Hassan Khaled
Encyclopedia
Grand Mufti
Sheikh
Hassan Khaled (1921—May 16, 1989) was the leader of Lebanon
's Sunni Muslim community.
As a grand mufti, he presided over Islamic courts in Lebanon for 23 years, and served as Head of the Islamic Coalition, a body which included past and present prime ministers, Sunni parliamentary figures, and Sunni members of Lebanon's government. He was considered a moderate, and upon his assassination was named as the "father of moderation," as he worked throughout his career to bring unity to the warring factions of the Lebanese Civil War
.
Khaled's assassination in 1989 was widely believed to be the work of Syria.
. at the Faculty of Theology in Cairo, where he obtained the Bachelor's degree (BA) in 1946.
He started his public life after graduating from legitimacy School in Beirut as a professor of Logic and Autism. In 1954 he was appointed as Deputy Chief Judge of Beirut, then in 1957 he was appointed as a judicial Judge in the province of Akkar in North Lebanon. Khaled then transferred in 1960 to the Mount Lebanon Legitimacy (sharia
) Court district.
He also headed the Higher Judicial Legitimacy Council in Lebanon, and presided over the Islamic Gathering, which was a weekly meeting that included the present and past Lebanese prime ministers, present and past Lebanese ministers, Muslim Parliamentary figures. He was also The Chairman of the higher Muslim Legitimacy Council in Lebanon, and the Vice-President of the founding Council of the Muslim World League in Mecca, and Vice-President of the International Islamic charity association in Kuwait, and a member of the Theology Council Association in Muslim world League in Makkah, a member of the Theology Assembly of the Organization of Islamic countries in Jeddah, and a member of Islamic Research Assembly in Egypt.
He was unanimously elected by Islamic scholars, political leaders and opinion leaders in Lebanon as the Grand Mufti of Lebanon on December 21, 1966.
Khaled also had a national role through chairing for many years the “Islamic Gathering,” a weekly political meeting that was held at Dar Alfatwa) that gave its views on Lebanese politics during the civil war in Lebanon. He was personally involved as a representative of Lebanon in many Islamic Arab conferences, or sent representatives to different Arab and world countries.
was detonated next to Khaled's car as he drove through Beirut
. Khaled and 21 others were killed. Syrian intelligence is widely believed to be behind the assassination; Khaled had been a critic of Syrian intervention in Lebanon. As Khaled had been killed while returning from a meeting with anti-Syrian general Michel Aoun
, his killing was believed to be a warning to all those who cooperated with Aoun.
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...
Sheikh
Sheikh
Not to be confused with sikhSheikh — also spelled Sheik or Shaikh, or transliterated as Shaykh — is an honorific in the Arabic language that literally means "elder" and carries the meaning "leader and/or governor"...
Hassan Khaled (1921—May 16, 1989) was the leader of Lebanon
Lebanon
Lebanon , officially the Republic of LebanonRepublic of Lebanon is the most common term used by Lebanese government agencies. The term Lebanese Republic, a literal translation of the official Arabic and French names that is not used in today's world. Arabic is the most common language spoken among...
's Sunni Muslim community.
As a grand mufti, he presided over Islamic courts in Lebanon for 23 years, and served as Head of the Islamic Coalition, a body which included past and present prime ministers, Sunni parliamentary figures, and Sunni members of Lebanon's government. He was considered a moderate, and upon his assassination was named as the "father of moderation," as he worked throughout his career to bring unity to the warring factions of the Lebanese Civil War
Lebanese Civil War
The Lebanese Civil War was a multifaceted civil war in Lebanon. The war lasted from 1975 to 1990 and resulted in an estimated 150,000 to 230,000 civilian fatalities. Another one million people were wounded, and today approximately 350,000 people remain displaced. There was also a mass exodus of...
.
Khaled's assassination in 1989 was widely believed to be the work of Syria.
Life
Hassan Khaled was born in Beirut in 1921, studied his primary school at Al Makkased Islamic schools in Beirut, continued his study of intermediate and secondary education at the Institute of Azhar Lebanon in Beirut, and pursued his university education at Al-Azhar UniversityAl-Azhar University
Al-Azhar University is an educational institute in Cairo, Egypt. Founded in 970~972 as a madrasa, it is the chief centre of Arabic literature and Islamic learning in the world. It is the oldest degree-granting university in Egypt. In 1961 non-religious subjects were added to its curriculum.It is...
. at the Faculty of Theology in Cairo, where he obtained the Bachelor's degree (BA) in 1946.
He started his public life after graduating from legitimacy School in Beirut as a professor of Logic and Autism. In 1954 he was appointed as Deputy Chief Judge of Beirut, then in 1957 he was appointed as a judicial Judge in the province of Akkar in North Lebanon. Khaled then transferred in 1960 to the Mount Lebanon Legitimacy (sharia
Sharia
Sharia law, is the moral code and religious law of Islam. Sharia is derived from two primary sources of Islamic law: the precepts set forth in the Quran, and the example set by the Islamic prophet Muhammad in the Sunnah. Fiqh jurisprudence interprets and extends the application of sharia to...
) Court district.
He also headed the Higher Judicial Legitimacy Council in Lebanon, and presided over the Islamic Gathering, which was a weekly meeting that included the present and past Lebanese prime ministers, present and past Lebanese ministers, Muslim Parliamentary figures. He was also The Chairman of the higher Muslim Legitimacy Council in Lebanon, and the Vice-President of the founding Council of the Muslim World League in Mecca, and Vice-President of the International Islamic charity association in Kuwait, and a member of the Theology Council Association in Muslim world League in Makkah, a member of the Theology Assembly of the Organization of Islamic countries in Jeddah, and a member of Islamic Research Assembly in Egypt.
He was unanimously elected by Islamic scholars, political leaders and opinion leaders in Lebanon as the Grand Mufti of Lebanon on December 21, 1966.
Duties of the Grand Mufti in Lebanon
Mufti of the Lebanese Republic is the religious leader of all Muslims in Lebanon and their representative at the official authorities in Lebanon and abroad. He is the leader to all religious officials and administrators at the Awkaf (Islamic Departments that manage Muslim estates) and religious divisions in Lebanon. He is also the superior leader of Sunni Muslim scholars, which he guides and issues directions. In addition to the above, he enjoys all other rights and privileges enjoyed by the heads of the other largest religious communities in Lebanon. He heads the Dar Alfatwa (Sunni Muslim authority Office, Headed by the Mufti of Lebanon).His writings
Khaled wrote on many issues of Islam, including:- Islam and its social and material interdependence in society.
- Inheritance in the Islamic Sharia (Legitimacy).
- Personal Status provisions of the Islamic Sharia(Legitimacy).
- Tales of Ramadan.
- course of the Islamic call in Lebanon during the 14th century AH.
- marriage to non-Muslims.
- definition Letter of Islam.
- Islam's position on paganism, Christianity and Judaism.
- views and positions.
- Madinah society before and after migration.
- Muslims in Lebanon and the civil war.
- Torah, the Bible and the Koran and science (A translation of Maurice Bokay's famous Book).
- martyr in Islam.
- Islam and its vision to after life.
Khaled also had a national role through chairing for many years the “Islamic Gathering,” a weekly political meeting that was held at Dar Alfatwa) that gave its views on Lebanese politics during the civil war in Lebanon. He was personally involved as a representative of Lebanon in many Islamic Arab conferences, or sent representatives to different Arab and world countries.
Death
On May 16, 1989, a 300 pound (136 kg) car bombCar bomb
A car bomb, or truck bomb also known as a Vehicle Borne Improvised Explosive Device , is an improvised explosive device placed in a car or other vehicle and then detonated. It is commonly used as a weapon of assassination, terrorism, or guerrilla warfare, to kill the occupants of the vehicle,...
was detonated next to Khaled's car as he drove through Beirut
Beirut
Beirut is the capital and largest city of Lebanon, with a population ranging from 1 million to more than 2 million . Located on a peninsula at the midpoint of Lebanon's Mediterranean coastline, it serves as the country's largest and main seaport, and also forms the Beirut Metropolitan...
. Khaled and 21 others were killed. Syrian intelligence is widely believed to be behind the assassination; Khaled had been a critic of Syrian intervention in Lebanon. As Khaled had been killed while returning from a meeting with anti-Syrian general Michel Aoun
Michel Aoun
Michel Naim Aoun is a former Lebanese Army Commander and he is one of the allies of Hezbollah. From 22 September 1988 to 13 October 1990, he has served as Prime Minister of the legal one of two rival governments that contended for power. He declared "The Liberation War" against the Syrian...
, his killing was believed to be a warning to all those who cooperated with Aoun.
Tasks
- Preaching and teaching in mosques in Beirut.
- Preaching and teaching in Makkawi and Majidiyah, and the Imam Ali mosques in the heart of Beirut for more than twenty years.
- He taught the subjects of logic and uniformity in Azhar- Lebanon-Beirut.
- Assistant prosecution Judge in the Islamic Courts in Beirut.
- Deputy Chief Judge in Beirut.
- Judge of Akkar province in northern Lebanon.
- President of the Courts of legitimacy in the province of Mount Lebanon.
- Assuming the post of Mufti of the Lebanese Republic on 11/12/1966 after unanimity scholars and Muslim leaders on his election in the lobby of the Dar Al-Fatwa.
- Chairman of the Supreme Judicial Council legitimate in Lebanon.
- Chairman of the Islamic Gathering. (weekly meeting of heads of governments, ministers, MPs).
- President of the Supreme Islamic Council in Lebanon.
- Deputy Chairman of the Constituent Assembly of the Association of the Islamic world league in Mecca.
- Deputy head of the Islamic Charity Organization in Kuwait.
- Academy member jurist in the Muslim World League / Mecca.
- Academy member in the Organization of Islamic States / Jeddah.
- A member of the Islamic Research Academy in Egypt.
- Participated personally as a representative of Lebanon in many Arab and Islamic conferences or sent representatives in each of: Saudi Arabia / Egypt / Sudan / Morocco / Libya / Algeria / Tunisia / Arab Emirates / Qatar / Kuwait / Syria / Iraq / Yemen / Iran / Indonesia / Australia / China / France / Britain / Rome / Afghanistan / Ghana / Niger / Mali / Chad / Somalia / Uganda / Poland / Romania / Bulgaria / Soviet Union /and the United States of America.
Honors
- National Medal of Cedar-Lebanon-May 16, 1989.
- Grand Collar of the renaissance of the Jordanian-highest first-class medal in the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan-1967.
- High medal from the president-the Republic of Chad.
- Decoration from the Soviet Union on the research of the cessation of nuclear armament on August 14, 1974.
- Islam Decoration (Girdanov) – Poland.
- Received several medals from the United States of America.
Valuations
- Honorary doctorate in Cairo, after a lecture he delivered at Al-Azhar in the Hall of Imam Mohammed Abdo, during a dinner invitation from the late President Gamal Abdel Nasser.
- Honorary doctorate from the University Jin Ji, China.