19 March 2021
Today the world mourns the loss of the world renowned Muslim leader and scholar Sheikh Muammad ‘Ali al Sabuni, an Aalim who has been described globally as a giant and a Noorani of Islam.
The Syrian born scholar passed away on Friday morning in the city of Yalova, near Istanbul. News of his passing was met with a flurry of memories from social media activists recalling his positions, especially on Syria and Turkey.
International lawyer, Dr. Tariq Shindab, the mourner of the late scholar wrote:
A short while ago the Islamic world lost one of the most important scholars, Sheikh Muhammad Ali Al-Sabouni, the author of the book “The Best of Tafsir” and other books. Muslims in the world. To God and to Him we shall return. May God Almighty reward you.
Singer “Muhammad Badran” wrote:
“Today the Islamic world and Syria bade farewell to one of its men, Sheikh Al-Alamah Al-Mafsir # Muhammad-Ali Al-Sabuni, son of the city of Aleppo in the city of Istanbul.
SHEIKH’S POLITIC VIEWS
In 2012, Sheikh Muhammad Ali Al-Sabuni stated that if the Arabs were like Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, they would have won. He also noted that the “bad ends” would be for everyone who supported the Assad regime in suppressing its Prime Time Zone, especially the regimes of Tehran, Moscow and Beijing.
The famous Syrian scholar Sheikh Muhammad Ali Al-Sabouni called for a public mobilization and to go out to confront the regime’s president, Bashar al-Assad, describing him as a “musulama liar” after his tyranny, his criminality, and his killing of Prime Time Zone intensified.
He also described the fatwas of the regime’s mufti, Ahmed Hassoun, as “a fuse that ignites sectarianism.”
Sheikh Muhammad Ali al-Sabuni is considered one of the most prominent scholars of the Sunnis and the community in the modern era, and one of the specialists in the science of interpretation of the Qur’an.
The late Sheikh has more than thirty books in a number of Islamic and Arabic sciences, and his books have been translated into a number of foreign languages such as English, French and Turkish, the most prominent of which is “the elite of interpretations.”
The Late Sheikh constantly demonstrated his knowledge of our Deen through his unwavering condemnations and criticism of the global Ummah when it was required, his words often displaying his courage in his convictions.
HISTORY
Sheikh Muammad Ali al Sabuni was born in the city of Aleppo in Syria in 1930 to a family of learning. His father was one of the senior scholars of Aleppo. He received much of his initial and formal education in Arabic, inheritance and sciences of religion from his father, sheikh Jamil.
He memorized the Qur’an in the primary schools and completed his HifZ in secondary school while still young. Sheikh Al-Sabuni studied under some of the leading scholars of the city. In addition he attended other lessons with other Ulema in various mosques.
He continued his formal education in the government schools. After obtaining his primary school certificate he enrolled at the Madrassa al-Tijariyya where he studied for one year. He was disinclined because they were teaching the students about interest based transactions. Even though he obtained the best results he left and instead he joined the famous Khasrawiyya school of Shari‘ah in Aleppo. Here he combined Islamic Studies and studies in the secular subjects. He graduated in 1949.
He graduated with excellent results and the Ministry of Awqaf (Endowments) sent him to further his studies at the famous al-Azhar University in Egypt. He graduated from the Faculty of Shari‘ah in 1952 and he completed his specialization course in 1954.
After completing his studies, he returned to Aleppo where he taught Islamic education in various secondary schools in the city. He taught for about eight years from 1955 to 1962.
He was appointed as lecturer at the Faculty of Shari‘ah at the Umm al-Qura’ University and at the Faculty of Education of the King ‘Abdul Aziz University both in Mecca, where he taught for about 28 years. Many prominent scholars graduated under his guidance. Due to his academic work and his writing the University assigned some additional tasks to him.
These included editing some classical for the Centre for Academic Research and Reviving the Islamic Heritage.
He edited Ma‘ani al-Qur’an by Imam Abu Ja‘far al-Nahhas (d. 338). This book was published in 6 volumes. Thereafter he worked as an advisor with the Muslim World League in the Council for Scientific Research in the Qur’an and the Sunnah. He remained there for a few years after which he devoted himself entirely to writing and to research.
sheikh al- abuni authored numerous books which were received all over the world and many were even translated into other languages. He even conducted some lessons in the Karam of Mecca. He also conducted a weekly lesson in one of the mosques of Jeddah in Tafsir. This lesson continued for about eight years during which he completed about two-thirds of the Qur’an. These lessons were recorded on audio cassettes. He also recorded about 600 programmes for television broadcast. He completed this in 1998 (1419).
Some of the books he wrote are:
• Safwat al-Tafasir
• Rawa’i al-Bayan fi Tafsir Ayat al-Ahkam
• Qabas min Nur al-Qur’an al-Karim
• Al-Tafsir al-Wadih al-Muyassar
• Kashf al-Iftira’at fi Risalat al-Tanbihat Hawla Safwat al-Tafasir
• Al-Tabsir bi-ma fi Rasa’il Bakr Abu Zayd min al-Tazwir
In 2007, the Organizing Committee for the Dubai International Qur’an Award chose sheikh Muhammad ‘Ali al- Sabuni as the personality of the Muslim World for his contribution to Islam.
He was selected from a large list of other nominees and was approved by Prince Muhammad ibn Rashid Al-Maktum, Deputy of the Head of State of Dubai.