Honorable Sheikh Mohammad Ali Shaqir

In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.

Allah, the Exalted, says:
"Those who believe and were granted knowledge by Allah will be elevated in degrees." (Surah Al-Mujadila, 58:11)

And Allah, the Most High, also says:
"Say, 'Are those who know equal to those who do not know?' Only they will remember [who are] people of understanding." (Surah Az-Zumar, 39:9)

The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) also said: "Scholars are the inheritors of the Prophets."

And the Prophet (peace be upon him) also said: "Indeed, this knowledge is carried by trustworthy authorities from every generation, repelling from it the alteration of extremists, the false representations of the misguided, and the misinterpretations of the ignorant."

As we present this brief biography and a concise summary about a scholar from the scholars of Islamic jurisprudence, who is a respected teacher in the Islamic Sciences Institute - Traditional Scholarly Education Division, we cannot help but emphasize that our esteemed Sheikh's reality, knowledge, and character are greater and more profound than any words written in his praise. May Allah preserve him and benefit us through him. May Allah grant us success. Ameen.

Honorable Sheikh Mohammad Ali Shaqir Al-Dimashqi, may Allah preserve him.

• Name, Lineage, and Background:
  He is Sheikh Mohammad Ali bin Abdul Wahhab bin Abdul Qadir bin Muhyiddin Shaqir Al-Dimashqi, Shafi'i.
  He was born in the ancient neighborhood of Al-Midan in Damascus, specifically Abu Hubl, in the year 1947. He grew up under the care of his father, may Allah have mercy on him, who was devoted to scholars and closely associated with them.
  Scholarly Education and Names of the Scholars from whom He Studied, and Some of the Books
• He Studied under Their Guidance:
  At the age of five, may Allah preserve him, he began his elementary studies at Al-Ghurra School under esteemed scholars such as Sheikh Yasin Al-Salahi, Sheikh Anis Al-Salahi, and Sheikh Yousef Arar, may Allah have mercy on them. Later, his father wanted him to leave formal education to work with him, so he did, until he accompanied Sheikh Hassan Hubnaka, may Allah have mercy on him. He studied fiqh, hadith, Sufism, tafsir, oratory, memorized the Quran, and studied many texts such as Ibn Malik's Alfiyya, Al-Tadreeb by Al-Amidi, Jawharat al-Tawhid, and others.

During his companionship with Sheikh Hassan Hubnaka, he also became acquainted with Sheikh Mulla Ramadan Al-Bouti, may Allah have mercy on him. Sheikh Mulla Ramadan did not give lessons or teach anyone, but Sheikh Mohammad sought permission to read one page of Quran daily, which was granted. Recognizing his sincerity and dedication to seeking knowledge, Sheikh Mulla Ramadan allowed him to come whenever he wanted and read whatever he desired. At that time, Sheikh Mohammad Shaqir was the only student of Sheikh Mulla Ramadan, studying books by Al-Ghazali, Al-Risala Al-Qushayriyya, Tabaqat al-Sufiyya, and many other works in Sufism, fiqh, hadith, theology, and Arabic language under Sheikh Abdul Qadir Barkat Al-Qadimi, whom Sheikh Hussein Khattab, the former Sheikh of Quran reciters in Syria, described as "Ibn Hisham of his time." Sheikh Mohammad studied with him individually in private lessons, and began collecting Quranic readings under the supervision of Sheikh Hussein Khattab, until he appeared to be complete in Quranic readings according to the Shatibiyya method from Sheikh Kareem Rajeh and Sheikh Hussein Khattab.

• Educational Experience and Affiliated Associations:
  Sheikh Mohammad, may Allah preserve him, is considered one of the strongest contemporary scholars of the Shafi'i school. He has extensively studied the school's books in Damascus's circles of knowledge. He is also a teacher of Arabic language, fiqh, and ethics in Islamic institutes, having been appointed as a teacher in the Fatwa Department under the Ministry of Awqaf since 1985. He also served as an Imam at Al-Hasan Mosque and delivered sermons in the mosques of Al-Midan. He taught Islamic sciences at Al-Hasan Mosque and continued teaching in Damascus's institutes and secondary schools until he left Syria. Sheikh Mohammad currently resides in Istanbul, Turkey, where he conducts multiple knowledge sessions in its mosques.