.dz/staff/photo/pubs/444-430-AISSANI__actes_JEC_2010_V8-2couverture.pdf/index.html#federation=archive.wikiwix.com&tab=url |access-date=2023-12-25 |website=archive.wikiwix.com}}</ref>
In 1860, Cheikh El Haddad assumed leadership of the Rahmaniyya Sufi order in Kabylia, operating from his village of Seddouk-Ouffella, In light of his increasing popularity, the colonial administration expressed concern and subjected both him and his disciples (moqaddim) to close surveillance.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Histoire de l'Algérie à la période coloniale, 1830-1962 |url=https://archive.wikiwix.com/cache/index2.php?url=https://www.worldcat.org/oclc/872346940#& |access-date=2023-12-25 |website=archive.wikiwix.com}}</ref>
== Writing == El Haddad authored several works, including a Sufi treatise titled ''al-Taqyid al-Mubarek''. The manuscript comprises 84 folios and was copied in 1876. It was discovered at the Rafsa Zawiyya in Sétif. This zawiyya was established by Cheikh El-Hacène Boucenna, a senior figure in the al-Rahmaniyya Tariqa, succeeding Cheikh El-Houès. Amar Talbi first highlighted this work in 1971, based on the manuscript of M.C. Bencheikh.<ref name=":1" /><ref>{{Cite book |title=Actes du séminaire à l'occasion du centenaire de l'insurrection de 1871, Seddouk, 1971}}</ref>
The 1845 manuscript on Sufism by Cheikh Bouabdelli provides insight into the social conditions of Haddad's life:
{{Cquote | quote = Innovations, Bid'a, have pervaded the world. No city, no village is exempt. I have personally observed this. Tradition, Sunna, has yielded to worldly passions. The people of orthodoxy face increasing humiliation. As for the innovators, they are the ones occupying positions of responsibility in administration, justice, and beyond | author = Cheikh El Haddad, 1845 | source = <ref name=":1" /> }}
== Political life == During the 1871 uprising led by Mokrani, Cheikh Aziz and Cheikh M'hand, El Haddad's sons joined the rebels, leading the fight on behalf of their father, who, due to his age, could not actively participate. On 8 April 1871, at the age of 80, El Haddad called for rebellion during a gathering at the market of Seddouk. His appeal for resistance against the French colonizers had a profound impact, as more than 250 tribes, totaling over 10,000 fighters, responded. The rallying cry became famous throughout Algeria.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Cheikh Belhaddad, une histoire méconnue {{!}} El Watan |url=https://archive.wikiwix.com/cache/index2.php?url=https://www.elwatan.com/pages-hebdo/magazine/cheikh-belhaddad-une-histoire-meconnue-11-07-2019 |access-date=2023-12-25 |website=archive.wikiwix.com}}</ref>
{{Cquote | quote = We will cast the French into the sea, just as I throw this stick to the ground. | author = Cheikh El Haddad, 8 April 1871 }}
The resistance called for by El Haddad encompassed a significant portion of Algeria, stretching from Algiers in the east to Batna in the north. However, this widespread resistance proved insufficient to overcome the French army, which ultimately emerged victorious. In addition to the considerable casualties during the conflicts, a harsh repression ensued. Tribes were compelled to pay a war contribution, often burdening the most impoverished, and their lands were seized.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Yacono |first=X. |date=2004-05-01 |title=Kabylie : L'insurrection de 1871 |url=https://journals.openedition.org/encyclopedieberbere/1410 |journal=Encyclopédie berbère |language=fr |issue=26 |pages=4022–4026 |doi=10.4000/encyclopedieberbere.1410 |issn=1015-7344|doi-access=free }}</ref>
Following the defeat, El Haddad was arrested on July 13, 1871. On April 19, 1873, he was sentenced to five years in prison by the Assize Court of Constantine. He died in custody on April 29, 1873, only 10 days after being sentenced, at the age of 83. His two sons, Aziz and M'hand, were deported to New Caledonia.<ref>{{Cite book |title=Histoire de l'Algérie à la période coloniale: 1830-1962 |date=2014 |publisher=la Découverte |isbn=978-2-7071-7837-4 |series=La Découverte-poche |location=Paris}}</ref>
== References == <!-- Inline citations added to your article will automatically display here. See en.wikipedia.org/wiki/WP:REFB for instructions on how to add citations. --> {{reflist}}
{{Authority control}}
Category:People of the Mokrani Revolt Category:Deported people Category:Berber people Category:1790 births Category:1873 deaths Category:19th-century Berber people