In Memoriam: Sheikh Muhammad Ali Al-Sabouni – A Legacy

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بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم

🔹 The Passing of Sheikh Muhammad Ali Al-Sabouni

By: Dr. Muhammad Akram Nadwi
Oxford

📅 News of His Passing:
We received today (6th of Sha’ban, 1442 AH) the sad news of the passing of our Sheikh, the great Mufassir Muhammad Ali Al-Sabouni.

His death has brought sorrow to scholars and students of knowledge. May Allah have mercy on him.

👤 His Life and Education:
Sheikh Al-Sabouni was born in Aleppo, Syria, in 1930 to a family deeply rooted in knowledge. He studied Islamic sciences, memorized the Qur’an early, and learned from notable scholars like Sheikh Muhammad Najeeb Siraj and Sheikh Ahmed Al-Shamaa. His education was a blend of religious and secular studies, which he pursued at the renowned Khusrowiyah School. Later, he graduated from Al-Azhar University with distinction.

📚 Career and Contributions:
After his studies, he returned to Syria, where he taught Islamic studies in Aleppo for eight years. Later, he moved to Saudi Arabia, teaching at universities for 28 years and mentoring numerous scholars. He was known for his research and authored several significant works, including Safwat al-Tafaseer and Rawa’e al-Bayan. He also worked on reviving classical Islamic texts, such as Imam Abu Ja’far Al-Nahhas’s Ma’ani al-Qur’an.

🔹 My Visit to Him:
I first heard him speak at a conference in Turkey in 1431 AH. Later, I visited him during Hajj on the night of Monday, 16th Dhul-Hijjah, 1439, accompanied by my daughters and a few friends. We met him after Isha prayer, where he was bedridden, and he granted us and our children a general ijazah (permission to narrate). It was a special moment, filled with his sincere prayers for us.

🌿 Another Meeting in Yalova:
I visited him again on 11 Sha’ban, 1440, with my family and around a hundred students from Al-Salam Institute. Despite his weak health, Sheikh Al-Sabouni graciously granted us another ijazah, expressing his joy in our visit.

🤲 A Final Prayer:
He was a true scholar, filled with piety, humility, and love for the Qur’an. May Allah envelop him in His vast mercy, grant him Jannat al-Firdaws, and reward him for his immense contributions to the ummah. Ameen.