In 1842 the Tunisian ruler Ahmed Bey, himself a reformer, sent his private secretary (probably Bin Diyaf) to Istanbul in order to offer Mahmud Qabadu a post at the new Bardo Military Academy (al-Maktab al-Harbi) in Tunis. Qabadu accepted, and returned to Tunis, becoming professor of Arabic and Islamic studies.[4][5] For many years he taught as "one of the most preeminent teachers" not only at the Bardo, but also at the Zaytuna mosque-university in Tunis.[6] At Zitouna, Mahmud Qabadu and others molded its educational development along the lines of an Islamic reform.[7][8]