Upon his return from his many years in the religious institutes of Sudan and his military participation in the defense of Chad, Sheikh Omar Mukhtar came to know of the Italian army's arrival in Tripoli.
The tribes and clans grew desperate for help as the Italian troops began to sweep inland being confronted with little to no resistance from the inhabitants.
The population was without help or support ever since the Ottoman administration retreated and removed its forces from the region, furthermore the small militia who were present and willing to fight were still without the guidance of a single commander. The situation was dire and the consequences would be severe.
Despite being primarily trained at traditional seminaries and later on at university, the reluctant warrior soon emerged from within his deepest desire to defend and protect his land, its people and most importantly – the faith.
It was while on his way back to his old mosque that Sheikh Omar Mukhtar made the resolve to lead his people out of the tightening grip of tyranny by gath- ering and organizing small detachments of volunteer fighters from the indigenous tribes and clans.
At a time when the Italian forces were considered by some Libyans - as being almost undefeatable, Omar Al-Mukhtar prove them wrong by successfully and repeatedly frustrating the colonial army's movements, operations and strategies through ambush, skirmishes and by disrupting critical supply routes to the armies.
The resistance effort brought forth by Omar Mukhtar and his fighters was able to keep the Italians weary and worried for the best part of twenty two years – proving that a small group of warriors could reign supreme over the most sophisticated military outfit of its day, by virtue of faith, wisdom and courage.
"How many a small company has overcome a large company by permission of Allah, and Allah is with the patient"
Surah Al-Baqarah, Quran [2:249]