Mazhar al-Wais
Mazhar Abdul Rahman al-Wais is a Syrian Islamic scholar and former militant leader who is the current Minister of Justice in the Syrian transitional government since March 2025.
He had previously served as the head of the Sharia Authority in Eastern Syria and a member of the Shura Council of Mujahideen in the Eastern Region. He later became a prominent jurist in Hay'at Tahrir al-Sham and held positions within the Ministry of Justice of the Syrian Salvation Government.
Early life and imprisonment
Al-Wais studied medicine at Damascus University before switching to Islamic studies at the Al-Fath Islamic Institute, specializing in comparative jurisprudence.In 2008, he was arrested by the Ba'athist Syrian intelligence services and imprisoned at Far' Falastin then Sednaya Prison and was sentenced for eight years. During his imprisonment, he participated in three major prison uprisings led by Islamist detainees.
Role in the Syrian Civil War
Al-Wais was released in April 2013, nearly two years after an amnesty in May 2011 that freed many Islamist prisoners. Following his release, he became the head of the Sharia Authority in Eastern Syria, which was reorganized after the split between Jabhat al-Nusra and the Islamic State in June 2013. During his tenure, he expanded the activities of the authority.He was also a member of the Shura Council of the Mujahideen in the Eastern Region and served as its official spokesperson. Additionally, he was among the founding members of the Shura Council of Scholars in the Levant.
After the formation of Hay'at Tahrir al-Sham on 27 January 2017, al-Wais became a leading religious figure within the group. He appeared in a video released by HTS in March 2017, alongside other prominent jurists such as Muslih al-Ulyani, Abdullah al-Muhaysini, and Abu Yusuf al-Hamawi, ahead of battles in Hama Governorate. He also held positions in the judiciary of the Syrian Salvation Government, including leading the Supreme Judicial Council.
In August 2022, media reports suggested that Ahmed al-Sharaa, the general commander of HTS, had resigned and was replaced by al-Wais. However, HTS's media office denied these claims.