Bensmaia was born in Algiers into a family of Turkish origin.[1] His father, Ali Ben Abderrahmane Khodja, was the last mufti Malikite of Algiers.[1] His nephew, Omar Bensmaia, was a prominent visual artist and successful tobacco merchant.[2]
He taught in Madrasa Thaalibia since its inauguration in 17 october 1904.[4][5]
After his death in 1933, he was buried in the Thaalibia Cemetery of the Casbah of Algiers.
