Ahmed Kuftaro
Encyclopedia
Ahmed Muhammad Amin Kuftaro (December 1915 - September 1, 2004) was the Grand Mufti
of Syria
, the highest Sunni Muslim
religious official in that nation.
, the son of Kurd
ish theologian Mohammed Amin Kuftaro
, whose position as head of the Naqshbandi
Sufi tariqa he inherited. He was a founding member of the League of Muslim Ulemas. He became Mufti
of Damascus
in 1946, Grand Mufti of Damascus in 1958, and Grand Mufti of the Syrian Arab Republic in 1964.
He was an advocate of inter-religious dialogue. He was invited to many countries around the world as an unofficial ambassador of Islam
. These visits culminated in 1985 with a visit to the Pope
in Rome. Even in his later years, as his health began to wane, he made a point of traveling around the world to speak on Islam. He met with the Rev.
Sun Myung Moon
in 1990 and gave him a signed copy of the Quran.
Kuftaro had twelve children from the same wife. He first visited the USA in 1966, giving lectures on inter-faith dialogue.
He died of a heart attack and was buried at Abu Nur
, the conservative Damascus quarter where he worked in one of the city's larger mosques.
Grand Mufti
The title of Grand Mufti refers to the highest official of religious law in a Sunni or Ibadi Muslim country. The Grand Mufti issues legal opinions and edicts, fatwā, on interpretations of Islamic law for private clients or to assist judges in deciding cases...
of Syria
Syria
Syria , officially the Syrian Arab Republic , is a country in Western Asia, bordering Lebanon and the Mediterranean Sea to the West, Turkey to the north, Iraq to the east, Jordan to the south, and Israel to the southwest....
, the highest Sunni Muslim
Muslim
A Muslim, also spelled Moslem, is an adherent of Islam, a monotheistic, Abrahamic religion based on the Quran, which Muslims consider the verbatim word of God as revealed to prophet Muhammad. "Muslim" is the Arabic term for "submitter" .Muslims believe that God is one and incomparable...
religious official in that nation.
Biography
He was born in DamascusDamascus
Damascus , commonly known in Syria as Al Sham , and as the City of Jasmine , is the capital and the second largest city of Syria after Aleppo, both are part of the country's 14 governorates. In addition to being one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in the world, Damascus is a major...
, the son of Kurd
Kürd
Kürd or Kyurd or Kyurt may refer to:*Kürd Eldarbəyli, Azerbaijan*Kürd Mahrızlı, Azerbaijan*Kürd, Goychay, Azerbaijan*Kürd, Jalilabad, Azerbaijan*Kürd, Qabala, Azerbaijan*Qurdbayram, Azerbaijan...
ish theologian Mohammed Amin Kuftaro
Mohammed Amin Kuftaro
Sheikh Mohammed Amin Kuftaro was a noted Syrian-Kurdish Islamic scholar and head of the Naqshbandi Sufi tariqa. Before Sheikh Amin's death in 1938, it was clear he had designated his son, Sheikh Ahmed Kuftaro, to take over his office as sheikh of the tariqa; Ahmed later went on to become the...
, whose position as head of the Naqshbandi
Naqshbandi
Naqshbandi is one of the major Sufi spiritual orders of Sufi Islam. It is considered to be a "Potent" order.The Naqshbandi order is over 1,300 years old, and is active today...
Sufi tariqa he inherited. He was a founding member of the League of Muslim Ulemas. He became Mufti
Mufti
A mufti is a Sunni Islamic scholar who is an interpreter or expounder of Islamic law . In religious administrative terms, a mufti is roughly equivalent to a deacon to a Sunni population...
of Damascus
Damascus
Damascus , commonly known in Syria as Al Sham , and as the City of Jasmine , is the capital and the second largest city of Syria after Aleppo, both are part of the country's 14 governorates. In addition to being one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in the world, Damascus is a major...
in 1946, Grand Mufti of Damascus in 1958, and Grand Mufti of the Syrian Arab Republic in 1964.
He was an advocate of inter-religious dialogue. He was invited to many countries around the world as an unofficial ambassador of Islam
Islam
Islam . The most common are and . : Arabic pronunciation varies regionally. The first vowel ranges from ~~. The second vowel ranges from ~~~...
. These visits culminated in 1985 with a visit to the Pope
Pope
The Pope is the Bishop of Rome, a position that makes him the leader of the worldwide Catholic Church . In the Catholic Church, the Pope is regarded as the successor of Saint Peter, the Apostle...
in Rome. Even in his later years, as his health began to wane, he made a point of traveling around the world to speak on Islam. He met with the Rev.
The Reverend
The Reverend is a style most often used as a prefix to the names of Christian clergy and ministers. There are sometimes differences in the way the style is used in different countries and church traditions. The Reverend is correctly called a style but is often and in some dictionaries called a...
Sun Myung Moon
Sun Myung Moon
Sun Myung Moon is the Korean founder and leader of the worldwide Unification Church. He is also the founder of many other organizations and projects...
in 1990 and gave him a signed copy of the Quran.
Kuftaro had twelve children from the same wife. He first visited the USA in 1966, giving lectures on inter-faith dialogue.
He died of a heart attack and was buried at Abu Nur
Abu Nur
Abu Nur is the name of a district in Damascus. Originally named after an officer under the command of Saladin, it is also the birthplace of renowned Islamic scholar Sheikh Ahmed Kuftaro, who was buried there in 2004.-External links:*...
, the conservative Damascus quarter where he worked in one of the city's larger mosques.