Sheikh Mohammed Ali al Sabouni – The ‘dream scholar’ Sheikh Mohammed Ali Sabouni Ebrahim Moosa – Cii News| 14 Muharram 1435/18 November 2013 “He is absolutely Noorani, if you see him, you will not stop looking at his face.” With those words did Moulana Ismail Akoo, principal of Darul Uloom Newcastle, recently describe Sheikh Mohammed Ali Sabouni, a renowned Islamic scholar, who on Sunday began an eagerly anticipated tour of South Africa. The Syrian-born Aalim, who is acclaimed worldwide for his Tafaseer and other Islamic research works, will be the guest of honour at the Madressah’s 41st anniversary Jalsah happening this weekend. “I found him writing,” recounted Moulana Akoo of a visit he personally made to the 83 year old Sheikh Sabouni. “If he leaves the pen, his hand shakes. He holds the pen, his hand stops shaking. It is a strange thing. Even he says it is a miracle.” “He is known for Quraan. Anybody who has spent even a brief amount of time at a reputable Islamic tertiary institution would recognise the name Sabouni and its relationship with Quraan,” Moulana Akoo added. Religious Pedigree Born in 1930, Sheikh Mohammed Ali al Sabouni hails from Halab(Aleppo) in the north of Syria. He was raised in a family of scholars – his father Jameel, a leading Aalim of the city, being one of his first teachers. He completed memorizing the Quraan at a tender age and went on to receive instruction from some of the most famous Syrian Ulama of his time. “If we understand who these scholars were, then we can understand what sort of personalities moulded (Sheikh Sabouni’s) personality,” says Sheikh Shoayb Ahmed, an author and aalim based in Pretoria. “There is a man by the name of Sheikh Mohammed Najib as Sirajadeen. He was a great scholar of Quraan, and so was his son Sheikh Abdullah Sirajadeen.” Some of his other teachers at the time included Sheikh Mohammed Saeed al Idlibi, Sheikh Raaghib at Tabaagh and Sheikh Najeeb Khayata. He went on to become a graduate of the prestigious Khusrawiya Shariah School of Aleppo which was known for producing the some of the best students of Islamic sciences at the time. Al Sabouni also had a brief stint as a student of a business college in his hometown, but was quickly disillusioned by the curriculum which he found to be deeply rooted in the capitalist interest based system. Sheikh al Sabouni’s quest for Islamic knowledge then took him to the Al Azhar University in Cairo. Here, he graduated from the Faculty of Shariah in 1952. He spent a further two years in Egypt, specialising in various branches of Islamic instruction. In 1954, the Aalim returned to Aleppo, where he taught in numerous Islamic institutes across the city. In the early 60′s Sheikh al Sabouni responded positively to a request to become a lecturer at the Umm al Qurra University in Makkatul Mukaramah. For the next 28 years, he groomed many prominent Islamic scholars and wrote some of his most monumental academic works. These works, such as his primer on Islamic inheritance and Safwatut Tafaseer were primarily meant to serve as study aids for his students. However, as Allah SWT willed they soon become sourceworks for students of Islamic knowledge worldwide. During this period, the scholar also served as an advisor with the Islamic World League on the Council for Scientific Research in the Quraan and the Sunnah. At the conclusion of his formal teaching career, Sheikh al Sabouni devoted his time feverishly to his writing pursuits. He also traveled occasionally and delivered lectures widely, some of which have been preserved as television series. In 2007, the organizing committee of the Dubai International Quraan Award honoured al Sabouni with its prestigious annual prize for his contributions to Islam, and the Quraan in particular. Of late, the octogenarian has been a vocal supporter of the revolution in Syria and has been a harsh critic of the Syrian regime. He has called upon all protesters to keep a firm stand and fight against tyranny. He has also issued a fatwa saying that it was forbidden for soldiers in the Syrian army to fight their own brethren. Having dedicated a significant portion of his life to writing about the Quraan, Sheikh Sabouni recently indicated that he would like to spend the remainder of his life researching and writing about the sciences of Ahadeeth. Commenting on the huge numbers of adherents that thronged to benefit from al Sabouni during a recent visit to Indonesia, Sheikh Shoayb Ahmed says al Sabouni’s book’s and their translations have earned him repute and followers worldwide. “He is a well rounded scholar. In additional to his amazing specialty in Tafseer, he has authored works on inheritance, Aqeedah, Sirah etc. So he has covered different topics, and that is many a time what students are looking for.” Adds Moulana Akoo, “This man is absolutely a giant. And with that he has Suhbah of Ulama, and with that he is a man of Taqleed – he is a thorough Hanafi scholar. He is basically our dream.” Sheikh Mohammed Ali al Sabouni will be based at Darul Uloom Newcastle from Wednesday November 20, 2013 delivering a series of lessons. He will also feature prominently at the Darul Uloom’s annual Khatme Bukhari Jalsah beginning on Saturday LISTEN to an interview about Sheikh Mohammed Ali Sabouni HERE: ciibroadcasting/2013/11/13/profile-of-sheikh-mohammed-ali-sabouni/ ebmoosa@ciibroadcasting CII
Posted on: Mon, 18 Nov 2013 12:41:11 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015