A contemporary Saudi Arabian scholar of Quranic interpretation, Prophetic traditions, Islamic jurisprudence, tenets of faith and the biography of the Prophet (s) is undoubtedly the most highly acclaimed and respected scholar in Makkah. A descendant of the Prophet Muhammad (s), Muhammad ibn 'Alawi was born in 1947 to a family of the Maliki traditional school of thought. His grandfather was Chief Judge of Makkah, an Imam of the Holy Mosque and one of its greatest scholars. Muhammad ibn 'Alawi's father was also an erudite scholar. He also studied with other prominent scholars of Makkah including Shaykh Sayyid Ameen Qutbi and Shaykh Hassan Masshat. At the age of 25 Muhammad ibn 'Alawi received his PhD from Al-Azhar University of Egypt. He also received license to teach and guide in the theological and spiritual sciences from the Imam of Yemen, Shaykh Habib Ahmad Mashur al-Haddad, from Shaykh Hasnayn Makhluf former Grand Mufti of Egypt, Shaykh al-Ghimari of Morocco, Shaykh Diauddin Qadiri of Madinah and many others. "undoubtedly the most highly acclaimed and respected scholar in Makkah." In 1970, al-Sayyid Muhammad ibn 'Alawi was appointed professor of Islamic studies at the Umm-ul-Qurra university in Makkah and in 1971 succeeded his late father as teacher in the Holy Mosque. Highly respected by the Saudi government, he was nominated head judge at the international Quranic reading competition in Makkah three times. He currently focuses on research and is the author of nearly one hundred books. Shaykh al-Maliki passed away in 2003. |
