Nasib Al Bitar
Encyclopedia
Nablus
Nablus is a Palestinian city in the northern West Bank, approximately north of Jerusalem, with a population of 126,132. Located in a strategic position between Mount Ebal and Mount Gerizim, it is the capital of the Nablus Governorate and a Palestinian commercial and cultural center.Founded by the...
in Palestine
Palestine
Palestine is a conventional name, among others, used to describe the geographic region between the Mediterranean Sea and the Jordan River, and various adjoining lands....
on June 13, 1890 as the second son of Al Sayyed Said Al Bitar Al Husseini.
Education
He finished his elementary education in Nablus on July 13, 1902. He completed Al Rushdieh by 1905. For his college education he started in Nablus and then went to Al Azhar University in CairoCairo
Cairo , is the capital of Egypt and the largest city in the Arab world and Africa, and the 16th largest metropolitan area in the world. Nicknamed "The City of a Thousand Minarets" for its preponderance of Islamic architecture, Cairo has long been a centre of the region's political and cultural life...
for his university degree. He then went to Istanbul
Istanbul
Istanbul , historically known as Byzantium and Constantinople , is the largest city of Turkey. Istanbul metropolitan province had 13.26 million people living in it as of December, 2010, which is 18% of Turkey's population and the 3rd largest metropolitan area in Europe after London and...
for his higher education in Islamic Law
Islamic law
Islamic law can refer to:*Sharia: The code of conduct enjoined upon Muslims in the Quran*Fiqh: Muslim jurisprudence...
. He finished as the First World War broke out.
Military career
As a new graduate he was recruited by the Ottoman Army sent to the Military Cadet School and graduated as an officer. He served gallantly for about four years moving up the ranks, thus got his share of the First World War and a medal for his honorable discharge and gallant service. He had served most of his military duty in IraqIraq
Iraq ; officially the Republic of Iraq is a country in Western Asia spanning most of the northwestern end of the Zagros mountain range, the eastern part of the Syrian Desert and the northern part of the Arabian Desert....
.
Career in the justice system
After the War he worked all over Palestine in Islamic Law courts, starting in JaffaJaffa
Jaffa is an ancient port city believed to be one of the oldest in the world. Jaffa was incorporated with Tel Aviv creating the city of Tel Aviv-Yafo, Israel. Jaffa is famous for its association with the biblical story of the prophet Jonah.-Etymology:...
in 1921, to Jerusalem in 1923 followed by Gaza
Gaza
Gaza , also referred to as Gaza City, is a Palestinian city in the Gaza Strip, with a population of about 450,000, making it the largest city in the Palestinian territories.Inhabited since at least the 15th century BC,...
as an Islamic Judge in 1938, Nazareth
Nazareth
Nazareth is the largest city in the North District of Israel. Known as "the Arab capital of Israel," the population is made up predominantly of Palestinian Arab citizens of Israel...
and Jenine came later in 1942 together with Beisan. He then was appointed to Haifa
Haifa
Haifa is the largest city in northern Israel, and the third-largest city in the country, with a population of over 268,000. Another 300,000 people live in towns directly adjacent to the city including the cities of the Krayot, as well as, Tirat Carmel, Daliyat al-Karmel and Nesher...
in 1944. Finally back to Jerusalem in 1946 as the Jerusalem Islamic Judge.
Judicial services
- JaffaJaffaJaffa is an ancient port city believed to be one of the oldest in the world. Jaffa was incorporated with Tel Aviv creating the city of Tel Aviv-Yafo, Israel. Jaffa is famous for its association with the biblical story of the prophet Jonah.-Etymology:...
Islamic Court 11 September 1921 - Jerusalem Islamic Court 27 February 1923
- GazaGazaGaza , also referred to as Gaza City, is a Palestinian city in the Gaza Strip, with a population of about 450,000, making it the largest city in the Palestinian territories.Inhabited since at least the 15th century BC,...
Islamic Court 15 April 1938 - NazarethNazarethNazareth is the largest city in the North District of Israel. Known as "the Arab capital of Israel," the population is made up predominantly of Palestinian Arab citizens of Israel...
and JeninJeninJenin is the largest town in the Northern West Bank, and the third largest city overall. It serves as the administrative center of the Jenin Governorate and is a major agricultural center for the surrounding towns. In 2007, the city had a population of 120,004 not including the adjacent refugee...
Islamic Courts 1 January 1942 - HaifaHaifaHaifa is the largest city in northern Israel, and the third-largest city in the country, with a population of over 268,000. Another 300,000 people live in towns directly adjacent to the city including the cities of the Krayot, as well as, Tirat Carmel, Daliyat al-Karmel and Nesher...
Islamic Court 1 January 1944 - Jerusalem Islamic Court 1 January 1946
- He died in AmmanAmmanAmman is the capital of Jordan. It is the country's political, cultural and commercial centre and one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in the world. The Greater Amman area has a population of 2,842,629 as of 2010. The population of Amman is expected to jump from 2.8 million to almost...
and was buried in NablusNablusNablus is a Palestinian city in the northern West Bank, approximately north of Jerusalem, with a population of 126,132. Located in a strategic position between Mount Ebal and Mount Gerizim, it is the capital of the Nablus Governorate and a Palestinian commercial and cultural center.Founded by the...
26 June 1948
Book
He wrote a book about the law of inheritance in Islam, first published on 30 September 1931 under the title Al Fareedah Fi Hisab Al Fareeddah. When he died it was discovered that he was in the process of writing another book on the same topic in TurkishTurkish language
Turkish is a language spoken as a native language by over 83 million people worldwide, making it the most commonly spoken of the Turkic languages. Its speakers are located predominantly in Turkey and Northern Cyprus with smaller groups in Iraq, Greece, Bulgaria, the Republic of Macedonia, Kosovo,...
, unfortunately he could not finish the manuscript. In 1986 Al Nahar Daily News Paper wrote about him quoting a paragraph from Ajjaj Nuweihed's book Men from Palestine.
Community leadership
Whenever he went to Nablus he was always invited to lead the prayers in the main mosqueMosque
A mosque is a place of worship for followers of Islam. The word is likely to have entered the English language through French , from Portuguese , from Spanish , and from Berber , ultimately originating in — . The Arabic word masjid literally means a place of prostration...
as a gesture of respect. He also was an expert in Arabic calligraphy and sometimes gave lessons of "Al Khat Alarabi" at Al Rawdah School in Jerusalem next to the court-house. He was a member of Al Muntada Al Adabi . He wrote poetry but never published it, he only exchanged reciting it with his intellectual friends in his Majlis
Majlis
' , is an Arabic term meaning "a place of sitting", used in the context of "council", to describe various types of special gatherings among common interest groups be it administrative, social or religious in countries with linguistic or cultural connections to Islamic countries...
.
Death
One day during the 1948 War1948 Arab-Israeli War
The 1948 Arab–Israeli War, known to Israelis as the War of Independence or War of Liberation The war commenced after the termination of the British Mandate for Palestine and the creation of an independent Israel at midnight on 14 May 1948 when, following a period of civil war, Arab armies invaded...
and as a result of it, he felt a severe headache and felt very sick, and because of the war all hospitals in Palestine would not take him in. He had to be taken to the Italian Hospital in Amman, Jordan. There he died on June 26, 1948. He was buried in Nablus his birth place in Palestine
Palestine
Palestine is a conventional name, among others, used to describe the geographic region between the Mediterranean Sea and the Jordan River, and various adjoining lands....
.
Life coincidences
One astonishing fact was the death of Sheik Nasib and his wife Bahija.- He died in 1948, She died in 1967, they both died during war-time.
- He died on June 26, 1948; she also died on June 26, 1967. They died two wars apart.
- He died at the Italian Hospital in Amman; she also died at the same hospital.
See also
- Islamic inheritance jurisprudenceIslamic inheritance jurisprudenceIslamic Inheritance jurisprudence is a field of Islamic Jurisprudence that deals with inheritance, a topic that is prominently dealt with in the Qur'an. It is often called Mīrāth, and its branch of Islamic law is technically known as ʿulm al-farāʾiḍ...