Honorable Sheikh Mohammad Moufaq Al-Marabaa
In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.
Allah, the Exalted, says:
"Allah will raise those who have believed among you and those who were given knowledge, by degrees." (Surah Al-Mujadila, 58:11)
And He, the Most High, also says:
"Say, 'Are those who know equal to those who do not know?' Only those who possess understanding will remember." (Surah Az-Zumar, 39:9)
The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) said: "Indeed, the scholars are the inheritors of the Prophets."
And the Prophet (peace be upon him) also said: "This knowledge will be carried by the trustworthy of every generation. They will reject from it the distortions of the extremists, the false claims of the liars, and the misinterpretations of the ignorant."
As we present this brief biography of a respected scholar from the esteemed teachers in the Islamic Sciences Institute – Traditional Scholarly Education Division, we must emphasize that our honorable Sheikh's essence, knowledge, and ethics are greater and more profound than any words written in his praise. May Allah preserve him and benefit us through him and his knowledge. Ameen.
Honorable Sheikh and Educator Mohammad Mowaffaq Al-Maraba’, may Allah preserve him.
- Name, Lineage, and Background:
Sheikh Mohammad Mowaffaq bin Ali Al-Maraba’ was born in 1954 in Damascus, Syria, to righteous parents. He completed his primary and intermediate education in government schools in the Al-Amara neighborhood of Damascus. He then left formal education but was later encouraged by a man he often describes as, "the one who motivated me to seek knowledge and was the reason I returned to the path of learning." This man helped him study some subjects to obtain his intermediate certificate. Sheikh Mohammad Mowaffaq then met the Gnostic of Allah, Sheikh Mohammad Saleh Al-Hamwi, who had a profound influence on his life. He accompanied him, benefited from him, and was nurtured under his guidance until he graduated under his tutelage.
- The Beginning of His Pursuit of Knowledge, the Names of the Scholars from Whom He Learned, and Some of the Books He Studied:
Sheikh Mohammad Mowaffaq Al-Maraba’ joined Al-Fath Islamic Institute in 1973 and graduated in 1980. The duration of study at the institute was seven years, during which he studied tafsir, hadith, tawhid, Hanafi fiqh and its principles, Sufism, Arabic language sciences, and other instrumental sciences under the guidance of the distinguished scholar Sheikh Mohammad Saleh Al-Farfour and his prominent students, including Sheikh Abdul Razzak Al-Halabi, Sheikh Mohammad Adeeb Al-Kallas, Sheikh Ibrahim Al-Ya'qubi, Sheikh Suhail Al-Zubaybi, Sheikh Mohammad Mowaffaq Al-Nashuqati, Sheikh Ahmad Ramadan, Sheikh Ahmad Qutabi, known as Abu Hamid, and Sheikh Nuruddin Khazneh Katbi. He also recited the entire Quran to Sheikh Suhail Al-Zubaybi.
Throughout this period, he maintained his close association with his pious Sheikh, Mohammad Saleh Al-Hamwi, who had a significant impact on his life, soul, and spirit. Sheikh Mohammad Saleh Al-Hamwi granted him a general ijazah (authorization) and appointed him as his successor, making him the focal point of his blessings, prayers, and guidance, a privilege not afforded to anyone else.
Sheikh Mohammad Mowaffaq Al-Maraba’ also received scholarly ijazahs from many of his teachers and other notable scholars and hadith narrators from the Islamic world, including Sheikh Ahmad Nasib Al-Mahamid, Sheikh Salim Al-Hamami (both students of the Hadith master of Damascus, Sheikh Badruddin Al-Hasani), Sheikh Abdul Razzak Al-Halabi, Sheikh Adeeb Al-Kallas, Sheikh Kareem Rajeh (the Sheikh of Quran reciters in Damascus), Sheikh Mohammad Amin Siraj, the hadith narrator Mohammad Taysir Al-Makhzumi, and Sheikh Saaduddin Murad.
Academically, Sheikh Mowaffaq continued his university studies at Al-Azhar University, graduating in 2000. By then, he had already taught hundreds, if not thousands, of students who studied under his guidance.
- Teaching Experience and Associations:
During his studies at Al-Fath Islamic Institute, Sheikh Mohammad Mowaffaq served as an Imam and preacher at a mosque in the town of Al-Hama in the Damascus countryside, calling people to Allah. Through his efforts, the town began producing Imams, preachers, and da'is (callers to Islam) for neighboring villages, increasing the number of Quran memorizers and spreading knowledge circles.
Three years before the death of his Sheikh, Mohammad Saleh Al-Hamwi, he was entrusted with his public lessons. Sheikh Mohammad Mowaffaq began delivering lectures in his Sheikh's presence on nurturing, purification, spiritual journey, and calling to Allah. After his Sheikh's passing, he continued to serve his Sheikh's students, teaching and guiding them in the same manner as his Sheikh.
In the late 1980s, Sheikh Mohammad Mowaffaq was appointed as an administrator at Al-Fath Islamic Institute, later becoming a teacher and eventually the assistant director. He remained in this position until 2013 when he was forced to leave Damascus. He then settled in Istanbul, where he continues to teach, nurture, and educate in its mosques and institutes.